Chapter 18: Follow-up to the Graduation Exam

Chapter 18: Follow-up to the Graduation Exam

At 3 p.m. that day, a high-ranking meeting of the Kirigakure Village was held.

The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the appropriate time to intervene in the war and how to deal with the sudden change in the Daimyo of the Land of Water's ambiguous attitude towards participating in the war.

Unexpectedly, everyone learned the news of the accident in the Ninja Graduation Exam first.

The atmosphere in the conference room was a little heavy at this moment.

The Third Mizukage sat behind his desk with an expressionless face, and standing obediently beside him was Karatachi Yagura with a frown on his face.

When something like this happened in the Ninja School, naturally someone informed the Third Mizukage of the news immediately.

Then Elder Genji spoke up and briefly told what had happened.

The patriarch of the Yuki Clan, Yuki Hiro, had a gloomy expression on his face. He immediately stood up and expressed his intention to severely punish Momochi Zabuza.

"The village's combat power has been reduced at this critical moment. I think Momochi Zabuza is very likely a spy from another village and should be interrogated immediately." Yuki Hiro said coldly.

As the representative of the ninja clan, the Kirigakure Village is about to join the war.

The decrease in the number of lower-rank civilian ninjas means that the ninja clan may need to send more clan members to the battlefield, which obviously greatly damages the interests of the ninja clan.

And since Zabuza was able to kill all the candidates alone at this age, he must be a very talented young man.

It would be better for such a genius who came from a civilian ninja to die.

Just as Yagura was about to speak up to defend Zabuza, a rough laugh suddenly rang out.

"Haha, Yuki Hiro, that's nothing. We are the Blood Mist Ninja, the weak ones should be eliminated. I think this kid is pretty good."

Although Kaguya Tatsuya said that Zabuza was a good ninja, judging from his impatient look, it was obvious that he didn't care about this matter.

"The existence of the ninja school is to train ninjas for the village. People who disrupt the exam must be severely punished!"

Seeing that Kaguya Tatsuya, this idiot, actually refuted him at this time, the Yuki clan leader Yuki Hiro felt his veins popping out instantly. He simply ignored Kaguya Tatsuya and looked directly at the calm Third Mizukage.

Seeing that the time seemed to be right, Yagura, who was standing next to the Third Mizukage, immediately spoke.

"Although Momochi Zabuza's behavior was extreme, the content of the exam was to kill other candidates, so he did not violate the exam rules."

Having said this, Yagura glanced at the Third Mizukage, and seeing that he did not speak, he simply continued speaking.

"I think the important thing is not to deal with him, but to consider whether to change the rules of the ninja school's graduation exam."

Upon hearing this, the Third Mizukage looked at Yagura with a smile and said.

"Jōnin Yagura, are you questioning the rules I set?"

For some reason, even though this was not the first time he had made this suggestion, Yagura felt himself breaking out in a cold sweat.

"That's not the case, Mizukage-sama. It's just that the war is about to begin, and I think that the battlefield should be more helpful in training future students rather than letting them die at the hands of their companions."

Having said that, Yagura's gaze gradually became firm, and he raised his head and looked directly into the eyes of the Third Mizukage.

"And if the rules aren't changed, something like this could happen again in the future."

At this moment, the eyes of the Third Mizukage, whose slightly old face, suddenly became sharp.

"Really? Will it happen again?"

The Kirigakure high-ranking officials present at the scene also vaguely realized that the matter seemed complicated, so they all kept silent.

Just when Yagura was beginning to be unable to withstand the pressure brought by the Third Mizukage.

The Third Mizukage didn't wait for Yagura to say anything. He slowly stood up, glanced at everyone, and spoke calmly.

"The invigilator of this exam was seriously derelict in his duty and will be immediately transferred to the intelligence department and sent to the Land of Fire to gather intelligence. Suikazan Fuguki, you will be in charge of the arrangements."

"Yes." After hearing this, Suikazan Fuguki immediately stood up and responded.

"There is a loophole in the Ninja School graduation exam rules, so they will be temporarily suspended. Saitō, you will arrange for a new exam plan, which will then be submitted to the elder Genji for review."

The Third Mizukage mentioned Honda Saitō, who is the current vice-principal of the Ninja School. However, because the Third Mizukage is only the principal in name only, the affairs of the Ninja School are basically handled by him.

"Yes, yes." Honda Saitō, who had not been on a mission for many years and gradually became a civilian staff, was very frightened when he heard that he was asked to handle such a difficult matter.

However, he did not dare to question the Mizukage's order and could only agree tremblingly and then retreat.

"Finally, as for that brat called Momochi Zabuza," the Third Mizukage glanced at the somewhat nervous Yagura and continued, "Elder Genji, I remember that the Jōnin Ao came to report this morning that he wanted to add two more members from this batch of students, right?"

"It is true that two members of Ao's team were seriously injured during the mission and can no longer continue to serve as ninjas." The elder Genji nodded slowly and answered the question of the Third Mizukage.

"Then let Zabuza go to Ao's team, and there is only one member left."

The Third Mizukage looked at the current leader of the Hozuki clan, Hozuki Sangetsu, who had been silent.

"I heard that the Hozuki Clan has a young genius?"

At this moment, countless horses were galloping through Hozuki Sangetsu's heart. Ever since the former patriarch of the Hozuki clan, the Second Mizukage Hozuki Gengetsu, died in battle and the Third Mizukage took over, the status of the Hozuki clan has been deteriorating.

Now even their control over the seven ninja swords is in name only, and so he became extremely cautious and never speaks in high-ranking meetings.

He never thought that it would happen to him now!

His own clan genius, Hozuki Mangetsu, is only 7 years old now.

Although he believed that he was definitely as strong as any Genin, how could he be assigned to such a strange team?

"Lord Mizukage, it must be a rumor. There hasn't been any talented young man in the clan for a long time."

Hozuki Sangetsu answered cautiously while thinking in his heart.

'Not many people know about Mangetsu's training. I will go back and find out who spread the news.' He didn't want the clan's genius to be exposed to outsiders at such a young age.

"Really?" The Third Mizukage seemed to just say it casually and didn't ask any further questions.

"Mizukage-sama, the Ao report mentioned that there is a graduate this year who became a Genin because he participated in the medical ninja selection before the graduation exam."

The elder Genji seemed to have some kind of inexplicable tacit understanding with the Third Mizukage, and only mentioned another candidate at this time.

"It seems to be a boy named Mirukawa Kaito. Ao hopes that if this boy has no other plans, he can join his team."

"He's a lucky kid, so let's go with him."

The Third Mizukage didn't want to talk any more about the topic of a few Genins, so he decided on him.

The whole time, Yagura seemed to be hesitant to speak, but in the end, he said nothing.

Although the four Chūnins who supervised the exam were his subordinates, they were eventually transferred to the front line. Although the talented boy Momochi Zabuza did not stay under his command in the end.

But his goal has been achieved in a way that he cannot understand.

Yagura looked at the old face of the Third Mizukage with complicated eyes.

"Okay, let's continue talking about when the Kirigakure Village will intervene in the war."

The Third Mizukage brought the topic back to the original content of the meeting, as if what had just happened had never happened.

At this moment, Mirukawa Kaito, who was still in the Kirigakure Hospital and chatting and bragging with Hoshigaki Kisame, had no idea that the appointment of his team was determined in the confrontation and testing between several important people.