Hozuki Mangetsu

Harden!

He had no time to overthink, immediately triggering the Pokemon move.

In an instant, his entire Paper Person body was enveloped in a faint shimmer. The paper form, already exceptionally tough thanks to the Ox Talisman, became even more solid, maxing out his defensive capabilities.

Aragaki Yasushi didn't bother to dodge or weave; he simply charged forward, slamming head-on into the incoming bone bullets.

"Clang! Clang!"

A series of crisp sounds rang out as the high-speed bone bullets struck him, failing to leave even a white mark before being deflected away.

Seeing this, Kaguya Taro immediately drew a bone blade shimmering with a cold light from his left arm, gripped the hilt, and slashed fiercely toward Aragaki Yasushi.

Aragaki Yasushi backhanded the Kiba, blocking the bone blade steadily with a light parry.

Silvery-white lightning instantly surged from the Kiba, snaking along the bone blade toward Kaguya Taro's arm.

Kaguya Taro's pupils constricted, and he hurriedly released the bone blade, retreating several steps.

"Enough."

He waved his hand, still looking somewhat unsatisfied.

"We launch our rebellion at the first light of dawn tomorrow. I need to conserve my energy and be in peak condition for the fight."

"This warm-up was quite enjoyable, kid. You're not bad."

Aragaki Yasushi frowned: "What? You don't want to cooperate with us in Konoha anymore?"

Kaguya Taro waved his hand, his expression full of arrogance: "It's not that we don't want to cooperate, it's just that there's no need to trouble you."

"Our Kaguya Clan can take down that usurper with our own strength!"

"Once we are victorious, we will naturally be willing to make peace with Konoha and maintain non-aggression."

At this, he let out a cold snort, his tone dripping with disdain: "If you insist on discussing cooperation, go find Karatachi Yagura. That guy might be interested."

"But there's no need to go through all that trouble. After tomorrow, that usurper will be dead, and Kirigakure will belong to our Kaguya Clan."

He waved his hand, issuing a dismissal: "Alright, off you go."

"The Mist Anbu are lurking nearby watching us; don't let them discover your tracks."

He paused, then let out a scoff: "Though it doesn't matter. They can only be arrogant for one more day; tomorrow, there will be no one left to control us."

Aragaki Yasushi rolled his eyes at this, said nothing more, and led a disgruntled Uchiha Inabi away from the Kaguya Clan's territory.

This Kaguya Clan is truly idiotic, refusing a helping hand when offered.

To say they don't need help—they are arrogant beyond measure.

However, they aren't entirely stupid; they weren't foolish enough to push Konoha toward the Third Mizukage, so they still have some brains.

It seems I can only go and make contact with that Karatachi Yagura.

Aragaki Yasushi calculated in his mind.

Judging by Kaguya Taro's tone, Karatachi Yagura should also be an opponent of the Bloody Mist Policy.

Moreover, his status among the rebels shouldn't be low; he might be a reliable partner.

This aligns with his previous hypothesis.

The two walked silently out of the Kaguya Clan's territory, avoiding the Mist Anbu lurking in the vicinity.

After walking a few steps, Uchiha Inabi couldn't help but ask: "Where to next? Should we head back to the inn to check the orders sent by the village?"

Aragaki Yasushi replied casually: "Back to the inn to check the orders first, then we'll make contact with Karatachi Yagura."

"And we'll keep an eye on the situation with the Kaguya Clan tomorrow."

Uchiha Inabi frowned, unable to stop himself from asking: "Do you think the Kaguya Clan can win?"

Aragaki Yasushi scoffed, answering without a second thought: "They can't."

"The Kaguya Clan is too arrogant and conceited. Do they really think they are invincible?"

"Relying solely on the strength of their own clan to rival the entire Kirigakure—even if the Third Mizukage has alienated everyone—is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Inabi's expression darkened, looking rather grim.

In his own Uchiha Clan, there was also a faction of militants who shouted all day about rebelling against the village and seizing power.

Although, in his view, the Uchiha Clan was far stronger than the Kaguya Clan, Konoha was also far stronger than Kirigakure.

Furthermore, the Third Hokage held immense prestige and was nothing like the isolated Third Mizukage.

Are the ideas of the militants in his clan truly feasible?

Is this path really not the right one to take?

Aragaki Yasushi opened his mission panel.

The mission was not yet complete.

Could it be that these guys from the Kaguya Clan don't count as true rebels?

It seems I will have to make contact with Karatachi Yagura after all; they might be the ones the system identifies as the true rebels of Kirigakure.

As for the Kaguya Clan, they are likely just a bunch of losers destined to fail in their rebellion.

The two stopped chatting and quickened their pace, successfully returning to the inn where they were staying.

The moment the door was pushed open, Uchiha Shisui hurried over to meet them, a look of urgency on his face.

Seeing this, Aragaki Yasushi got straight to the point: "Shisui, have the orders come down from the village?"

Shisui nodded hurriedly, speaking at a rapid pace: "They have. The village high command wants us to join forces with the Kirigakure rebels and incite an uprising."

"They demand that we overthrow the Third Mizukage's rule as quickly as possible to end the war with Kirigakure, so that we can free up our energy to deal with the Kumogakure front."

Having said that, Shisui paused before adding: "Regarding the Kumogakure front, Lord Yashiro also sent over some new intelligence."

"Iwagakure launched a sneak attack on Kumogakure. To buy time for his comrades to escape, the Third Raikage fought ten thousand Iwa Ninja all by himself. He battled for three days and three nights straight before finally dying of exhaustion."

Shisui spoke with a look of admiration, his tone filled with shock.

"Iwagakure didn't come out unscathed; their losses were catastrophic, with countless casualties."

Upon hearing this, Aragaki Yasushi's eyes shifted—it had finally happened.

With this, Iwagakure is effectively out of the game.

Although Kumogakure lost a Raikage and it looks grim, their actual losses aren't that great; it hasn't reached the point of breaking their foundation.

Furthermore, Kumogakure hasn't fallen into a state of lacking successors. The AB Duo of A and Killer B has already shaken the ninja world; their strength is formidable, and they are more than capable of holding the line.

In contrast, Iwagakure lost a massive number of ninja, especially among the jonin, many of whom are now dead.

Moreover, Iwagakure has always relied on mass mobilization and unity, favoring large-scale army operations and bullying others with sheer numbers.

Suffering such a massive loss of personnel all at once is naturally a devastating blow.

It seems the village intends to focus its primary energy on the Kumogakure front.

Just then, Hyuga Homura suddenly walked out from the adjacent room, his expression exceptionally grave.

His veins were bulging around his eyes, and his entire gaze had turned a stark white; he was clearly activating his Byakugan.

"You were followed."

Hyuga Homura's tone was stern, his words instantly shattering the calm in the room.

Aragaki Yasushi frowned on the spot.

He had only just been promoted to jonin, so his experience was indeed lacking, and sensory perception wasn't his strong suit; it was normal to be followed.

However, he looked toward Uchiha Inabi at his side.

It's one thing for me to be green, but you, Uchiha Inabi, are a veteran jonin—how did you fail to notice someone tailing us?

Uchiha Inabi felt uncomfortable under his gaze, a look of embarrassment instantly appearing on his face.

He gave a light cough and asked in a stiff tone: "Who? Who followed us?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a mass of water began to seep up through the gaps in the floorboards, gathering and taking shape in the middle of the room until it transformed into a white-haired youth.

Aragaki Yasushi fixed his eyes on him and instantly recognized the intruder's identity.

It was none other than Hozuki Mangetsu.