There was an unmissable tension as Reina and I walked down the gardened avenue leading past the Funato clan’s territory and into mine, the Mizukage Estate. There were more eyes on me than usual, well, perhaps not more but the sensation, the intent behind those stares were starkly different from what they usually are, even Reina could feel it.

She and I shared a knowing glance but said nothing through our walk. If Uncle were here he’d certainly said something, spoken the obvious and itched to press one of the many eyes for what their concerns were. But I’d left him behind on purpose, it wasn’t too difficult to do so as he had his own duties he’s been neglecting over the week and half he functioned mainly as a councillor; the Karatachi clan needed at least one of us looking after their needs.

Beyond the Funato Botanical gardens that decorated the surroundings of the Estate, beyond the gates still guarded by Funato clansmen who I personally felt were a bit sluggish in their movements opening the gates to Reina and I, beyond all of Kirigakure that now fell at our backs as we stepped in was the Mizukage Estate— My Estate.

The renovations and extra constructions weren’t done yet— though I was beginning to have a feeling that Lord Funato had something to do with those delays— but there were more than enough homes built around the magnificent mansion I’d soon be calling home.

According to the report Junichi submitted about the Estate contractors progress, there were at least twenty-six new homes built around the surroundings, with twelve of them on either side of the Mansion which happened to be the first thing your sights fell on right off the cobbled road running through the first ten streets.

I could see the intention behind such asymmetry already; even here, within my Estate there was segregation. But that was alright, the Yūki assigned to the left side of the Estate might be in a difficult situation but it couldn’t be worse than the Kaguya at the right side. Plus, the village has had a history with the Yuki clan, people would be mad, furious at Shizu Yūki’s betrayal but they didn’t know any other Yūki by name nor could they assume Hidaki Yuki and his clan were all complicit; I hadn’t declared it so.

At least, that’s what I hope. Lord Funato is making things harder than they should be.

It was surprisingly easy to deal with a councillor that didn’t meet my values. The entire reason he held power was because of the association his seat on my council assured him. I may not be able to remove him from his seat without actively plotting his death but I didn’t need to, the council existed to take votes on matters in my absence and advise me on the proper path, against repeating history and ensuring my intentions for Kirigakure were pure and intended to strengthen and protect.

But there’s nothing stopping me from simply excluding him from my meetings, there’s nothing stopping me from ordering my ANBU to guide my path so I don’t cross his, there’s nothing stopping me from ignoring his existence.

It wouldn’t be a week before other clan heads and even the lower caste learned of the falling out between Lord Funato and I, and that’ll just be the beginning to his end. He would soon be nothing more than an ‘Honoured Elder’ as I was in the process of writing new law and decree to make his demotion from Councillor to Honoured Elder as honourable looking yet wholly legal and damning as possible.

I’m done playing nice.

We took a right turn into one of the less construction messy streets, Reina began leading the way from this point. I’d heard from Junichi— who was utterly ecstatic to have me back at the office— that she came by regularly to inspect the homes built even before I’d woken up to rescind Funato’s foolish order to group the Kaguya with the Yuki clan. Reina’s not-so sudden change of heart about the Kaguya was the entire reason she was escorting me today, else I always planned to introduce myself to them on my lonesome.

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From the reports she and Kisame wrote up for me I knew the Kaguya had taken to seeing her as a model of what their life could be, especially the Bloodline children, the kids that had suffered their mothers and fathers fear, caged up and kept away for the sake of the whole. In truth, those children were the most important people in the Kaguya clan right now, the ones with power. If I am to make them mine I’d need to make myself as glorious as Reina seemed to them, but that surely was a low bar.

Reina made the last turn into an actual finished house, two stories of beautiful redwood, a garden space just behind and something like the remains of a campsite, but that was odd. Why camp when there’s a home right next to you?

I didn’t voice my confusion, today I was here not for the Bloodline children of the Kaguya but for their Matriarch, the old woman the Kaguya mad man spoke of before I killed him that night during my first month as Mizukage. She would have the answers, why her people dared to touch a hair on my citizens.

Reina placed a hand on my shoulder and took a deep inhale, I smiled and followed her example to calm myself, if Reina said the Matriarch didn’t send them then she didn’t deserve my wrath, those that did already got their due.

She was polite enough to knock and it was only a moment before a middle-aged, dark haired woman opened the door. It was odd how much she looked like the Kaguya from that night yet I sensed nothing but humility, thankfulness and excitement as she gasped at Reina then screamed inside, “Obaachan! Yuki-sama is here!”

The lady threw herself into Reina who stood stiff as a board with her fingers twitching with indecision as she accepted the embrace. I grinned up at her and she groaned, pulled the woman away, “Let’s sit inside, Akane-chan.”

So named Akane had one more thing I noticed, on her forehead was a red, clearly unnatural symbol that glittered with chakra. The Bloodline Seal. While Harusame was taking care of my own seal Eiko carried my orders to the tee and inflicted every Kaguya that stepped into the village with a Bloodline Seal specially made to restrict the use of their bone manipulating abilities, I had nothing to worry about from the Kaguya, no one did. They were essentially civilians.

I walked into the house after Reina and felt a wave of terrible nostalgia wash over me as on every side and corner was a Kaguya simply existing. They were majorly women and teen girls with infant boys and girls in their charge. Some knitted sweaters, others picked beans, while others plaited beads into their hair and dyed their fingers red with dried leaves.

My presence quickly disrupted their activities and the house fell to silence as one by one the Kaguya gathered themselves out of sight. I didn’t mean for them to leave but at the same time I was grateful, all I kept thinking of was the house full of their clansmen I had to crush. Not the right mind set.

Eventually, Akane returned with an impressively wrinkled old woman who seemed to glare with her eyes shut. I smiled just at how adorable the granny was and how sad it must’ve been aging within a clan like hers. She had a scarf tucked around her neck and two looped locks of dark hair that bracketed the Bloodline Seal that stained even her aged forehead.

“Mizukage?”

“That’ll be me.” I said, tempted to set my hand out for a shake but didn’t, “I’ve brought Reina, Yuki-sama with me.”

She smiled at that and Akane helped her move towards a seat, Reina saw her struggle and lent a hand. We sat adjacent one another in a parlour with some of the picked beans left on the centre table in the living room, the entire house smelled like a proactive community.

“I am Yagura Karatachi, Yondaime Mizukage.” Akane stood behind the old matriarch as she kept silent while Reina came to sit by my side. I looked over at her, silently questioning if the old lady would say anything else and she shrugged. With a sigh I continued, “I am here for the truth. Months ago my village was attacked by an army of Kaguya, Bloodline wielding and non-bloodline wielding. They refused to surrender and I was forced to decimate their force save a few prisoners, my question is why?”

Her lips moved but so little sound escaped. Akane bent over to listen and in a moment she straightened up and said, “Obaachan wishes to tell you our history, will you listen?”