The Clash

Two Anbu suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Naruto Uzumaki, leave at once!"

One of the Anbu said coldly.

Naruto Uzumaki looked confused. "Um, why?"

"Obey your orders!"

The Anbu said coldly, then turned his gaze to Hōzuki Mangetsu.

Hōzuki Mangetsu raised both hands and smiled. "Don't get the wrong idea. I was just teaching the kid a ninjutsu."

The two Anbu said nothing.

They had already watched closely. Hōzuki Mangetsu hadn't done anything suspicious with the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki.

"Why would you teach a B-rank ninjutsu to a child?"

One of the Anbu stared intently at Hōzuki Mangetsu.

The Shadow Clone was a B-rank ninjutsu created by the Second Hokage. To master it, one needed to be at least a Chunin.

Naruto was still just a child, so the Anbu couldn't understand why Hōzuki Mangetsu had taught him such an advanced ninjutsu.

"Well!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu shrugged. "I thought he was suited to the technique!"

The two Anbu watched him carefully for a while. When they found nothing unusual, they finally nodded.

"Lord Hokage requests your presence!"

They had appeared because they'd received an order from the Hokage.

"Lead the way!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu said easily.

He knew Konoha's leaders had finally reached an agreement, which was why Sarutobi Hiruzen was meeting with him.

"Mister!"

Naruto wanted to say something else, but the Anbu stopped him.

"Naruto, leave at once!"

His tone had turned displeased.

The Anbu had little fondness for this troublesome child.

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled faintly and left with the two Anbu.

The Anbu were already displeased that he'd approached the Nine-Tails. In that case, it would be unwise for him to do anything more.

Naruto had always been rather oblivious, but now, all of a sudden, he felt a little down.

He'd finally met someone who didn't hate him, only to have to part ways after just a little while.

"Mister, thank you!"

He suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.

Hōzuki Mangetsu turned around and smiled. "Naruto Uzumaki, you'll definitely become an incredible shinobi."

Naruto trembled as he watched Hōzuki Mangetsu walk away. Two streams of tears suddenly ran down his face.

At last, someone had acknowledged him.

He would work hard to become Hokage.

Meanwhile, Hōzuki Mangetsu arrived at the Hokage Building under the escort of the two Anbu.

Another Anbu stepped in front of Hōzuki Mangetsu.

"Hand over your ninja tools and scrolls. We'll hold on to them for you."

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled faintly and handed over his belongings.

It seemed last night's events had alarmed Konoha once again. Its security measures had become even stricter.

Only after all this was done was Hōzuki Mangetsu taken into the Hokage's office.

"I am Hōzuki Mangetsu, a jonin of Kirigakure. Greetings, Third!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu bowed slightly.

"So you're the young prodigy of the Hozuki Clan. Please, have a seat!"

Third Sarutobi Hiruzen set down the scroll in his hand and smiled.

Hōzuki Mangetsu sat down without fawning or showing disrespect.

At this moment, he represented his village and his country, so he couldn't act carelessly.

"How is the Fourth Mizukage? It's been a long time since I last saw him. The last time we met, he was still just a child."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke at an unhurried pace.

Hōzuki Mangetsu curled his lips slightly, unimpressed by Sarutobi Hiruzen's pointless small talk.

The Third Shinobi World War had ended, and the Five Great Shinobi Villages had returned to peace. But their wounds had yet to heal, and they were still locked in covert rivalries.

"Thanks to you, Third, the Fourth Mizukage is doing very well."

Hōzuki Mangetsu cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject. "Third, I'm here on behalf of my village because five of our comrades died in Konoha."

His expression darkened. "The five shinobi from our village were investigating near the border when they were inexplicably killed by Konoha. I wonder if you can give our village an explanation."

Hōzuki Mangetsu had come to represent his village and demand answers.

If he could make Konoha pay some price, it would greatly bolster his reputation in the future.

Although Hōzuki Mangetsu knew the five Hidden Mist shinobi had been killed by Orochimaru, they had died on Konoha territory, leaving Konoha with no way to deny responsibility.

"First, I regret the deaths of the five Hidden Mist shinobi. We're investigating the matter with all our resources, and I'm sure we'll have an answer before long."

Third Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke without changing his expression.

Though he didn't know why those five Hidden Mist shinobi had gotten involved, their bodies had been found in Konoha territory. On that point alone, Konoha couldn't escape responsibility.

"Investigating?"

Hōzuki Mangetsu sneered. "How long will that take? If Konoha investigates for a year, are we in Hidden Mist supposed to wait a whole year?"

"Impudent!"

A voice suddenly came from outside the room.

The door was pushed open, and Danzo walked in slowly. He tapped his cane once and said, "Why were your Hidden Mist shinobi on Konoha territory? I think they were trying to infiltrate Konoha and steal information, and were killed by someone whose identity is unknown. I'd like to ask the Fourth Mizukage what information he sent those shinobi to Konoha to investigate."

Danzo was a typical Hawk. Whether it came to diplomacy or the village's internal affairs, he always took a hard line.

He had always been dissatisfied with Sarutobi Hiruzen's weakness.

"You must be Danzo, the head of Root."

Hōzuki Mangetsu glanced sidelong at Danzo.

Danzo was an underrated character in the story.

After Orochimaru's modifications, he had gained the powers of the Senju and Uchiha, and had taken the Sharingan of Uchiha Shisui, wielder of the most powerful Illusionary Technique.

Since Danzo had become one of the village's leaders, he couldn't have lacked intelligence, social skills, or strength. Even if he couldn't match Sarutobi Hiruzen, he couldn't have been far behind.

Later, with the powers of the Uchiha and Senju and Shisui's Sharingan, he would absolutely be a Super Kage Level shinobi.

Unfortunately, in his first battle, he'd faced Obito and the Second—two people who were both ridiculously overpowered. Danzo's death had been only natural.

But Danzo hadn't obtained Shisui's Sharingan yet, so Hōzuki Mangetsu didn't need to worry about Danzo using an Illusionary Technique on him.

"Danzo, are you saying that our village deliberately started a war?"

Hōzuki Mangetsu asked bluntly.

Danzo sneered. "Exactly. Konoha will hold your village responsible."

He was always hard-line, no matter the situation.

"Is that so?"

Hōzuki Mangetsu slowly rose to his feet and said, word by word, "In that case, there's nothing left to discuss. I'll go back and tell the Mizukage to prepare for war. Five of our Hidden Mist shinobi are dead, and now Konoha is trying to frame us by claiming we started a war. This is utterly outrageous."

He sneered. "The Land of Water may be small, but that doesn't mean it can be bullied at will."