The Dispute in Kirigakure

"Big brother, take this! This is the nature transformation of Chakra!"

The moment he stepped through the door, a sharp blade came straight at him.

It was little Suigetsu, who had snuck up on him with the Kusanagi Sword.

It was one of his childhood pranks.

The Hozuki Clan could transform their bodies into water, making physical attacks completely ineffective against them, so Suigetsu could attack without worrying.

Wind Release Chakra!

Hōzuki Mangetsu stared in surprise at the blade flashing in Suigetsu's hand.

Had Suigetsu mastered nature transformation in such a short time?

The Hozuki Clan really were all geniuses. In that case, he couldn't dodge with the Hydrification Technique.

Perfect. He could test out his new technique!

Mysterious Peacock Method!

Hōzuki Mangetsu immediately formed Hand Seals. Red-and-blue Chakra rapidly enveloped him, spreading like a peacock displaying its feathers.

Suigetsu's Kusanagi Sword struck Hōzuki Mangetsu's peacock tail. It was like hitting something solid, and the impact rang out with a metallic clang.

The Kusanagi Sword flew from Suigetsu's hand and nearly smashed through the wall.

After all, he was only a Genin. There was no way he could compare to his brother, who had already become an elite Jonin.

Just then, a giant hand made of solidified Chakra extended from Hōzuki Mangetsu and caught the Kusanagi Sword.

"Careful. A Kusanagi Sword infused with Wind Release Chakra is extremely sharp. Don't cut yourself."

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled at his little brother.

So this was Chakra made solid!

The little boy's round eyes widened as he stared at his brother in shock. Aside from the Fourth Hokage, the jinchūriki, this was the first time he had ever seen Chakra made solid.

"This is a new technique I learned."

Hōzuki Mangetsu explained.

"Big brother, teach me! Teach me!"

The little boy immediately rushed over and grabbed Hōzuki Mangetsu's arm.

A wave of warmth passed through Hōzuki Mangetsu. He patted Suigetsu's head and said, "This technique is very risky. We'll talk about it when you're older."

Suigetsu pouted, unhappy. No matter how Hōzuki Mangetsu tried to persuade him, he wouldn't budge.

In the end, Hōzuki Mangetsu had no choice but to give in. Suigetsu was satisfied only after he promised to teach him a C-rank ninjutsu.

"Teacher Mangetsu!"

Not long after he'd gotten away from the little boy, Chojuro came to visit.

He had officially become Hōzuki Mangetsu's student.

"Oh, it's Chojuro!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled and asked, "How has your training been going?"

Chojuro still hadn't overcome his shyness. He stammered, "I've been meaning to ask you for some pointers, teacher."

Hōzuki Mangetsu glanced at the time, then nodded. Since he had taken Chojuro on as a student, he had to do his best as a teacher.

Besides, Chojuro came from a well-connected family. Hōzuki Mangetsu would need to build alliances from all sides if he wanted to compete for the position of Mizukage.

Before long, three more figures had joined the training ground in Kirigakure.

A meeting of Kirigakure's Jonin.

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, sat at the center. Suikazan Fuguki sat to his left, while Terumi Mei and Ao sat to his right.

The highest authority in Kirigakure was the Mizukage, Yagura. Below him were three Mizukage's aides, followed by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and then the ordinary Jonin.

Suikazan Fuguki, Terumi Mei, and Ao were all Mizukage's aides, so they outranked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen outranked ordinary Jonin. As the leader of the new generation of Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Hōzuki Mangetsu naturally held the highest rank among the Jonin and sat below Terumi Mei. The rest of the Jonin took their seats around the round table.

Since it wasn't wartime, many Jonin were out on missions.

There weren't many Jonin left. The most prominent among them were Kisame, Zabuza, A-Jian, the captain of the Anbu pursuit squad, and an old man named Harusame, who seemed to be the Six-Tails' mentor.

"Mizukage-sama, I think this is an excellent opportunity!"

Suikazan Fuguki spoke first. "According to intelligence, the higher-ups in Konoha have fallen out with the Uchiha Clan, and a clash could break out at any moment. We can take advantage of this and move our forces to the border. Once Konoha is thrown into turmoil, we can strike while they're down. And even if we can't invade Konoha, we can still use the opportunity to seize some benefits. I suggest we throw everything we have into an attack on Konoha and take its territory."

He had a clever plan. If they launched an all-out war, Yagura, as the Mizukage, naturally wouldn't take the field himself. Command of the army would fall to Suikazan Fuguki. With the military under his control, he could easily eliminate anyone who opposed him.

Then the Land of Water would belong to him.

"Lord Fuguki is right. It's time to go to war with Konoha."

"We suffered huge losses last time. We have to get revenge."

"Mizukage-sama, give the order!"

Fuguki's subordinates—Kisame, Zabuza, and a group of Jonin—nodded and echoed his words.

"Fuguki, you're getting ahead of yourself."

Terumi Mei let out a soft laugh. "What if Konoha's leaders and the Uchiha Clan haven't actually clashed? Moving our forces to their border might just unite them. Besides..."

Her smile turned cold. "If Kirigakure commits everything to attacking Konoha, what happens if other countries, like Kumogakure or Sunagakure, take the opportunity to attack us?"

The two of them had long been bitter enemies. Naturally, she wasn't about to let Suikazan Fuguki's scheme succeed.

When Terumi Mei spoke up, her supporters did too.

"Lady Terumi Mei is right. We have to beware of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."

"Konoha is the strongest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Taking it will be difficult for Kirigakure."

"Mizukage-sama, please think this through!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu glanced around and noticed that, aside from A-Jian and Harusame, who remained neutral, almost all the other Jonin had already chosen a side.

Fuguki had the advantage in numbers, but most of Terumi Mei's supporters were powerful ninja. The two sides were almost evenly matched.

Yagura remained expressionless, paying no attention to the arguing among his subordinates.

Hōzuki Mangetsu knew that Yagura was still under Uchiha Madara's control. He didn't know what technique Madara had used, but it was certainly a powerful Illusionary Technique.

"Hōzuki Mangetsu!"

Yagura suddenly raised his head and asked, "What do you think?"

The Hozuki Clan had always led the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and held a very high standing in Kirigakure.

That was also why Terumi Mei had gone out of her way to win him over.

When Yagura asked Hōzuki Mangetsu, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Terumi Mei's mouth. The two of them had already joined forces, so Hōzuki Mangetsu would naturally side with her.

"I disagree with Terumi Mei."

Hōzuki Mangetsu's unexpected words took everyone by surprise.

What?

Not only Terumi Mei, but even Suikazan Fuguki was taken aback.

The two of them weren't exactly friends!

Why would Hōzuki Mangetsu agree with Fuguki?

"Let's hear your reasoning," Yagura said calmly.

Hōzuki Mangetsu cleared his throat and said, "The Land of Fire has the most fertile land, a mild climate, and abundant resources. Its strong material foundation has made Konoha powerful. By comparison, the Land of Water is barren, with few resources, and its people live in poverty. They can't provide Kirigakure with enough material support. If we want to obtain enough resources, we have to expand. We need the fertile land of the Land of Fire, so war is unavoidable."