Hozuki Mangetsu

The Hozuki, Kaguya, and Yuki clans are the three largest ninja clans in Kirigakure.

If compared to Konoha, they are equivalent to the Senju, Uchiha, and Hyuga clans, and their respective situations are quite similar as well.

The Hozuki clan is a prestigious family of Mizukage, while the Kaguya, a group of battle-crazed maniacs, are just as unwelcome in the village as the Uchiha.

However, the difference in Kirigakure is that, The Hozuki, the primary family that has produced Mizukage, did not fade into the background like the Senju of Konoha, but has instead held onto various powers and interests within Kirigakure.

This has become a breeding ground for conflict, and by now, the situation has become too entrenched to resolve.

Standing at the entrance of the tea room, Hozuki Mangetsu let out a long sigh.

He understands these truths, and the uncles and elders of his clan understand them too, but asking everyone to spit out their benefits is absolutely impossible.

Clang, clang!

"Enter!"

Hearing the Third Mizukage's aged and vigorous voice from inside, the white-haired youth stretched, pushed the door open, and knelt on one knee. His cold, ruthless eyes looked straight at the Third Mizukage, and he said indifferently:

"Third, you summoned me!"

"Mangetsu, you've arrived!"

The Third Mizukage greeted him without even lifting his head. He made a show of picking up documents his assistant had just retrieved, spent a few minutes carefully reading one, and then casually pulled out another.

At this rate of your failing eyesight, I'll be dead of old age by the time you finish this stack of files!

Hozuki Mangetsu muttered to himself, maintaining his kneeling posture without a word, not even blinking an eye.

Does this old ghost think he can make me lose my composure by leaving me waiting? He's severely underestimating my capacity!

The Third Mizukage slowly and methodically read a few more documents before slapping his forehead, as if suddenly remembering something. He looked up at Hozuki Mangetsu and said:

"I completely forgot our 'prodigy' was here!

I am getting on in years, and with the village affairs so busy, I tend to forget things once I start processing documents. Sit, sit!"

Though he said to sit, the Third Mizukage had long ago ordered all other chairs removed; the only chair in the entire tea room was the one beneath his own backside.

"Thank you, Mizukage!"

Hozuki Mangetsu, neither servile nor overbearing, suddenly stood up and leaned back.

A gurgling stream of water surged from beneath his trousers, transforming into a high-backed chair that supported his body.

"Good!" the Third Mizukage exclaimed loudly. "Your Water Style shape transformation is already quite profound; most jonin in the village cannot compare to you!"

Hozuki Mangetsu licked his lips and grinned, revealing his bright white fangs, making no attempt at false modesty.

"Mangetsu, I believe you are a true genius, possessing not only cultivation talent far beyond the average person but also the thinking and considerations that transcend your clan and your country.

I have never treated you as a twelve or thirteen-year-old child, but as a ninja with the mindset of a Mizukage."

Oh, am I really that good?

As expected of me; even the Third Mizukage, who has always been at odds with my clan, holds me in such high regard.

Hozuki Mangetsu felt a bit carried away by the flattery.

"Mangetsu, I trust you!

So I want to ask you, if you were the Mizukage, if you were sitting in my position, what would you do if you encountered such a situation?"

The Third Mizukage actually has to ask me, Hozuki Mangetsu, for advice?

The position of Mizukage is secure! Everything is secure!

Hozuki Mangetsu joyfully took the thick stack of documents from the Third Mizukage's hands, his mind already organizing the grand speech he was about to give.

But upon opening the first document, the opening line made his face instantly turn deathly pale—

A complete record of the Hozuki clan's secret collusion with Konoha.

He looked up at the Third Mizukage in a daze, only to see a glimmer of expectation in those sincere eyes.

He was even more bewildered, mechanically flipping through the files.

Colluding with an enemy country, harming colleagues, forcing innocent ninjas to defect. Every single item was a capital offense.

He had never imagined that his clan would be so audacious, especially colluding with Konoha, when they were currently at war with them on the front lines!

If I were the Mizukage, wouldn't I have to wipe out this entire Hozuki clan?

The Third Mizukage's gaze drifted over Hozuki Mangetsu, and seeing the anger, conflict, and pain mixed on his face, he felt secretly pleased.

The various evil deeds of the Hozuki clan he provided were, of course, all true.

In fact, it wasn't just the Hozuki; the Kaguya, the Yuki, and even he himself had committed plenty of dark deeds. Everyone was equally corrupt.

But cultivation talent never equates to life experience.

At Hozuki Mangetsu's age, he is at that exact stage where he thinks he understands everything but actually understands nothing, making him the easiest to fool with a few seemingly logical words.

"According to the rules of Kirigakure, such crimes warrant the extermination of the entire clan.

But Third, you don't really think that just by showing me this evidence, I would become your inside man and help you slaughter the Hozuki clan, do you?"

Hozuki Mangetsu gritted his teeth, his face growing increasingly pale as he spoke word by word: "I am not such a fool!"

Pity you aren't such a fool.

The Third Mizukage felt a slight disappointment, though he had never truly expected anyone in the Shinobi World to be foolish enough to slaughter their own entire clan. Instead, he slightly adjusted the rhetoric he had prepared:

"Mangetsu, how could you have such an extreme thought? The Hozuki clan is the Mizukage's clan!

What I mean is, we cannot let a few black sheep tarnish the reputation of the Second and the Hozuki clan, nor endanger the safety of Kirigakure!"

The Third Mizukage pulled out twenty or thirty files of Hozuki clan ninjas, picking and choosing as he said:

"This person's crimes don't warrant death," "This person deserves to die, but he has rendered great service to Kirigakure." With such justifications, only about ten files remained in the end.

Those left behind were basically the current head of the Hozuki clan, Mangetsu's cousin Hozuki Shimotsuki, and his close confidants.

The more grease one consumes, the dirtier one's hands become; this is only natural.

Of course, the Third Mizukage had also performed some insignificant filtering work among them.

If it is only these people who deserve their punishment... Hozuki Mangetsu's resolve wavered.

Hozuki Mangetsu lowered his head in silence for a long time, finally looking up to stare intently at the Third Mizukage's robes, saying in a deep voice:

"What do you want to do? I can cooperate with you to a certain extent!"

Plan successful!

The Third Mizukage forcibly suppressed his laughter.

He had originally only intended to persuade Mangetsu to assassinate the "heinous" Hozuki clan head, and then have him defect, as he would have the strength to threaten Yagura's position in the future.

He hadn't expected to gain a whole batch of Hozuki ninjas as well!

"Mangetsu!"

The Third Mizukage's voice was filled with fervor, brimming with incredibly abundant emotion.

He swore that he had never felt even one percent of this much enthusiasm or goodwill toward any member of the Hozuki clan before.

What is a good Hozuki?

This is the kind of good Hozuki I love!

"It cannot be done by my subordinates. Once the clan feels that this matter was orchestrated by the village, it will surely exacerbate the internal conflicts within the village.

The village can no longer withstand another upheaval!"

The Third Mizukage stood up, straightened his clothes, and suddenly brought his knees together to kneel on the ground, leaning forward into a dogeza.

"I beg you to do it yourself, Mangetsu-kun!"

A man over seventy years old, the highest military leader of a nation, disregarding his own face to beg you with a dogeza—this was truly hard to refuse.

Hozuki Mangetsu felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head, making him feel that everything he was doing was for justice, and for the village!

"Fine, I agree!"

In a dark room on the other side, Uchiha Chen couldn't help but click his tongue as he listened to the youth's resonant and forceful response through the bug.

Why did he feel this plot was so familiar? It felt like he had seen it somewhere before?

At this moment, just like that moment in the past?