Kazekage Ninja: The Rise of the Hidden Sand Chapter 182 - 77: The Coup of Iwagakure

"Using the edge of the doorfra as a reference, asure 4.2 ters to the left. Then, using the ground as a base, asure 1.5 ters upward. Once you've located this intersection, draw a circle with a 50-centiter radius. Make sure it's precise—down to the last milliter—or there will be serious consequences."

Zetsu pointed at the wall, speaking with a tone of utmost seriousness.

On the other side of the wall, Ōnoki carefully asured the distances with a tape asure, marking the points inch by inch. What seed like a simple task—drawing a circle on the wall with a compass—took Ōnoki a full hour to complete.

"Done!"

After repeated confirmations, Ōnoki finally nodded with determination.

Zetsu glanced at Kurotsuchi, who was standing nearby, and asked, "Shall I begin?"

Kurotsuchi nodded. "Go ahead."

With that, Zetsu placed his hand on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A coffin, marked with the number "2," slowly erged from the ground.

"This is...?" Kurotsuchi asked in astonishnt.

Zetsu smiled at Kurotsuchi. "Exactly what you're thinking."

The lid of the coffin creaked open, revealing its contents—a man wrapped in bandages.

It was none other than the Second Tsuchikage, Mū.

"Who dares disturb my rest?"

Although his face was obscured by bandages, his displeasure was evident in his voice.

Kurotsuchi imdiately knelt, bowing deeply. "Forgive , Second Tsuchikage-sama. I am Kurotsuchi, son of Ōnoki. It is an honor to et you, and I deeply apologize for disturbing your peace."

"Ōnoki's son?" Mū examined Kurotsuchi closely, seemingly struggling to recall. The last ti he'd seen this person, he had been a re infant.

"What is it you want from ?" Mū asked.

Before Kurotsuchi could explain, Zetsu suddenly drove a kunai embedded with a talisman into the back of Mū's head. Mū's eyes imdiately lost focus. His arms fell limp, and he stood motionless, like a puppet.

"Why waste so many words on a corpse?" Zetsu said impatiently.

"This is the Second Tsuchikage, my father's master!" Kurotsuchi protested, clearly displeased.

"Still just a corpse, isn't he? Enough chatter. Are we doing this or not? Let remind you, this technique has a ti limit. If we don't finish in half an hour, all our efforts will be wasted," Zetsu warned.

Indeed, Orochimaru had been cautious when trading the Edo Tensei technique to Zetsu, providing only an incomplete version. The "reanimated" corpse could only be sustained for thirty minutes.

But thirty minutes was more than enough for Ōnoki's prison break.

"I'll count to three. Then we begin. Understood?" Zetsu asked.

"Understood," ca Ōnoki's reply from within the cell.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Dust Release: Detachnt of the Primitive World Technique!"

"Dust Release: Detachnt of the Primitive World Technique!"

From both inside and outside the cell, two identical semi-transparent barriers ford, converging on the sa circular mark.

The rocky wall began to dissolve rapidly, like ice lting away. However, a yellow chakra barrier remained intact, holding firm.

"Push harder!" Zetsu shouted.

Hearing this, Ōnoki intensified his efforts.

The yellow "film" trembled, warped, and twisted under the imnse pressure of the two Dust Release techniques, resembling a soap bubble caught in the wind.

"Pop!"

Finally, the barrier gave way, disintegrating into nothingness under the combined force of the Dust Release.

A circular hole, one ter in diater, appeared in the otherwise impenetrable stone wall. Though small, it was large enough for an adult to pass through.

A hand reached out from the hole, followed by another. Kurotsuchi rushed forward to assist. Then ca a head, a torso, and legs...

"Phew..."

Once outside, Ōnoki exhaled deeply. His appearance was nearly identical to six years prior, though his skin had grown noticeably paler—likely a result of prolonged confinent away from sunlight.

Suddenly, Ōnoki's expression turned emotional.

"Master!" he exclaid.

"Now's your chance to talk. But rember, you only have twenty minutes," Zetsu reminded him with a smirk, pulling the talisman-laden kunai from the back of Mū's head.

Since the mysterious disappearance of Kari, the head of Iwagakure's Anbu, the Fourth Tsuchikage Murasaki had been plagued by unease.

For a key figure like the Anbu leader to vanish without a trace was highly unusual.

Having wandered the ninja world for years, Murasaki was no naive rookie. He knew that Kari was likely gone for good, which could only an one thing—a conspiracy targeting him, the Fourth Tsuchikage, was unfolding.

Murasaki's tenure as Tsuchikage had been far from smooth. His appointnt by Iwagakure's high council was a stopgap asure following the village's defeat in the Iwa-Suna War. Though he was a native of Iwagakure, he lacked significant connections or support within the village, leaving him in a precarious position.

As a leader with aspirations and a deep love for his holand, Murasaki sought to free Iwagakure from its constraints and foster developnt. He admired the Third Kazekage Jinghang, who had transford a near-bankrupt Sunagakure into a thriving village. Murasaki believed he could achieve similar success, if not surpass it.

Iwagakure's leadership was divided into three factions after the Second Shinobi World War: the "Elder Faction," led by long-suppressed elders under Ōnoki's rule; the "Old Shadow Faction," remnants of Ōnoki's loyalists; and Murasaki's "New Shadow Faction."

Following the war, the Elder Faction blad the Old Shadow Faction for the defeat and pinned the burden of reparations on the New Shadow Faction. Their reasoning was simple: the war was fought under the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, and the negotiations were handled by the Fourth Tsuchikage Murasaki. Thus, the responsibility was theirs.

For years, the Elder Faction dominated Iwagakure, reducing Murasaki to little more than a figurehead. His decrees seldom left the Tsuchikage's office.

Over ti, Murasaki built his own base of support while gradually eroding the Elder Faction's power, often allying with the Old Shadow Faction. After five years of effort, he finally dismantled the Elder Faction's influence and reclaid control of Iwagakure, coinciding with the completion of reparations to Sunagakure.

Just as Murasaki prepared to implent his vision for the village, the Old Shadow Faction began resisting his reforms, rendering many of his policies ineffective.

Fortunately, Murasaki had cultivated loyal followers and maintained firm control over the Anbu. With Kari's capable leadership, the Old Shadow Faction dared not act out of line.

But now, with Kari gone, the shadows stirred.

"Old friend, when will this end?" Murasaki murmured to Son Gokū, the Four-Tails sealed within him. This companion, present since his birth, was his closest confidant and greatest strength.

"Don't worry. It'll all end soon," ca a voice.

"Who's there?" Murasaki barked, his tone sharp.

The voice was not Son Gokū's, but a familiar one.

Under the moonlight, Murasaki squinted to make out the figure's face. His heart sank as recognition dawned—it was the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, who had been sealed away.

"You! How did you escape?" Murasaki exclaid.

Ōnoki responded with a cold chuckle, saying nothing.

Behind Ōnoki stood a group of individuals, led by Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi, key mbers of the Old Shadow Faction.

At that mont, Murasaki understood everything. This was a long-planned coup. For them to break Ōnoki's seal and infiltrate his quarters undetected, their preparations must have been ticulous.

It seed unlikely he would walk away from this unscathed.

Silently, Murasaki communicated with Son Gokū: "Old friend, wake up. It's ti to fight."

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