Lost stories of the Hidden Mist

Prototype blog, I don't know if I'll go through with this and actually do it.

[kisskisame]

Silly series of art panels that's been rattling around in my drafts for a while now. Everytime I think about the canon height difference between Kushimaru and Jinpachi I laugh because if Jinpachi really wants to get into that mans face and yell at him he needs to jump him like a goddamn tree to do so. Kushimaru is like 213 cm tall, the only character from Kiri taller than him is Fuguki Suikazan at a whopping 249.1 cm height. Meanwhile Jinpachi is like 172 cm tall, it's so comical.

[ladnolada]

Swordsmen doodles

[starcry-the-wolf]

like a dog

[kirigakure-stories]

Zabuza Momochi (NARUTO Mobile)

[aheonynan]

random side characters sketches

[aheonynan]

more random characters

[ladnolada]

Brush test (part 1/?)

Tg-channel: sasalelee02

[ladnolada]

Ameyuri in look inspired by this art (not mine)

My tg-channel: sasalelee02

[ladnolada]

07.06. Happy birthday to my apple🍎🍎🍎

[joltai-showa]

now that I'm done with Land of Waves arc, I can confidently say that Kishimoto can't plan the grander lore for shit because of the implications Zabuza's and Haku's stories have on the greater history of Kirigakure and Blood Mist in particular

for one, of course the magical arithmetics - the manga states that Zabuza killed 100 of his classmates in the Academy exam 11 years prior to the current arc. a quick reference with the databook will reveal that Zabuza is 26 at the time of his death. meaning that a) somehow Zabuza was still in Academy at the ripe age of 15, not even a genin b) somehow everyone is surprised that a 15 year old murdered every single kid at the Academy exam c) 15 year old Zabuza in the manga looks younger than Team 7 and Haku combined

two, 11 years ago Blood Mist was a well-established regime of bullshit and murder. that's important for the grander lore because, if you remember this one funny fact - which is that no other Mizukage has ever been tied to Blood Mist except for Yagura, and when I say Yagura I mean Obito mind-controlling the guy - because 13 years ago Konoha was attacked by a mysterious masked individual and approximatelly 14 years ago a certain Uchiha Obito went missing after Iwagakure gang decided to show him why it's important to be careful when going into unknown caves. so our sweet little Madara cosplayer had somehow gaslit everyone in Kiri that yes, kids killing each other to become genin is a great idea!

and, once again, to anyone trying to say that the exam could have existed before Obito came about to power: the murder exam is explicilty tied to Blood Mist, and Blood Mist is tied to Yagura and we have no confirmation if anyone besides him was involved in that part of Kiri's history. oh, and Yagura could not have been a Mizukage before Obito started terrorizing the world 13 years ago, because of the little problem called Nohara Rin.

Nohara Rin died 13-14 years before the Land of Waves arc and, funnily enough, she died Isobu's jinchuriki. Yagura's other defining trait besides being the Mizukage in Kiri's darkest period of history is him being Isobu's jinchuriki and apparently having great control over his power. Why the fuck would he be a Mizukage without Isobu and looking like he's 15 at best even during the temporal ressurection? Obviously he wouldn't, so he isn't a Mizukage unless he's a jinchuriki. And he can not be a jinchuriki before Rin's death as that would create a paradox where he is the Mizukage and jinchuriki, loses Isobu, Isobu is sealed in Rin, Rin and Isobu die, Isobu returns, Yagura gets Isobu back, Obito does his first attempt at genocide any% and then Yagura dies. If you haven't noticed, the cataclysmic contradiction happens on step 2 - once Yagura lost the Isobu he's fucking dead and Blood Mist just does not happen.

ah, and let's admire the loving side of Uchiha Obito who would have watched the kids mass murder exam happen time and time again, did nothing (assuming he was not the one to introduce it lol) and the village only put an end to this bullshit after the exam ended not with 50% of the participants dead, but 99%. great guy, fantastic guy, I would trust this guy's ambitions in building a perfect world for humanity

but that's not all! I previously was unsure in my memory of Haku's backstory and if the Kekkei Genkai cleansings were an actual thing. yes, they were, and the official translation refers to them as "generations of non-stop war against those possessing kekkei genkai". I won't grill Haku too hard for using the word "generations" because no fucking way it actually was happening for this long, otherwise everyone in Kirigakure would have been fucking dead long before Yagura kicked it + he's 15 and has a skewed perception of how long something lasts. All his life he knew people like him are supposed to be feared and killed for their strength, so he's just assuming the same for the history (and kind of the rest of the world, judging by his reaction to Sasuke and assumption that the Uchiha clan died in a similar manner and not an internal political conflict)

Point is, from everything we know, this "war on kekkei genkai" is complete and utter bullshit. Kekkei genkai is how people become the strongest in their villages, and is the single most important thing each village has. Konoha was fucking built by clans with kekkei genkai, every major character from Iwa has a kekkei genkai, Kumo was constantly trying to yoink other village's kekkei genkai, Kazekages sand powers are all classified as kekkei genkai. Hell, Mei - who was a Kiri shinobi during Blood Mist and a future Mizukage post Yagura fall - has TWO kekkei genkai, while her buddy has a stolen Hyuga kekkei genkai. You get the point, there is genuinely no sane reason to have the population riled against people with inheritable busted powers.

And yet Blood Mist did. And yet Haku's father killed his wife when he suspected she had such powers. Now why is that?

The most charitable interpretation for a certain masked individual that I have is this was genuinely localized example of PTSD-related psychosis that created lynching incidents here and there in the Land of Water. Which does not answer the question of why Haku is so sure the world is out to kill people like him.

The alternative is as following: while terrorizing the city population by creating world's most murderously efficient system of promotion (which is absolutely in his control), "Lord Mizukage" has also encouraged a fantistic propaganda campaign against people with kekkei genkai and then sat on his ass and did nothing when those people obviously ended up getting lynched (also a decision completely in his control). Well, perhaps he was doing something, like rubbing his hands and whispering some grandiose bullshit about the cruelty and despair of this world as he usually did. As I've said, awesome guy, fantastic guy, everyone should look up to him.

Well, at least this is the interpretation that I came to based on the evidence that we are given in the manga. The shit Haku and Zabuza mention in their backstories is absolutely bonkers even by shinobi world's standards, but those two genuinely assume it's the same for the rest of the world, and, uh, guys, no, you're just the survivors of the most brutal regime in your living history. The systemized murders of kids had to have come from the top and was allowed to proceed with "Mizukage's" permission, and killings of the best potential shinobi in the country should have been prevented from the top because this literally harmed Kiri's interests, but nope, "generations of war against kekkei genkai" :)

It almost seems like the meaningless deaths of hundreds to thousands of people in Land of Water during the Blood Mist period was against the interests of the people there and yet would have benefitted a certain teenage terrorist who was controlling the Mizukage and really was not interested in one of Five Great Nations having any military capabilities, huh... If only he could avoid any need for confrontation and simply yoink the Tailed Beasts and finish the plan he and the old man in the cave had... If only there was a magical eye he could use for all that...

Nah, that can't be it. CHIEF, MORE DEAD KIDS IN THE ACADEMY.

Ahem, and, finally, the funniest thing among what is mentioned in this arc: why the fuck does Zabuza need Gato's money. He's collecting the funds for another assasination attempt on the Mizukage.

Well, it's kinda easy to guess who was the first attempt - Yagura, but that failed and Zabuza had to run away from Kiri. But this raises the gigantic question - WHY IS HE ASSUMING YAGURA IS STIL ALIVE?? No, genuinely, who the fuck are you trying to kill? If Yagura is still somehow alive during the Land of Waves arc, how the hell is Mei comfortably in power by Shippuden?? We're talking about Yagura getting fucking murdered (and that's exactly what would have happened to him after his wonderful rule. yes this does mean Obito is a complete and utter bum for letting the jinchuriki he had under control for like a decade die but what's new. he must have messed up in some form if Deidara had to come with him in Shippuden and scoop free-roaming Isobu out of the lake), Blood Mist coming to an abrupt end, an insane power vacuum that would have followed, Mei somehow taking the power in her hands and settling the country that had just got out of what Blood Mist was. This does not happen in 2.5-3 years of timeskip. And, let's be honest, if the tyranical Mizukage was killed ALONG with the Kazekage and the Hokage dying during the chunin exam, that would have been somehow mentioned in the story. Like, that's a BIT OF AN IMPORTANT event.

Anyway, Zabuza is a bum who's trying to kill the Mizukage (who happens to be Mei and she's just as anti-Blood Mist as he is) and haven't read a newspaper in his life because no one taught him how to read in the Academy

[joltai-showa]

to @redevenir

Fortunarely for you, I kept an entire list of things that Do Not Make Sense in Land of Waves arc alone, so here's the funniest one of them:

>during the first attack by Zabuza, Kakashi notices a completely white rabbit and is suspicious because it's spring already. however, at the end of the arc when Zabuza dies and it starts snowing, the people are surprised that it's snowing in the middle of the summer. chunin exam arc doubles down on it being summer, as chunin exam itself starts on July 1st. Kishimoto and co couldn't keep to one season within the first proper arc of the manga

>things Naruto a 12 year old who has lived his entire life in Konoha and who attempted to pass the genin exam 3 times does not know: what is Sharingan, what is chakra and how to use it

>Sasuke was shocked to learn Kakashi has a Sharingan. you would think it's a given considering his nickname is LITERALLY SHARINGAN KAKASHI

>no actually everything about Sharingan is really funny in this arc. like its powers being "seeing through genjutsu, reflecting them on the caster, seeing through ninjutsu and the ability to copy them" but where's our cross dimensional travel? where's our ghostly armor?? also, Sasuke specifically says that Sharingan is supposed to be unique to a small number of Uchiha which is a funny thing to say when the future flashbacks will have Sasuke and Obito tweaking out that they are yet to awaken their Sharingan (8 and 13 year old respectively btw)

>oh, and Kakashi is an endless bum and takes exclusively Ls during this arc. some of the amazing thing this guy does:

>he was shocked to see that Zabuza was that good. mind you the guy carries a giant sword on his back which OBVIOUSLY indicates he's part of the Seven Swordsmen of Mist (a concept not introduced in this arc, but still) AND Kakashi knew his name even before the confrontation

>Kakashi copied like two jutsus and did one genjutsu on Zabuza. this incredible feat of Sharingan usage warranted him a WEEK of bedrest. <insert Kamui spamming montage at the end of the manga>

>Kakashi was shocked to see Haku use one seal for jutsu. I'm pretty sure he even stated "omg I've never seen anything like this!"

>Kakashi was shocked to see Haku's Hyuton (apparently the concept of kekkei genkai became that staggering for him on this Land of Waves vacation). also was in disbelief at the fact that Haku managed to master his kekkei genkai while he's still so young. Haku is 15. Kakashi worked with one guy who mastered the Mangekyo and killed his entire clan at 13.

>Kakashi broke Zabuza's arms and was shouting something along the lines of "that's it for you, no more jutsu or sword or kunais" I point this out because while reading that I kept thinking to late Kazekage rescue arc Deidara who was missing an arm for most of it and even after losing them both like 6-8 people still had to run after him because he was that much of a menace. Land of Waves Kakashi PLEASE go for the head if you want to incapacitate your enemy

[rafagrunje]

Zabuza Momochi

[upn-the-sky]

🐟

[upn-the-sky]

wag and fuck……….

[upn-the-sky]

the drama..

[upn-the-sky]

post-mist-arc

[kirigakure-stories]

Introduction to my version of Kirigakure

Under the cut because I don't want to spam the dash.

FIRST AND SECOND MIZUKAGE The Country of the Water and the United Islands, formed under the leadership of the First Mizukage, nowadays includes the Whirlpool, Waves, Mist, Beach, and Snow islands. Kirigakure is the capitol.

The reign of the second Mizukage was relatively short, and bloody. He asked Senju Princess @woodblxssomcrowned for marriage, was rejected, and waged two wars against the mainland countries, mostly Konoha, thereby plunging the Water Country in debt and civil war.

This is how mafia, human traffickers, pirates, and criminal syndicates gained foothold in the capitol and on the many islands.

THIRD MIZUKAGE The Third Mizukage ended the civil unrest, banned human trafficking, and overall did a spectacular job at building the country up.

Konoha still has tight control and heavy taxes on imported goods, a control which waned once the country prospered.

The Third Hokage invited the Mizukage for an official peace treaty, only a formality. He sent his wife and child as ambassadors. Konoha used all is methods to start civil war. The Mizukage had the choice between quelling local tensions by stepping down (and risk losing his family) or uniting the country under the banner of war to get 'the stolen prince' and his mother back. A slaughter followed, and Kiri lost.

Hiruzen raised Orochimaru as hostage, deflecting all assassination attempts of pro-ThirdMiz and anti-Foreign groups from Kiri and other countries.

During that, the country returned to disarray, the 'bloody mist'.

SEVEN SWORDSMEN In this time of rampant criminal behaviour, the civilians could only ever hope to get their stolen money/relatives/property back, by asking one of the Seven Swordsmen for help. In exchange for a meal and a place to sleep, these would hunt down criminals. They essentially functioned as good cowboys, without a home. The good ones gained cult hero status over the years. The Mizukage bows to no-one except the Leader of the Seven Swordsmen, as the Seven keep the Mizukage in check (so he can't start another war).

A person can become a Legendary Swordsman by killing the previous owner of the sword. One cannot resign from the job.

GOVERNANCE The government was barely functional without leader, but the Senate of 300 (with representatives of each island group) stayed active enough to keep it together until the 'Fourth Mizukage' arrived, the Puppet Mizukage. Nobody expected Yagura to last long. There's a lot of assassinations of politicians, based on which criminal groups they are backed by. The Great Naruto Bridge helped a little with relieving the poverty, but Konoha's taxes are still rough.

Bloodline limits are still treated with scepticism and distrust. Foreigners remain unwelcome. Hunter-ninjas do their work of protecting the borders to make sure nobody comes in, or goes out. The country's mist, trecherous waters, and crime lords have kept the country mostly out of foreign hands. The locals suffer often.

ORIGIN MYTH This is secret lore that few people know. Kaguya's first World Tree grew on this land. Once the tree fell, the roots had drilled deep into the earth rotted away. This created the channels between the island, and the whirlpool pits. The entire archipelago is built on the rocks. Meanwhile the remains of the tree, with all its potent sap, seeped into the world. Where it touched object, it created the magical objects like the pots of the Gold & Silver brothers and the Executioner's Blade. Where it touched creatures, it created Other entities such as Samehada and Summon animals. Where it touched shinobi, it created different kekkai genkai variations.

The Mist protects the country itself. The mist once swallowed a whole island. Hundred years passed, and foreign invasion had changed the flora and fauna dramatically. Then, the Mist spat out an island, its inhabitants nearly unchanged, and the environment restored itself.

LOCAL MYTHS Every island has its own lores and myths and folk tales. And then there's the Other Folk, but they don't make an appearance and Kiri residents generally don't acknowledge them.

I put this in because endless mist should be spooky, and should make common folk think up scary spooky stories about Other folk. Whether there is actually something in the mists, or if that's just the way for the civilians to deal with the presence of shinobi and bloodline limits, depends generally on the person I'm writing with.

[kankuroplease]

Would you show the Third Mizukage some love?

Your artwork is really beautiful. Every day, your posts are a joy on my dash. Thank you for sharing your stunning character designs. Your Tenko and Inari designs are my favourites.

Thank you~ he’s a mystery beauty (I really want to know why his eyes are closed)

[uchihacollector]

The Third Mizukage looks amazing! My jaw is on the floor. I'm stunned!

Answers to your question go under the cut!

Anime characters who keep their eyes closed are very cunning (link to youtube video about the theory).

My running theory is that The Third Mizukage is Orochimaru's parent, but that this background story was axed by Kishimoto.

The Third Mizukage has a striking visual similarity to Orochimaru, including similar dress and colours.

His closed eyes indicate him having a clever, cunning personality. This is similar to Orochimaru.

I once saw a screenshot where someone had translated the anime gravestones of Orochimaru's parents to 'Heiman Kou and Handa Kou'. And 'Kou' means tall. NARUTO Part 1's Orochimaru is considered tall to Japanese standards.

In the Fourth Great Ninja War, Kabuto ressurected almost all Kage, except the Third Mizukage... This might be out of respect for Orochimaru's lineage.

Naruto learns Senjutsu (environmetal chakra) in the Land of the Frogs. If he mixes the chakra wrong, he starts looking like a frog! Surely little Orochimaru learnt to mix Senjutsu-chakra in the Land of the Snakes. His chakra-mixing it went wrong... and he ended up looking like a snake! In the epilogue with Mitsuki, Orochimaru admitted that he never managed to master sage mode, and was impressed that Mitsuki could!

Orochimaru is often featured in the Land of the Water: he picks up Kimimaro there, and has various hideouts in the area.

Now I wonder what Orochimaru's mother looked like...

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Dear KankuroPlease, YOU HAVE MADE MY WEEK!

I am so so happy!

The smoothness of his hair! His expression! The lineart! The grace!

I'M IN LOVE.