Chapter 386

Therefore, regarding the succession of the clan head, Ryosuke flatly and sternly refused.

Ryosuke currently has plenty of combat power at his disposal; there is no need to make himself unhappy for the sake of the Mizunuki clan's meager strength.

He is not like Mizunuki Taki, who needs to rely on the power of the clan to sit firmly in the Mizukage's position.

Seeing that Ryosuke could not be persuaded, the Mizunuki clan had no choice but to play a "curved tactic," sending people to deliver all kinds of gifts to Ryosuke's home every day.

Not only that, the Mizunuki clan also found a large number of clansmen who had decent relations with Mizunuki Aunt Liuhua to come and plead, attempting to use a "curved strategy" to win Ryosuke back.

Perhaps because she was soft-hearted, or perhaps because she did not want to see the clan decline, Aunt Liuhua eventually could not withstand the pleas of the clansmen and came to find Ryosuke to intercede for the Mizunuki clan.

Seeing this, Mizunuki Ryosuke could not refuse Aunt Liuhua's face, and from the perspective of village stability, continuing to leave the Mizunuki clan out in the cold was not a solution.

But even so, Ryosuke still had no intention of serving as the Mizunuki clan head.

Thus, he set a condition, hoping that his disciple—Mizunuki Mitsuhiko—would succeed as the Mizunuki clan head.

To this, the Mizunuki clan agreed readily.

Firstly, as Mitsuhiko is Ryosuke's direct disciple, Ryosuke agreeing to his succession is equivalent to releasing a signal of reconciliation.

Secondly, in recent years, under Ryosuke's training, Mizunuki Mitsuhiko has progressed rapidly and has reached the level of a Jonin. Such talent is no worse than that of Mizunuki Eiro back in the day, and can be considered to have a limitless future.

Thirdly, Mizunuki Mitsuhiko himself is the Great Elder's son and Mizunuki Eiro's own younger brother. Regardless of how Mitsuhiko himself views it, this bloodline brought relief to the stubborn faction of the Mizunuki clan and those who had once supported Mizunuki Eiro. Ryosuke sending Mitsuhiko to succeed as clan head shows that he himself has no intention of settling scores with these Mizunuki clansmen.

No matter how you look at it, Mitsuhiko is an extremely suitable candidate.

Under the political game, the sixteen-year-old Mitsuhiko became the head of the Mizunuki clan, his status ranking among the top in Kirigakure, while simultaneously becoming the bond between Ryosuke and the clan.

Naturally, Mizunuki Mitsuhiko is grateful to Ryosuke, and he understands that without Mizunuki Ryosuke, he would not be where he is today.

As Ryosuke's trusted confidants, everyone at the table naturally understood the situation with Mizunuki Mitsuhiko, so no one questioned whether Mitsuhiko was qualified to appear at this table.

Besides this, it is worth mentioning that this meeting also had an "observer seat."

And the one sitting in the seat is not a person; to be precise, it is a cat, and a Ninja Cat at that.

"Meow~"

The somewhat bloated orange cat yawned, seemingly bored with everything about to happen.

Since coming to Kirigakure, the orange cat's figure has shown a clear trend of putting on weight, which indirectly shows that the orange cat seems to be living quite well.

This orange cat is also an acquaintance of Ryosuke's, the offspring of the Cat Kingdom's Elder Cat Boss—Meow Taro.

Since the Cat Kingdom and Kirigakure established contact, Meow Taro has become the director of the Ninja Cat Hospital, as well as the Cat Kingdom's liaison ambassador to Kirigakure.

Life couldn't be more comfortable...

No one paid any mind to the orange cat's laziness; after all, everyone was already long accustomed to this fellow's behavior.

Before the meeting officially began, Ryosuke first scanned the faces of everyone, and then the aura on his body changed abruptly. The powerful pressure startled the dozing orange cat into climbing up immediately.

Ryosuke's powerful pressure also shocked the high-ranking officials of Kirigakure; it seemed that during this period, the Fourth Mizukage had become even stronger.

"Everyone, before the meeting begins."

"I can tell you all directly."

"Next, there will be turmoil in the Ninja World. This turmoil is both a transformation and a crisis."

"I have summoned you all here to arrange where Kirigakure should go amidst this turmoil."

Mizunuki Ryosuke said seriously, his solemn tone combined with his powerful presence making everyone at the table respond earnestly.

"Kisame, tell us your intelligence."

Mizunuki Ryosuke said to Hoshigaki Kisame on the side.

Since withdrawing from the Land of Rain, Ryosuke had ordered Hoshigaki Kisame to shift the focus of the White Shark Unit's intelligence gathering from the Land of Rain to Sunagakure and Iwagakure.

"Yes, my lord."

"Now I will explain the intelligence in my hands to everyone."

Hoshigaki Kisame nodded and began to report the intelligence in his hands meticulously.

"On the Sunagakure side, the battle with the Rain Ninja continues."

"The conflict between the two sides has reached a white-hot stage. Apart from the commanders on both sides who have yet to enter the fray, both sides have revealed all their trump cards."

"Whether it is the Rain Ninja's elite 'Hanzo Guard' or the Sunagakure 'Puppet Master Unit,' both have been committed to the battlefield."

"I fear it won't be long before a winner is decided."

"In addition, on the Iwagakure side, we have discovered that the Rock Ninja are making large-scale mobilization moves."

"It is just that, to this day, we do not know who Iwagakure intends to strike against."

Hoshigaki Kisame reported all the important intelligence currently in the Ninja World in one breath.

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes sharpened. The battle between Sunagakure and the Rain Ninja was no longer news; the key was Iwagakure.

What exactly is the Third Tsuchikage Onoki planning to do?

The movements of Iwagakure could potentially cause this war to spread further. ===== CHAPTER 388 =====