The Mizukage Is Strong But Overly Cautious

Mizuki Ryosuke received the notification the moment the Jinchūriki replacement ceremony was initiated ahead of schedule.

As planned, he moved on to the next phase.

Yes, pushing for an early replacement of the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki had been Mizuki Ryosuke's suggestion to the Third Mizukage from the very beginning.

Initially, the Third Mizukage had intended to wait until Genichiro Okubo died naturally before transferring the Three-Tails.

Part of it was out of respect for Okubo's sacrifice, and part of it was due to the Mizukage's own personal emotions—after all, Okubo had once been his equal in power and status.

Mizuki Ryosuke had ruthlessly shot down that idea.

Following conventional methods would only allow Citrus Yagura to manipulate the situation.

To seize control of the momentum, the unexpected had to be forced into play.

From an outsider's perspective, it seemed cruel to rob Okubo of his final days, but there was no alternative.

If one wished to achieve great things, difficult choices had to be made.

Besides, from another perspective—wasn't this an act of mercy for Okubo?

For a man whose body had been ravaged by an imperfect Jinchūriki state, living had become its own kind of torture.

—

At this moment, Mizuki Ryosuke used the Transformation Jutsu, altering his appearance to match that of a recently deceased Jōnin stationed among the Iwagakure shinobi.

Draped in a black robe, he moved soundlessly toward the Kirigakure Anbu headquarters.

As always, risky business should be handled in water.

—

Inside the Anbu headquarters, Yagura was seething with rage.

He had just finished a four-hour shogi match with Maeda Motoshi when the news arrived—the Jinchūriki transfer had begun ahead of schedule.

"Bastard!"

He slammed his fist onto the wooden board, splintering it.

"Why would that old man Mizukage suddenly accelerate the transfer process?"

"With his personal connection to Okubo, there's no way he'd allow the man's life to be cut short before its natural end."

"Did he discover something?"

Yagura forced himself to think quickly. He couldn't afford hesitation.

"What about the Iwa-nin? Have we made contact?"

He turned to an Anbu agent assigned to liaise with Iwagakure's operatives.

"So far, no response."

Yagura's expression darkened.

The presence of the Iwagakure squad was critical to his plan.

If they failed to execute their role at the decisive moment, he would have to reconsider the entire strategy.

Just then, another Anbu ninja rushed in with a report.

"My lord, a suspicious individual appeared near headquarters just now."

"They left a message and vanished using Earth Release."

The Anbu agent handed over a sealed letter.

Yagura broke the wax seal and scanned the contents.

His pupils shrank slightly.

The letter bore the signature of Iwa's hunting unit leader.

According to the message, the Iwa-nin had already moved into position as previously arranged.

They assured Yagura that the operation would proceed on schedule.

The lack of response to previous contact attempts was due to technical difficulties with their usual communication methods. Thus, they had resorted to the crude method of direct delivery.

Yagura was no fool.

On the contrary, he was an exceptionally sharp strategist.

He immediately recognized the suspicious nature of this situation.

The Iwa-nin had no reason to go completely dark unless they were hiding something.

However, there were two key factors preventing him from dismissing them entirely.

First, he and the Iwa-nin were using each other. It was only natural for both sides to withhold information.

Second, he was fully aware of their combat capabilities.

Even if the Third Mizukage himself launched an assault on the Iwa-nin, it would require significant effort to wipe them out.

From what Yagura knew, neither the Mizukage nor his most trusted subordinates had taken action recently.

Logically speaking, it was unlikely that the Iwa-nin had been eliminated.

Which meant their secrecy stemmed from internal distrust rather than an external threat.

What Yagura couldn't have guessed, however, was that a single Special Jōnin had effortlessly wiped out an entire elite Iwa-nin unit—without raising suspicion.

"Hmph. As long as they appear on schedule, it doesn't matter."

Yagura's lips curled into a sinister smirk.

After all, he had never intended to let the Iwa-nin leave Kirigakure alive.

Loose ends had to be eliminated.

A "death without proof" would be the best outcome.

As for the Iwa-nin's promised payment?

They were fools if they thought they'd ever receive it.

A shadow passed over his childlike face as he considered the inevitability of their deaths.

But right now, there was no time to dwell on that.

The Mizukage had already accelerated the plan—Yagura had no choice but to keep up.

No more waiting. It was time to act.

"Pass my order—head for the Lake of Fog immediately!"

"Inform the vanguard to mobilize. All ambush teams within the village, prepare to move!"

Yagura's tone was sharp, but beneath the surface, a glint of greed flickered in his eyes.

After all…

Soon, the title of Mizukage will belong to me.

—

Outside the Anbu headquarters, Mizuki Ryosuke remained hidden, observing the rapid movement of forces.

Only when he saw large numbers of Yagura's shinobi deploying did he exhale slightly.

It worked.

Yagura had taken the bait.

By having Maeda Motoshi delay him and timing the letter's delivery at the precise moment of crisis, Mizuki Ryosuke had forced Yagura into reacting without properly analyzing the situation.

Under pressure, Yagura had failed to recognize the trap.

The plan had been executed flawlessly.

The big fish was now completely hooked.

But Mizuki Ryosuke did not immediately head for the Lake of Fog.

Instead, he remained by the Anbu building—waiting patiently.

JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCE 40+ CHAPTERS

patreon.com/Kora_1