https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-453-I-Don-t-Care-What-You-Think-I-ll-Do-What-I-Think-/12943102/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-455-The-Mist-Village-on-the-Eve-of-Destruction-/12943104/
Chapter 454: The Acting Mizukage!
Chapter 454: The Acting Mizukage!
Mist Village!
The situation at this moment was extremely dire.
The Water Shadow Tower and its surrounding areas had been completely devastated in the previous battle.
While the number of civilian casualties might not have been too high, many ninjas had perished, and the extent of the destruction was significant.
Fortunately, Zhao Mei Ming was there, and she had forcefully killed the Three-Tails, leaving the Fourth Mizukage no chance to even utter a last word before being corroded into ashes.
At this moment, the village's high-ranking officials were gathered in a temporary command center, deep in discussion.
"I believe that the most important task for our village right now is to elect the Fifth Mizukage!"
One of the high-ranking officials spoke up with a proposal.
"Absolutely!"
The others echoed in agreement.
The conference room suddenly turned into a chorus of repetitive affirmations.
Everyone was expressing their desire to elect a new Mizukage.
And the person responsible for this situation was, of course, a single individual.
Master Yuan!
At this moment, he sat silently at the far left end of the conference table, his presence seemingly unnoticed.
If it weren't for knowing the truth, no one would have dared to imagine that this bald elder had, just a few days ago, forcefully removed the Fourth Mizukage from his position while he was under control.
Zhao Mei Ming sat at the head of the table, with Qing, wearing an eyepatch, on her left and a bespectacled, delicate-looking young man on her right. Their silence made them seem somewhat out of place.
Cough, cough!
Two light coughs from the far left corner of the table instantly quieted the entire conference room.
The sound had come from Master Yuan.
"In my opinion, we should take some time to elect a new Mizukage. In the meantime, why not appoint someone to act as the Mizukage?"
This was his true intention.
The process of electing a new Mizukage was complicated, and if not handled properly, it could lead to questions of legitimacy.
Therefore, appointing an acting Mizukage was a wise move.
Not only would it allow him to seize power immediately, but it would also provide an opportunity to accumulate prestige through this position.
"I believe only Zhao Mei Ming is capable of shouldering this responsibility!"
Qing, seated at the far left corner, suddenly spoke up.
His words drew numerous resentful glares from the others.
'Are you trying to outdo us in flattery? Don't you want us to have a chance to survive?'
The high-ranking officials in the conference room were well aware of Master Yuan's intentions to promote someone, and they didn't oppose it. They merely wanted to lay the groundwork and gradually introduce the candidate, making it seem like a 'natural' progression.
But with Qing's statement, it seemed as if they were reluctant to let Zhao Mei Ming take the position.
In reality, they had no objections.
After all, in this time of crisis, the village needed a strong leader to assume the role of Mizukage.
Zhao Mei Ming's capabilities and strength were impeccable, and no one could compete with her for the position. With Master Yuan's support, there was no way they could object.
"I second that!"
"I also believe that Zhao Mei Ming can temporarily act as the Mizukage without issue!"
"Anyone who dares to oppose this will not escape my wrath!"
...
The others had no choice but to follow suit. They, too, were desperate, and so they vied to outdo each other in their flattery.
If anyone dared to openly oppose this, it wouldn't be surprising if they 'committed suicide' with seventeen kunai in their back.
"Let's get to the point!" Zhao Mei Ming was tired of their theatrics and spoke directly, "Our frontline forces are preparing to invade the Fire Country and force them to negotiate with us. Let's get the envoy ready!"
The plan had been sent earlier, and both Zhao Mei Ming and Master Yuan considered it a good tactic.
After all, breaking through the Crab Island's defenses and directly landing in the Fire Country, without attacking the Heavenly Fortress, was indeed a way to minimize costs and maximize gains.
The key was that this would effectively conceal the Mist Village's weakness.
After the discussion moved on to the main topic, the village's high-ranking officials began to engage in serious deliberations.
Master Yuan, sitting in the corner, looked on with satisfaction as he observed Zhao Mei Ming, who had matured and was performing exceptionally well.
Her abilities and skills were truly remarkable, justifying his decision to promote her.
However, there was another reason for their haste in promoting her.
Master Yuan's condition was deteriorating!
In the previous battle, he had used a secret technique to unleash a peak-state attack, which was an immense burden for an elder nearing the end of his life.
Therefore, he had to ensure that Zhao Mei Ming assumed the position of 'Acting Mizukage' before he passed away.
Only then could she be officially elected as the Mizukage through a proper election.
Regarding the selection of a village's Kage, is it chosen by the villagers?
Apologies, just listen to this and nothing more.
The true election is conducted by the village elders nominating candidates, and the Jonin cast their votes. What does this have to do with ordinary villagers?
So, all obstacles to Zhao Mei Ming's ascension have been cleared, and there's no need to worry.
Just as Master Yuan was thinking this, he heard Zhao Mei Ming's questioning voice.
"How is the situation at the front? Have we broken through the Crab Island defense line?"
But the answer he received was...
"Nagai Hideo hasn't sent any intelligence reports in the past two days!"
The head of the Shadow Division also found this strange.
With over five thousand of their forces against a thousand enemies, it should be a matter that could be resolved in one breath. There's no reason not to bother sending a report.
"Nagai Hideo hasn't sent any intelligence?"
The Master Yuan, who had been acting as a good luck charm, suddenly asked.
"Yes, Elder, Hideo..."
The newly appointed head of the Shadow Division hurriedly reported.
Master Yuan's prestige was no joke; he dared not hide anything and directly revealed everything.
Speaking of which, there's nothing strange about it. It's just that the report was two days late.
It's not a big deal! After all, the front line is a battlefield, and it's not unusual to encounter unexpected situations.
However, he didn't notice that both Master Yuan and Zhao Mei Ming's expressions were becoming increasingly grave.
"There's a problem!" 2
Both of them had the same thought in their minds.
They were well aware that Nagai Hideo took the rules very seriously and would never delay sending intelligence reports.
Moreover, the Mist Ninja Army had an absolute advantage, along with the hired ninjas, numbering over five thousand. They were facing only a thousand Sky Fortress Ninjas. It was strange that they hadn't received any reports from the front line.
However, even if they knew that something might have happened at the front, they had no way of knowing what it was.
"Send out the Shadow Division immediately. I want to know what happened at the first opportunity. Also, raise the alert level to the highest!"
Zhao Mei Ming suddenly stood up and gave the order.
Her command left everyone confused and perplexed.
Sending out the Shadow Division was normal, but raising the alert level seemed unnecessary to them.
The front line had the Mist Ninja Army, and the most they should be wary of was the enemy, not themselves.
After giving the order, Zhao Mei Ming explained.
"If it were anyone else, it would be fine, but if it's Uchiha Dong Ping..."
The meaning of her words was clear: Uchiha Dong Ping was an unpredictable force.
In his first command, he led the Kikyou Mountain Battle, defeating the Sand Ninjas with a disadvantaged position.
His subsequent command in major battles was even more astonishing, as he had 'never been defeated.'
Yes, his record was indeed astonishing.
Combined with the intelligence she had gathered, it was enough to prove that he was a terrifying enemy.
Therefore, even the slightest anomaly would be treated as a major challenge.
At this moment, several hundred kilometers away from the Mist Village, at the seaside.
An astonishingly large fleet emerged from the mist and arrived here.
However, they didn't dock! There was no port here, and while small boats could easily dock, these large ships would immediately run aground if they got too close to the shore.
Especially the ironclad warships, which had to maintain a considerable distance from the shore to avoid trouble with their deep drafts.
Hmm... a drawback of ironclad warships might be their deep drafts.
But while this is a disadvantage in shallow waters, it's an advantage in deep waters, as they are more stable and resistant to waves.
The fleet slowly spread out.
Five aircraft carriers formed the center, with other warships extending to both wings.
Huff, huff!
Fighter jets took off one by one from the runways.
Each aircraft carrier had 15 takeoff runways, meaning they could launch this many jets simultaneously.
Within half an hour, all five aircraft carriers launched five thousand jets into the sky.
(Losses will be replenished by the reserves!)
The jets nearly covered the sky, but that wasn't the most astonishing part. What truly left Nagai Hideo and Rinko Yori in awe was what was happening below.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
