Kirigakure Gamer : Rise of the mist-Chapter 47: Retirement

[Kirigakure]

A month passed in a flash.

Traces of Kumogakure shinobi had vanished. Graves had been built to honour the dead, while the Kirigakure Steel Settlement had been reinforced.

After annihilating the Kumo shinobi who had invaded the Lands of Water through the island of steel, the commander Otuka was at the bottom spirit-wise. This time, he planned to retire for good. Returning to Kirigakure, he burst into the Sandaime's castle.

Dozens of jonins tried to stop him, but his aura was just too much for those regular jonins to do anything. Even if they wanted to, they all knew his status and political weight.

The Mizukage, however, was not someone who could be pushed around.

"Crazy old man...I will let it slide for this one time to honour your sacrifices and performance on the Island of Steel", the Sandaime Mizukage spoke

Otuka did not apologize, and merely scoffed. He could make a scene, but what good would it achieve?

His disciple was dead.

His swordsmanship was about to die.

His life was coming to an end.

"Tell me, Sandaime. Why did you send a child to this battlefield, to handle such a great responsibility when you knew what was coming? And before you try to do so, don't lie. The reason why you allocated two elite ANBU jonins to monitor the scenes was not about the Island of Steel, but to eliminate the threats that were the young prodigy Darui and Yugito, the Kumo jinchuriki of the two-tails"

The Sandaime raised his head, a little surprised to see that Otuka had seen through his plans.

However, he was the kage. He had no obligation to answer.

Instead, he merely said: "I only did what was best for the village"

"BY KILLING PRODIGIES?", Otuka shouted, his chakra flaring through the building

The Mizukage was a patient man. He met Otuka's rage with an unreadable gaze, his fingers interlocked on the table while leaning forward on his throne.

"You misunderstand, Otuka", he said in an icy tone, "This is not about killing prodigies. This is about ensuring our village does not fall behind. That Kumo boy, Darui, and the jinchūriki—had they survived, they would have been thorns to Kirigakure. We have to keep our neighbours in check. It has always been that way, and it will always be that way"

Otuka's teeth clenched, his fists trembling. "So you sent Takeshi to die on the front despite knowing that? You knew the battlefield would be that dangerous and despite that send him to death?"

The Mizukage's expression didn't change. "Takeshi was under your responsibility. His death is but the consequence of your choice, your decisions. I am actually surprised. I knew you were a cold strategist, but to think you would entrust one of the most dangerous missions to your own disciples...Now this is cold, even by Kirigakure's standards"

"Takeshi was a shinobi," Otuka shot back, his voice thick with grief and fury. "He believed in Kirigakure, in our future, he wanted to uphold the legacy of the village. And you—you—sent deployed us without giving full visibility on the enemy."

The Mizukage sighed, as if dealing with a stubborn child. "A worthy sacrifice, if you ask me. That's enough, Otuka. I have heard enough for today. You can blame yourself, you can blame Takeshi for being too weak. However, blaming me or the council for a deployment is nonsense, and you know it. It is unfortunate that your disciple died, but if I had to do it again and sacrifice all the shinobi deployed to achieve the same results, I would still do it without a hint of hesitation. This is how much valuable the Kumo's boy and the jinchuriki's death"

Reports of Yugito's death had reached Otuka, too. The Mizukage had done all he could to advertize it as a show of strength of Kirigakure, and the rumours had further cemented his reign. The Sandaime wanted to build a legacy, one that was on par with the founding Mizukage. Although he had extraordinary strength, he knew he could not achieve his ambition with strength alone. He wanted to become the greatest strategist, hence his leadership on the ANBU forces of the village.

Otuka stepped closer, his presence suffocating. "And what of the soul of the village, Mizukage? Do you think we can keep feeding our young to the ocean and still call ourselves a people? What future do we even fight for, if it's built on the corpses of our own prodigies?"

The Mizukage met Otuka's glare, unyielding. "A future where Kirigakure still exists."

Otuka's laugh was hollow, bitter. "Existence without honor. Without legacy. Without heart. That's what you're building."

The Mizukage's patience was thinning. "You speak of honor as if it outweighs survival. The world does not care for ideals, Otuka. Out there, only the strongest prevail. Only the strongest survive. Only the strongest write history. Konoha is bursting with geniuses. Sunagakure has become even stronger with their mastery of puppets. Kumo was growing dangerously strong, too, and this time, I plotted to reduce the threat. Nothing more, nothing less"

Otuka shook his head, his voice quiet but venomous. "And that is why I'm done. Done with this village. Done with your wars. Done watching children die while men like you pull the strings and call it duty."

The Mizukage raised a brow. "Are you calling me a coward?"

Otuka exhaled sharply, his rage simmering. "No. You are no coward, Sandaime. But you are something far worse."

A pause.

Then, the Mizukage spoke, his voice a final decree.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

"If you are truly done, then leave. But understand this, Otuka: Kirigakure is not built on sentiment. It is built on blood. And no matter where you go, the blood you've spilled in its name will follow. This is the bloody mist"

Silence. The weight of years, of losses, of unspoken regrets settled between them.

As Otuka left, retiring for good, two figures emerged from the shadows and bowed towards the Mizukage. Their uniforms was in a marine colour, fearsome oni masks covering their faces. They were ANBU's newest recruit, in the most elite corps of Kirigakure, the Demon Sword ANBU corps.

"The village will remember your service", the Sandaime spoke, as if dismissing them, "Congratulations on becoming part of the Demon Swordsmen ANBU corps, Takeshi Ryu, Naya Tori"

[You have been promoted to Jonin ANBU...]

[Your affiliation is now linked with the Demon Swordsmen ANBU corps...]

[You have earned 20000 EXP...]

[Your reputation with [Sandaime Mizukage] has increased significantly...]