Lord Funato, Lady Megumi, Aoto Karatachi, Junko Hoshigaki and finally, Hidaki Yuki. All five clan heads were present at Bar Beach along with a host from each of their clans, all come to bear witness.

The announcement had been made the moment I could walk on my own— which didn’t take longer than four days though my peak condition was still some weeks away. Not that it mattered right now.

From my place among the clan heads and a clutch of my personal ANBU guard who are ever more vigilant, I watched with a bitter apathy as Shizu Yūki was slowly paraded up to her death.

By the time she’d come up to where I could see her the snow white dress she wore was stained with all sorts of susbstances. A crowd of civilians and shinobi alike had long since gathered, greedy, opportunistic vendors who couldn’t pass up the chance to make a profit sold eggs, fruit and even stones and clumps of metal for those with reach and daring to pelt the condemned woman.

The scent of fried fish, meats and even ramen cooking wafted all the way over to where I sat with the clan heads, the crowds cheered, booed, cursed and jeered as they drank themselves, their boredom and bloodlust to stupor. I found drowning them out to be particularly easy now that I have become myself, this was mild in comparison to what I’ve witnessed during the Sandaime Mizukage’s reign.

Shizu Yūki was already bleeding, nearly swollen by the time she reached the gallows, still, she stood firm and looked out at the roaring crowd and then down at us, the clan heads, her clan head. Her wrists were long since bound but now so was her neck as she bent to let the hangman’s knot wrap around it.

Reina Yuki volunteered to be the one to bring her to death rather than Hidaki himself and I had no qualms with that, as much as Lord Funato nagged that her allegiances were split and not wholly belonging to me, I knew it was the most kindness I could allow.

Reina stood at attention, her aura radiated a demand for silence that was felt throughout the racous crowd without uttering a single word. Once their noise had fallen to quiet murmurs and mutters she announced, “Mizukage-sama, the convicted will now give her final words.”

Shizu muttered thanks to Reina as she stepped off to stand by the lever that would pull the floor from her feet. Shizu glanced around, examining the crowd as if searching for someone before finding Hidaki’s eyes. He was steely and unmoved by her attention as he should be, a shred of sympathy or remourse would be used against him and the clan politically on top of the execution, he couldn’t afford that.

Shizu smiled and said, “If an innocent must die to invite change, so be it, but let it not be mine. Take care of my children. Long live Kirigakure.” She gave a curt nod and the crowd began their noise once more.

As expected, Reina didn’t hesitate even for a second, she pulled the lever and the floor came undone, sending Shizu Yūki, a proud kunoichi, a mother, wife and idealist plummeting to her neck breaking death.

I was beginning to hate my job.

***

Shizu Yūki’s body hung out for the public to decry. None were allowed to desecrate her body any further but it would hang for two days before being taken away by her family, a family that now suffers scorn and ire more intense than that directed at the general Yuki clan now.

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Lord Funato and perhaps even Lady Megumi spared them not and ensured everyone with ears willing to hear or not knew of Shizu Yūki’s crimes against the Sandaime’s family. It’s not as though the man was a saint and Lady Megumi is no priestess either, but I was present in that meeting when Rina brought evidence of the death threats. Even now her mother was a mess of tears and possibly mentally incompetent.

But an eye for an eye made the world blind and I knew that while Hidaki and the Yuki clan had been cowed, if they are allowed to stay in the village without addressing the many issues that caused the Yūki incident to occur in the first place, another eye would be blinded.

And so the man stood before me at my office in the Mizukage Tower. The ‘festivities’ continued on at Bar Beach but I couldn’t stomach another moment there.

Hidaki wore the face of a defeated man, disarmed and paralysed in reflection of today’s events. I would give him a moment to digest, breathe and recover some of the stature and visage befitting a clan head but I couldn’t let this simmer.

“You’re looking well and healthy, Mizukage-sama, I am glad.” He said, his lips moving on their own while his voided eyes stared past me to something that surely wasn’t there.

A week and a half without the Mizukage in seat wasn’t something you could hide from clan heads, even those place under an informal house arrest so I wasn’t at all surprised nor did I care. I narrowed at him and snapped, “Don’t give me platitudes, Hidaki, I know you hardly mean that.”

His eyes regained some focus and his lips some measure of conscious movement as he said, “I do.”

I inhaled deeply and sighed, “Hidaki, I will not apologize for Lord Funato’s actions in my absence but I will have you know that I do not approve, it is not the direction I want to take in regards to your clan, not at all.”

He cocked his head, curious and I continued, “Still, that does not mean his fears are unfounded. The I&C division hasn’t found anything on the members of the Yūki linking them to either the Sandaime’s death or the Kaguya attack, but Reina Yuki’s interview has revealed that the Yūki has existed for much longer than my councillors or I ever imagined. We simply can’t say what crimes, if any, the Yūki are responsible for.”

Hidaki sat up in his chair, visibly gulping as his eyes spoke of dread and fear, “What will you do to us?”

I would smile at his nervousness if it wasn’t warranted and this wasn’t so depressing, “I will protect you, Hidaki. In fact, I am willing to do more than that if you only work with me, do your part.” The pit of despair had left his eyes and he was at the edge of his seat, hanging off my every word, “The arrested Yūki members will not be returned to you, instead they will fall under my direct and personal command and supervision at the Mizukage Estate, yes…right alongside the Kaguya.

“I will provide, nuture and give them opportunities to strengthen their Bloodline abilities without fear of persecution, they will serve my purpose without question and become as loyal as my ANBU without being initiated by the time I’m done. I am not my predecessor nor am I my councillors. I am the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure and strength is all I care about, if you cost my strength, I will make you bleed.”

Hidaki inhaled, sitting up straight as his eyes widened in surprise, “And what will be my part?”

I nodded, “I am no fool. I know after this…no, long before this, there will be sympathizers and overeager zealots within your clan looking to find retribution for what they believe is an injustice. Put a cork on that before a single report of it finds its way to me, Hidaki, if an incident like Shizu and Hisako should repeat itself, if proof of crimes against Kirigakure, past or future should surface, I will not be so merciful.

“Do this and losing your privileges, properties and investments as a Major clan will be a paltry concern as I will raise you to seat on my council. Fail and I will feed you to Lord Funato, do you understand me, Hidaki?”

He almost jumped to his feet as he took a deep bow, nearly postrating himself as he screamed, “Yes, Mizukage-sama, thank you!”

“Good, we have a lot of work ahead of us, do not hesitate to speak to me if you find yourself failing.”