Chapter 99: Kumogakure Joins the Fray
After the Third Mizukage proposed it, and with the agreement of many clan representatives in Kirigakure, the final decision was made jointly by Elder Genshi and the Third Mizukage.
Yagura was officially appointed as the Mizukage's guard. (Originally, they wanted to name it "Mizukage's assistant," but Yagura flat-out refused. Who wanted to be anyone's assistant?!)
His duty was to protect the Third Mizukage while also being monitored under the guise of supervising the Tailed Beasts.
In reality, this was a chance for him to learn the intricacies of Mizukage's governance from both the Third Mizukage and Elder Genshi.
With this appointment, the Fourth Mizukage's position was practically set in stone.
Most of the upper echelons in Kirigakure had no objections. And those who did? Well, they should first ask themselves if they could take on a Tailed Beast in single combat like the Third Raikage of Kumogakure. If not, they had no business objecting.
Now that Yagura had been confirmed as the third person, after Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, to successfully control a Tailed Beast, he was widely recognized as having the strength of a Kage.
He was officially the strongest shinobi in Kirigakure, fulfilling the requirement that the most powerful must become the Mizukage.
The only reason he hadn't officially taken the position yet was that he was still too young, and he lacked the capability to handle the administrative duties of the Mizukage effectively.
The Third Mizukage wanted Yagura to learn directly from him so he could take over as quickly as possible.
Understanding all of this, what could Yagura even say?
No wonder his grandfather had been pushing him so hard with his studies these past few months—it had all been planned out from the start.
The Third Mizukage had been waiting for him.
Even the Seventh Hokage of Konoha, the so-called "Hokage's Crown Prince" Naruto Uzumaki, had been relentlessly drilled in his studies by Kakashi and the others before he took office.
The cycle of fate continued. Though Naruto wasn't even born yet, Yagura was already walking the same path.
What could he do? He was the one who wanted to be Mizukage.
Might as well go all in! (Determined writing intensifies!)
...
His work schedule: from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, with a two-hour break from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM.
Initially, he was only given one day off per week, but he managed to argue his way into securing two days off by insisting that he needed time for training.
Each workday began with an exhausting routine of reviewing, signing, and stamping documents, followed by various writing assignments and administrative paperwork.
Then came attending meetings—listening in on discussions between the Third Mizukage, Elder Genshi, and other Kirigakure officials regarding governance and military affairs—all while taking meticulous notes in the corner.
On weekends, he dedicated himself to training and occasionally catching up with his friends to vent.
Speaking of which, Mangetsu, and Kaede had also applied for early graduation. This time, they weren't held back and successfully passed the exam to become Genin.
The exam wasn't some "kill your teammate" nonsense; it was just a basic assessment of ninja skills.
Along with Zabuza, the three-man Genin squads were now out in the field under the guidance of Jonin mentors, taking on missions.
Ringo Ameyuri had returned to the Anbu.
Mukumo had been assigned to a squad that had recently lost a Chunin and was now taking on missions as usual.
Everyone's ninja career was moving forward.
Everyone except Yagura, who was buried under mountains of paperwork.
Looking at the literal pile of documents before him, Yagura let out a heavy sigh.
"Sigh."
Not that he could complain—both the Third Mizukage and Elder Genshi had even more paperwork to deal with than he did.
Just look at the contents of these documents.
Civil Affairs: Some street dispute where two people got into a brawl.
Typical Kirigakure—people fighting in the streets was just a part of daily life.
Signature, reviewed, stamped. Next.
Military Affairs: Reports of unusual activity from Sunagakure at the border.
Sunagakure was too busy dealing with Konoha. If they tried to fight Kirigakure as well, they'd be asking for death.
Signature, reviewed, stamped. Next.
Personal Greetings: "How has the Third Mizukage's health been recently? I found a beautiful piece of coral from the sea."
Signature, reviewed, stamped. Next.
(The coral can be sent over. You, however, can go to hell.)
...Yagura swore that once he became Mizukage, he would hire more staff to handle these ridiculous tasks.
Why did all these documents even make it to the Mizukage's desk?
Shouldn't they at least be categorized first?
One stack for civil affairs, one for government policies, one for military matters, one for financial issues, and personal greetings should just go straight into the trash.
If not by category, then at least by priority!
Yagura sincerely voiced his concerns to the Third Mizukage and Elder Genshi.
The two men, who had been doing this for decades, momentarily paused in their writing.
Only financial and governmental matters were sorted for Elder Genshi to handle—everything else was left to the Third Mizukage.
Yagura was stunned. "No way... You're telling me you guys never thought about this?"
Elder Genshi pondered for a moment and gave a simple answer: "We don't have enough people."
The Kirigakure administration simply didn't have the personnel to spare.
The departments under Elder Genshi were already overworked like laborers in a sweatshop.
And hiring more people meant paying more wages.
Yagura had a sudden idea. "What about the Anbu? Can't we make use of them?"
They were stationed in the building all day, supposedly for protection but with nothing to do most of the time.
If even Genin were highly educated, then surely the Anbu were more than qualified to help sort documents.
The suggestion was so unconventional that it left everyone dumbfounded.
But after some discussion, the Third Mizukage and Elder Genshi decided it was worth trying.
They sorted out the most classified documents to handle personally, then dumped the rest onto Yagura and the newly recruited Anbu assistants.
Once again, Yagura found himself on the receiving end of the Anbu's resentful glares.
The last time they looked at him like this was when he became the Three-Tails Jinchuriki.
Time sure flies.
...
Across the Shinobi World...
Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure continued their diplomatic war of words, sending envoys back and forth, exchanging accusations, and engaging in verbal skirmishes.
Sunagakure and Iwagakure relentlessly blamed Konoha, demanding compensation. Konoha refused, condemning their distortion of the truth.
The rhetoric grew increasingly intense.
Meanwhile, all three villages were strengthening their borders and secretly preparing for war.
Even Konoha, which was the most reluctant to engage in another conflict, had to brace for the worst.
On June 2nd of Konoha Year 43, tensions escalated further!
The Third Raikage of Kumogakure issued a statement condemning Konoha for allegedly assassinating the Third Kazekage, urging them to hand over the culprit and compensate Sunagakure.
With the second strongest village in the Shinobi World entering the fray, the delicate diplomatic balance was shattered!
Konoha's position became perilous!
The very next day, secret diplomatic messages from Konoha, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure all landed on the Mizukage's desk.
Kirigakure was now the last deciding factor.
The world awaited their response.
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