For the village?
Zabuza gripped the cold long sword, and the light gradually returned to his eyes.
The Mist Ninja of the Blood Mist Village were killing machines raised in a brutal environment. All they knew was killing. They felt no affection even for their comrades, not even their own brothers.
Now, though, he suddenly felt a little moved.
Hozuki Mangetsu!
Zabuza took a deep breath and said, word by word, "I won't let you down."
With Nuibari in hand, Zabuza had officially joined the ranks of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen held a very high standing in Kirigakure, and even had a place in the village's power structure.
For an ordinary Mist Ninja, this was practically a meteoric rise.
And yet it was all thanks to the gift of the boy before him.
At the thought, Zabuza's gaze softened as he looked at Hozuki Mangetsu.
The boy before him was not only powerful but also broad-minded.
Thank you!
After hesitating for a long while, Zabuza finally held out his hand.
Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled as well.
The two clasped hands.
Zabuza was an elite Mist Ninja, one of the few people Hōzuki Mangetsu considered worthy. If he wanted to secure a place for himself in the factional struggles to come, he had to win over people with real ability.
Zabuza had long possessed the strength to join the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Now that he had obtained a sword, it was only a matter of time before the others acknowledged him.
Actually, compared to someone like Kisame, who was liable to turn on him, Hōzuki Mangetsu admired Zabuza more.
"By the way, if anyone asks where you got Nuibari, just say you picked it up along the way. And that I, Hozuki Mangetsu, have given my approval."
Hōzuki Mangetsu seemed to remember something and carefully reminded Zabuza.
There were rules for inheriting the title of Seven Ninja Swordsmen. To become one of them, a person had to earn the others' recognition.
At present, only Hozuki Mangetsu and Suikazan Fuguki held the title of Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Since Hozuki Mangetsu had agreed, Suikazan Fuguki naturally wouldn't object to one more of his subordinates taking the title.
Zabuza's becoming one of the new Seven Ninja Swordsmen was now a foregone conclusion.
I understand!
Zabuza nodded and said, "I won't cause you any trouble."
He owed Hōzuki Mangetsu a huge debt, so his tone had turned respectful.
To Hozuki Mangetsu, the sword might have been just another ninja tool, but to Zabuza, a Mist Ninja from an ordinary background, it was a symbol of status.
Not just anyone could call themselves one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
After watching Zabuza leave, Hōzuki Mangetsu felt relieved.
Although he had given away a sword, winning over a powerful fighter like Zabuza was no loss to him.
Zabuza was a man who valued loyalty. Since Hōzuki Mangetsu had given him an opportunity, Zabuza would naturally repay him in kind.
When Hōzuki Mangetsu eventually competed with Terumi Mei for the position of Mizukage, Zabuza would surely stand by his side.
After returning to tidy up, Hōzuki Mangetsu finally left the village and headed for Konoha in the dead of night.
"Kid, I've been waiting for you."
As soon as he crossed the border out of Mist Ninja territory, a fierce gust of wind swept toward him.
Whoosh!
Hōzuki Mangetsu hurriedly used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat several steps.
His fight with Zabuza earlier hadn't been without its benefits. Mist Body Flicker was one of them.
It was an extremely practical Nintaijutsu.
Zabuza naturally hadn't kept anything back from the benefactor who had given him the title of one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. He had explained every detail of Mist Body Flicker to Hōzuki Mangetsu.
With his level of skill, Hōzuki Mangetsu had mastered it in no time.
The border of Kirigakure was shrouded in dense fog all year round, making it the perfect place to use this Nintaijutsu.
After the gust of wind passed, a tall, slender figure appeared before Hōzuki Mangetsu. It was Orochimaru.
Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled and said, "Is this how you welcome a friend, Mr. Orochimaru?"
"Kid!"
Orochimaru's pupils narrowed. He sneered, "Hand over Shisui's eyes, or I'll wipe out the Hozuki Clan."
"Shisui's eyes?"
Hōzuki Mangetsu pretended to be surprised. "You mean Uchiha Shisui? Did you fail to capture him, Mr. Orochimaru? Could Shisui actually be stronger than one of the Sannin?"
A flash of awkwardness crossed Orochimaru's face.
He had made thorough preparations to seize Uchiha Shisui's body. In the end, though, he had fallen victim to Kotoamatsukami and remained unconscious for many days.
When he woke, Shisui's eyes and body were gone, and Konoha insisted he had abducted Shisui.
He hadn't caught the fox, and had ended up with a face full of mud instead.
Orochimaru was seething with frustration.
Someone must have taken advantage of the moment when he and Uchiha Shisui had both been badly weakened, and made off with Shisui's body and eyes.
Being made the scapegoat made Orochimaru's heart bleed.
He had always been the one framing others. No one had ever framed him before, so naturally he was furious. He swore he would catch the bastard.
Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled at Orochimaru.
In fact, everything that had happened today had been within his expectations.
Orochimaru was exceptionally intelligent and perceptive. Once he broke free of Uchiha Shisui's Illusionary Technique, he was sure to come looking for him.
But Hōzuki Mangetsu was already fully prepared.
"Mr. Orochimaru!"
Hōzuki Mangetsu kept smiling. "I have no interest in those evil Uchiha eyes. Besides, when it happened, I was on an S-rank mission. And I'm no match for Uchiha Shisui."
Orochimaru snorted.
Though he suspected Hōzuki Mangetsu, he didn't believe the boy was strong enough to defeat Uchiha Shisui.
Uchiha Shisui's Illusionary Technique was formidable.
Even Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, had been utterly defeated by it.
"Don't think I'll let you off so easily just because you say that. You're the prime suspect."
Orochimaru spoke in a sinister tone.
He had fought tooth and nail only for someone else to reap the rewards, and he was already furious. With all that anger and nowhere to vent it, he had come looking for Hōzuki Mangetsu.
Because of this, the guy had already taken Kusanagi Sword and Rashomon from him.
Hōzuki Mangetsu understood all too well how humiliated and enraged Orochimaru felt.
"Mr. Orochimaru, could you tell me exactly what happened? Perhaps I can help you figure something out."
He said it on purpose.
Orochimaru considered it and decided it made sense. As the saying went, those involved were often blind to the truth, while onlookers saw it clearly. He then recounted everything in detail.
Of course, he didn't know what happened after Shisui's Illusionary Technique took effect. By the time he woke up, he had already been taken away from the battlefield.
I see!
Hōzuki Mangetsu nodded as if in thought. As one of the people behind it all, he knew exactly how everything had unfolded.
"This is suspicious. Someone clearly tried to frame you, Mr. Orochimaru!"
No kidding!
Orochimaru was annoyed. Of course he knew someone had tried to frame him; otherwise, he would already have been killed.
He had been caught in an Illusionary Technique at the time, and hadn't been able to resist at all.
What Orochimaru didn't realize was that the person who had framed him was standing right in front of him, pretending to analyze the situation.
Before you continue