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Mastermind of the Akatsuki 339
🕑 Added 2025-02-27 07:01:01 +0000 UTCChapter 339: The Elder’s Choice
Faced with a report detailing the major events of Kirigakure over the years, Genji wasn’t stupid to be careless. He put on his reading glasses and began to carefully examine the contents.
It took him over ten minutes to go through the report before he finally set it down.
The document itself was not long, only a few hundred words, but it contained a detailed account of all major events in Kirigakure since the death of the Second Mizukage.
Among the key events were the election of the Third Mizukage, the birth of the Bloody Mist Policy… and the ongoing purge of the Bloodline Limit clans.
But the event that caught Genji’s attention the most was the Three-Tails Jinchūriki Plan.
This plan was proposed toward the end of the Third Shinobi World War. At that time, Kirigakure’s Bloodline Limit forces had been driven back by the Hyūga and Uchiha clans, and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, whom the village had placed great hopes on, were defeated by an unknown Konoha genin.
This series of failures made Kirigakure realize the depth of Konoha’s strength and solidified their resolve to fight to the death against them. Ultimately, it led the Third Mizukage to formulate the Three-Tails Jinchūriki Plan.
The plan was simple: capture a Konoha shinobi, seal Isobu, the Three-Tails, inside their body, and then, once that shinobi returned to Konoha, undo the seal—unleashing a Tailed Beast Rampage.
The plan seemed promising at first, but many shinobi elites opposed it.
If it succeeded, Konoha would indeed suffer heavy losses. However, if Konoha discovered the plan ahead of time, Kirigakure would end up losing a Tailed Beast.
Despite the opposition, the Third Mizukage insisted, and the plan was carried out. The ANBU of Kirigakure launched a full-scale operation, capturing Nohara Rin of Minato’s squad and transforming her into the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, then forcing her to move toward Konoha.
But plans rarely go as expected. The night before the plan could come to fruition— Nohara Rin died. Along with all of Kirigakure’s ANBU involved in the mission.
The devastating loss left Kirigakure crippled, stripping it of its ability to compete with Konoha and forcing it to retreat from the Shinobi World War altogether.
In the aftermath, the village’s official stance was that Minato Namikaze had single-handedly foiled the plan.
As the man who had single-handedly held off Iwagakure’s assassination squads, Minato could have certainly eliminated Kirigakure’s ANBU one by one using the Flying Thunder God.
To Genji, this explanation had been conclusive. Only Minato Namikaze could have prevented the Three-Tails Jinchūriki Plan. There was no one else in the Shinobi World who could have done it.
However, the report in front of him raised a number of unsettling questions.
Why did Kirigakure agree to such an absurd plan in the first place? Why was the Jinchūriki specifically chosen from Minato Namikaze’s subordinates? Why wasn’t a Mist shinobi selected instead?
At this point, Genji found himself sharing the same doubts. he report continued, questioning every major event that followed.
Why had the Third Mizukage suddenly stepped down at the end of the war? Why had the Fourth Mizukage continued the Bloody Mist Policy and enacted policies that harmed both Kirigakure and himself?
At the end of the document, the author presented a chilling hypothesis—one that connected all the dots.
If the Bloody Mist Policy—a policy that blatantly went against Kirigakure’s interests—originated during the Third Mizukage’s reign, then was it possible that every Mizukage since had merely been a puppet under someone’s control?
The Third Mizukage may not have even realized he was being controlled. And once he did—his time was up, leading to the Fourth Mizukage’s rise.
The Fourth Mizukage, in turn, perpetuated the same policy, further deepening the chaos within Kirigakure.
Now, the real question was: how were these Mizukage being controlled?
A Mizukage was far too powerful to be subdued by ordinary genjutsu.
There was only one possible explanation. A certain clan known for their cursed eyes.
After the Valley of the End battle, the demon who had once struck fear into the world died at the hands of the God of Shinobi.
But during his years away from Konoha, he must have left something behind. Could the chaos in the Shinobi World all be his doing? Could he be hiding within Kirigakure?
Upon reading this, Genji unconsciously swallowed hard. He had a terrifying suspicion about the identity of the author.
As he continued, the writing returned to a normal tone.
The mysterious figure claimed that Kirigakure was likely the hiding place of Madara Uchiha’s remnants.
After all, only the Mangekyō Sharingan could control the Five Kage.
And at the bottom of the paper— A single, unmistakable emblem was drawn.
The symbol of the Senju Clan. This message had been delivered by Jūzō Biwa, but the sender…
Was a Senju shinobi.
For a long time, Genji remained silent.
The Senju Clan had founded Konoha, and Princess Tsunade, who carried their bloodline, was still active across the Shinobi World. Yet, there were no longer any shinobi who bore the Senju name.
This once-mighty clan was now on the verge of extinction. If someone had stood before him and claimed to be a Senju, he would have dismissed them as a lunatic.
But the messenger was Jūzō Biwa—one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Someone powerful enough to have Jūzō Biwa deliver their message must be extraordinary.
More importantly, the hidden details in the letter contained information that only Kirigakure’s top brass should know.
That meant this person was unlikely to be a fraud. They might truly be a Senju survivor.
But why was this Senju—instead of helping Konoha, which was still embroiled in war—
Spending all their efforts on hunting down Madara’s remnants?
Genji couldn’t understand. But just then, a realization struck him.
Could this Senju be from the Second Hokage’s lineage?
Considering how Konoha had suffered both the Nine-Tails’ Attack and the Uchiha Massacre in just the past ten years, it made sense that eliminating Madara’s remnants had become their top priority.
With this understanding, Genji was faced with a decision.
The Senju survivor had informed him that two Kirigakure rogue shinobi had been sent to test the Fourth Mizukage. If they could push the Mizukage into a desperate situation, they might expose the truth behind his control.
They wanted Genji’s cooperation to solve this problem once and for all. And they had even extended an invitation— To form a Shinobi Alliance.
The first proposal, Genji didn’t oppose. He already suspected the Fourth Mizukage was being controlled, and having a strong ally to deal with the issue was welcome.
But the second? Genji rejected it outright. A Shinobi Alliance? What kind of nonsense was that?
If Kirigakure were to join the Shinobi Alliance in the same way as the other villages, it would only be a matter of decades before the village’s existence became nothing more than a historical footnote.
This was a brutal thought for someone like Genji, who had witnessed the rise, development, and decline of Kirigakure firsthand.
He pulled his wandering thoughts back together, feeling a complex mix of emotions.
He would certainly agree to cooperate with the Senju descendant. It wasn’t because the Senju name was so prestigious, but because the impact of Uchiha Madara on the world left an indelible mark.
Back in the day, Madara had never considered cooperating with the other villages.
He wanted all the Shinobi Villages to submit to Konoha, to make it the sole, unchallenged village in the world. If Hashirama hadn’t intervened, the First Great Ninja War would have happened a decade earlier than it did.
With that thought in mind, Genji waved his hand and said to a trusted ninja, “Call Mei Terumi and Ao over. I need to discuss something with them.”
The trusted ninja nodded and, with a flash of the Body Flicker Technique, disappeared.
---
About ten minutes later, Mei Terumi and Ao arrived at the elder’s residence.
Mei Terumi was a Bloodline Limit user, possessing both Lava Release and Boil Release, and was one of the most promising candidates to contest for the position of Fifth Mizukage.
According to the policies of the ongoing purge, a Bloodline Limit user like Mei Terumi would normally have been imprisoned or closely monitored by Kirigakure's ANBU. However, Genji had protected her, ensuring she was unaffected by the purge and able to focus on improving her strength.
In contrast, Ao was much older, nearing his forties. He was the leader of the Kirigakure jōnin class, a high-ranking figure within the village.
The reason Genji had called him over, however, wasn’t just because of his position in Kirigakure’s hierarchy.
More importantly, Ao possessed a Byakugan—a rare treasure acquired from the Hyūga clan during the Third Great Ninja War. It was the strongest sensory ability within Kirigakure, and if they were to investigate whether the Fourth Mizukage had been controlled, Ao was the one to turn to.
After entering the elder’s residence, Mei Terumi and Ao exchanged a glance before addressing Genji.
“Genji-sama, you’ve called for us. What is it that you need to discuss?”
Instead of answering immediately, Genji asked, “Mei, Ao, what do you think of the Fourth Mizukage’s actions these past few years?”
Both of them were taken aback by the question.
After a long pause, Ao cautiously replied, “The Fourth Mizukage has been very mysterious lately. He spends all his time at the Mizukage Building and rarely leaves. The policies he’s enacted also seem... strange.”
Mei Terumi, hands on her hips, didn’t hold back, “The Fourth Mizukage is clearly not suffering from old age yet, yet he continues to make foolish decisions. Sometimes, I even wonder if he’s been hit by an explosive tag and has lost his mind.”
At that point, Mei seemed to realize what she said and quickly added, “Genji-sama, I didn’t mean any offense! You’re much older than the Fourth Mizukage, but you don’t seem to be suffering from any senility.”
“Well, thank you for that…” Genji smiled wryly at her. He had watched Mei Terumi grow up, and their relationship was more like that of a grandfather and granddaughter. Genji didn’t mind her attitude, but he couldn’t help but wonder how Mei Terumi would ever find a husband with that personality.
An awkward silence hung in the air for a while until Mei looked at Genji and asked, “Genji-sama, since you’ve mentioned the Fourth Mizukage, are you planning to unite the jōnin of the village to impeach him and force him out of the Mizukage position?”
“If you lead the effort, I’m sure the Fourth Mizukage would be removed,” Mei continued.
Genji shook his head. “I won’t take action against the Fourth Mizukage, but there are indeed plans to do so. Just a few hours ago, I met with Jūzō Biwa and the letter he brought with him.”
“Jūzō Biwa came?” Mei Terumi and Ao exchanged wary glances before saying, “Jūzō Biwa is a rogue ninja now. He didn’t harm you, did he?”
“Of course not.” Genji chuckled, “Perhaps it’s my old reputation that still holds some sway in the village, but Jūzō Biwa did bring me some important information.”
“What information?” Mei Terumi and Ao were immediately curious.
After a brief pause, Genji explained, “Jūzō Biwa has allied with Zabuza Momochi and is planning an assassination attempt on the Fourth Mizukage. They suspect that the Fourth Mizukage has been placed under genjutsu control.”
Mei Terumi and Ao were stunned. Jūzō Biwa and Zabuza plotting to assassinate the Mizukage was shocking enough, but to come to Genji for support? It seemed like a suicide mission. How could Genji possibly ignore rogue ninjas threatening the village?
Then, they heard the second part of the message, which made their shock even greater. A rogue ninja assassination attempt to “save the village”? The idea was so absurd, it was almost laughable. But then, the more they thought about it, the more they realized it wasn’t entirely out of the question.
The Fourth Mizukage’s recent policies were so erratic, they seemed more like the work of a low-level genin than a seasoned politician. Policies that put Bloodline Limit clans at risk, allowed squad leaders to kill teammates to protect secrets... it was as if a strategy had been devised by someone with no understanding of how to govern.
Looking at the stunned Mei Terumi and Ao, Genji said, “I know Jūzō Biwa’s words sound far-fetched, but I too have begun to suspect that the Fourth Mizukage might really be under some kind of control.”
Mei Terumi and Ao slowly responded, “Genji-sama, are you suggesting...?”
Genji took a deep breath and said, “My plan is to allow Jūzō Biwa and Zabuza Momochi to carry out their mission to test the Fourth Mizukage. We won’t interfere too much. During this time, I need you to gather as many ninjas as possible and maintain communication with them.
If the Fourth Mizukage really has been controlled, we’ll confront both him and the person controlling him. If not, we’ll follow the village’s tradition and remain neutral during their conflict.”
After giving his orders, Genji seemed to lose his energy. He looked as though he had aged years in an instant.
By issuing these orders, it felt like he had already abandoned any hope of the Fourth Mizukage. Whether the Mizukage was under control or not, Genji knew that Jūzō Biwa’s mission would lead to the end of the Fourth Mizukage’s reign.
