"There's no debate anymore. The Fifth Mizukage has already been announced."
"Yagura was strong, but Rasa is stronger."
"He was still too young. Taking that small squad straight into the Land of Wind to attack Sunagakure? He didn't even think about the risks. If he'd brought the full Mist army he could've at least retreated after losing."
"Now he just handed Rasa and Sunagakure free wins on a silver platter."
"Rasa's record these last few years has been insane. Before, nobody thought he was anything special. Most of us figured he was weaker than the Third Kazekage and probably wouldn't even beco the next one."
"Nobody expected this. Right now, on pure individual strength, Rasa might actually be the strongest Kage in the entire ninja world."
People started listing his victories.
Wiped out the entire Red Mountain clan — one of Sunagakure's most prestigious families — in a single night.
Killed four of the Seven Ninja Swordsn, the Mist's elite.
Went toe-to-toe with Konoha's rising star, Minato Namikaze, and ca out on top.
Crushed the perfect jinchuriki Yagura and his Water Mirror Technique.
All real accomplishnts. No exaggeration.
Konoha ninja imdiately pushed back.
"Lord Minato never actually went all-out against Rasa. Those fights were just testing each other. If it was a real death match, nobody knows who would win."
"Lord Minato's Flying Thunder God is definitely faster than anything Rasa has."
"Both of them are called 'Flash,' but there's a clear difference in skill."
A Sand ninja snorted.
"Don't call our Kazekage the 'Red Flash.' We never accepted that na. That was just Konoha's one-sided wishful thinking."
"Our Kazekage is the Desert Emperor."
"Using sand soldiers to move instantly is just one small part of what he can do. Unlike your Minato, who relies completely on Flying Thunder God. Take that jutsu away and his strength drops hard."
"But even without that technique, our Kazekage's power barely changes. That's the gap."
"If you want to compare, have your precious Minato beco Hokage first!"
That shut the Konoha ninja up.
Back in the Leaf, people were starting to notice sothing.
The war was over, yet there was still no new Hokage. Hiruzen had been talking about stepping down for a while, but now it felt like he was dragging his feet.
"Maybe he thinks neither Minato nor Orochimaru is ready yet?"
"Or maybe… he just doesn't want to give up the hat?"
"No way. The Third isn't that kind of person."
In a dark corner, Danzo listened to the whispers and let out a cold scoff.
"Not that kind of person? Bullshit. Hiruzen's exactly that kind of person. Tobirama-sensei never should've given him the hat. I'm the one who should've been Hokage."
"If I were in charge, the Leaf would be in a much better position right now."
Danzo stared toward the Hokage Tower, eyes burning with resentnt.
Inside the tower, Hiruzen read the latest intel with a deep frown.
"I knew Rasa was strong, but I didn't expect him to be this strong. Even a perfect jinchuriki with Water Mirror got crushed. He's dangerous. And he's still young. Sunagakure is going to be a massive problem for decades."
A powerful Kage could completely change a village's future.
"The stronger Sunagakure gets, the more they'll clash with the Leaf."
"Can Minato handle that pressure?"
"Or… Orochimaru?"
Hiruzen had never wanted Orochimaru as Hokage. The man had changed. He was no longer pure. Giving him the hat would lead the Leaf down a dark path.
But now, with real external pressure from Sunagakure, Hiruzen was starting to reconsider.
"No. No, that still won't work."
"Orochimaru might be better at fighting Sunagakure, but he'd eventually corrupt the village. The Leaf's future would be ruined."
"The current situation is best. I stay as Hokage. Minato and Orochimaru support . I set the direction, and we use both their strengths to the fullest."
Hiruzen sighed and looked at another report.
"As for the Mist… they're finished for a long ti. Yagura had talent, but he was too impulsive. Now that he's dead, both Tailed Beasts are gone. They'll revive in three years, but whether they stay with the Mist is anyone's guess."
He shook his head.
Hiruzen didn't feel sorry for the Mist. Just a little regretful. A great village had finally seen a path to rise again… only to cut itself down.
Cloud Village.
The Fourth Raikage looked at Killer B.
"A perfect jinchuriki? We've got one too."
"But Yagura's real strength wasn't just the Tailed Beast. It was combining that massive chakra with Water Mirror to force every fight into a pure chakra war. Then drown them with it."
"Now that the Mist is in chaos, it's the perfect ti to steal that technique."
He gave the order. Spies were already moving toward the Land of Water with Water Mirror as the top priority.
Then the Raikage turned southwest, eyes narrowing toward the Land of Wind.
"Strongest in the ninja world?"
"Not quite."
Most Cloud ninja had been backing their own Raikage in the "who's strongest" debates. But even they had to admit one thing: the Raikage and Killer B together had never beaten Minato. Rasa had actually held the advantage against him — and still found ti to deal with other threats at the sa ti.
The only real debate left was between Rasa and Ōnoki.
One was the veteran with Dust Release.
The other was the young, battle-proven Magnet Release user.
Iwagakure.
Ōnoki rubbed his lower back and muttered,
"Sunagakure needs to be contained. Fast."
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