Chapter 190: Laying Low
The Land of Water — Jiraiya watched with frustration as the shadowy figure vanished without a trace.
After tracking him this far, Jiraiya had hoped for a breakthrough. But in the end, the target escaped once again.
"Space-time ninjutsu… what a troublesome power to deal with."
As someone well-versed in summoning techniques, Jiraiya knew just how difficult it was to handle space-time jutsu. In battle, it granted surprise and evasive advantages. Outside of combat, it made it nearly impossible to track someone or gain control over a situation. Paired with a brilliant mind, even the strongest shinobi could be manipulated like a puppet.
Since arriving in the Land of Water a few days ago, Jiraiya had moved with ease thanks to the Toad Oil Camouflage technique. In this water-rich nation, he could come and go like a ghost. For a man who specialized in intelligence gathering, "like a fish in water" didn't begin to describe how smooth his movements were.
The Hidden Mist Village, the military backbone of the Land of Water, had long followed a bloody and brutal selection process for its shinobi. This ruthless environment allowed the village to maintain combat strength that even surpassed the Hidden Sand Village, despite having fewer resources and manpower. Mist shinobi were notorious for assassination and stealth—so much so that other villages actively avoided dealing with them.
Geographically isolated from the mainland by the ocean, the Mist Village had become even more closed-off and mysterious. Internally, deep-seated issues festered, especially the hatred and persecution of those with Kekkei Genkai abilities. As a result, the Mist's power never fully extended to the rest of the world, and its influence remained relatively low—even weaker than second-tier villages like the Hidden Waterfall or Hidden Rain.
Things got worse when the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, took power. To everyone's shock, he increased the bloodshed of the selection process, cementing the Mist's nickname: "The Village of the Bloody Mist." Though rumored to fully control the Three-Tails, Yagura, who had once been cheerful and idealistic, had become unrecognizable.
This reign of terror sparked widespread unrest. Ninja clans and groups within the Land of Water frequently attempted assassinations on both the Mizukage and the Daimyō. Yet Yagura responded with even harsher policies, turning the country into a land shrouded in fear.
Within just a few days of arriving, Jiraiya witnessed firsthand the massive rebellion that erupted—and uncovered shocking intel. Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, had been under someone's genjutsu control the entire time.
Even after being freed from the illusion, Yagura didn't resist his fate. Wracked with guilt over the horrors committed under his rule, he allowed himself to be killed by the rebels. His death paved the way for a fierce female ninja to rise: Terumi Mei, who possessed not one but two powerful Kekkei Genkai. She was quickly installed as the Fifth Mizukage.
As a Leaf shinobi, Jiraiya could only observe. Any interference in the leadership shift of a major village—especially from someone of his level—would spark an international incident.
Still, Jiraiya hadn't come away empty-handed. Using the Tengai Barrier technique, he discovered faint traces of the culprits. Following those leads, he'd almost found something—if not for the damnable space-time jutsu.
"Uchiha Itachi. Hoshigaki Kisame. And… another Sharingan wielder." Jiraiya's expression darkened. "The Akatsuki is deeper and darker than we thought—controlling a whole village without anyone noticing?"
The final days of Yagura's rule were revealing. Even after being attacked by Uchiha Itachi and Momochi Zabuza's old comrade, Yagura had held his own and killed one of them. That he eventually lost was only due to the terrifying power of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
The real disgrace? Yagura had been under the genjutsu control of Uchiha Obito for years. The fact that no one had realized it, and that the Akatsuki had manipulated the Mizukage, was a humiliating scandal. If not for Jiraiya's timely observation, the truth of the coup might have been buried forever.
As Jiraiya pondered this, a stern man appeared behind him—dressed in a dark, old-fashioned robe and wearing an eyepatch over his right eye.
"Are you Jiraiya of the Sannin? The Mizukage requests your presence."
"Oh?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "The new Mizukage is already changing policy? No more isolation?"
He recognized the man—this was the same shinobi who had first noticed something wrong with Yagura and had helped break the illusion. His strength was impressive, especially that hidden Byakugan eye.
"Our new leader has her own ideas," the man replied. "She would like to speak with you."
"Fine, I'll go." Jiraiya agreed. He didn't believe the Mist would act recklessly toward a Sannin. Besides, he wasn't afraid. Even against an entire Hidden Village, he was confident he could escape if needed.
…
Elsewhere, in a secret location, Uchiha Obito stood waiting as Kisame and Itachi arrived.
"You called us here so urgently—what's going on?" Kisame asked in his raspy voice. "We were in the Land of Earth, chasing down intel on other Tailed Beasts."
"That can wait," Obito interrupted, his tone heavy. "In fact, all of Akatsuki's operations are temporarily on hold."
"On hold?" Itachi asked, puzzled.
"Yes. The Three-Tails is dead," Obito replied grimly. "I wanted to call you in to help retrieve it, but things moved too fast. Yagura's genjutsu was broken, and the rebels were too strong. Plus, Jiraiya was watching the whole thing. I couldn't act."
"…So we were too late?" Kisame asked.
"We'll talk about that later," Obito said. "First, we need to report this to the leader…"
---
Read up to 20 chapter ahead of time on patreon.com/Legendryweeb
{please give this novel 5 Star review and power stone}
*Thank you*