Chapter 70

Suddenly, a smile appeared at the corner of Mizunuki Taki's mouth.

In a daze, he seemed to see two young men rushing toward him.

These two young men were so young, and in them, Mizunuki Taki seemed to see the shadows of the previous two Mizukage.

"Third!"

"Clan Head!"

Two urgent shouts reached Mizunuki Taki's ears, one after the other.

The two who had arrived were none other than Mizunuki Ryosuke and Hozuki Mangetsu.

Immediately, Mizunuki Ryosuke performed the Palm Sage Technique to treat the Third Mizukage's wounds.

But as soon as he probed, he discovered that the Third Mizukage's condition was already beyond saving.

Every organ and every blood vessel in his body was damaged; there was not a single intact part.

But with the Palm Sage Technique performed by Ryosuke, Mizunuki Taki managed to draw one last breath.

"Ryosuke..."

"I still prefer you calling me Uncle Taki."

Mizunuki Taki said with a smile, his voice weak.

Hearing this, Mizunuki Ryosuke wore a complex expression, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Lian and Aunt Liuhua..."

"I entrust the two of them to you."

"You must protect them well."

Mizunuki Taki's voice grew weaker; every word seemed to require immense effort.

A large amount of blood spilled from Mizunuki Taki's mouth as if it were worthless; he grabbed Ryosuke's hand with all his might.

"Yes, Uncle Taki."

"I promise, anyone who wants to harm Sister Lian and Aunt Aunt Liuhua must step over my dead body!"

Mizunuki Ryosuke promised the fading Mizunuki Taki firmly.

Hearing this, a flash of peace crossed Mizunuki Taki's eyes.

"Remember today..."

"No matter who the village is handed to in the future."

"Remember..."

"Never let it happen like today again."

Mizunuki Taki said his final words to Hozuki Mangetsu and Mizunuki Ryosuke before him.

Both of them knew exactly what he was referring to.

After today's civil war, the Hidden Mist Village wouldn't be able to recover for three to five years.

As for why Mizunuki Taki said this to them, perhaps he had determined that the next Mizukage would be chosen between Mizunuki Ryosuke and Hozuki Mangetsu.

This was a warning to them: no matter who succeeded as Mizukage, they must never let the village fall into civil strife again.

After saying this, Mizunuki Taki gasped for air, looking as if he could stop breathing at any moment.

Seeming to hear some movement, Mizunuki Ryosuke turned his head to look behind him.

He saw a ninja with a somewhat pedantic air, a burly build, and a resolute face rushing over, followed by many medical ninjas from the hospital.

The person who arrived was the third-in-command of the Hidden Mist Village, the Jonin Commander, Tian Tian Yuanshi.

During the previous chaos, Tian Tian Yuanshi was responsible for guarding the village and handling potential turmoil.

After the coup d'état was launched.

Hozuki Mangetsu had also arranged for many people within the village to spread false information.

The goal was to successfully return to the village and take the position of Kage after the assassination succeeded.

Under Tian Tian Yuanshi's command, the rumors were quickly quelled, and Hozuki Mangetsu's conspiracy was exposed.

Not long ago, Tian Tian Yuanshi received the battle report from the front line, realized something was wrong, and hurriedly brought people to support.

Seeing Tian Tian Yuanshi arrive, Mizunuki Taki braced himself for one last breath, seemingly having something to say to him.

Tian Tian Yuanshi also knew very well that Mizunuki Taki was at a critical moment of life and death; without much hesitation, he immediately leaned his ear over.

Mizunuki Taki's mouth moved slightly, seemingly saying something to Tian Tian Yuanshi.

Because he was too weak, Mizunuki Taki's voice was now so faint that even Hozuki Mangetsu and Mizunuki Ryosuke, who were close by, could hardly hear it clearly.

Such a faint voice, one would think, could only be heard by Tian Tian Yuanshi, who was leaning against Mizunuki Taki's ear.

"Third, don't worry."

"I have understood; your request will be executed."

Although he didn't know what Tian Tian Yuanshi had heard the Third say before his death, he still responded solemnly.

This Jonin Commander had always been known for being serious and reliable throughout the Hidden Mist.

Seeing him agree, Mizunuki Taki finally set his mind at ease.

In the last second of his life, Mizunuki Taki turned his eyes to the sky.

In his eyes, he seemed to faintly see the two previous Mizukage beckoning to him.

"Ryosuke, you will lead the Hidden Mist to a further place, won't you..."

Mizunuki Taki whispered in his heart, slowly closing his eyes.

At the final moment, this Third Mizukage left this world with a smile.

"Lord Mizukage!"

"Uncle Taki!"

Hozuki Mangetsu and Mizunuki Ryosuke on the side reacted immediately.

But no matter how they tried to save him, this Third Mizukage, who had completely run out of oil, showed no signs of recovery.

A moment later, the three of them stood up and bowed in unison to the corpse of the Third Mizukage, Mizunuki Taki.

Regardless of what happened before, at the final moment of his life, the Third Mizukage had truly fulfilled his duties as a "Kage."

At the most critical moment, he used his life to stop the rampaging Three-Tails, saving as much loss as possible for the Hidden Mist.

Meanwhile, in the basement of Ryosuke's house.

Mizunuki Lian and Mizunuki Aunt Liuhua felt a sudden palpitation at the same time.

It seemed as if someone important had left them.

Aunt Liuhua and Lian hugged each other; two fragile women could only wait quietly for the verdict of fate at such a moment.

They could only pray silently that the man who was closely tied to their fate would not be harmed.

"Ryosuke..."

"You must be safe and sound."

Mizunuki Lian prayed silently in her heart.

Little did she know that another man who had an intimate relationship with her had already left this world.

The Third Mizukage was dead, leaving behind a mess.

Including how to deal with the large number of casualties after the war, and how to deal with the remaining members of the Mist Anbu who participated in the mutiny?

Most importantly, the deaths of both the Mizukage and the Mist Anbu Chief left the entire Hidden Mist Village paralyzed for a short time.

These were not the most urgent; the most important thing was, how should the two Tailed Beasts in the "frozen" state be handled?

"The situation is urgent, so I won't continue with pleasantries here."

"Now is not the time for sadness."

"After everything is completely over, we will continue to mourn at the Jonin meeting in the village."

"Now we must make a decision immediately on how to deal with these two Tailed Beasts."

Tian Tian Yuanshi said with a serious face; with the deaths of the Mizukage and the Mist Anbu Chief, this Jonin Commander was theoretically the highest leader of the Hidden Mist.

Hearing this, Mizunuki Ryosuke and Hozuki Mangetsu both frowned slightly.

However, unlike Hozuki Mangetsu's pure anxiety, there was a strange luster in Mizunuki Ryosuke's eyes.

Time returned to the basement of the Mist Anbu building, in Madara's top-secret space.

Mizunuki Ryosuke had agreed to Uchiha Madara's request to become a Jinchuriki.

But at the same time, as a condition of the exchange, Mizunuki Ryosuke proposed to Madara that the timing of becoming a Jinchuriki must be chosen by himself.

Who was Uchiha Madara?