396. I Am Not a Rogue Ninja

In the southern part of the Land of Water, on an island perpetually shrouded in thick fog, a heavy and oppressive atmosphere hung in the air.

The remnants of the Blood Mist faction, led by Fuguki Suikazan, had gathered here like stray dogs, their former arrogance and dominance in Kirigakure completely gone.

Now, the members of the Blood Mist faction looked haggard, their faces filled with despair and fear.

In just a few short days, the political landscape of the Land of Water had undergone a dramatic shift.

Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, who had once created the Blood Mist era and ruled Kirigakure with an iron fist, had gone missing after the great battle.

His disappearance was like pulling the backbone out of the Blood Mist faction, leaving the entire group leaderless and in chaos.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed acting Mizukage, Mei Terumi, acted decisively.

With the strong support of Konoha's reinforcements, she swiftly launched a relentless campaign to purge and hunt down the remnants of the Blood Mist faction.

Under the pursuit of numerous Kirigakure ninja and Konoha reinforcements, the Blood Mist remnants had no choice but to flee to this remote southern archipelago, barely clinging to survival.

"If things continue like this, we might as well disband and each find our own way to survive," Biwa Juzo said hoarsely, his voice filled with exhaustion.

Days of fierce battles and constant fleeing had left this once-powerful ninja physically and mentally drained.

Without Yagura to lead them, relying on these battered remnants to resist Kirigakure, which now had the support of Konoha's elite, was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Rather than continuing to hide and live in constant fear, it might be better to disband now.

With his skills, Juzo could at least hide his identity and join the underground bounty hunter network, where he could command a high price.

Hearing his words, the others exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions mixed.

For strong ninja like Biwa Juzo and Fuguki Suikazan, disbanding was indeed a viable option.


After all, their strength ensured they would never go hungry.

But for the average ninja with mediocre skills, this suggestion was far from ideal.

In the ninja world, rogue ninja were universally despised and hunted down.

Once the group disbanded, they would lose the safety of numbers and would have to face Kirigakure's endless pursuit alone, with little chance of survival.

As the group hesitated, weighing their options, Fuguki Suikazan narrowed his eyes and slowly proposed a completely different idea.


It was as if he had seen through the fears of the ordinary ninja, and his deep voice carried a persuasive power:

"Everyone, although Lord Yagura is now missing and Kirigakure is hunting us relentlessly... don't forget that the Land of Water is not solely under Mei Terumi's control."

He paused, scanning the room, then raised his voice: "The true master of the Land of Water is the Daimyo! As long as the Daimyo is willing to accept us, we will still be ninja of the Land of Water, not rogue ninja hunted by everyone!"

His words were like a ray of light, instantly reigniting the dying hope in the eyes of the group.


Even Biwa Juzo was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting this line of thought.

However, after the brief surge of hope, doubts quickly arose.

"Will the Daimyo really accept us?" someone asked nervously, voicing the hidden worry in everyone's hearts.

After all, the Blood Mist faction was infamous in the Land of Water, their hands stained with blood.

Would the Daimyo really dare to take in such a troublesome group?

To this, Fuguki Suikazan seemed entirely confident. A self-assured smile spread across his face as he said, "Don't worry. No one would turn down easy gains, not even the Daimyo. Unless they plan to sit back and watch the ninja village grow stronger, just like the nobles of the Land of Fire, and let their own power be eroded until they're completely destroyed."

---

While Fuguki Suikazan was contemplating how to align with the Daimyo and drag the noble class of the Land of Water into their struggle, a heated debate was also erupting within Kirigakure.

"There's only one way to solve the crisis Kirigakure is facing," Zabuza declared, his words shocking everyone present.

"And that is to target the noble class and force them to hand over the wealth they've accumulated over the decades. Only then can Kirigakure obtain sufficient funds for the village's post-disaster reconstruction."

Zabuza, who had recently risen to a high position in Kirigakure thanks to his role in "correcting the chaos," had dropped this bombshell of a proposal.

The sheer audacity of his suggestion left everyone in the room stunned.

They couldn't help but rub their eyes, making sure that the person speaking was indeed Zabuza and not some imposter.

"This idea is far too radical, Zabuza!" Ao, a conservative, immediately stood up to refute the proposal.

Due to Kirigakure's severe shortage of personnel, Ao, the acting Mizukage's partner, had also been reluctantly pulled into the village's decision-making circle.

He now found himself in opposition to Zabuza, who represented the radical faction advocating for full alignment with Konoha.

Facing the criticism, Zabuza simply crossed his arms and sneered, "If we don't do this, then how does Senior Ao plan to solve Kirigakure's current predicament?"

This retort left Ao speechless.

Under Yagura's years of isolationist and tyrannical rule, Kirigakure's finances had been on the verge of collapse.

Now, after such a devastating war, the village's finances had completely crumbled. In truth, Mei Terumi and her team had inherited a complete mess.

Rebuilding the village required money.

Hunting down the Blood Mist remnants required money.

Ensuring the villagers' daily lives required money.

the village required even more money!

Faced with such a massive financial gap, the Kirigakure leadership had no good solutions.

Although Konoha was willing to provide substantial aid and loans to Kirigakure, accepting further assistance from Konoha would inevitably bind the two villages even closer.

Konoha's influence over Kirigakure would reach unprecedented levels, potentially even affecting the independence of Kirigakure's policies.

If there were any other way, Mei Terumi would prefer not to take this step.

Temporarily accepting Konoha's military presence was already the limit of what she could tolerate.

But if they didn't take this path, then the only option was to follow Zabuza's suggestion and target the wealthy noble class.

The young leader's eyes flickered with uncertainty, and a headache began to form.


She didn't know what the right course of action was, and she feared that under her leadership, Kirigakure might head down a path of no return...

Perhaps Elder Genji would have some insight.

With this thought, Mei Terumi rubbed her temples in frustration and said, "Let's end the meeting here. I need more time to think about how to raise the necessary funds."