A Shadow War

After saying goodbye to Harusame, Hōzuki Mangetsu slowly made his way home.

A puff of white smoke flashed, and Terumi Mei appeared in front of him.

"Little Hozuki!"

She spoke seductively. "What you said in the meeting just now was so good, even I was a little tempted."

As she spoke, she took a step closer.

So big and round!

Hōzuki Mangetsu's eyes immediately fell on her chest.

No wonder Terumi Mei was one of the Naruto World's most alluring mature women. She really had quite the assets.

Ahem!

He couldn't help coughing a few times. "Nonsense, nonsense. You're joking, Big Sister Mei."

I'm not joking!

Terumi Mei smiled brightly. "That old stubborn Harusame came to see you, didn't he? Your speech about the good of the village must have gone down well with them."

Hōzuki Mangetsu's heart immediately tightened.

He'd made those remarks on purpose today, hoping to win over the neutral factions. So far, he'd had some success.

Harusame reaching out to him on his own meant the Neutral Faction had taken notice of Hōzuki Mangetsu.

But this had also made Terumi Mei wary.

"Big Sister Mei, I'm not interested in that pedantic old man, Harusame."

Hōzuki Mangetsu hurried to clear things up.

Is that so?

Terumi Mei gazed at him with a warm smile, her eyes as gentle as if she were looking at something she adored.

"Do you know what your big sister's favorite thing is?"

What?

Hōzuki Mangetsu asked, confused.

Terumi Mei's smile faded, and she said each word distinctly. "Melting pretty things."

Holy crap!

Hōzuki Mangetsu couldn't help shivering. He looked at the woman with newfound caution.

People in Naruto World really were all a little twisted. Orochimaru liking pretty boys was already messed up, but he hadn't expected Terumi Mei to be even worse.

But then!

Terumi Mei changed the subject and covered her mouth with a laugh. "A handsome boy like you, little Hozuki, is someone I couldn't bear to melt."

Then she leaned close to his ear and whispered, "So you'd better not give me a reason to melt you!"

Terumi Mei's figure vanished again.

A Shadow Clone?

Hōzuki Mangetsu was already sweating cold. Terumi Mei was warning him not to make any reckless moves.

What a twisted woman!

He wiped away his cold sweat, still shaken.

Fortunately, Terumi Mei had only warned him and hadn't intended to attack. Otherwise, the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique might not have been a match for Lava Release and Boil Release.

Strength!

Hōzuki Mangetsu sighed helplessly.

The Naruto World really was a place where strength mattered.

Although he'd already acquired plenty of good things, he still couldn't protect himself in Kirigakure. As things stood, Hōzuki Mangetsu was no match for Terumi Mei.

The Neutral Faction had some strength too, but getting too close to them would surely displease Terumi Mei. Then things wouldn't end with a mere warning.

Just then, an Anbu suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Hōzuki Mangetsu!"

The Anbu said coldly, "The Mizukage wants to see you!"

What?

Hōzuki Mangetsu's heart sank. He had a bad feeling about this.

Yagura, the current Mizukage, was a puppet under Obito's control. Could Obito have taken notice of him?

He should've kept his mouth shut. He hadn't even won over the Neutral Faction, yet Terumi Mei and Obito had both taken notice of him one after another.

Hōzuki Mangetsu shook his head helplessly and followed the Anbu toward the Mizukage's Office.

He couldn't refuse a summons from the Mizukage.

Not unless he planned to betray the village, and Hōzuki Mangetsu wasn't strong enough for that yet.

"Greetings, Mizukage-sama!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu lowered his head.

He didn't know how Obito controlled Yagura, so he played it safe and didn't dare look him in the eye.

"Mangetsu, you're here!"

Yagura set down the scroll in his hand. "There's a mission I'd like you to carry out."

A mission?

Hōzuki Mangetsu immediately relaxed.

He didn't want to attract Obito's attention, especially with Black and White Zetsu, those monsters who could be anywhere, watching him.

"Please give me your orders, Mizukage-sama!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu answered at once.

He was one of the village's jonin and the leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, so naturally, he was given difficult missions.

"Konoha killed five of our shinobi for no reason. We can't let this go. Go to Konoha on behalf of Kirigakure and negotiate with them."

Negotiate?

Hōzuki Mangetsu was stunned.

They were already dead, so what was there to negotiate? Besides, they'd launched a suicide attack on Uchiha Shisui under Orochimaru's control.

Yagura clasped his hands behind his back and paced a few steps. "Of course, the situation in Konoha is delicate right now. While you're there, find out whether the Uchiha Clan really intends to break with Konoha's leadership."

What?

Hōzuki Mangetsu froze.

Wasn't Obito Uchiha behind Yagura?

With his unfathomable Space-Time Ninjutsu, going to Konoha would be easy. Why did he need to send someone on the Mizukage's behalf?

Hōzuki Mangetsu's mind raced through countless possibilities.

There was something wrong with this mission, no matter how he looked at it.

Could he have gone too far showing off in the meeting, drawing Obito's attention? Was Obito planning to use this chance to kill him?

No!

A flash of insight crossed Hōzuki Mangetsu's eyes.

He quickly seized on a crucial detail.

Obito had taken part in the Uchiha Clan's massacre and used the opportunity to collect a large number of Sharingan.

At the time, he must have been away from the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, for quite a while.

The power of the Sharingan was activated through ocular power. Without that power to maintain it, the genjutsu would eventually be exposed.

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, had likely broken free of the genjutsu during that period, only to end up gravely wounded by Uchiha Itachi and die from his injuries.

What was Obito planning?

"Understood!"

Although Hōzuki Mangetsu didn't understand Obito's intentions, he had no choice but to nod.

He couldn't refuse an order from the Mizukage.

Seeing that he'd accepted, Yagura nodded slowly and waved him away.

After leaving the Mizukage's Office, Hōzuki Mangetsu felt a little relieved.

The conflict between Suikazan Fuguki and Terumi Mei was growing worse. Obito sending him away now was a perfect chance to steer clear of the dispute.

"Hōzuki Mangetsu!"

A figure stepped in front of him.

Zabuza!

Hōzuki Mangetsu's pupils contracted as he scrutinized the mad killer. Back in the day, Zabuza had killed every other candidate in his graduating class by himself.

Kirigakure shinobi skilled in the Silent Killing Technique were known as demons.

They could conceal their scent and carry out assassinations using only sound.

The two most renowned demons in the village now were Momochi Zabuza and Hōzuki Mangetsu.

But Zabuza had an even more fearsome reputation than Hōzuki Mangetsu. There wasn't anyone in Kirigakure who didn't know this mad killer, who'd earned the title of Demon at just nine years old.

Zabuza was a shinobi from a civilian family. He'd gotten where he was through his own efforts, but even so, becoming a jonin was practically the limit for him.