Naruto: From Scratch With a Template System

Chapter 192 192

Of course, Shiki didn't care about the complicated thoughts running through Terumī Mei's mind.

He had already started this, so he intended to end it.

"Let's deal with the Three-Tails first."

Shiki said it calmly, as if he were talking about the weather.

Dealing with the Three-Tails didn't require much effort.

With Shiki's strength, even the Nine-Tails would not have been enough to trouble him, much less the Three-Tails.

At that moment, the Three-Tails was already immobilized. Half of the right side of its body had been severed by Shiki's previous slash.

Normally, an injury like that should have started healing little by little. But right now, it wasn't.

The reason was simple.

During that earlier slash, Shiki had infused Conqueror's Haki into the blade.

It was slowing down the Three-Tails' regeneration.

Shiki casually raised the sword in his hand and swung it toward the Three-Tails.

There was no need to hold back.

A single blow was enough.

"Lion Might: Severance."

"Kngh!"

The Three-Tails roared wildly, but it could do nothing.

It could only watch in fear as the slash tore across its body, cutting it in half.

Then, amid that gruesome fountain of blood, the enormous body of the Three-Tails began to shrink.

A moment later, it transformed back into the appearance of a little boy.

The Fourth Mizukage

Yagura Karatachi.

Mei Terumī and the others froze for a moment.

Then, with desperate expressions, they slowly gathered around him.

"Lord Mizukage…"

Their voices were heavy.

No one knew what to say.

The man who should have protected Kirigakure had become the very source of its suffering.

The Mizukage who should have stood at the head of the village had been turned into someone else's puppet.

"Ugh…"

Yagura's eyes opened slightly.

Even through the pain, a faint look of relief appeared on his face.

"So… I'm finally free…"

His dazed gaze swept across the shinobi surrounding him.

"Lord Mizukage…"

The Kirigakure shinobi lowered their eyes.

Their expressions were complicated—anger, guilt, sorrow, and shame all mixed together.

But Yagura himself smiled faintly.

"It's been a long time…"

His voice was weak, but calm.

"A long time since I breathed the air of my own village with my own will."

He seemed to want to move.

Perhaps he wanted to stand.

Perhaps he wanted to raise his hand.

But his body no longer obeyed him.

Yagura could only give a bitter smile.

"Looks like… even after taking my body back, I still don't get to enjoy it for very long."

Mei clenched her fists.

"Lord Mizukage… you've been freed from the control."

"I know."

Yagura smiled slightly.

"But that doesn't change anything."

His breathing grew weaker.

"I'm dying."

Mei's expression twisted.

"I told Shiki not to go too far, but he still—"

"No."

Yagura interrupted her gently.

His voice was soft, yet strangely firm.

"This is better."

Mei froze.

Yagura looked up at the misty sky above Kirigakure.

"I couldn't have asked for a better ending."

A faint smile remained at the corner of his mouth.

"Kirigakure doesn't need a Mizukage who was controlled by someone else."

The surrounding shinobi went silent.

Yagura continued calmly.

"And the shinobi of Kirigakure cannot afford to admit that their Mizukage was used as a puppet."

His words were cruel.

But no one could deny them.

"A dead Fourth Mizukage…"

Yagura gave a tired, self-mocking smile.

"…is far easier for this village to accept."

Mei's lips pressed into a thin line.

The others lowered their heads.

For a shinobi village, the Kage was more than a leader.

He was the village's face.

Its pride.

Its symbol.

And Yagura knew that better than anyone.

If he lived, Kirigakure would never be able to escape this shadow.

The village would question him.

The clans would question him.

The other nations would laugh.

And Yagura himself…

Perhaps he had already been waiting for this end.

Even if Shiki had held back.

Even if the medical-nin could save him.

Would Yagura truly choose to live?

No one could answer that.

Yagura's gaze softened as he looked at Mei and the others.

"I'm sorry."

His youthful face carried an apology far too heavy for his appearance.

"What comes after this… I'll have to leave it to you."

After a moment, Yagura continued.

"As for the Fifth Mizukage…"

His eyes moved toward Mei Terumī, then toward the others.

"That will be for you to decide."

Mei's eyes trembled slightly.

Yagura smiled faintly.

"The current me has no right to choose the next Mizukage."

Normally, the next Kage would be appointed by the previous one.

Just as the Second Hokage had chosen the Third.

But Yagura had been controlled for far too long.

Too many things had changed.

Too many people had suffered.

He no longer knew who among them was truly fit to carry Kirigakure forward.

So he would not pretend he still had that authority.

That decision had to be made by those who had endured the Blood Mist with their own will.

By those who still had to live with the village after he was gone.

"And now… someone, come here."

Yagura Karatachi's expression remained calm, even as blood pooled beneath him and his body slowly grew cold.

His vision was already fading.

He could no longer make out the faces around him clearly. Everything had become blurred.

Even so, he held on.

"Record what I'm about to say."

His voice was weak, but every word was steady.

"There isn't much time, so don't miss anything."

He took a shallow breath and began listing names.

"Takeda Kofū. Hachimyo Shingo. Inshō Nase… Those people have connections to the mastermind who controlled me."

"Kono Ayano. Igarashi Tamao. Ōta Noriko. Nishida Kazuya… Those people are being controlled, just like I was."

"Suikazan Fujiwara. Emino Reo… Those two seem to have dealings with the mastermind, but I don't know the full details."

Yagura paused for a moment, forcing his breath to steady.

"There are also several locations you must remember. That man once controlled me and had supplies transported there…"

After that, one place name after another left the Fourth Mizukage's mouth.

Everyone fell silent.

These names.

These locations.

They were things Yagura had desperately carved into his memory during all those days and nights when his body was no longer his own.

Even though he had been trapped under Obito's control, even though he had no way to break free, he had never once stopped being Kirigakure's Mizukage.

He had watched.

He had remembered.

He had endured.

He had larped.

All for the chance that one day, if he was ever freed, he could leave something behind for the village.

Something that could hurt the enemy.

Something that could protect Kirigakure.

And now, at the very end, he was using his last breath to do exactly that.

Even the few members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist who had demanded his death earlier said nothing.

Because in the end, the reason they had gathered here was the same.

They loved this village.

They loved this country.

Yagura had committed countless wrongs while under another man's control.

But the man himself…

He had also been a Kage who loved Kirigakure with everything he had.

Yagura continued speaking, one word at a time.

His voice grew softer.

His gaze became more unfocused.

His injuries were too severe.

In the end, Obito had only abandoned control over him because his own situation had become dangerous after Shiki severed his arm.

And also because Yagura's body could no longer fight.

The Tailed Beast inside him had also been killed by Shiki and could no longer be used.

Otherwise, Obito would never have given up a Tailed Beast so easily.

"All right…"

Yagura finally stopped.

A pale smile appeared on his face.

"That should be… most of it."

He slowly looked toward Mei Terumī.

"Next… have the medical-nin stabilize the wounded shinobi nearby. Reduce the damage to the village as much as possible."

"We've already made preparations."

Mei closed her eyes for a moment.

Mero and the others lowered their heads.

"Please rest assured, Lord Mizukage."

"That's good…"

Yagura let out a long, relieved breath.

"Then… I can leave the rest to you."

His eyelids trembled slightly.

"Continue with the plans. Don't lose hope because of one defeat. No matter what happens… protect the village."

Then his gaze slowly shifted.

"And lastly…"

His blurred eyes turned toward the blond figure nearby.

"Shiki…"

Yagura could no longer see his face clearly.

But that golden silhouette was still unmistakable.

"I never expected… the next time we met would be like this."

A faint smile touched his lips.

"Even so… thank you."

"There's nothing to thank me for, Mizukage."

Shiki had already sheathed his blade.

His long golden hair moved with the wind.

For the first time, he truly looked at the dying man before him.

He looked straight into Yagura's eyes.

And Shiki had to admit it.

After being controlled for so many years, after suffering such an unfair fate, this man could still hold on to his will until the very end.

That alone was worthy of respect.

Yagura's voice grew even softer.

"Then… hear my final order."

The surrounding shinobi straightened.

"Everyone present… must remember this."

His eyes moved across the blurry figures around him.

"Do not place the blame for my death on Shiki."

Mei's eyes trembled.

"He is my savior."

Yagura's voice was faint, but firm.

"Not my killer."

No one spoke.

"I do not blame him. So none of you are to start some meaningless war because of me."

His breath hitched.

"Kirigakure has already bled enough."

The surrounding shinobi lowered their heads.

"Yes…"

Their voices were choked.

"Yes, Lord Fourth Mizukage…"

Many of them could no longer hold back their tears.

They understood why Yagura had said those words.

He was afraid they would act on grief.

He was afraid they would direct their anger at Shiki.

He was afraid Kirigakure would make an enemy it could not afford to make and drag the village into an even deeper abyss.

Even at the end, he was still thinking of the village.

Rin Nohara stood silently nearby.

For a moment, she could not say anything.

Perhaps…

This was what it meant to be a Kage.

....

After everything was over, Shiki finally summoned the system panel to check his current progress after killing the Mizukage.

[God-Level Template System]

[First Template: Golden Lion — Shiki]

[Template Compatibility: 100%]

[Second Template: Shiki Tohno — Progress: 50%]

[Abilities Acquired: Top-Tier Armament Haki, Top-Tier Observation Haki, Top-Tier Advanced Conqueror's Haki, Top-Tier Swordsmanship, Fuwa Fuwa no Mi Awakened, Mystic Eyes of Death Perception Mid Stage]

[Skills: Basic Three Ninja Techniques, Body Flicker Technique]

[Daily Tasks: None]

Seeing the progress rise again, Shiki smiled.

Compared to the years he had wasted before, gaining this much in such a short time was more than worth it.

For a moment, a thought even crossed his mind.

If he simply went on a rampage through the other villages and killed every Tailed Beast, he might be able to fill the progress bar within a week.

But Shiki quickly suppressed that idea.

At least for now.

Besides, he still had something else to deal with.

Such as…

"You mean, for the next few days, you'll be accompanying me?"

Shiki glanced at Mei Terumī with some interest.

"Yes."

Mei nodded calmly.

"That is what we decided after discussing it."

Her gaze remained steady.

"Kirigakure isn't careless enough to know someone like you is nearby and still leave you completely unwatched."

A powerhouse like Shiki could cause far too much destruction.

Enough destruction to shake an entire country.

No hidden village could feel at ease without at least placing eyes nearby.

Although, in Shiki's case, sending someone to watch him might not be useful at all.

"But isn't this the time when you're supposed to be discussing candidates for the Fifth Mizukage?"

Shiki raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you busy with the succession?"

Mei Terumī was the future Fifth Mizukage.

At a critical moment like this, she should have been standing at the center of Kirigakure's political storm, not following him around.

"To me, watching you is more important."

Mei's tone was calm, but there was no hesitation in it.

Kirigakure needed someone strong enough to stay near Shiki.

She did not need to stop him.

She might not even be able to.

But if Shiki made any move, she could at least warn the village before it was too late.

Other powerful shinobi would inevitably be drawn into the Mizukage selection and would not want to be distracted.

So, it had to be her.

"Suit yourself."

Shiki gave a faint smile.

"Normally, I would have taught you a lesson for such disrespectful behavior."

Mei's eyes narrowed slightly.

"But since I already promised not to cause any further trouble for Kirigakure, I'll let it pass."

He turned his gaze toward the distance.

"Besides, I'm planning to go somewhere soon."

Then he glanced back at her.

"Do you want to come along?"

Even though Shiki was used to doing whatever he wanted, this situation was different.

This time, he had killed Kirigakure's Mizukage.

He had killed the Three-Tails.

He had also killed the Six-Tails and many of Kirigakure's shinobi.

If this had happened during a war, that would have been one thing.

But in peacetime, for no clear reason, such actions were enough to unsettle the entire shinobi world.

No village would feel safe if Shiki could simply appear during peace and kill their people for amusement.

So Shiki didn't mind letting a beautiful woman keep an eye on him.

If Kirigakure had sent someone else…

Well.

That might not have ended as peacefully.

"Go somewhere?"

Mei Terumī was taken aback.

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