Chapter 46: The Water Shadow is Assassinated, and Chaos Begins in the Mist Village!

Chapter 46: The Water Shadow is Assassinated, and Chaos Begins in the Mist Village!


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“Master Genshi! Something terrible has happened!”

“The Fourth Mizukage has been assassinated!”

Just as Genshi and Mei Terumi were discussing ways to help the Hidden Mist Village out of its difficulties, an urgent shout came from outside the room.

“For goodness' sake! So rash and impetuous—not at all composed!”

“Let him in to explain what’s going on.”

Moments later, a young Mist shinobi entered, smiling briefly at everyone, only for his expression to darken.

“Master Genshi, news just came from our scouts!”

“Someone attempted to assassinate the Mizukage!”

“And the culprit is someone we all know—want to take a guess?”

At the critical moment, the young shinobi tried to keep them in suspense.

“It’s only been a few days, and you’re itching for trouble?”

Bang!

This coy, half-revealing manner finally stoked everyone’s ire. A delicate but forceful fist hit his head hard enough to make him see stars and nearly knock him into the afterlife!

“Ouch! That really hurt!”

“Lady Mei, why so heavy-handed?”

“I…”

“Fine, fine, I’ll spill. Just don’t hit me, or I might ‘forget’ the details. Then who’ll report the news?”

The young shinobi had been planning to crack a joke, but seeing the threat in Mei’s raised fist, he quickly gave in and detailed the intel.

“Zabuza Momochi... He actually...”

Hearing this familiar name, Chojuro couldn’t help but gasp. As young as he was, he couldn’t comprehend why Zabuza would do something like this. In his eyes, the Mizukage was the most revered figure in the entire village, so he simply felt that Zabuza’s actions were wrong.

“Sigh, Zabuza is a good kid,” Genshi lamented. “It’s just a pity he chose the wrong path—too extreme a path.”

Genshi sighed and quickly deduced Zabuza’s motive for attempting the assassination, which is why he held a faint respect for him. However, everyone could see that Zabuza didn’t stand a chance of succeeding. The difference in their power was simply too vast; no scheme or plot could bridge that gap. Sheer power can sweep aside any trickery or deception, and as a perfect Jinchuriki, the Fourth Mizukage has exactly that kind of power.

Even if everyone here attempted the assassination together, they still might not succeed—let alone one person.

Still, although Zabuza failed, the problems he left behind were not minor. In the current tense climate in the Hidden Mist Village, this was as if someone had just thrown a match into a powder keg.

“Let’s go.”

“This is just the beginning of our troubles.”

Once everyone had processed the news, Genshi moved to head for the Mizukage’s office, with the others following closely behind. However, just before leaving, Genshi leaned over and whispered something in Ao’s ear, after which Ao left on his own, seemingly to carry out a task.

News of the attempted assassination on the Mizukage could not be concealed from the people of Hidden Mist, especially not from the faction led by Taketori Shika. They saw an opportunity and quickly mobilized a large group, heading toward the Mizukage’s office.

It didn’t take long before the three factions met outside the office.

As soon as they saw each other, tensions flared, and while they hadn’t completely declared open conflict yet, everyone was on edge.

“Oh, everyone’s here!”

The Fourth Mizukage appeared at that moment, looking calm and casual as if he were oblivious to everything that had just happened.

“We heard about the attack on you, Lord Mizukage, and came to see if there’s anything we can do to help,” Genshi replied formally, his tone completely neutral.

“Hahaha!”

“Yagura, is there no one left in the ANBU?”

“How could the assassin get so close to you so easily?”

“If you can’t handle the job, why not step down and let our esteemed Lord Taketori Shika take your place?”

“Our Lord Taketori Shika is a man worthy of being Mizukage!”

But the rebels were far less diplomatic. They launched straight into blatant, face-to-face mockery and almost openly declared their intentions.

Both Genshi and even Taketori Shika himself were caught off guard by this directness. Though they had spoken of rebellion privately, nothing had been formally agreed upon. How could they just openly start a coup? What did they think this was—child’s play?

Taketori Shika had originally planned to wait, gathering more strength before launching a proper rebellion. Now, someone had thoughtlessly ruined those plans, filling Taketori Shika with rage.

Just as he was about to find the loudmouth responsible for this mess and teach him a lesson, the Fourth Mizukage suddenly let out a cold laugh.

“So, you’ve all gathered here to replace me, the Mizukage, have you?”

“Are you saying that each of you is a traitor to the village?”

“What’s more, what connection do you have with the person who just tried to assassinate me?”

“Was it you who sent him?”

Yagura eyed Taketori Shika’s group, speaking slowly as several figures appeared behind him—loyal ANBU members who served the Fourth Mizukage. Though they were outnumbered, their skill would more than make up for it. Coupled with Yagura’s power as a perfect Jinchuriki, the balance of power clearly favored the Mizukage’s faction.

“These people are all rebels against the village!”

“In the name of the Mizukage, I order them all to be taken down!”

As he finished speaking, the ANBU members lunged toward Taketori Shika’s faction with impressive speed.

“How dare he!”

Shocked by Yagura’s decisiveness, Taketori Shika had no time to prepare for the sudden attack.

Facing the ANBU shinobi’s onslaught, Taketori Shika resolved that history in the Hidden Mist Village would be rewritten by him and his men.

A fierce battle erupted instantly!

Only Genshi’s faction found themselves in a bit of an awkward spot since neither side paid them any attention, and they had no idea which faction to support—or if they wanted to help either side at all.
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