Goodbye, Orochimaru

For the sake of the village?

Zabuza gripped the cold longsword, his eyes gradually regaining their luster.

Ninjas of the Blood Mist Village were killing machines raised in a cruel environment, knowing nothing but slaughter. There was no room for emotion, even between companions or brothers.

Yet now, he suddenly felt a touch of emotion.

Hōzuki Mangetsu!

Zabuza took a deep breath and said, word by word, "I will not let you down."

With the longsword Nuibari in his possession, Zabuza had officially entered the ranks of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen held an incredibly high status in Kirigakure, even occupying a seat at the center of the village's power structure.

For a commoner ninja from the Mist, this was a leap to the heavens.

Yet, all of this stemmed from the gift of the youth before him.

Thinking of this, the gaze Zabuza directed at Hōzuki Mangetsu softened.

The youth before him was not only immensely powerful but also possessed an inclusive heart.

Thank you!

After hesitating for a long time, Zabuza finally reached out his hand.

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled as well.

The two men shook hands.

Zabuza was an elite among the Mist Ninja and one of the few people Hōzuki Mangetsu truly valued. If he wanted to secure a foothold in the future factional struggles, he had to recruit such capable individuals.

Zabuza had long possessed the strength of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen; now that he had obtained the longsword, it was only a matter of time before he gained the recognition of the others.

In truth, compared to a turncoat like Kisame, Hōzuki Mangetsu actually appreciated Zabuza more.

"Right, if anyone asks about the origin of the longsword, just say you found it on the road. And that you have already received the acknowledgment of me, Hōzuki Mangetsu."

Hōzuki Mangetsu seemed to recall something and carefully instructed Zabuza.

There were rules for inheriting the titles of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen; to become one of the seven, one had to be recognized by the others.

Currently, the only ones holding the titles of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were Hōzuki Mangetsu and Suikazan Fuguki.

Since Hōzuki Mangetsu had nodded in approval, Suikazan Fuguki naturally wouldn't refuse to have one more subordinate bearing a Seven Ninja Swordsmen title.

Zabuza becoming the new generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was now a foregone conclusion.

I understand!

Zabuza nodded and said, "I will not cause you any trouble."

He now owed Hōzuki Mangetsu a massive favor, so his tone became respectful.

Perhaps the longsword was merely a ninja tool to Hōzuki Mangetsu, but to a commoner ninja like Zabuza, it was a symbol of status and position.

Not just anyone could be called one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

Watching Zabuza leave, Hōzuki Mangetsu felt a weight lift from his heart.

Although he had given away a longsword, winning over a master like Zabuza meant he hadn't suffered a loss.

Zabuza was a man who valued loyalty; since he had been given a chance, he would naturally return the favor.

When Hōzuki Mangetsu eventually vied with Terumi Mei for the position of Mizukage, Zabuza would surely stand on his side.

After returning to pack his things, Hōzuki Mangetsu slowly left the village, traveling through the night toward Konoha.

"Kid, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Just as he crossed the border of the Mist Village, a violent gale struck.

Whoosh!

Hōzuki Mangetsu hurriedly used a Body Flicker technique to retreat several steps.

His battle with Zabuza had not been without its gains; the Mist Body Flicker was one of the spoils of war.

It was an extremely practical Nintaijutsu.

Zabuza naturally wouldn't hide anything from the benefactor who had granted him his status as one of the Seven, explaining the secrets of the Mist Body Flicker to Hōzuki Mangetsu in detail.

With his cultivation, he had mastered it quickly.

The borders of Kirigakure were shrouded in thick fog year-round, making it the perfect place to use this Nintaijutsu.

After the gale subsided, a slender figure appeared before Hōzuki Mangetsu—it was Orochimaru.

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled and said, "Is this how Mr. Orochimaru greets a friend?"

Kid!

Orochimaru's pupils constricted as he sneered, "Hand over Shisui's eyes immediately, or I will wipe out your Hozuki Clan."

Shisui's eyes?

Hōzuki Mangetsu feigned surprise and said, "Are you talking about Uchiha Shisui? Could it be that Mr. Orochimaru failed to take him down? Could it be that this Shisui's strength is even above that of one of the Sannin, Mr. Orochimaru?"

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Orochimaru's face.

In order to seize the body of Uchiha Shisui, he had made exhaustive preparations. In the end, however, he had fallen victim to the other's genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, and had remained in a coma for many days before waking up.

By the time he awoke, both Shisui's eyes and his body were gone, and Konoha was insisting that he was the one who had abducted Shisui.

He had failed to catch the fox and had only ended up covered in its stench.

This left Orochimaru feeling stifled with jealousy.

Someone must have taken advantage of the moment he and Uchiha Shisui were both severely weakened to reap the rewards, seizing the opportunity to make off with Shisui's corpse and eyes.

Being made the scapegoat caused Orochimaru's heart to bleed.

It had always been he who framed others; no one had ever dared to frame him. Naturally, Orochimaru was extremely displeased and swore to catch the bastard responsible.

Hōzuki Mangetsu watched Orochimaru with a beaming smile.

In truth, today's events had been entirely within his expectations.

Orochimaru was a man of top-tier intelligence and emotional quotient; once he broke free from Uchiha Shisui's genjutsu, he would inevitably come looking for him.

However, he was already well-prepared.

"Mr. Orochimaru!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu's smile remained unchanged as he said, "I have no interest in those evil eyes of the Uchiha, and at the time of the incident, I was executing an S-rank mission. Besides, I am no match for Uchiha Shisui."

Orochimaru snorted.

Although he was suspicious of Hōzuki Mangetsu, he did not believe the boy had the strength to defeat Uchiha Shisui.

Uchiha Shisui's genjutsu was incredibly formidable.

Even for one of the Sannin like Orochimaru, encountering it meant a crushing defeat.

"Don't think that just because you say that, I will let you off easily. You are the one with the most suspicion."

Orochimaru said in a sinister tone.

Having worked himself to the bone only to make a wedding dress for someone else, Orochimaru was already furious, and with nowhere to vent his rage, he had targeted Hōzuki Mangetsu.

After all, because of this incident, this brat had previously taken the Kusanagi Sword and the Rashomon from his hands.

Hōzuki Mangetsu understood Orochimaru's feelings of shame and anger perfectly well.

"Mr. Orochimaru, could you tell me the sequence of events? Perhaps I can help you find some leads."

He said this deliberately.

Orochimaru thought about it and found it reasonable; as the saying goes, the bystander sees more than the player. He proceeded to recount the events in full detail.

Of course, he was unclear about what happened after he fell under Shisui's genjutsu, as he had already been moved from the battlefield by the time he woke up.

So that was it!

Hōzuki Mangetsu nodded feignedly. As one of the primary instigators, he naturally knew the ins and outs of the matter.

"This matter is highly suspicious; it is clear that someone is trying to frame you, Mr. Orochimaru!"

No kidding!

Orochimaru felt a bit annoyed. He naturally knew someone was trying to frame him; otherwise, he would have been finished off long ago.

At the time, he had been under the genjutsu and had absolutely no room to resist.

But what Orochimaru did not realize was that the person who had framed him was standing right in front of him, pretending to analyze the situation for his benefit.