457. Winds of Change

It must be said that sometimes the winds of change in the shinobi world shift with astonishing speed.

After more than two years of grueling warfare against the noble faction, Iwagakure suddenly ended its prolonged civil war in just half a month.

They officially declared Iwagakure the new capital of the Land of Earth, making a clean break from the corrupt noble regime.

At the same time, the noble faction within the country was purged, with all their assets confiscated to bolster military funds.

Iwagakure, which had once scoffed at Konoha's reforms, now reluctantly followed the same path.

On the other side of the Land of Earth, the government-in-exile formed by the new daimyo, supported by the Land of Fire, fled while condemning Ōnoki's actions.

This noble figure even wrote to the daimyo of the Land of Lightning, hoping for military aid to help him retake the capital.

However, the daimyo of the Land of Lightning didn't even read the letter, tossing it straight into the fire.

What a joke! The Land of Lightning was currently busy curbing Konoha's expansion into the Land of Frost.

How could they spare any attention for the Land of Earth?

Moreover, the daimyo had already handed over all his power to the Raikage, leaving him no grounds to meddle in military affairs.

While the daimyo was reasonable, the same couldn't be said for the noble ministers under him.

They petitioned the Raikage, arguing that if the Land of Earth fell, the Land of Lightning would be next.

They believed the Land of Lightning should send troops to support the noble faction in the Land of Earth, not sit idly by while these "traitors" ran rampant.

This infuriated the Fourth Raikage, A, who smashed several tables in his office in frustration.

However, he wasn't ready to openly clash with the nobles yet, so he used the excuse that the Land of Lightning was too preoccupied to intervene, offering only verbal support.

Even so, this decision sparked discontent among many noble ministers.

Some even took to the newspapers, writing lengthy articles claiming that refusing to send troops was a sign of the noble faction's compromise and retreat, and a triumph for the reformists in the shinobi world!

This severely demoralized the noble faction, causing the smaller nations aligned with the Land of Lightning to lose confidence in their path... In short, the message was clear: not sending troops would lead to endless trouble!

If one read between the lines, it was also evident that the noble class in the Land of Lightning was growing dissatisfied with the Raikage.

All this chaos turned the political landscape of the Land of Lightning into a complete mess.

The Fourth Raikage, A, was at his wit's end, wishing he could just chop down all these stubborn old nobles!

---

Meanwhile, in the Land of Water, a similar upheaval was unfolding.

"Lord Fuguki, Lord Juzo, the outer city has been breached!"

"Our forces are suffering heavy casualties... We can't hold them back!"

Amidst the chaos of battle, a Blood Mist shinobi ran up to the two leaders, his face filled with terror as he reported the situation.

With Konoha's advanced technology flooding the battlefield, the Blood Mist faction stood no chance.

The skies were filled with airships bombing around the clock, while hundreds of cannons roared outside the city walls, accompanied by the relentless advance of tanks...

It was impossible to fight back. Absolutely impossible.

"It's all Konoha's fault! They refused to sell us weapons!" Biwa Juzo stood in the command center, his expression grim.

If they had access to Konoha's weapons, they might have been able to hold out longer, leveraging the capital's geographical advantages. They might even have turned the tide and launched a counterattack.

Fuguki Suikazan, however, just gave him a cold glance and laughed.

"Stop deluding yourself! Haven't you realized by now? The outcome of this war isn't in our hands, nor is it in Kirigakure's. Who wins or loses is entirely up to the whims of the 'Darkness of the Shinobi World.'"

Hearing such a blunt truth, Juzo's expression darkened even further.

Before he could respond, a deafening explosion erupted from the city gates. As a blinding fireball shot into the sky, a shockwave rippled through the city.

Juzo knew—the city had fallen!

Sure enough, after the explosion, the sound of desperate screams followed.

"The city's breached!"

"Kirigakure forces are inside!"

"Run! Run!"

Without hesitation, Juzo grabbed his Executioner's Blade and charged forward.

Fuguki, however, just watched his back with a cold smile.

Whether it was the daimyo or the Blood Mist faction... Fuguki didn't care about their fate. All he cared about was his own survival.

So, faced with a hopeless situation, his best option was clear—run!

As for betrayal, Fuguki had no qualms about it. It wasn't his first time, and it certainly wouldn't be his last.

Thus, he hoisted Samehada onto his shoulder and prepared to flee. But before he left, there was one last thing he needed to do.

"Uh, Lord Kisame, what are you—?" The Blood Mist shinobi who had delivered the report suddenly felt a sense of dread as Fuguki turned to look at him.

Fuguki grinned, revealing his sharp teeth. In the next moment, Samehada swung through the air, cutting the shinobi in half!

"My apologies, but you saw me in a moment of weakness," Fuguki said coldly, looking down at the bloodied corpse.

He could have taken this subordinate with him, but why bother?

Rather than dragging along dead weight, it was better to let him die sooner. With this thought, Kisame stepped over the body.

But just as he stepped out the door, a figure appeared before him.

"Kisame?"

Fuguki frowned as he recognized the man before him. As a core member of the Blood Mist faction, Kisame Hoshigaki's talent and abilities were top-notch. If the Blood Mist faction hadn't been doomed, he might have become a future leader.

But now, such thoughts were meaningless.

Fuguki sighed inwardly but kept his expression neutral. "Kisame? What are you doing here? Didn't I send you to reinforce the city walls?"

Kisame Hoshigaki didn't answer. Instead, he slowly drew a kunai, his shark-like face twisting into a menacing grin.

"I never expected my most respected senior to make such a choice at a critical moment," he said, his voice laced with a mix of coldness, cruelty, and a hint of confusion.