A New Snake In The Shinobi World

Kirigakure Village, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, is located within the Land of Water.

Nestled deep in the mist-covered mountains of its island territory, the village remains completely isolated from the mainland and other nations.

There are two main reasons why Kirigakure did not participate in the First or Second Great Ninja Wars.

The first reason was the near-constant civil wars that plagued the Land of Water. The second was its geographic isolation, being far overseas made both mobilization and retreat far more difficult than for other ninja villages.

Caught up in internal strife and logistical challenges, Kirigakure stayed out of the previous major conflicts.

When people think of Kirigakure, however, it isn't their military might that first comes to mind. Instead, it's the infamous "Bloody Mist Era" that most associate with the village.

But what exactly was the Bloody Mist Era?

Many misunderstand its nature, believing it was characterized solely by the brutal graduation exams and persecution of those with Bloodline Limits.

In reality, the hatred toward individuals with Bloodline Limits didn't originate from the ninja of Kirigakure, nor from its politicians, it came from the ordinary citizens of the Land of Water.

They grew to hate Bloodline users, blaming them for the endless conflicts.

Whenever a Bloodline Limit user was discovered in a village, the locals would attack them, even if they knew they stood little chance of winning. It wasn't just fear, it was hatred.

Bloodline Limit users who wanted to escape this persecution often fled to remote areas, hiding their abilities and leading secluded lives.

One tragic example is Haku and his mother, descendants of the Yuki clan.

Haku's mother had hidden her abilities, but when they were accidentally revealed, the villagers turned on her. She could have defended herself and killed them all but chose not to fight back.

Perhaps she was too kind-hearted, or perhaps she didn't want to escalate the violence. Or maybe she simply wanted to protect her son.

Regardless, her unwillingness to resist ultimately led to her death. Ironically, her son later avenged her, slaughtering the very villagers who had wronged them.

It's a tragic story, but not an uncommon one.

The point is this: the prejudice against Bloodline Limit users in the Land of Water came from its ordinary citizens, not Kirigakure's leadership.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

In fact, Kirigakure could never truly reject Bloodline Limits, how could they, when Bloodline users offered such a powerful edge in combat?

Kirigakure, like every ninja village, existed for war. Rejecting such strength would be counterintuitive.

Any actual persecution of Bloodline users by Kirigakure itself occurred only after Uchiha Obito manipulated the Fourth Mizukage.

As for the village's notorious graduation exams, they had nothing to do with Obito or Madara.

The exams were instituted by the Third Mizukage, who believed in creating an elite force of hardened ninja.

The method? A simple yet brutal rule: graduates had to kill half of their classmates in combat.

While this approach produced highly effective assassins, it also left many of the survivors emotionally scarred.

These harsh practices, combined with the village's other internal struggles, gave rise to what the world came to know as the Bloody Mist Era.

The graduation rules only ended after Momochi Zabuza, in an infamous incident, slaughtered his entire class during his own exam.

The village's leadership had no choice but to abolish the system.

Of course, when Obito took control of the Fourth Mizukage, he revived the practice and caused widespread devastation throughout Kirigakure.

But that came later.

For now, in the early years of the Third Great Ninja War, Kirigakure's leadership was preparing to join the fray.

The war between the great powers was growing fiercer by the day, and the Third Mizukage couldn't resist the temptation to seize an opportunity.

Although the village was far from the mainland, its isolation did little to curb his ambition.

Like every Kage, he wanted to leave behind a legacy that would overshadow those who came before him.

Kirigakure Village itself was an austere place, with most of its buildings made from stone.

On the highest rooftop in the village, a young girl of about twelve or thirteen lay sprawled on her stomach, her chin propped on her hands.

She had long brown hair that reached her waist, blue eyes, and wore an elegant dress that gave her a ladylike appearance.

Beside her stood Ao, the young man who had just left the Mizukage's office.

"He wants to attack Konoha? Is he crazy?" the girl exclaimed after hearing Ao's report. She raised an eyebrow and added, "The civil war in the Land of Water just ended, and instead of focusing on fixing internal affairs, he wants to start another war?"

Her words carried a maturity far beyond her years, as though she were genuinely concerned for the future of the country and its people.

If anyone else had been present, they would have been shocked to hear such sentiments coming from someone so young.

But Ao was unperturbed. He merely offered a quiet reminder. "You'd best keep your voice down. If the Mizukage hears you, it could cause trouble."

"Yeah, yeah," the girl replied dismissively. "Talking to you is so dull, you're always worried about this or that." Then, her tone shifted. "By the way, have you found out why Orochimaru defected from Konoha?"

"This… It seems to be tied to the other three villages. The exact details are still under investigation," Ao answered.

Predictably, the girl scoffed. "I figured as much. But Orochimaru is something else. After contributing so much to his village, he decides to rebel anyway. What a guy."

Ao shrugged. "Who knows?"

---

"Water Release: Water Wave!"

Clang! Boom! Boom!

Meanwhile, at the border of the Land of Grass, a small skirmish was underway.

Kunai clashed, explosions rang out, and smoke filled the air as two figures emerged from the chaos.

"Hey, don't kill them!"

"Yahiko, be careful!"

A sudden surge of power erupted as Nagato activated his Rinnegan.

"Universal Pull!"

The suction force dragged an enemy ninja toward him, helpless against the gravitational pull.

Slash!

With a quick movement, Nagato's kunai slashed across the enemy's throat, blood spraying into the air.

He wasted no time and quickly moved to shield Yahiko, who was nearby.

"Yahiko, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Yahiko said, flexing his arms and standing up. "Thanks, Nagato."

"There's no need for thanks between us," Nagato replied.

"Right…" Yahiko agreed, but his expression grew serious as he surveyed the scene. "What's with these guys? Why did they suddenly attack us?"

Konan's voice cut through the tension. "I don't know. But something feels off about them."

Yahiko's gaze shifted to a group of clones cleaning up the battlefield. His frown deepened.

"I'm more worried about them," he said grimly, eyes narrowing at the clones.

***

Bonus chp for 600 PS, also if we manage to reach Top 30 on the rankings this week i'll be releasing 2 chps per day next week.

Checkout my new ff: Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World