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Mastermind of the Akatsuki 348
🕑 Added 2025-03-08 16:00:05 +0000 UTCChapter 348: System Reward
After an anxious half-hour wait, Mei Terumi and the others finally saw Byakuya and Genji appearing in the distance. Judging by their expressions, their conversation must have gone smoothly. It was possible that they had already reached some sort of agreement between Kirigakure and Akatsuki, forming an alliance.
Looking at Mei and Ao, the cane-wielding Genji slowly said, "I had a pleasant conversation with Byakuya just now. I've decided to have Kirigakure join Akatsuki and become a subordinate organization."
Hearing this, Mei and Ao widened their eyes in disbelief.
They knew that Zabuza had promised Byakuya that Kirigakure would join Akatsuki, but they hadn't expected Genji to actually agree to it. Kirigakure was one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, how could it so easily become a subordinate village?
Despite their doubts, they knew this was not the time to question it.
The rest of the people present also found it hard to believe, unwilling to accept that Kirigakure had become a subordinate village of Akatsuki. However, no one dared to challenge Genji’s decision.
Genji was an elder from the village's founding days, a stabilizing force akin to an anchor for Kirigakure. Even if he were to clash with the Mizukage, most people would side with him. After all, the Mizukage might betray Kirigakure, but Genji never would.
Having secured the agreement for Kirigakure to join Akatsuki, Byakuya didn't linger. Instead, he exchanged a glance with Juzo Biwa and then left.
Zabuza and Juzo noticed Byakuya’s look and followed him.
Once Byakuya and his group had left, Mei and Ao exchanged a glance before asking Genji, "Genji-sama, why did you decide to have Kirigakure join Akatsuki? Won't this damage the village's reputation?"
Genji let out a bitter smile. "Mei, do you really think Kirigakure still has any prestige left?"
His words left Mei speechless. She couldn’t refute him. After enduring the Blood Mist policy and the purge of the bloodline clans, Kirigakure had already become synonymous with chaos in the eyes of other nations.
After a brief pause, Genji continued, "Moreover, my decision for Kirigakure to join Akatsuki was made after careful deliberation, not on a whim. Right now, even though the Mizukage has broken free from the Masked Man’s control, the years of manipulation have left him physically and mentally drained. On top of that, he's seriously injured. There's no telling when he'll recover his combat strength.
If I refused Byakuya’s proposal and didn't make Kirigakure a subordinate of Akatsuki, what would we do if the Masked Man attacked again? Do you think we could defeat him?"
"...No." Mei shook her head slightly, her tone filled with gloom.
Genji glanced at her, sighed, and said, "During our conversation, I also learned another piece of intelligence about the Masked Man from Byakuya. The Masked Man controlled the Mizukage and captured the Six-Tails in order to collect Tailed Beasts and create a weapon capable of destroying entire villages in one strike. Only by joining Akatsuki and uniting every possible force can we stop his scheme."
Hearing this, Mei's eyes widened before she quickly said, "If the Masked Man’s target is the Nine Tailed Beasts, we could bypass Akatsuki and cooperate with the Four Great Shinobi Villages..."
She stopped halfway, realizing how unrealistic her idea was.
The Five Great Shinobi Villages were riddled with conflicts. Now that Kirigakure had lost its Tailed Beast and was weakened, the other villages would only act like wild dogs scenting blood, eager to seize Kirigakure’s territory.
Realizing this, Mei decisively changed the topic. "Genji-sama, rather than discussing Kirigakure joining Akatsuki, there's another important matter we need to address... Have you decided how to handle the Mizukage?"
At the mention of the Fourth Mizukage, Genji’s expression became somewhat distant.
After a long silence, he finally said, "The village has taken many wrong turns over the years, and someone must be held responsible. That person can only be Yagura Karatachi. Once he wakes up, I will hold him accountable and have him relinquish the position of Mizukage. As for the next Mizukage..."
Genji fell silent again. Then, as if making a firm decision, he continued, "There is currently no suitable candidate for Mizukage, nor can I think of anyone to recommend. For now, we will leave the position vacant."
"A vacant Mizukage position?"
Mei and Ao exchanged glances, barely able to accept Genji’s reasoning. In any other of the Four Great Shinobi Villages, a vacant Kage position would be unthinkable. But in Kirigakure, the highest authority wasn’t just the Mizukage, Genji himself wielded immense power.
Genji could act in the Mizukage’s stead, exercising the same authority. Besides, many in Kirigakure had developed a fear of the Mizukage position. Both the Third and Fourth Mizukage had seemed like polite young men before taking office, only to implement increasingly insane policies afterward.
If the Fifth Mizukage turned out the same way, Kirigakure might be better off without one.
With the Mizukage issue settled, Genji turned to Mei and Ao and said, "I almost forgot, Mei, Ao, like Zabuza, you two are also heroes who saved the village. While the Fourth Mizukage is unconscious, the responsibility of leading the village falls on you."
Hearing Zabuza’s name, Mei frowned and asked, "Genji-sama, isn’t Zabuza one of Byakuya’s men, like Juzo Biwa? Why are you making him part of the village’s leadership?"
Genji shook his head. "Juzo Biwa belongs to Byakuya, but Zabuza still cares about the village. The fact that he was the first to raise his blade against the Mizukage proves that he is capable of leading."
Then, looking at Mei with a teasing expression, he added, "Mei, you’d better work hard. I know you’ve always wanted to become Mizukage, but Zabuza has the same goal. Let’s see which of you performs better and claims the title."
Mei immediately tensed, clenching her fists. "Becoming Mizukage requires more than courage and determination. Strength and wisdom are essential as well. I will surpass Zabuza by a wide margin and become the next Mizukage. He’s only fit to be the leader of the Anbu."
At that moment, Ao suddenly recalled something and turned to Genji.
"Genji-sama, there’s one more issue, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Kisame Hoshigaki, has defected. I suspect he might be working for the Masked Man."
Genji nodded. "You're right. Kisame has indeed become the Masked Man’s subordinate. However, neither Byakuya nor I know why he chose to join him."
"Given his betrayal, we will designate him as an S-rank rogue ninja. Any ninja below Jonin level who encounters him may flee without punishment."
---
After leaving the elders’ residence, Byakuya led his group to an open space.
With a complicated expression, Zabuza turned to Byakuya and said, "Byakuya-sama, I never expected that I would lose our bet after all. You want me to swear loyalty now, right? From now on, I am your subordinate. As for Kirigakure joining Akatsuki, Genji-sama has already agreed to your terms. I can’t have Kirigakure joining Akatsuki twice."
Byakuya smiled and said, "You don’t have to swear allegiance to me. I’m not that interested in you. I just appreciate the courage you showed in striking at the Mizukage. What really interests me are your two subordinates.
After the Yuki Clan and the Kaguya Clan were wiped out, they are the last inheritors of Ice Release and Shikotsumyaku. And the power they used when fighting the Three-Tails, that was something I temporarily granted them after they swore loyalty to me. They were willing to sacrifice their freedom just to save you."
Hearing this, Zabuza fell silent for a few seconds, his expression complicated as he looked at Haku and Kimimaro.
After a moment, he sighed softly. "I see. I never expected that the two kids I picked up on a whim would end up saving my life at a critical moment. Fate sure loves to toy with people. But with all of us becoming Byakuya-sama's subordinates, doesn’t this feel a little chaotic?"
Byakuya was slightly taken aback. Zabuza was actually making jokes now? Was it because the Fourth Mizukage had been defeated?
At that moment, Zabuza turned to Byakuya and asked, "Byakuya-sama, what do you plan to do with Haku and Kimimaro? Are you sending them to Amegakure as ninjas, or will they remain in Kirigakure?"
Byakuya thought for a moment before answering, "I plan to train them in Amegakure. Though they have the strength of Chūnin, their foundation is still too weak. They need to return to the ninja academy for further studies. Once they reach Jōnin level, they can graduate and take the Chūnin Exams."
"...You need Jōnin-level strength just to take the Chūnin Exams?"
Zabuza wondered if he had misheard. Wasn’t the Chūnin Exam supposed to select Chūnin? Since when did you need to be that strong just to participate? This was absurd. That said, a period of school life wouldn’t be bad for Haku and Kimimaro.
From the moment they were born, neither of them had ever experienced a good life, nor did they have any friends their age. Perhaps the ninja academy could make up for their lost childhood.
As for keeping Haku and Kimimaro by his side in Kirigakure, Zabuza had considered it but ultimately abandoned the idea after careful thought. With his status as a hero of Kirigakure, he could protect them, and with their talents, they could easily rise to the rank of Jōnin. But Kirigakure had once hurt them deeply. Forcing them to stay would be unfair to them.
With that in mind, Zabuza turned to Haku and Kimimaro. "You two brats, listen well. From now on, obey Byakuya-sama and become his most loyal ninjas. If you don’t, I won’t forgive you."
Haku and Kimimaro nodded repeatedly, promising to follow Byakuya’s orders.
After dealing with their arrangements, Byakuya took out a Wood Release seed from his pocket and handed it to Zabuza.
"Since you’re my subordinate now, I’ll give you a little gift. You already know the effects of this Wood Release seed. When that masked man appears, use it. That way, I can rush over to support you. But forget about using it to compete for the Fifth Mizukage position. Cheating your way into becoming Mizukage is too much. I don’t want the next Mizukage to be a fraud."
Zabuza carefully accepted the Wood Release seed and tucked it away.
At that moment, Jūzō Biwa walked over, handing Kubikiribōchō to him. "Zabuza, as we agreed, Kubikiribōchō is yours now. Take good care of it and feed it plenty of fresh blood."
"I don’t actually need Kubikiribōchō. There are other ninja swords in the village."
Jūzō glanced at Zabuza and said, "Kubikiribōchō belongs to Kirigakure. I’m no longer a ninja of Kirigakure. It’s better for you to keep it. If you really don’t want to use it, just store it at home. Either way, I’m not taking it back."
After a brief exchange, Byakuya left Kirigakure with Jūzō, Haku, and Kimimaro. Everything that needed to be done had been completed. It was time to leave.
---
A few hours later, after they had departed from Kirigakure and boarded a ship leaving the Land of Water,
Byakuya sat on a cushioned seat, finally finding time to check his system rewards.
[Kage-level powerhouse Genji has joined Akatsuki. Kirigakure has automatically become part of Akatsuki. You have obtained the Complete Water Release Ninjutsu Collection, Advanced Water Release Secret Techniques, Mastery of Water Release, and a Large Amount of Chakra.]
Byakuya glanced at the system panel and found that these rewards were similar to what he had received when he visited Sunagakure.
The only difference was that in Sunagakure, he had gained Wind Release mastery, whereas here, he had obtained Water Release mastery. Did that mean Sunagakure’s Wind Release expertise was inferior to Kirigakure’s Water Release?
After thinking it through, Byakuya realized the key to the issue. Kirigakure specialized in Water Release and had many Jōnin proficient in it. Genji himself had mastered many Water Release techniques.
As for Sunagakure? That was a land of Magnet Release users and puppet masters. What did they have to do with Wind Release? Honestly, even Sunagakure’s strongest Wind Release user, Temari, was nowhere near the level of Danzō or Naruto Uzumaki.
Upon claiming his rewards, a flood of Water Release knowledge filled Byakuya’s mind. He had now fully mastered the nature transformation of Water Release, and his chakra reserves had increased by about "a ton."
After digesting these rewards, Byakuya looked at his system panel.
[Name: Byakuya]
[Age: 22]
[Current Affiliation: Akatsuki]
[Chakra Nature: Lightning, Water, Earth, Wind, Fire, Yang, Yin]
[Ninjutsu: Clone Jutsu, Basic Kunai Throwing, Mastery of Wind Release, Mastery of Water Release, Mastery of Paper Release, Proficiency in Wood Release, Transformation Jutsu, Spore Technique, Mayfly Technique…]
[Bloodline Limit: Basic Wood Release, Basic Yin-Yang Release, Magnet Release]
[Bloodline: Asura, Indra]
[Personal Evaluation: Peak Kage-level. Can easily crush most ninjas, but against true powerhouses, even escaping would be extremely difficult.]
After scanning the system panel, Byakuya found that there wasn’t much change. He was strong, but not strong enough.
His current power level was still far from reaching a true breakthrough. To improve further, he had to turn his attention to Konoha and the nine Tailed Beasts. That was where the real powerhouses were gathered.
