Plastic Surgery

"Hozuki Mangetsu!"

Chukichi suddenly slumped. "Actually, saving me was a mistake."

He had learned that Kirigakure's rule against accepting prisoners of war hadn't changed. In other words, he was still technically a prisoner of war, and returning to the village would still mean certain death.

Chukichi felt utterly hopeless.

For years, he had fought stubbornly against Konoha. Even after his fellow captives surrendered, he had gritted his teeth and refused to give in.

Chukichi loved his village deeply. He would never betray it.

Since he had become Konoha's prisoner, he had long since resigned himself to spending the rest of his life behind bars.

Hōzuki Mangetsu studied Chukichi for a moment, then asked, "There's something I've been wondering. Why haven't you surrendered to Konoha all these years? As far as I know, many Kirigakure Ninja surrender once they're captured."

Surrender?

Chukichi's mouth twitched. "I'm a shinobi of Kirigakure. Even if I die, I won't bring shame upon the Hidden Mist's reputation."

If he'd been willing to surrender, he would have done so long ago. He wouldn't have held out until now.

Kirigakure Ninja were the biggest headache for Konoha, since Kirigakure refused to exchange prisoners.

Once captured by Kirigakure, there was no way out but death. Kirigakure also refused to exchange its own captured shinobi. Even if they were sent back to the village, they would still be executed. As a result, most Kirigakure Ninja either killed themselves before being captured or surrendered. Someone like Chukichi, who did neither, was a real headache for them.

Besides, he was a kekkei genkai user, and Dark Release was so unusual that only someone with the same bloodline could learn it.

So there was no need to worry about Konoha discovering the secrets of Dark Release.

Chukichi was one of Konoha's most troublesome prisoners. The shinobi assigned to guard him had grown increasingly dissatisfied over the years. Every year, they petitioned the Hokage to execute the stubborn prisoner, but the Hokage always refused.

Now, at last, he had proven useful.

Sending Chukichi away would certainly ease one of Konoha's headaches.

The Third Hokage really was a wily old fox. Dealing with him seemed like a win, but in truth, it was a loss.

Still, the Dark Release user Chukichi was extremely important to Hōzuki Mangetsu, who lacked subordinates.

Well said!

Hōzuki Mangetsu clapped his hands.

Judging by Chukichi's actions during the later Impure World Reincarnation, he truly loved his village.

In other words, he seemed a little too loyal.

That was something Hōzuki Mangetsu could put to good use.

Dark Release combined with sensory abilities made Chukichi an exceptionally strong support teammate.

"Senior Chukichi, things are very tense in the village right now. I think you should hold off on going back."

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled warmly.

Not go back?

Chukichi stared at him in confusion.

This Hozuki boy had been the one to arrange his return from Konoha, and now he was telling him not to go back. What was the boy plotting?

There was one thing he understood, though. If he returned to the village, he would probably be executed as a missing-nin.

Hozuki Mangetsu was only saying this out of concern for him.

"I'm a shinobi of the Hidden Mist. Though Konoha captured me, I've never betrayed my village all these years. I know you mean well, but..."

Chukichi's voice turned solemn. "Even if I have to die, I want to die in Kirigakure, at the hands of my fellow villagers."

Fool!

Hōzuki Mangetsu couldn't help shaking his head inwardly. There were always so many fools in the world, people who stubbornly clung to one thing.

And it was because of fools like that that the world became so colorful.

"Senior Chukichi!"

He spoke earnestly. "Kirigakure is caught in a fierce internal conflict right now. If you go back, you'll definitely get dragged into it. I think you should stay away for a while. Once the village settles down, you can return. Besides, your Dark Release and sensory abilities are indispensable to the village. If anything happened to you, it would be a great loss for Kirigakure."

After going to all the trouble of reaching an agreement with Konoha and secretly bringing back the Dark Release user Chukichi, how could Hōzuki Mangetsu be foolish enough to take him back to the village?

If Yagura executed him, wouldn't all Hōzuki Mangetsu's efforts have been for nothing?

Besides, a Dark Release user was a powerful asset. How could Hōzuki Mangetsu let him go so easily?

Chukichi shook his head. He was a stubborn man, and he would never betray his village.

No matter how Hōzuki Mangetsu tried to persuade him, Chukichi still intended to return. Even if he had to sneak back, he would do it.

With no other choice, Hōzuki Mangetsu spread his hands. "You can go back to Kirigakure, but not looking like this. Otherwise, the Anbu will definitely execute you."

What about using the Transformation Technique?

Chukichi shook his head again.

The Transformation Technique could change his appearance for a short time, but it couldn't fool Kirigakure's sensory shinobi.

Kirigakure had plenty of sensory shinobi.

No Transformation Technique!

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled. "That's far too crude!"

He had already come up with a plan.

No Transformation Technique?

Chukichi was a little perplexed.

"Then what?"

He asked in confusion.

A smile curled at the corners of Hōzuki Mangetsu's mouth. He enunciated every word. "Why, the sensational, identity-stealing, face-changing, dinosaur-into-goddess superweapon of the future—plastic surgery!"

What, plastic surgery?

Chukichi stared at Hōzuki Mangetsu, bewildered.

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled again. "A master's work. No side effects, safe and reliable."

Now Amachi from the Land of the Sea would come in handy.

Orochimaru's surgical modifications were excellent. He could easily turn Chukichi into someone else.

Amachi was the one who usually performed Orochimaru's modification surgeries, so a little plastic surgery would be no trouble for him.

To make sure nobody in Kirigakure recognized Chukichi, he would have to avoid using Dark Release. More importantly, they needed to change his face—and preferably his build, too.

Then even people who knew him well wouldn't recognize him.

Hōzuki Mangetsu also planned to give Chukichi a makeover. After all, the original version of him was a bit of an eyesore.

This might be the first plastic surgery in the Naruto World.

The thought excited Hōzuki Mangetsu. He suddenly realized that he had a bit of a mischievous streak himself.

Birds of a feather flock together. After spending so much time with a weirdo like Orochimaru, he seemed to have picked up a few bad habits.

All right!

Chukichi slowly nodded. At this point, he had nothing more to say. As long as he could return to the village, he could accept plastic surgery.

Someone who wasn't afraid of death wouldn't be afraid of a little plastic surgery.

Excellent!

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled and pointed ahead. "Our destination is the Land of the Sea. Let's go!"

Orochimaru's base in the Land of the Sea was where Amachi was.

After Hōzuki Mangetsu gave Amachi some money, Amachi had agreed to help modify a few people.

Originally, Hōzuki Mangetsu had planned to have him modify an amphibious body to replace Kisame. But Chukichi's situation had come up unexpectedly, making him Amachi's first test subject.