Chapter 019 – Second Mizukage, Sir! Tobirama: Why are you calling the Hokage the Mizukage?!
[Descendant Chat Group (^_-)]
[Future Mizukage - Mei Terumi]: …
Mei Terumi stared at the screen in shock.
Because what was being livestreamed... was her Kirigakure ninja being swayed by Konoha ninja.
"Just now, you said you'd give us 100,000 ryo to make us give up the mission."
"Then we'll give you 300,000 ryo to hire you to fight Gato."
A black-haired boy began persuading the two chunin from Kirigakure.
But the two chunin immediately shook their heads.
"Impossible… we're not that kind of people."
"Then how about 500,000!"
"We're not people who can be bought so easily…"
"Doing this would be betraying our boss."
"1 million ryo!"
"..."
"We can follow your orders today."
"3 million ryo!"
"Please don't consider us as Kirigakure ninja today."
"5 million ryo!"
"Deal! You can command the both of us however you want!"
In the end—
The two chunin from Kirigakure were instantly bought off.
After all, they were just chunin. The highest-level missions they could take were B-rank, and even then, the pay had to be split among teammates.
So… the money they could make was really not much.
"Looks like it worked, Kakashi-sensei," said Kitahara Kaede.
"As for the payment, don't worry, the money comes from Gato's assets anyway."
"Eh… yeah." Kakashi wiped his forehead with a towel.
He was sweating bullets.
Because he suddenly realized—he had underestimated Kitahara Kaede's thinking.
When those two Kirigakure ninja agreed, Kakashi realized… he might have been part of a setup.
Because—
When Mr. Tazuna first issued this C-rank mission, Kakashi had brought Kitahara Kaede and the others along.
But based on Kaede's analysis, he had already suspected Tazuna was lying from the very beginning.
And…
Kaede's original goal wasn't just to escort Tazuna, but to seize the economic assets of the Land of Waves.
So—
Whether it was from the start, or tricking the two Kirigakure chunin now, everything was part of that plan.
"So, this means Gato's threat will be eliminated?" Tazuna asked excitedly.
"Yes," Kaede replied. "We'll help the Land of Waves while completing this mission."
"You're a bridge builder. After this, you can build a bridge for the Land of Waves."
"To restore trade with the outside world."
"And after the bridge is built, the economy of the Land of Waves will improve. You won't have to worry about relying solely on sea routes being blocked." Kaede continued.
"That would be amazing!"
Old man Tazuna clapped his hands excitedly.
He pulled out the sake gourd strapped to his back and took a swig.
His face flushed red with joy.
"Oh…"
"Hey Sasuke, does this mean we'll get a share of the money from this mission?" Meanwhile, Naruto had already retracted his Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Sasuke was still dazed.
But hearing the question, he nodded.
"Mm…"
"If we deal with Gato, then we'll get a cut."
"We can upgrade our ninja gear. There are some things I want to get…"
"Tch…"
"I knew it…"
"I'm not the top one," Sasuke muttered, giving up.
In terms of combat, he was saved by Naruto. In terms of strategy, he was beaten by Kitahara Kaede.
And now, he even had to rely on others to get financial resources.
He admitted defeat.
And so—
The mood turned into a joyful atmosphere for Team 7.
But—
"..." Kakashi.
Kakashi covered one of his eyes.
He wanted to shake his head.
Because what Kaede was really planning wasn't just this.
If there was no Gato… the Land of Waves—a country without ninja—might be exploited by other ninja villages hired by Kaede.
And then Kaede would come and defeat those "villains" in a [righteous] and [justified] way.
He'd take the enemy's assets as payment—and no one would complain, right?
Of course not.
The uninformed villagers of the Land of Waves would only see him as a savior.
"..."
"..."
With that in mind—
Kakashi looked at Kitahara Kaede in front of him.
Kaede's back was facing him.
But—
Kakashi felt like he was enveloped in darkness.
Even though he wasn't facing the Rinnegan, he felt a shadowy sky looming behind him—and a pair of swirling purple eyes staring at him.
The Rinnegan.
Kitahara Kaede… was terrifying.
[Future Mizukage - Mei Terumi]: …
[Future Mizukage - Mei Terumi]: Wait a second…
[Future Mizukage - Mei Terumi]: Those two chunin aren't registered Kirigakure ninja! They're rogue ninja from our village!
[Senju Tobirama]: Hm?
[Future Mizukage - Mei Terumi]: …
[Future Mizukage - Mei Terumi]: …
However, Mei Terumi didn't respond further.
She immediately turned her focus back to what happened ten minutes ago.
At that time—
She was busy working at her desk.
Even though she hadn't officially become Mizukage, she had already started fulfilling the duties of the Fifth Mizukage.
So she was organizing Kirigakure's affairs.
While she was sorting through records of registered ninja and rogue ninja, a strange screen appeared before her.
It only displayed a few lines of text:
[Want to restore Kirigakure's glory?]
[If you do, then join now!]
[You have been detected: Mei Terumi, with Kage-level strength, qualified to join the Descendant Juniors (^_-) Chat Group.]
[Choose to accept or decline. Declining means you will no longer be eligible to join.]
[This group is also known as the "Kitahara Kaede Mini Livestream Group." It provides 3 hours of Kitahara Kaede livestream per day.]
"..."
Mei didn't reply.
She kept reading.
[Descendant Juniors (^_-) Chat Group]
[A group that transcends time, space, and even death—bringing together Kage-level juniors and descendants from different eras.]
[Are you sure you don't want to join?]
From the text, she realized—if this wasn't a genjutsu, then she had just received something incredible.
Because if Kage-level powerhouses from different eras were involved, wouldn't that include the First or Second Mizukage?
With Kirigakure currently in shambles… this could be a ray of hope.
So, she agreed.
And now… the livestream proved it.
And in the group… there were indeed Kage-level powerhouses.
Senju Tobirama.
That name was legendary in Kirigakure.
Still, she had to confirm.
So—
Mei Terumi decided to speak.
[Future Mizukage - Mei Terumi]: Um, @Senju Tobirama, Second Mizukage, sir?
[Senju Tobirama]: ???
[Big Dumd - Hashirama]: ??
[Big Dumd - Hashirama]: Whoa!
[Senju Tobirama]: You little brat—are you doing this on purpose?! Who are you calling Second Mizukage!?