Several heads turned at once toward the door to look at Hatake Satoru.
He was wearing a casual shirt, holding a paper bag from a sweets shop.
He didn't look like someone attending a meeting to pick the next Mizukage—more like a random tourist who wandered in by accident.
"There's a big crowd outside. Looks like everyone's waiting for the Mizukage decision."
"Didn't expect this, but it feels like Kirigakure suddenly got a whole lot more... alive."
He really nailed the timing too. A few minutes late, but not late enough for anyone to complain.
"No no, we just got here a few minutes ago too!"
"And it's not like the village didn't have people before—it's just that things were so tense that no one wanted to come out."
"But now that everyone knows the truth about the Fourth Mizukage, they've all relaxed, so it just *seems* like there's more people around."
Hozuki Mangetsu leaned on his chair, happily giving Hatake Satoru a little update.
"Morning, Satoru."
Shisui looked up too and waved at Hatake Satoru.
He came from the medical unit, so he hadn't taken the same path as Satoru.
Hatake Satoru was basically a walking rule-breaker. Ao still didn't like it much, but he had learned to watch his words.
You don't just open your mouth carelessly in front of someone this powerful.
Otherwise, it's only a matter of time before you get slapped in the face—figuratively or not.
"Choosing a new Mizukage, huh—"
Hatake Satoru pulled out a chair and handed out double-honey Anko cakes from his paper bag to Shisui and Hozuki Mangetsu.
Ao and Genshi just stood there and watched as he handed them out, then sat down without even looking at the two of them.
If he wasn't this strong, someone like him wouldn't last a day in the workplace!
Ao grumbled to himself. He and this kid really didn't get along.
"I think he's a good pick."
Satoru pointed to Hozuki Mangetsu, who was just about to take a bite of his cake.
"Eh?!"
"Huh????"
"?"
Even Genshi couldn't figure out what the heck Hatake Satoru was thinking.
Hozuki Mangetsu—a teenage kid who hadn't even graduated from the academy yet.
You're telling us he should be the next Mizukage?! Are you kidding?
Hozuki Mangetsu, who suddenly found himself being picked as Mizukage, looked totally lost.
He glanced around at the others, then at Satoru's pointing finger.
Seriously? Mizukage just dropped on his head out of nowhere?
"What, you don't want the job?"
Hatake Satoru raised an eyebrow, looking at him.
"Of course I do! It's just a bit hard to believe, that's all! If it's what you want, then I'll do it!"
Mangetsu quickly got it together, his eyes lighting up as he looked at Satoru.
Whether it was his admiration for someone strong, or the fact that this was the first time a teacher had ever really cared for him—
Either way, the kid was completely on board now.
"I think it's fine too. Right now, there's no one more suitable in the village," Shisui added calmly, showing no surprise.
From the beginning, Shisui had noticed how closely Satoru was watching over Mangetsu.
He'd even completely changed the kid's whole worldview.
With Satoru guiding him, Mangetsu's only real issue was his age.
Satoru knew how to develop people, but every move he made—every person he put in place—was clearly part of a plan.
It wasn't that he was just using people, either. In many ways, he really *was* helping them.
But not a single move he made was random.
It felt like he was working on something huge behind the scenes, slowly putting everything into place without anyone noticing.
And the longer Shisui stayed around him, the more certain he felt about it.
He was curious what Satoru's true goal was… but at the same time, it seemed like regular people would never understand the full picture.
"Mangetsu's too young. And strength-wise, I'm not sure he's ready to take on the Mizukage role."
Genshi chose his words carefully, trying to raise a reasonable objection.
And honestly, those were fair points.
Ao had been thinking about it for a while now but didn't even know where to begin.
From a normal person's perspective, this whole conversation didn't make any sense.
He used to think Shisui was the reasonable one—now he seemed just as off-track as Satoru.
At this point, Ao was seriously starting to wonder if these two were undercover spies from the Leaf Village.
"It's not a big deal. Didn't he seriously injure the former Mizukage? That alone proves enough."
Hatake Satoru paused, finished the last bite of his anko cake, and folded up the paper bag and skewer.
····················
As if he suddenly remembered something, he turned around with a grin and added,
"Oh, right! The Three-Tails that Shisui and I pushed into the lake—I heard it's fully transformed now, but it's been quiet at the bottom."
"There are seals set up around the lake, and Anbu are watching the area 24/7."
"But if something does happen, with your current strength, there's no way you could stop it~"
That was basically a threat, clear as day.
For a while, Genji and Ao stayed silent.
They knew full well that if Hozuki Mangetsu became Mizukage, the real power in Kirigakure would fall directly into Hatake Satoru's hands.
But they had no way to say no.
..... .... ...
The moment Hatake Satoru and Shisui subdued the Three-Tails, they'd already lost control of the village.
"Let's not drag this out, it's annoying."
"Alright, it's settled! Hozuki Mangetsu will be the Fifth Mizukage."
Hatake Satoru rested one arm on the chair and turned his head toward the hidden Anbu who had been eavesdropping.
"You've been listening long enough. Time to do something useful, yeah?"
The masked Anbu glanced at Genji. He didn't agree, but he also didn't object.
"Yes."
The Anbu all bowed slightly and left. They were going to spread the news ahead of time.
Genji had originally hidden them to catch some useful info, but now they were basically helping Hatake Satoru announce his plan.
The people in Kirigakure had always admired the strong.
Not to the point of being warmongers like the Kaguya clan, but they were definitely drawn to power.
After all, only the strong could protect them.
After Hatake Satoru's big display yesterday, the whole village was pretty much leaning his way.
Whatever wild decision he made now might actually get full support.
Still, maybe there was a chance things could turn around.
Genji narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the office door.
There were definitely some people who'd show up to challenge this decision.
Just as expected, right as Hatake Satoru and the others were getting ready to leave—
There was a loud, urgent knock at the office door.
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