Uzumaki Raiden easily understood the thoughts of the Great Elder of the Mist. Not only did the elder not want Terumi Mei to leave the village, but he also wanted Uzumaki Raiden to stay in the Mist as well.
For the Mist Ninja, there was nothing to lose by keeping Uzumaki Raiden.
The only risk was that, through Uzumaki Raiden, many of the Mist's secrets could be leaked to Konoha. But even so—so what? The powerful Hidden Leaf had already crushed any ambitions the Mist might have had for outward expansion.
In the current Mist Village, the Tailed Beasts were gone, and few strong warriors remained. For a village with no more ambitions of conquest, even if Uzumaki Raiden leaked some information, it wouldn't affect the overall situation. It simply didn't matter anymore.
The Mist could afford the risk of appointing Uzumaki Raiden, and if he truly agreed to remain, it would bring considerable benefits to the village.
In the political landscape of the ninja world, due to Uzumaki Raiden's relationship with Terumi Mei, the Hidden Leaf and Mist had become natural allies. With this, the three great villages—Leaf, Sand, and Mist—formed a united front. The pressure on the Mist's borders would be greatly reduced.
Moreover, Uzumaki Raiden himself was a terrifyingly powerful shinobi. With him in the village, there would be no fear of enemy attacks.
In the long term, if Uzumaki Raiden and Terumi Mei of the Uzumaki clan were to unite, their offspring would live in the Mist Village. If all went well, their children would surely be prodigies.
"Lord Raiden, have you given it some thought?!"
The Great Elder's face wrinkled into a smile, resembling a blooming chrysanthemum. Uzumaki Raiden felt like he had seen such a smile before.
"Old man, don't try to rope me into your plans."
"I'm used to Konoha's climate. I'm not comfortable in the Mist's humidity, so I won't be settling here."
"As for whether Terumi Mei wants to remain Mizukage, that's her choice, not mine."
"If she does, it's fine. I've mastered the Flying Thunder God. With my chakra reserves, teleporting from Konoha to the Mist is not difficult."
"As for that messy position you mentioned earlier—no interest."
Uzumaki Raiden stared at the Great Elder for a while before flashing a smile and turning him down. He was joking—he'd finally retired, and he wasn't about to let the Mist Ninja drag him back in.
"I see. That's truly a pity."
"In that case… Terumi Mei-sama, what about you?" The old man, unfazed by Raiden's rejection, rubbed his bald head and turned to Terumi Mei. His meaning was clear: regardless of what Terumi Mei wanted to do, she could not step down as Mizukage.
At this, Terumi Mei looked slightly disappointed at Uzumaki Raiden's refusal. But she recovered quickly.
Although Raiden wouldn't stay for her, his declaration that he wouldn't interfere in her decision was enough. It comforted her, someone with a strong sense of pride. She wanted to marry Uzumaki Raiden—but she had no intention of being a housewife who stayed home all day.
"Marry a chicken, be a chicken. Marry a dog, be a dog. My decision to go to Konoha won't change—unless Raiden's no longer there."
"But since the Great Elder has asked, I can temporarily serve as Mizukage until a suitable successor appears."
"Until then, everyone needs to work harder! Right now, no one is qualified to replace me!"
After addressing the Great Elder, Terumi Mei turned to all the Mist ninja present. Although she wasn't resigning just yet, it was already set in motion. And at that moment, the upper echelons of the Mist no longer hid their ambition for the position. One by one, they expressed their intentions.
"Mizukage-sama, don't worry. I'll fulfill my duties and won't let you down!"
"Mizukage-sama, congratulations to you and Lord Raiden in advance! We'll complete the mission without fail!"
...
The high-level meeting of the Mist Ninja ended in a chorus of assurance. Afterward, the top shinobi left the conference room one by one, a glint of ambition brewing in their eyes.
Inside the room, Uzumaki Raiden, Terumi Mei, and the village elders remained seated, waiting for the others to depart.
Once the room cleared, Chōjūrō exited and closed the door behind him.
"Elder, do you have anything else to say?" Terumi Mei asked, resting her chin on one hand, clearly bored.
"When and where do you plan to hold your wedding with Lord Raiden?"
The old man gently stroked his ghost-faced cane as he asked. Terumi Mei blinked in surprise before turning to Raiden.
"I've already informed the village. The date isn't set yet."
"But it should be held in Konoha—my relatives are there."
"I know a bit about Terumi Mei's background. She has no elder family. Familiar friends and relatives can be brought with me using my Flying Thunder God."
"Do you have any suggestions?"
Uzumaki Raiden bowed his head slightly. Terumi Mei, hearing talk of the wedding, moved her stool to sit beside Raiden and clung to his arm quietly.
"It's not advice, really. I'm just concerned someone might take advantage of the wedding to cause trouble."
"You know our Mist Village isn't like Konoha. We lack strong enough shinobi to keep the village stable. Without Mizukage-sama, our defenses would be severely weakened."
"You understand, don't you?"
The elder leaned his cane against the chair and spoke in a hushed voice. Raiden was startled—he hadn't expected that kind of request.
Though the elder didn't say it directly, Raiden understood. He wanted the wedding held in the Mist Village. This old man wasn't willing to let Terumi Mei leave, even for a moment! Had the Mist really become so fragile without her?
"Great Elder, you've said enough for today."
"Go home and rest. You don't need to concern yourself with our wedding."
"And don't worry. Even if I'm married, I won't let anyone harm the Mist Village!"
"Understood?!"
Before Raiden could respond, Terumi Mei snapped at the Great Elder, releasing Raiden's arm and putting on a stern face.
The old man opened his mouth, then fell silent. He closed his eyes and stood up with his cane, trembling slightly as he walked toward the door. Just as he reached it, he turned and said with a smile:
"Old man, I wish the two of you happiness."
"Mizukage-sama, I also hope that you won't forget what you said today!"
With those words, the Great Elder of the Mist left the conference room, his figure trembling as he walked. Uzumaki Raiden and Terumi Mei were left alone. As the door closed behind the elder, Terumi Mei leaned sideways, resting against Raiden, and softly said, "Thank you."
"What nonsense," Raiden replied. "You've sacrificed too much. I should be the one thanking you."
While Uzumaki Raiden remained in the Mist Village for a time, the Hidden Leaf was in turmoil. Uchiha Shisui had returned to the village, gravely injured, causing quite a commotion. News spread from the Uchiha clan that Shisui would no longer continue as a ninja, sparking another round of discussion.
The sudden disappearance of such a genius was naturally a hot topic among the villagers.
Shortly after, rumors spread within the Uchiha clan that Shisui intended to marry a woman from another village—prompting yet another wave of criticism.
In Konoha, most ninja from the major clans did not choose to marry civilians. Generally, ninjas married other ninjas. Even among those who did marry outside the shinobi world, none came from prominent clans—let alone bloodline limit families.
Clans with Kekkei Genkai, such as the Hyuga and Uchiha, typically married within the family. In Konoha's history, there were very few examples of behavior as unorthodox as Shisui's.
His decision provoked strong backlash within the clan. Nearly all Uchiha believed Shisui had broken long-standing tradition and condemned him openly. In the few days since his return, Fugaku had been inundated with reports slandering Shisui.
Many even suggested he be punished severely. If not for Fugaku's intervention, some radical clan members would've already targeted Shisui and Misa.
However, compared to Shisui's controversial marriage, another piece of news clearly attracted more attention—Uzumaki Raiden, the Fourth Hokage, planned to marry Terumi Mei, the Fourth Mizukage of the Mist. This caused a village-wide sensation. Gossip filled the streets and alleyways.
Unlike Shisui's marriage, Raiden's was widely celebrated. Their union was seen as perfectly matched—prestige, status, and power in balance. This so-called ideal match and public sentiment reflected society's expectations perfectly.
Amid these two public firestorms, a far more critical matter slipped under the radar—news that Konoha's archive had been robbed. Only a few shinobi had caught wind of the incident, but its impact far exceeded the previous two.
Konoha's archives didn't just store intelligence reports—they also contained a vast collection of jutsu. And the worst of the damage was inflicted on the ninjutsu library.
"Lord Hokage, the list of stolen scrolls has been compiled. The missing scrolls are all related to sealing techniques. A total of 1,140 were stored—over 300 are gone. Here's the report."
Inside the Hokage's office, a white-robed kunoichi placed a scroll on Namikaze Minato's desk and reported. Her hair was disheveled, dark circles heavy beneath her eyes, and her expression weary. She was a Chūnin from the Intelligence Division, tasked with investigating the theft.
"Sealing techniques? All of them?" Minato asked, puzzled. He grabbed the scroll and unrolled it, scanning its contents. As he reviewed the list, his face grew grave.
"Yes. We've cross-checked every scroll. All the stolen ones are sealing techniques. I'm absolutely certain."
"All sealing techniques…" Minato murmured. "Whoever managed to break through Raiden's enhanced barrier, sneak into Konoha undetected, and steal these scrolls… they must be incredibly powerful—and intimately familiar with Konoha."
"Shukaku, have there been any missing-nin within the village recently?" Minato asked, tapping his fingers on the table as he turned to Nara Shikaku beside him.
"There have been quite a few Konoha shinobi who've disappeared, but most went missing during missions. Since the theft, no further cases have been reported."
"You're suggesting someone from within the village?"
"That seems unlikely," Shikaku replied, shaking his head. "Sealing techniques are highly specialized. If someone just wanted to boost their personal power, they could've stolen other A- or B-rank ninjutsu."
"Besides, the archive's bright- and dark-duty guards work in 16-person shifts. Very few in Konoha could infiltrate unnoticed."
"It doesn't seem likely this was done from within."
Minato's eyes lit up as he caught onto something. "Targeted… You're right. This wasn't random. It was precise!"
"They weren't stolen to gain power… They were stolen to seal something…"
"Or to unseal something…"
"Tell me… could it be—?"
Minato didn't finish, but he didn't have to. He knew Shikaku's sharp mind would understand. Both men were privy to Uzumaki Raiden's battle with Uchiha Madara—how Raiden had sealed away Madara's Rinnegan during that confrontation.
There had been no trace of Madara since, but from what Raiden had shared, they knew Madara was likely still alive.
Now, with the theft of these sealing techniques… it couldn't be a coincidence.
"Someone—go to Raiden's residence outside the village and check for anything suspicious. Confirm whether anything's been stolen!"
Minato stood abruptly and issued the command. The kunoichi scratched her head, unsure who he had spoken to—she hadn't noticed anyone leave. But Shikaku knew: one person had already vanished from the room.
Not long after Minato gave the order, the office door was flung open. A guard rushed in, holding a scroll. He stepped forward, placed it on Minato's desk, and quickly left.
Minato's gaze immediately locked onto the gold cord binding the scroll—his heart skipped a beat.
Konoha classified intelligence by color:
D-rank: gray cord
C-rank: green
B-rank: blue
A-rank: red
S-rank: gold
S-rank scrolls recorded information with the potential to affect all of Konoha. In peaceful times, S-rank intel often meant one thing: war.
Minato hurriedly opened the scroll, reading quickly. Within minutes, his expression darkened.
"Minato, what is it?" Shikaku asked, noting the tension on the Hokage's face.
"It's serious. Iwa Village was attacked by an unknown enemy. The entire village has been destroyed. Tsuchikage Ōnoki died in battle… and both the Four-Tails and Five-Tails were taken."
"The enemy… was Uchiha Madara."
"Iwa is now mobilizing its forces. They're coming to Konoha—seeking answers."
(End Of Chapter)
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