The Fateful Uchiha

The Division managed a little bit of everything in Konoha’s affairs. The coordination of important missions, the distribution of tasks for the Jonins, promotions, diplomacy, conflicts between the various sections and specialized Departments of the village ... They were, therefore, very often, the first informed. Well, the second informed to be precise. The Intelligence Section generally got the information first. Then the intell was passed to the head of the Section, Inoichi Yamanaka, who transmitted it to Shikaku Nara, the Jonin Commander, the Head of the Division.

Jun, as a member of the Division, was generally among the first to receive the info after Shikaku. He was implicitly the Nara’s right hand. The Uchiha paid particular attention to news coming from outside the borders of the Land of Fire. He had a great interest in politics and changes of leadership in other villages. He was still looking for a way to prove that Orochimaru was the head of the newly formed village Oto.

But the snake covered his tracks well. Honestly, if Jun hadn’t recognized his minions during the Chunin exam at Suna, it wouldn’t have triggered his memories that the new Kage and village chief was Orochimaru. They also have news of Orochimaru’s presence in Kusa. So he was very attentive to any information coming beyond Konoha’s borders. His boss, Shikaku Nara, had also noticed his interest in foreign affairs. 

“Kiri will have a new Mizukage during the week,” Shikaku announced to him.

Jun was surprised. From what he remembered, the civil war in Kiri should last a bit longer. The Godaime Mizukage had only appeared in the middle of Naruto Shippuden. Something unknown to him must have changed or precipitated things. Between the wave of immigration to neighboring countries and the assassination of the Yondaime Mizukage two years ahead, the hidden village of Kiri had sunk into chaos much faster than expected.

“We know who their Kage will be?” He asked with curiosity.

According to his memories, the fifth Mizukage should be Mei Terumi who possessed a couple of Kekkei Genkai. But Jun had killed one of the individuals in her close circle, and therefore probably someone supposed to help her ascend in power, Ao, the Byakugan's thief… So Mei's success was frankly uncertain.

“Mangetsu Hozuki.”

Jun almost choked on his saliva. Yeah, things have definitely changed.

According to Jun’s memories of the timeline, he was pretty sure Mangetsu was supposed to be dead already. And yet, the guy was still alive and even made it into Konoha’s Bingo Book. Jun was sure he had seen his picture in there.

“Mangetsu Hozuki,” Jun repeated trying to remember what he knew about him. “He's a deserter from Kiri, isn't he?”

“Who isn’t a deserter from Kiri?” Shikaku joked.

Jun smiled. They were in his office, a small, well-lit room filled with shelves that crumbled under the files. Most members of the Division didn’t have an office, so getting one last year was a big step up for the Uchiha clan leader. The latter almost regretted having it. When Konoha gave you an office, it meant paperwork. It was the part of his job he enjoyed the least. Reading reports can be interesting, but for the most part, it was just boring. Over 90% of the stuff he went through isn’t interesting at all. But it was necessary.

A few days had passed since Team Yamato’s first C-rank mission. Yamato was healed up and was discharged from the hospital. During that time, Jun taught Karin how to make paralyzing seals, which she liked very much. Sasuke was constantly complaining about his team, but they were doing a lot of D-Rank missions. Receiving a C-rank mission was imminent for them. In short, it was life as usual. The routine settled in; things were peaceful in the village. However, Jun suspected that it would not last.

“Mangetsu Hozuki, isn’t it one of the seven swordsmen of Kiri?”

“Yes, he is,” Shikaku confirmed. “He is a member of the seven swordsmen of the mist. According to rumors, he has mastered all seven swords. Our information confirmed he has at least one of the legendary swords in his possession.”

Shikaku opened one of the numerous files in his hands and flipped over a few pages.

“Samehada… That’s the name of the sword we confirmed is in his possession.”

Jun was confused. Wasn’t Kisame Hoshigaki supposed to have Samehada? The man was also supposed to be Itachi’s partner in the Akatsuki. He was sure of that fact. But his reality was different from what should have happened. He had no clue what could have caused it. Did Kisame die? Did he flee Kirigakure without the sword? What really went on in Kiri? Why so many changes? 

He tried his best not to affect things too much to avoid this type of situation. Or maybe the little changes he made had such a huge effect? Perhaps his simple presence in this world was enough to change the course of events. Maybe one of the things he did change like killing Danzo had a bigger effect than expected. Danzo controlled the Root, and he used it to do many shady deeds in the shadows. Who knows if the man would have tried to affect Kiri's political environment? He didn’t know for sure, but he wouldn’t put it past Danzo.

Shikaku noticed something was bothering the young man.

“What’s in your mind?” The Nara asked.

“How is old he?” Jun asked.

Shikaku put the file on the table so both of them could see its content. 

“This is what we have on him.”

He flipped a few pages before stopping. 

“Mangetsu Hozuki, we estimate him to be in his early twenties. You can see the sketch we made from the few descriptions we got of the guy. He has white hair, purple eyes, and medium height. He seems not to have any visible scars. But he does possess distinctive features based on the information we received. His teeth are very pointy and resemble shark teeth. He has bandages around his neck and always carries a water bottle attached to his belt.”

“Early twenties… we’re probably around the same age,” Jun said.

Shikaku nodded.

“Isn’t it a bit too young to be a Kage?”

Shikaku gave him an amused look.

“The Sandaime was younger than that when he took office. And the Yondaime Hokage was around twenty-two years old when he was nominated.”

Yeah, but it was different. The Sandaime was nominated by the Nidaime, and the Konoha council approved and supported him. And in the Yondaime case, he was a war hero. He singlehandedly gave victory to Konoha in the Third Ninja War. His prestige and reputation were off the chart. Even the other villages respected and feared him. 

They would order their ninjas to flee and not to engage no matter what if they ever encountered the Yellow Flash on the battlefield. That’s how terrifying the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze was. However, his reign was short. The Yondaime died at the first crisis he faced as a Hokage while saving the village.

Jun didn’t share his thoughts with his superior. He reported his attention to the file before him.

“Affinity with the Suiton… That’s to be expected from a shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Expert in Kenjutsu…  Oh, he possessed a Kekkei Genkai from the Hozuki clan.” 

Shikaku nodded and explained.

“He’s very proficient in using the Suiton, and his clan's secret ability allows him to liquefy his body at will. He can transform part or all of his body into water. We can assume he’s a S-rank Shinobi.”

He cast a doubtful glance at Shikaku.

“He hasn’t faced shinobis from Konoha often enough for us to judge his abilities. But if he becomes Mizukage, there is no doubt about his strength.”

Jun grimaced. The Nara was right. In a village like Kiri where strength was everything, their Kage wouldn’t be weak. And if he indeed possessed Samehada, the shark skin sword, he was an individual not to be underestimated. He resumed reading the file.

“Unknown allegiance, but actively participated in the civil war… I guess we’ll learn more based on the political decisions he would take if he becomes Mizukage.”

“Yes, we will also need to edit the Bingo Book. If he becomes a Kage, we have to remove him from the Bingo Book.”

Jun gave him a sideglance.

“Just protocol. Even if they’re limited, we still have diplomatic relationships with Kiri. Putting their Kage in our Bingo Book isn’t going to help. It’s an implicit rule among the villages. If we keep him in our Bingo Book, it could be seen as a declaration of war.” Shikaku explained.

“So if I ever become Hokage, all the villages will remove me from their Bingo Book?” Jun asked jokingly.

Shikaku smiled.

“So you want to be Hokage? Interesting…”

“I don’t” The Uchiha defended himself.

“Either way… If you ever become our Hokage, they will have to remove you from their Bingo Book. If not, we will take it as an act of war.”

Jun nodded. He wasn’t aware of this little rule. Politics sometimes gave him headaches. There were so many rules, and one wrong move, sentence, or gesture could be interpreted the wrong way and start a conflict.

“How fast do we have to remove him from the Bingo Book?” He asked the Nara. 

“The annual edition of the Bingo Book is in a few months, just after the Chunin exam. I’m sure the new edition will reflect all the necessary updates.”

Jun looked at the drawing in the file. Mangetsu Hozuki, Godaime Mizukage. The world was changing so fast. Maybe his knowledge of the future would soon become obsolete. Jun suddenly remembered something else. 

“Does he have any family?”

Shikaku shook his head.

“None we are aware of. Except for his affiliation with the Hozuki clan, we don’t have any other information.”

Suigetsu Hozuki… It’s the name Jun just remembered. He was captured by Orochimaru. Maybe the latter did some experiments on him, but Jun wasn’t sure. However, Suigetsu was recruited by Sasuke in the original story. Jun was sure the two Hozukis were brothers. What has become of Suigetsu now? Is he in Kiri with his brother or has Orochimaru already gotten his hands on him? Thinking of the title Godaime Mizukage, Jun wondered what had happened to Mei Terumi. She was the one supposed to succeed the Yondaime Mizukage. What happened to her? Did she die?

“How did he manage to become Mizukage? He doesn’t belong to any faction after all.” Jun asked.

“Kiri’s factions don't really have a leader. They don't have enough cohesion for that. Our current theory is that he's the only one who has built some sort of discipline and organization in the village. That has gained him the sympathy of civilians who rallied behind him. That in itself is a great feat by the way. The Hozukis are a clan with a Kekkei Genkai, and we know how this kind of thing is seen in the Land of Water.”

“They can liquefy their body. It must be a nightmare trying to use Taijutsu on them. Their weakness must be the Raiton since water is weak against lightning” Jun expressed.