The idiocy of a being with power and not the intelligence to use it was made much clearer than ever the more Sangetsu had chosen to talk. Takeshi hadn’t bothered to respond to anything he had chosen to retort with, if only to wait for the moment where he made a single mistake. Boldly claiming that Kirigakure was ‘his’ was one, and believing that the death of the Fifth Mizukage meant he was truly dead had almost brought laughter to him if it wasn’t proven just how pathetic he truly was in the end. The Hozuki might’ve functioned better without someone like him having the unfortunate ability to form sentences and breathe no less, but that would be their issue as a clan. The Kaguya suffered for their sins together because they had a madness they could not control together, but the Hozuki had the opportunity to cull the cancer that was going to see their clan meeting the same fate. Yet the ultimate mistake had been uttered; a claim to the village as ‘his’ was one thing, but to claim that he would be the next Mizukage would not only put his already flimsy reputation with the village in critical peril, but would also be able to openly show other villages that Sangetsu threatened to see the reclusive, violent and untrustworthy era of the Bloody Mist return, something no one would want. And should the Water Daimyo discover he intended to do this without following standard procedure…

Takeshi’s hand dove for Kotomi’s mouth knowing her heart may react faster than her mind. Sangetsu threatened to trample over the good that this land has done in the past few decades thanks to the efforts of the Fourth Mizukage, who had been missing for a few years after his father had taken office, and his father the Fifth Mizukage himself. Although his first instinct was to kill the man he had sent off, his mind worked quickly and Takeshi was able to conclude that such action would seal this fool’s fate permanently. How quickly he forgot that it was the Hokage and his father together that had gone against the Empress and threatened to kill her; had reinforcements for herself not arrived, she’d surely have died and this war wouldn’t be ongoing. Shinji Yuki was more than a Mizukage, he was a mediator of many conflicts across other nations and, much like the Fourth had hoped in him as a young man, worked tirelessly to shed Kirigakure of its terrible reputation. He succeeded, this village growing out of its cruel history and becoming a place worthy of respect and admiration. The Fourth and Fifth Mizukage showed the world that with enough positive influence even the cruelest of people and places had the opportunity to change, and Takeshi suspected that the reason his father didn’t kill Sangetsu long ago was because he hoped that there was still a chance for him to become more than a monster.

He was wrong, something the Fifth rarely ever was. 

Although the hunter-nin was proceeding to carry out his orders, several more had entered into the vicinity to catch the last critical piece of information Sangetsu had so boldly spat out without thought. Giving Kotomi a hard stare that resembled their fathers when it had come to remaining silent, she might be able to understand that Takeshi was allowing this disgrace of their father to carry on. Releasing her mouth in the hopes that she’d trust him, Takeshi held up a fist that signaled the several surrounding them to contain any and all hostile actions. One, the hunter-nin who was by his side earlier, stepped out and made himself known as the others remained, watching intently. 

[b]“Should we pursue them?”[/b] The hunter-nin was quick to ask, knowing that the one that had left appeared either loyal to Sangetsu, or foolish enough to believe his words.

[b]“No. In fact …make certain that he gets there safely. I want the rest of the village to hear about this… I want the message to reach our allies in Konoha …I want the Fourth Hokage to know exactly who Sangetsu Hozuki claims to be.” [/b]In other words, Takeshi sought to let Sangetsu destroy himself with one last idiotic move. Gift-wrapped and with enough ears to confirm what was said, the hunter-nin that had appeared would vanish to make certain that Sangetsu’s own messenger had passed on the Hozuki’s will throughout the village and departed for Konoha shortly. The six that remained would feel the tension in the area rising, not due to Takeshi’s own words still carrying much weight among the village as his father’s son, but because they didn’t take kindly to Sangetsu’s complete disregard of protocol and ‘claim’ to the role of leader. Through fear he might’ve gained some following within this village, but it was absolute respect and love for the Fifth Mizukage that kept the people loyal to his offspring and his ideals. If Sangetsu had any hope of redemption, he’d keep silent and listen to what was about to be said before it was much too late for him to return. 

[b]“Bodies wither and die …but good deeds and wills of strong men and women live on. Konoha’s Will of Fire is proof of this, and although my father’s soul has left his body, he isn’t dead in the hearts and minds of the people he called his comrades, his friends, family. Shinji Yuki still lives to this day in everyone who ever knew him.”[/b] Lived on not only by his wife and children, but by numerous shinobi and kunoichi across multiple nations. Even before he was Mizukage he had traveled across the lands and formed many bonds across them, unhappy with a reclusive lifestyle in the home he loved so much. This wasn’t about one’s power, this was about the impression a good man had left on people, and Sangetsu’s rage would ensure his downfall long before an open threat. Whatever loyalty he might’ve gained from his peers threatened to wither and die, leaving the Hozuki clan as a whole in the spotlight. The Fourth and Fifth have never wronged clans as a whole unless the entire clan had chosen to follow the same path, which may have meant Sangetsu earned loyalty legitimately or through power alone. Power didn’t move people, and that was a lesson the Empress had yet to learn. Sangetsu could be the first to understand the position he was in. 

[b]“The truth is …I never expected you to betray a man, even a dead man, who had believed you could have been more than the monster the world had seen you as. I wanted you removed from our village years ago, many of his friends and even our clan, yet for some reason he kept you …trusted you to be a better man than you were now.”[/b] The earlier remark of ‘Friends’ being a pathetic word to Sangetsu would ultimately prove that he had no one he could call on to put his faith in. The Fifth Mizukage was argued even by the current Hokage to be the strongest between the two, and believed him to have been the best thing to happen to the village. Kirigakure had agreed; in spite of all the disagreements and strong opinions each individual shared, a vast majority would admit that Shinji Yuki was a good man, and the second chance the village needed. No longer would the children they bore be put to slaughter if only to see the ‘strongest’, and strength would no longer decide who had good fortune in the Land of Water. Whether Sangetsu believed it or not, the ‘Bloody Mist’ had little to no chance to return with not one, but two generations of Kirigakure aspiring to peace. Whatever his father saw in this animal he didn’t know, but for the sake of believing in him did he try to give Sangetsu the opportunity to be more than that animal everyone saw him as. Allowing him control of the rebellion forces in the area was a mistake, and would be corrected in due time. 

[b]“He gave you the chance no one else would have given, Sangetsu. You’ve failed …you’re an empty man who couldn’t change who he was for the sake of not only his clan, but himself. No friends, only anger …and that’s not what the Mist wants anymore.”[/b] Takeshi wouldn’t hold the Hozuki responsible for the actions of Sangetsu unless they openly supported his illegal action taken. The truth of the matter was that although the Fifth had died half a year ago, the village was not yet ready to accept another as Mizukage, and he suspected the world itself wasn’t ready either. Kenji Uchiha would see him killed, or at the very least disavow him and his cause. Takeshi would have hoped that Kenji would kill him personally to see this disgrace wiped from the face of the earth, but the emotion of pity had fell on him the more he thought about this. He pitied Sangetsu and those that believed in his dark desires. Perhaps this was how his father had felt when he chose to spare Sangetsu humiliation and death …perhaps deep down he wanted to believe he saw some good in him, that he’d put the will of his home before his own selfish desires. 

Though the shinobi nearby that obviously took to Shinji’s son and daughter over Sangetsu, they relaxed only slightly on their killing intentions but kept their guards up even so knowing Sangetsu’s temperament. Through fear he manipulated the weaker of mind and body, but what Takeshi’s words said had reminded them that the will of the village would not shatter so easily due to the outrageous claims of a man such as this. For that, and Takeshi’s own command, they stayed their blades. Had the message not been clear enough yet, Takeshi would bet that for every single man in the world that might’ve backed Sangetsu, there were at least fifty more who’d back what Shinji Yuki stood for. 

The Fifth Mizukage only made enemies of those who were enemies of themselves. 

[b]“I’ll give your message time to spread, and I hope civil war doesn’t erupt due to your arrogance …we didn’t need your ego to overwhelm the village’s needs, but now …I’m not sure they need you at all anymore.”[/b] And, of course, in spite of all Takeshi had said he had taken the parchment from Kotomi and handed it to Sangetsu without anger or disgust. What he chose to do with the request for peace was up to him, as he may not be able to maintain much ‘authority’ any longer. Out of all things he could’ve challenged, the seat of the Mizukage remained empty for a reason, and there were people within this village that would sooner die than see him take it. Were it any other previous Kage in the world the reaction may not have been as strong, but Kirigakure was more than its Bloody Mist name, it had become of value and respect for more than just murder. They would never want to go back to those cruel times.

[b]“For what it's worth... I hope whatever end you meet is one you’re proud of, Sangetsu. The Hidden Mist won’t follow you to hell …you’ll go on your own.”[/b] Allowing him to take it, Takeshi would let this boil in his brain. Of course his immediate action could be to attempt to strike him or Kotomi, but by doing so would ultimately make the Land of Water his enemy, much more the world. It paid to have friends, and Kirigakure had many they weren’t willing to lose. An age of prosperity had taken root, and to have it threatened to be uprooted meant that this was a war between the way the Land of Water and the world preferred, and the rage of a single man. Sangetsu Hozuki was effectively a dead man to this world in terms of respect gathered, luck may see him allowed to live in the Land of Water in isolation, but that was for it to decide. 

Patting his sister on the shoulder twice, he nodded towards the village and had allowed her to move first, hoping that she’d hold her tongue and let what he said hang. Threats didn’t work on a man who wanted to be threatening, but perhaps a dose of logic and knowledge to his mind would help him see his error. He hated the man deeply and had hoped he was stupid enough to do this; only now did the young man see that he was much more saddened than thrilled. His father’s hopes, his mercy …a waste. 

[b]“Let’s return, everyone. We’ve got work to do.”[/b] Takeshi had disappeared, his agility going to be as renowned as his father’s in time with how fast he disappeared from sight. Though the six in the mist had different means of doing things, Takeshi’s words had struck them harder than any blow Sangetsu could perform ever would. Mercy without deserving it, belief in a ruined man to become more, and the will of a father radiating perfectly in his son. The six departed after the Yuki twins and would ensure that the will of the Fifth Mizukage never died in the people they protected, and the people they had loved. 

Kirigakure wouldn’t falter.