Chapter 272: Moon in the Water, No Moon on the Ice

As the sky grew darker, the banquet in the tent of Whirlpool Country was still going on, but no one had the heart to eat or drink. They all listened to what Deputy Hokage Minato Namikaze said with serious expressions.

"If we maintain the status quo, we will most likely die and our clan will be wiped out, and Mizunotsuki will no longer exist in the world; if we change our appearance, we will get a new life and a new future, and Mizunotsuki's glory will continue. Elder, what will you choose?"

Mizunotsuki lowered his eyelids, and the slightly trembling muscles on his face revealed his restless heart. After a long time, he raised his head and slowly said, "Everyone says that the yellow flash space ninjutsu is unique, but now it seems that it is not entirely true. The Deputy Hokage is also very good at talking. Even I, who am about to die, feel excited when I hear it."

"You are absolutely right. The Mizunotsuki clan has become a pariah. It may only take a few years for them to be exterminated. However, there are only ninjas who betray their villages, not ninja clans who betray their villages. The Mizunotsuki clan does not want to bear an indelible stigma, so let's just leave it at that."

Namikaze Minato leaned back in his chair and said with a smile, "It doesn't matter if it's left unresolved. After all, I just did this on a whim and didn't get permission from the Hokage. If you agree, it will be difficult to handle."

After thinking for a while, he said, "Could you show me the Ice Release Ninjutsu? I don't mean anything else, I just want to see the Ice Release Secret Technique that is famous in the ninja world before Mizunotsuki becomes the swan song."

Mizunotsuki raised his eyebrows and said, "How difficult is that? Besides, please don't speak rashly before the final step, Vice Hokage. The fate of the Mizunotsuki clan is not yours to decide."

He picked up a plate of cold kelp shreds in front of him. The emerald green kelp shreds were instantly covered with white frost, and the temperature in the tent dropped by several degrees.

The fact that he can release coldness without forming any hand seals shows how deeply he has practiced the secret technique. At least many fire-style ninjas cannot breathe fire without forming any hand seals.

Namikaze Minato shook his head and said, "The power of the Mizunotsuki clan's secret technique is far more than this. Elder, why should you hide your incompetence? How about this? The decoration here is quite simple, and we need an ice sculpture to please the eyes. I would like to ask you to make one."

Let's talk. He pinched a few seals with his hands, and his cheeks puffed out a stream of water. The water rushed to the top of the tent and was about to fall down under the action of gravity and wet the dining table.

Mizunotsukihara snorted coldly, put his hands together and tapped the water. A stream of white cold air spurted out from his fingertips and landed exactly in the middle. With a sizzling sound, the gushing water instantly turned into ice.

Namikaze Minato changed the seal in his hands, and a gust of wind as thin as a knife blew out, supporting the ice block and slowly dropping it to the ground, while cutting it into a lifelike shape of an eagle flapping its wings!

It is no exaggeration to say that Mizunotsukihara's ice escape is indeed magical, but it is far inferior to Namikaze Minato's mastery of chakra.

Looking at the statue of the eagle flapping its wings, Hyuga Hizashi was the first to applaud and said with a smile: "Today, you two have shown off your skills. We have broadened our horizons. This trip is really worthwhile!"

Mizunotsuki Hara looked at the statue with a complicated expression, and a sense of disappointment surged in his heart. Compared with the young Namikaze Minato, he was simply a hopeless case. He was already in his fifties, and his chakra control was just so-so.

"The Deputy Hokage is young and accomplished. I am ashamed to be inferior to him."

Minato Namikaze smiled and waved his hands, saying, "Elder, you are too modest. The unique skills of the Mizunotsuki clan are also eye-opening. It's a pity that I don't know if I can see them again in the future."

"Come, please take a seat, and let's continue drinking!"

The meal was tasteless. Mizunotsuki Hara seemed to want to say something but stopped himself several times, looking like he was worried about something.

The banquet ended only when the moon was dim and the stars were sparse, close to midnight. As the deal was not concluded, the ninjas from Konoha were quite uncomfortable and their faces were not looking good.

That's how things are in the world. Those who can't get what they want will always be in turmoil. If Mizunotsuki had agreed to it, the Konoha ninjas would have been unhappy, after all, there was one more person to share the cake for no reason. But he dragged his feet and refused to agree, which made the Konoha ninjas even more unhappy. What does that mean? Do you look down on the Konoha Village?

Mizunoehara drank a little too much, or maybe it was because the wine didn't make him drunk, but he made himself drunk. In any case, he staggered out of the tent, walked alone to a small river, and stared at the moon in the river in a daze.

After a long time, footsteps were heard behind him. Mizunotsuki Hara did not turn around to look, but stretched out his hand to touch the ground on his left hand side and whispered, "Vice-Hokage, please take a seat."

"Just call me Minato. It doesn't make me feel comfortable to be called Deputy Hokage all the time."

Namikaze Minato was not afraid of a sudden attack from the other party, so he sat down next to him and said with a smile on his face: "The leader of the Kaguya clan came in person, why didn't the leader of your Mizunotsuki clan come?"

"Dead." Mizunotsukihara said calmly, "A few months ago, the clan leader was executed by the Mizukage for cowardice. Now I am the one who makes the decisions in our clan."

"Cowardly?"

"Yes, cowardice."

After a pause, Mizunotsukihara added: "The reason is that they failed to break the Uchiha clan's defense line, which led to the defeat of the ninja village."

"That was shortly after the Third Ninja World War ended." Namikaze Minato restrained the smile on his face and gave the greatest respect to the deceased: "But if I remember correctly, your commander is the head of the Terumi clan, right?"

What this means is that the person in charge was from the Terumi clan, so how come the one who died was from the Mizunotsuki clan?

Mizunotsukihara stared at the moon in the river and said indifferently, "It's a long story about a child without a mother. Our clan is not a native ninja clan, but a clan that joined several decades ago. Naturally, we can't be compared with the Terumi clan. Due to various reasons, it was our clan leader who died."

Namikaze Minato was secretly delighted, but on the surface he remained calm and said, "This is a bit ridiculous. How can a village leader be convicted based on personal affinity and preference? If you really count, all the people in Konohagakure except the Senju and Uchiha clans are outsiders, but I have never seen the Hokage exclude dissidents for no reason."

He had been the Vice Hokage for several years, and his speaking skills had become increasingly sophisticated, which had unknowingly made things exclusive of dissidents.

Mizunoehara didn't bother to maintain the image of the Mizukage. He still stared at the moon in the water and said, "Sometimes I admire the Hokage."

"Which Hokage-sama?"

"Of course it's the Fourth Hokage, Hakumo Hayama."

"How do you say this?"

"He started from humble beginnings, but became the Hokage legally through his own means. When the news reached the Hidden Mist Village, we held a meeting for this matter. We always believed that Konoha was about to experience a bloody shock, but so much time has passed, and the Sarutobi and Shimura clans are still living well, and we don't see them being wronged."

"Our village doesn't believe in settling scores after the event. We don't care about the ninjas who fight for the village, regardless of right or wrong."

At this point, Mizunotsuki's emotions fluctuated. He picked up a stone and threw it into the river. The originally bright reflection of the moon became layered. "The national conditions and village conditions are different. The Kirigakure Village seems to be very ruthless and aggressive. They believe that the law of the jungle is the law of nature. They always show their teeth and have no empathy for the weak, but are respectful and shameless to the strong. To put it bluntly, they are a group of savages who have no sense of etiquette."

"We are a people of gentle temperament. We are not used to fighting and killing. It is normal for us to be a little angry."

"Vice-Hokage, do you know how Mizunotsuki got his name?"

Namikaze Minato was ashamed, he really didn't know the origin and story of the Mizunotsuki clan.

Mizunoehara pointed to the reflection of the moon in the river, which was gradually becoming stable, and said with pride: "There will be a reflection of the moon in the water at night, but if the water turns into ice, there will naturally be no moon. The so-called Mizunoe refers to the bloodline boundary that is frozen for thousands of miles!"

As he spoke, he thrust his hand into the river, and with a low shout, activated the chakra in his body. The sparkling river water turned into a glacier in the blink of an eye, and the originally lifelike moon disappeared.

"According to the clan records, the place where our ancestors lived has always been a place with only ice and no water. That vibrant scene is really desirable!"

Every ninja clan that has been passed down for thousands of years has its own glorious history, but only a few are still continuing their glory, and the rest are just struggling to survive. Perhaps under the wheel of history, the concept of family will be gradually eliminated, and the end point will be the world's great harmony.

"In fact, I am very tempted by your proposal. The environment of Konohagakure is really suitable for the Mizunotsuki clan to survive. But one wrong step will lead to another. The decision made by our ancestors still left hidden dangers."

Mizunoehara looked up at the moon hanging in the sky and said with emotion: "Mizunoe, Mizunoe, so what if there is no moon in the water? The moon in the sky is the real one. The moon in the water cannot be touched or touched. It is just a self-deceiving rhetoric."

Namikaze Minato pondered for a moment and said, "People in power hate indecision the most. Often a decision concerns the life and death of countless people. Now you are shouldering the future of the Mizunotsuki clan. Many clansmen are waiting for you to lead them out of the predicament. How can you just sigh here?"

"Life is a time-consuming process. It is not easy to settle down and make a living. It is even more difficult to stand out! The Mizunotsuki clan may have come to an end. We came into this world with a clean record, and we also want to go to see our ancestors cleanly. We must not be branded as traitors to our country and village."

"You can't say that!" Namikaze Minato stood up and said, "Think about how hard it was for your ancestors to build such a great foundation in the chaotic times. The rise and fall of a family depends on the efforts of the clan members, but I think timing is far more important than effort!"

"Choice is more important than effort, this is an eternal truth! The Sarutobi clan, the Aburame clan, and the Nara clan were just a few small clans huddled in a corner to survive, but their ancestors chose to join the Konohagakure, and now they have made a great name for themselves! The Sarutobi clan even produced the Third Hokage, which shows how important choice is."

"The Kaguya clan and the Mizunotsuki clan once dominated the northern part of the Fire Country. Their ancestors were the direct descendants of the Six Paths Sage. However, once they joined the Water Country, they fell to the point where they were at the mercy of others. It is really a pity."

"People move and live, trees move and die. If I am not welcome here, I will find another place. It is time for your clan to make a new choice. How can you stand still?"

Mizunotsukihara shook his head and said, "It's too late. Do you really think I don't understand the truth? The Hidden Mist Village has laid a net of heaven and earth. The tribesmen are under their surveillance. If I agree, I will die in an instant and my clan will be destroyed! Things are not at the worst point yet. If we mediate well, there may be a chance of turning things around."

Namikaze Minato sneered and said, "Why are you deceiving yourself here? Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the Hidden Mist Village is determined to strangle you foreign ninjas. Don't forget the example of the Kirigakure clan!"

The Hozuki clan is the family that can turn their bodies into water. They were ordered to be wiped out by the Mizukage not long ago. Of course, they originally belonged to the Land of Earth and have always been at odds with the Ōnoki clan. They joined the Land of Water after being defeated in the war, so they can be considered a foreign ninja clan.

"The Kizuna clan even had a Mizukage, but they still couldn't escape the fate of being wiped out. Your Mizunotsuki clan has always been low-key, so how could you escape this fate?"

Mizunotsukihara covered his face in pain. A grown man actually started crying: "Stop talking, please stop talking!"

"We are incompetent descendants, causing our family to suffer and our ancestors to be disgraced. When we go to the Pure Land, we will be punished."

Namikaze Minato hated him for not fighting, and shouted: "As the saying goes, there is no construction without destruction! What you need to do now is to rush to Konoha Village immediately and clearly express your willingness to join the village. With the Hokage presiding over justice, what is there to be afraid of in the Hidden Mist Village?"

"It's different, it's different!" Mizunotsuki Hara said with tears in pain, "I can be a sinner of my family, but I can't be a sinner of the village! The Mizunotsuki clan can die standing, but they can never live on their knees!"

"The Kirigakure Village is poor and weak. If we betray the village, it will fall apart immediately! I can't do this. I have an obligation to the village, the country, and history!"

"fart!"

"If they are unkind, then you can be unjust! It's ridiculous to consider the safety of the village now. Your lives are almost gone!"

"Country is country, country comes first and family comes second. The Mizunotsuki clan does not want to be a dog that has lost its home, and even less does it want to be the one who destroys the country!"

"You don't have to say anything more. The Konohagakure has evil ambitions. They annexed the Whirlpool Country today and will destroy the Water Country tomorrow!"

Namikaze Minato laughed out of anger, clapped his hands, and said, "You are amazing! You are so noble! You are powerful now, but you have chosen a path of no return for your people without authorization. But think about it, what about those children who are still in their infancy? What about those people who are still struggling for the family? What about the future of the Mizunotsuki clan?"

"You have lived a full life at your age and have enjoyed everything you deserve, but what about others? You are a sinner if you ignore your family for a false reputation!"

"It's a waste of time to talk to a villain like you. Think about it carefully. The entire Kizuna clan is watching you from underground!"

The solitary moon hangs high in the sky, looking down at the world coldly. Since ancient times, it has witnessed too many joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, and the alternation of rise and fall.

Maybe to the moon, these are trivial matters, but they are trivial matters performed by real human beings.