One day later —
Kirigakure.
The atmosphere on the village streets had changed drastically. The once fiery fervor of war had vanished, replaced with a suffocating quiet. Even the villagers who walked the streets now carried solemn expressions—eyes clouded with sorrow and grief.
Before the war, everyone had believed that Kirigakure—refreshed, refocused—could easily crush a Konoha exhausted by years of warfare. Victory had seemed inevitable.
Some had practically popped the champagne before the first kunai flew. Others were already dreaming of the fertile lands and vast resources of the Land of Fire.
And now?
Reality had slapped them all—hard.
The outcome of the battlefront had already reached the village.
Though Yoru had pulled off a near one-for-one miracle in the final battle, nothing could hide the bitter truth: Kirigakure had lost.
The deaths of so many shinobi had placed an enormous strain on a village already stretched thin by its low population.
Who was it that died? A husband? A father? A child?
Even in the Bloody Mist, a shattered family could still tear at the soul. Now, the entire village was shrouded in grief.
There was no parade. No fanfare. No cheering.
So many had died, and they had gained nothing in return.
Though the Third Mizukage hadn't officially surrendered, the retreat of their general back to the village made it clear enough: They'd been defeated.
No one threw rotten vegetables—but only because the villagers understood how scarce food had become.
After returning, Yoru didn't rush to meet the Mizukage.
Even though he was the one who had prevented total collapse, it wasn't his job to report in.
That burden still fell to Yagura, the official commanding officer.
Yoru had more important things to do.
He separated from his team and, together with Terumi Mei, made his way toward an old residence tucked deep within the village.
"Lord Yoru! Captain Mei!"
A masked ANBU emerged from the shadows by the gate and bowed. "The elder is inside."
"Thanks, Gonbee."
Yoru nodded, then entered the compound with Mei.
The courtyard was quiet, almost barren—save for a single old pine tree, bent and leaning in one corner, like it had grown weary with time.
The door to the house was half-open. Inside, the silhouette of an elderly man sat at a desk, leafing through documents.
That man was Master Gensui—a senior elder whose status and influence were second only to the Mizukage himself.
He was also Terumi Mei and Yoru's teacher.
"Sensei," Yoru greeted.
"Old man!" Mei added, half-scolding.
"You're here," Gensui said, lifting his head. He looked at the two of them with clear, tired eyes, and offered a rare smile. "I was just reviewing the frontline reports. I never imagined things would spiral so far. Yoru, Mei… you've both done well."
"Tch. You know we've worked hard, huh?" Mei snapped.
"You have any idea how rotted the intel division has become?" She pointed at her perfectly smooth face, frustration clear. "Selling classified information, feeding us false reports… nine out of ten intel officers are just freeloaders draining the system. My worry lines are about ten years ahead of schedule!"
"I still don't understand how you gave control of village intelligence to that bloated pufferfish Hōzuki. Was it because he's fat and takes up space?"
"If we hadn't been fed garbage intelligence, half those mistakes wouldn't have happened! We got hammered on the front lines because of it. If it weren't for Yoru, Konoha might've marched straight into the village!"
"…I'm sorry. You've both been through hell."
Gensui sighed deeply.
"The village's politics have become… tangled. Years of layered interests have hollowed us out. I never realized it had gotten this bad…"
"'Never realized'? You're Gensui, the elder who helped shape this village. How could you not see this coming?!"
Mei's anger teetered between disappointment in her teacher… and heartbreak over what the village had become.
"Enough, Mei," Yoru said quietly. "Sensei is right."
"This village has long since lost sight of the sun—choked by the thick fog of greed and corruption. Its roots are rotting. The stench is unbearable."
"…Yoru," Gensui said, narrowing his eyes. "Your heart seems… different."
"Would you support me?" Yoru asked back, expression calm.
Gensui fell silent for a long moment.
Then he said, "My support doesn't matter. This is Kirigakure. The strong rise, the weak fall. That has always been our creed."
"With the war behind us, even in defeat, your reputation and accomplishments are enough to place you anywhere you choose."
"If you can defeat Yagura, surpass the Third… you will become the Fourth Mizukage."
"No."
Yoru shook his head. "Just becoming Mizukage isn't enough to change this village."
"What I want… is to blow away the bloody mist that has choked this place for decades. To shine light into the decaying, shadowy roots beneath it."
"And being Mizukage alone isn't enough to do that."
"No matter how many reforms we enact, no matter how many policies we pass—if we don't cut away the rot, the tree won't grow."
"You understand what I mean, don't you, Sensei?"
"…You can't grow fat in one bite, Yoru," Gensui murmured.
"No one climbs to the heavens in a single step."
"But I think I can."
Yoru's voice was soft—but razor sharp.
"Over a thousand Mist shinobi died on the front lines. If a few more drop dead in the village itself… no one will even blink."
The words chilled the room.
Terumi Mei, who had just been ranting moments ago, froze.
She started to speak, tried to tug Yoru back toward diplomacy—maybe suggest they needed Gensui's blessing to take power the right way.
But then she looked into Yoru's eyes.
And said nothing.
Gensui rose slowly, turning toward the fogged-up window.
"…Do you have enough pieces on the board?"
"More or less," Yoru replied. "The Hōzuki Clan, the Terumi Clan, Ringo, Momochi… and the Yuki Clan will follow me too."
His voice was calm.
But in the air, it felt like fire was burning.
Fire hot enough to incinerate the entire village.
Gensui said nothing more. He stared into the mist. The room was silent.
Yoru rose and bowed.
"Please take care of your health, Sensei. Don't work too hard. I still have some business to handle—I'll take my leave."
"Wait—Yoru!"
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin