"We did it—the foreign chakra lodged in the Third Mizukage's brain has been completely purged!"
"He really was under genjutsu? But… he's the Third Mizukage!"
"Wait… if he's been controlled all this time, then everything—the war, the orders, the decisions—weren't actually his..."
The murmuring of the crowd slowly pierced through the haze clouding the Third Mizukage's gaze. His once-empty eyes began to refocus as he looked around—at the devastated Mist Village, now encased in frost.
"What… happened…?"
"You're awake," Yoru said coldly, standing over him. "You should remember."
Judging by the look in the old man's eyes, the genjutsu Madara had placed on him hadn't been absolute—it hadn't completely overwritten his will, but had subtly eroded it over the years.
If he'd been a full puppet, sensory-type shinobi would've noticed long ago.
"It feels like I've woken from… a dream. A very long dream…" the Third Mizukage murmured, staring at his hands. "Did I… do all this?"
"The first thing you do is deny responsibility?" Yoru scoffed. "No wonder the Second Mizukage took the position instead of you—even though you were the First's chosen successor."
"No, it's not denial… just disbelief," the old man said softly. "I never thought I'd escape that endless nightmare… that Sharingan."
"Sharingan?! Genjutsu?!" The word sparked a chain of shock through the crowd.
They'd fought Konoha to the brink of annihilation—suffered massive casualties—and now they were being told their leader had been under enemy control the whole time?
Was there a crueler joke in all of shinobi history?
"It really was the Sharingan," Yoru muttered, not surprised. "No wonder my own eye sensed a familiar chakra inside your mind…"
"Yes… those eyes. Just one glance in the darkness… and everything I was disappeared," the Third Mizukage said bitterly. "I'll never forget them."
His voice was filled with self-loathing. The damage he'd caused… was nothing compared to what the village had lost.
Under the Second Mizukage's reforms, they'd almost reached Konoha's level. But in his hands, Kirigakure had been twisted into a place of slaughter and paranoia—a living nightmare.
Compared to that, what were a few decades of lost time?
"Yoru," he said, looking up, "if it weren't for you, who knows how many more decrees I would've passed… how many more lives I would've ruined…"
"I've already saved this village multiple times," Yoru replied bluntly. "Your suicidal orders were so ridiculous, they made me wonder if you'd actually been hit in the head."
The Third Mizukage gave a strained laugh.
"I apologize… to you and to everyone here. The fault lies with my weakness. If it weren't for me, there would've been no Blood Mist policy… no chaos among the elders… no mass exodus of villagers… If we'd just followed the Second's blueprint, Kirigakure might be on par with Iwagakure or even Konoha…"
His hands trembled as he stood, barely able to keep balance after decades of physical and mental stagnation.
Then, before the entire village, he knelt on the frost-covered ground.
"I accept full responsibility."
Clang!
A kunai clattered to the ground—knocked from the hand of a fool who'd tried to kill himself in the name of remorse.
Yoru sneered. "Suicide? That's your grand gesture of atonement? That's not responsibility—that's cowardice."
The Third looked up at him, his face tired and defeated.
"I no longer have the strength or mind to fix any of this…" the Mizukage said bitterly. "This broken, aging body has been nothing but a puppet. What else can I do but die in penance?"
"No one asked you to keep being Mizukage."
Yoru turned his gaze to the villagers—the shinobi and civilians alike still gathered outside the ruined tower.
"This village is in shambles, and our biggest issue… is population."
He paused. "No, I'm not asking you to have kids. I'm saying we fix this from another angle."
"You're still the former Mizukage. Issue a formal apology—acknowledge your mistakes. Begin the 'Kirigakure Restoration Plan.' Reach out to the people who fled because of the Blood Mist era—bring them home. Even becoming a teacher to raise the next generation is more useful than dying in disgrace."
"And let's not forget the Sharingan genjutsu," Yoru continued. "Konoha's Uchiha clan is weak now—none of them should have this level of power. This whole situation could serve as leverage in the coming peace talks."
"So if you really want to atone… then stay alive. That's the first step."
The Third Mizukage stared at him, speechless. Around them, the shinobi of the village said nothing.
But in their eyes, Yoru no longer wore white uniform robes—he wore a blue-and-white Mizukage haori, and a hat bearing the kanji for 'Fourth.'
Even Yagura, still pinned by ANBU restraints, could only offer a bitter smile.
"You really are the one most suited to be Fourth Mizukage, Yoru."
Compared to him—Yagura was just a power-hungry fool.
"You're right. Suicide really is the act of a coward," the Third Mizukage muttered.
He rose shakily, walked to the ruins of the Mizukage's office, and retrieved the hat that had fallen in the battle.
He dusted it off… and placed it on Yoru's head.
"I'll submit my resignation to the Daimyō—and recommend you as the sole candidate for the Fourth Mizukage."
"…And good luck cleaning up my mess."
—
Under the gaze of the entire village, the authority of the Mizukage transferred from one generation to the next.
Though not yet formally ratified by the Daimyō, it didn't matter. In Kirigakure, strength had always been the ultimate measure of leadership. The strongest leads.
And now, the strongest was Yuki Yoru.
The village was in ruins. Its numbers were at an all-time low.
But for some reason… everyone felt a strange sense of relief. As if a choking fog had finally lifted.
—
"Lord Yoru! Third Mizukage!"
A blur of motion disrupted the calm. An ANBU arrived in a flash, panic written all over him—even through the mask.
"Minato Namikaze has appeared outside the village!"
"What?!"
"The Yellow Flash of Konoha?!"
"He's the one who massacred us on the front lines! Why is he here?!"
"Don't tell me… the Nine-Tails again?!"
Fear gripped them at the mention of Minato. His coordinated attacks with the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki had devastated their forces. He was a living nightmare on the battlefield.
"No—he's alone. There's no Nine-Tails with him," the ANBU quickly corrected. "He says he's here to deliver a peace proposal."
"…A peace proposal?"
Yoru touched the brim of the Mizukage's hat, unsurprised.
Only Kiyomi knew that Minato had marked him with the Flying Thunder God seal. If Minato had really come to destroy the village, he would've appeared directly inside with a Tailed Beast Bomb—not at the gate.
"Well, guess I'm not even officially in office and I'm already fielding diplomacy," Yoru muttered. "Come on, Lord Third. Let's go."
He glanced at the ruined Mizukage Tower.
"Too bad we'll have to host our guest at the ANBU base."
—
"This chakra residue… it's thick. Did a war just happen here?"
Minato's sharp gaze swept the village as he followed the ANBU escort.
Snow blanketed the streets. Buildings were half-ruined. The air still carried lingering traces of powerful chakra.
He felt it immediately: something huge had gone down just moments before he arrived.
"Even the Mizukage Tower…" he whispered.
The moment he saw the destroyed tower, Minato's eyes narrowed. No matter the village, the Kage's building was a symbol—of strength, of unity, of pride.
And it had been leveled.
"If this was an internal power struggle… then why are the people smiling?"
That was what confused him most. The villagers and shinobi he passed weren't distraught. They weren't mourning.
They were smiling.
Only when they looked at him did their faces turn grim.
Something didn't add up.
That was… until he saw them.
The Third Mizukage in his robes.
And across from him—Yoru, wearing the Mizukage hat.
"…No way…"
"Surprised, Namikaze Minato?" Yoru said with a faint smile. "Told you we'd meet again. Though I said it would be… under different circumstances."
"You staged a coup?" Minato asked, stunned.
"Please," Yoru scoffed. "Have you ever seen a coup where the former Kage sits peacefully beside the successor?"
"I'm clan head of the Yuki, deputy commander of the ANBU, and the war hero who led us through hell against your forces. I'm the only candidate left for Fourth Mizukage. Why would I need a coup?"
"As for the Mizukage Tower… it was ugly anyway. Needed remodeling."
"You came to offer peace, right? Then wipe that suspicious look off your face."
"…Apologies."
Minato sat down, pulled a scroll from his cloak, and hesitated. He didn't know who to hand it to.
Yoru took it with a smile—and passed it to the Third Mizukage.
The old man opened it and began reading slowly, while Minato explained.
"This war has devastated both our villages. We've all suffered."
"This isn't victory. It's mutual loss. And so, our Hokage wishes to end it here."
"As a sign of goodwill… I brought these."
He placed another scroll on the table.
Yoru opened it. Three familiar blades materialized: Samehada, Kiba, and the Executioner's Blade.
"…This is a good start."
Yoru nodded approvingly, then took the peace proposal scroll from the Third and began to read.
After a moment, he looked up.
"…But it's not enough."
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin