Hoshigakure

After taking Uchiha Shisui's eyes, Hōzuki Mangetsu immediately erased anything in the forest that could be traced back to him, then left the border with Ranmaru.

He had obtained Shisui's eyes, but he wouldn't be able to use them for a while.

Not unless he could fuse with Hashirama's cells.

But fusing with Hashirama's cells was a long process.

Until then, Hōzuki Mangetsu's priority was to increase his own strength.

No matter how strong one person was, they couldn't stand against a crowd. Hōzuki Mangetsu, who had come from a later era, knew that all too well.

If he wanted to survive in Kirigakure, he needed to build up his own following.

All told, Hōzuki Mangetsu had only two little kids on his side: Ranmaru and Suigetsu. He couldn't compare with an organization like the Five Great Nations, or even a small village like Orochimaru's.

Strength!

Hōzuki Mangetsu sighed.

The Hozuki Clan might be known as the strongest clan among the Mist Ninja, but it had fallen into decline. He and his brother were the only ones of their generation who had made a name for themselves.

Although he had allied with Terumi Mei on behalf of the Hozuki Clan, there was no guarantee that the snake-hearted woman would trust him.

It was time to develop his own forces.

Kirigakure was already under Tobi's control. As things stood, Hōzuki Mangetsu wasn't qualified to compete with Obito.

Not only that, he also had to do everything he could to avoid attracting Black Zetsu's attention.

Black Zetsu was one of the final bosses. He might seem more like a supporting player, but he was not to be underestimated.

So Kirigakure was out of the question, and the other four great villages were even less likely. Why would they let an outsider poach their people?

After thinking it over, Hōzuki Mangetsu could only turn his attention to the wilderness. There seemed to be some promising young ninja out there. Ranmaru was one example.

With Mirage, Ranmaru was the bane of sensory ninja.

Outside the Five Great Shinobi Villages, there were other promising ninja, too. Haku and Kimimaro, for instance.

By his estimate, Orochimaru probably hadn't established Otogakure yet. That meant most of the promising ninja under his command were still out in the wild.

Jugo, Guren, Karin, and the Sound Four.

At the thought, Hōzuki Mangetsu grew eager.

This was a great opportunity.

He might not have Orochimaru's freakish charisma, but he had no trouble persuading a few young girls and boys.

But soon, reality brought him back down to earth.

Hōzuki Mangetsu wasn't the learned, well-rounded type like Orochimaru. Those talented young ninja might not reach the heights they would in his hands.

Forget it!

Hōzuki Mangetsu shook his head. He'd leave that exhausting work to Orochimaru. The snake was a freak, but he really was the best teacher in the world of Naruto.

Orochimaru had turned Sasuke into a super-S-rank expert in just three years, after all. He could recruit those wild ninja. Hōzuki Mangetsu had already obtained Shisui's eyes; he could use Kotoamatsukami to take them from Orochimaru later.

Once he'd thought it through, he felt much better.

"Lord Mangetsu!"

Ranmaru asked respectfully, "Where are we going next?"

He had already gotten used to this life.

Being Hōzuki Mangetsu's eyes and helping him seemed to have become Ranmaru's whole world.

"The Land of Bears. Hoshigakure!"

A slight smile appeared on Hōzuki Mangetsu's lips as he looked into the distance.

Though it was remote and surrounded by miasma, Hoshigakure couldn't be ignored. It possessed a fragment of the Ten-Tails.

The fragment could let ninja turn Chakra into a tangible form, much like the Tailed Beast Cloak and the Uchiha Clan's Susanoo. It was an advanced form of Chakra shape transformation.

Learning to make Chakra tangible had many uses. For instance, it allowed flight—a pretty incredible ability.

There didn't seem to be many ninja who could fly at high altitudes.

The only drawback was that it caused severe damage to the body. Of course, that didn't apply to those with a Sage Body.

On the outskirts of Hoshigakure,

two figures raced past, carrying a box containing Hoshigakure's most precious treasure: a fragment of the Ten-Tails!

The two ninja were Natsuhiboshi and Hotarubi, who had stolen the meteorite.

They were among the few ninja in the village who had mastered the Mysterious Peacock Method.

The meteorite's power was immense, but it came with serious side effects. Ninja who had trained alongside them had died in droves, until only the two of them had survived.

The couple had quickly realized that the meteorite was a curse. For the sake of their village, they had decided to steal it and seal it away.

They ran for a while before suddenly stopping, puzzled by the white mist surrounding them.

The area around Hoshigakure was shrouded in miasma. This kind of thick, white fog was unusual.

Were they under attack?

They immediately went on guard.

Then their surroundings changed again, and they saw their fellow villagers who had died while training in the Mysterious Peacock Method.

"An illusionary technique?"

Natsuhiboshi murmured.

She was about to form Hand Seals and break the illusion when she saw the bloodied figure of a little boy in the middle of the scene.

"Smile!"

Natsuhiboshi cried out in anguish, her eyes instantly clouding over. Her concern for her child had thrown her into confusion, and she had fallen into the illusion.

"Natsuhiboshi!"

Hotarubi was shocked, too, and reached out to save his wife.

He was a little stronger than she was, so he could resist the illusion.

But the scene changed again. Now, lying in pools of blood, were not only Smile, but also his wife, Natsuhiboshi, and everyone else in the village.

A bloody shadow stood beside the bodies, holding the meteorite in its bloodstained right hand.

"This isn't real!"

Hotarubi shouted. He formed a Hand Seal with one hand and roared.

All the illusions vanished—except for the shadow.

Hotarubi stared at the scene in shock.

As a jonin of the village, he wasn't usually susceptible to illusionary techniques. His wife might have fallen for it because she had seen their child.

Hotarubi formed another Hand Seal and broke the illusion again.

But the shadow was still standing in front of him, the meteorite still resting in its hand.

Wasn't this an illusion?

Hotarubi was shocked.

Just then, another figure appeared behind him. He felt a heavy blow to the back of his neck, then fell to the ground, unconscious.

The shadow vanished with a bang, revealing a sweaty, disheveled child: Red-Eyed Ranmaru.

"Lord Mangetsu, if you hadn't stepped in, I wouldn't have been able to keep it up."

He panted as he spoke.

"Not bad!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu nodded with satisfaction.

This kid really had talent.

Ranmaru had combined Mirage with the Hell Viewing Technique, taking down Hoshigakure's jonin Natsuhiboshi in one move.

The Hell Viewing Technique was only a C-rank illusionary technique.

Even with the Giant Clam's help, the illusion had been timed perfectly.

That was Ranmaru's talent. He was a natural illusion-type ninja. With the Giant Clam's help, this kid's future potential was almost limitless.