Chapter 348

The Third Tsuchikage, the Third Kazekage, and the Third Raikage...

These three individuals were all prepared to stake their lives against Hui.

Because the hatred they bore for him was irreconcilable.

However, in Kirigakure, the Third Mizukage was filled with uncertainty.

The grudge between him and Hui wasn't nearly as deep as that of the other three Kage.

After all, Hōzuki Gengetsu wasn't his mentor.

He wasn't his family either.

While there was a bond between them, one that wasn't shallow, it wasn't the kind of teacher-student relationship that the other Kage had with their predecessors.

Additionally, Hui hadn't slaughtered Kirigakure's shinobi on a large scale.

So, the Third Mizukage didn't harbor the same kind of hatred.

He hadn't yet contemplated using a forbidden technique to fight to the death against Hui.

Even though he was the Mizukage of Kirigakure.

Even though he didn't want to be remembered as the Kage under whose leadership Kirigakure disappeared from the history of the ninja world.

But that thought had started to waver ever since he witnessed everything Konoha had to offer during the last joint Chūnin Exams.

Compared to Konoha, the gap between Kirigakure and them was staggering.

From infrastructure to the morale of its citizens.

From the quality of life for the villagers to the prospects of the children's future.

In every aspect imaginable, Kirigakure was crushed by Konoha.

This made him question himself, was he a failed leader? A failed Kage?

After all, wasn't his inability to bring a better life to his village a reflection of his incompetence?

He couldn't help but recall why he had sought the position of Mizukage in the first place.

Back then, hadn't he been driven by the belief that he could give the people of Kirigakure a better life? That he would work hard, fight for it, and strive to excel?

And now, the people of Kirigakure were presented with the possibility of a better future.

The price for this was merely him losing his position as Mizukage—perhaps even having his name tarnished in the history books.

And if he died, he would face the judgment of the former Mizukage in the afterlife.

This filled him with confusion and doubt.

What was Kirigakure's original purpose when it was first established?

Was it for mutual protection? For dominance in the ninja world? Or was it to provide peace to the weak and ensure they could live better lives?

The shinobi who had died to protect Kirigakure, what had they been protecting?

The name "Kirigakure"? Or the people of Kirigakure?

In the end, what was it all for?

Was the name "Kirigakure" more important, or was the future of its people more important?

Or perhaps, the most important thing was to ensure that the people of Kirigakure, as citizens of the village, could have a bright future.

All these conflicting thoughts swirled in the Third Mizukage's mind, making his head throb.

He found himself trapped in an agonizing dilemma, unable to make a decision.

…

Meanwhile, in the underground black market, a massive collective mission had surfaced.

A mission to destroy Konoha and wage war against it.

Any bounty hunter could take on this mission, and the reward was extraordinarily high, tempting nearly all bounty hunters.

Moreover, the mission wasn't a single task but included numerous sub-missions.

These sub-missions involved assassinating key figures within Konoha.

The rewards for these tasks were even higher.

The release of these missions caused the entire black market to erupt with excitement.

"I'll take it!"

One bounty hunter eagerly accepted the mission.

Part of it was greed.

The other part was the clarity in the mission's details, it was clearly stated that this would be an all-out war against Konoha, with the entire world uniting for the cause.

The participants in this war wouldn't just be bounty hunters, they would include the ninja villages and the military forces of various nations.

It was a war that would gather the strength of the entire world to fight Konoha.

To many bounty hunters, this war was already as good as won.

To them, this mission was practically free money.

After all, they were merely bounty hunters with limited intel.

They had no understanding of Konoha's true strength.

Nor did they comprehend what the title "God of Shinobi" truly signified.

They didn't understand what it meant for Hui to have transcended the term "ninja" altogether, earning the title of "God."

Even though some had heard the rumors about the ten-kilometer-wide crater, most bounty hunters dismissed it.

In their minds, such a feat was beyond human capability, it had to be exaggerated, mere hearsay to drive morale.

After all, they were shinobi themselves and knew the limits of human strength.

It was as if an ordinary person was told someone could run 100 meters in three seconds or leap ten meters into the air, utterly unbelievable.

Because as humans, they all understood where the boundaries lay.

What they didn't understand, however, was that in this world, there were such things as innate talent, and there were those who possessed extraordinary, almost "cheat-like" abilities.

"Take the mission! Take the mission! Anyone who doesn't take this mission is a fool!"

"A war against Konoha with the entire world united? I have to be part of this! This is a once-in-a-lifetime event!"

"Konoha, huh? I've been hearing about it for years, it's time I personally destroyed it!"

"The man they call a 'god', I want to see just how powerful he really is."

One after another, bounty hunters took on the mission for various reasons.

In many regions, nearly every bounty hunter accepted this mission.

Of course, this wasn't true everywhere, some bounty hunters refrained.

Not everyone viewed the world through the lens of their own limited knowledge or underestimated the powerful.

When the rumors of the ten-kilometer-wide crater surfaced, a few bounty hunters couldn't help but journey to the Land of Fire to see for themselves.

And they were utterly stunned when they saw the massive lake that now occupied the crater.

They were so shocked they were rendered speechless, and lost all interest in the mission.

A ten-kilometer-wide area of destruction...

If they accepted this mission and Hui used such a technique, they wouldn't even have time to run. They would be completely obliterated, evaporated without a trace.

Why bother fighting?

Could humans even fight against a god?

Impossible.

As for those foolish enough to accept the mission...

Let them play the fool.

In fact, the deaths of so many bounty hunters would only mean more jobs and higher payouts for those who survived.

How could that not be a good thing?

"Taking this mission is no different from seeking death."

"Do they really think the title of 'God' was given randomly? After this, the entire world will know what divine power truly means!"

"The ninja world is destined to enter a new era. The entire world is changing, who knows what the future will look like?"

"The underground black market might not even survive. I've heard Konoha doesn't tolerate these shadowy operations."

"Yeah... Does that mean we'll be out of work?"

"Hahaha! Do people really consider bounty hunting a career? Besides, as long as there's light, there will be darkness. Our existence is inevitable."

"Let's just wait and see. There's nothing we can do about it, only sit tight and watch."

A group of bounty hunters discussed the situation, eventually falling into silence.

Why had they become bounty hunters in the first place?

Wasn't it all due to their greed?

If the world truly entered a new era, one in which everything was illuminated, with no room for shadows, what would become of them?

It was said that Konoha operated by strict legal principles.

And that they believed in equality before the law.

But everything these bounty hunters did, everything they excelled at, was in direct conflict with those laws.

As they reflected, all they could do was silently pray that the world would prevail against the "evil" of Konoha.

…

The underground black market was in a frenzy, and the entire world was in an uproar.

The nations began mobilizing their armies, gathering their national forces.

They were preparing for the upcoming war.

This would be an unprecedented war, one of unparalleled scale, with an unprecedented number of participants and an unprecedented concentration of power.

This war would determine the future shape of the world.

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