While Sougen and Shisui were having a calm conversation at the entrance of the camp, the atmosphere inside the newly set-up tent at the center of the Mist Ninja camp was as cold as the icy caves of the Land of Snow. Ordinary Mist Ninjas didn't care much about the outcome of the war for various reasons, but the Jonin inside the tent were a different story. These were the ones who cared deeply or had no choice but to care about the village's fate.
Regardless of what they thought, they had to put on an expression of deep shame for the sake of the village's honor.
"The situation is roughly as I've explained. This war with Konoha wasn't my decision. To be precise, since the attack outside the village five years ago, I've been nothing more than a puppet," Yagura calmly explained.
Perhaps bowing his head to Uchiha Sougen earlier had drained all his energy and emotions, leaving him numb. Even as he spoke about being manipulated, his voice remained steady, as if he were talking about someone else.
He didn't hide the fact that he had been controlled. Instead, he openly told the Jonin, who were regarded as the backbone and future of the village. There was no point in hiding it; he had to explain what "he" had done.
The Mist Jonin remained silent.
Even the usually brash Zabuza, who was clearly displeased with Yagura's decision to surrender, stayed quiet, though that might have had something to do with his heavily injured and bandaged body. The Uchiha "rebound" attack hadn't killed Zabuza or his comrades but had left him in a much worse state than Hozuki Mangetsu or Kisame Hoshigaki, who had only suffered minor injuries. Zabuza, already hurt, now had multiple fractures and significant blood loss. If not for the medical ninja's immediate intervention, he would've likely been dead.
"I didn't expect the rumors to be true," Hozuki Mangetsu said, seated near the front. Not only was he considered a prodigy of the Mist Village, but he also represented the Hozuki clan, one of the village's most prominent families, akin to the Hyuga clan in Konoha. Though not labeled the strongest, they were definitely part of the elite.
Additionally, his clan had produced a former Mizukage, giving them a respected status.
"Mizukage-sama, forgive my bluntness, but... is this really not just an excuse to avoid responsibility?" Mangetsu's straightforward question echoed the doubts of many in the room.
Could such a story really be true?
The idea of a Mizukage being controlled for over five years without anyone in the village noticing seemed absurd, something even a third-rate novel wouldn't dare to write. This was beyond belief!
Yagura looked around the room calmly and sighed. "I understand your doubts. Unfortunately, I don't have any concrete evidence. Even the corpse of the imposter who posed as me is in Uchiha Sougen's hands. All I can say is, believe me or not, that's up to you. Just don't dismiss my words lightly."
He tapped the table with his fingers. "But the mysterious figure isn't our immediate concern. Right now, our top priority is handling our relations with Konoha..."
"Mizukage-sama, if the person who controlled you had the Sharingan, isn't this a conspiracy by Konoha?" A man wearing a gray ninja cap and a brown robe interrupted Yagura, causing him to frown slightly.
"Bii, if this were a Konoha conspiracy, they wouldn't have needed to manipulate me into starting this war. They could have just used me to achieve whatever they wanted," Yagura rebutted.
"What if what Konoha wanted was the war itself?"
The man, called Bii, spoke with a calm, deep voice, giving the impression of reliability and authority.
"What do you mean?"
Yagura's frown deepened.
"I'm saying, what if Konoha started this war to divert attention from their internal conflicts? According to intelligence reports, Konoha experienced a coup before our war began. The Third Hokage stepped down, and the Fifth Hokage took over. Moreover, most of Konoha's forces in this war are composed of either civilian ninjas or members of clans like Sarutobi, Shimura, and Mito—all political losers from the coup."
Bii spoke slowly and clearly, ensuring everyone in the tent could understand.
This caused even more suspicion among the Mist Ninjas, who were already uncertain about the truth.
Yagura's eyes widened in shock. What Bii said made a lot of sense. If he didn't already know that Uchiha Sougen was enemies with the one-eyed Uchiha who had controlled him, he might have started doubting whether this was all part of Konoha's scheme.
"Perhaps the victors of Konoha's coup used you, Mizukage-sama, to start this war, applying external pressure to unite their village and suppress internal conflicts," Bii continued his analysis.
Yagura, however, couldn't let Bii keep talking. If he incited the radicals like Zabuza to revolt, things could spiral out of control. He couldn't allow the Mist Village to face such chaos, especially with someone like Uchiha Sougen around, who could wipe them all out single-handedly.
"Enough, Bii. That's just your speculation, without any evidence to back it up," Yagura firmly interrupted. He then turned his sharp gaze toward the radicals, including Zabuza. "I hate to say this, but we're not strong enough to face Konoha. Whether or not I was being controlled, you must understand that we don't have the strength to oppose Konoha. Uchiha Sougen alone could destroy us all."
"Bii, do you understand what I'm saying?" Yagura's eyes locked coldly onto the man in the gray ninja cap.
"Is Uchiha Sougen really that powerful? Even the Third Raikage was worn down and killed by Iwa's forces through sheer numbers," Bii replied evasively.
"Still not convinced, huh? Then let me tell you one more thing," Yagura said, closing his eyes. "I've lost control of the Three-Tails. If I'm right, Uchiha Sougen can forcefully control it anytime."
His words caused an uproar.
If the Mizukage, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, had lost control of the beast, who was really in charge? The Mizukage? Or Uchiha Sougen? Everyone in the tent began to wonder.
"I'm not anyone's puppet right now!" Yagura declared. He wasn't surprised by the reaction, which was why he hadn't planned on revealing this earlier. But with Bii pushing his conspiracy theory and Yagura's own authority diminished, he had no choice. "This isn't just my own feeling. More than ten sensory ninjas have confirmed up close that I'm not under any genjutsu."
"I can confirm that," said Mei Terumi, who had been silent until now. Surprisingly, she didn't side with Bii. Instead, she supported Yagura. "Mizukage-sama allowed the sensory ninjas to thoroughly examine him. They detected signs of long-term manipulation, but right now, Mizukage-sama isn't under any illusions."
Yagura gave Mei a deep look of appreciation.
She was sharp, capable of seeing the bigger picture. She was much smarter than Bii, whose rigid thinking limited him despite being one of Gengetsu's trusted aides. No wonder he still hadn't been given a leadership role like Ao, and had to serve as Mei's deputy.
"Mizukage-sama, please continue. What should we do next regarding Konoha?" Mei asked.
The Mist Ninjas exchanged looks, their unsettled hearts gradually calming down.
If this war had damaged Yagura's reputation, Mei Terumi's actions had earned her recognition and widened the gap between her and other competitors like Hozuki Mangetsu and Zabuza.
Bii glanced at Mei's determined face and remembered Gengetsu's orders before they left the village: "Follow Mei Terumi's lead." To Bii, Gengetsu's word was law, even above the Mizukage's.
So, with Mei's stance clear, Bii chose to remain silent. He hadn't made a decision on his own in a long time.
"How we handle our relations with Konoha is our top priority. But it's not difficult. We just need to honor the agreement," Yagura said, picking up where he'd left off.
"Agreement?" Mei raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, the agreement I made with Konoha when I was their prisoner," Yagura sighed, knowing his legacy as Mizukage would forever be tainted by this.
(End of Chapter)