Bootleg Kotoamatsukami

Hōzuki Mangetsu covered his eye again, and blood trickled from his right eye.

The Sharingan placed an enormous burden on anyone who wasn't an Uchiha or a Senju. Hōzuki Mangetsu had only used one Illusionary Technique, yet he already felt utterly exhausted.

He was even more tired than after his fight with Orochimaru.

This body really wasn't suited for it!

Hōzuki Mangetsu let out a breath and nodded slowly.

"Transplant my eye back."

He spoke in a commanding tone.

"Yes, Master!"

Amachi replied woodenly and immediately replaced the eye with Hōzuki Mangetsu's original one.

Once his own eye was back in place, Hōzuki Mangetsu felt a wave of relief. He could finally understand Kakashi Hatake's misery.

The transplanted Sharingan was a source of power, but it was also a burden.

Before he fused with Hashirama's cells, having a transplanted Sharingan was practically an act of suicide.

This time, he had risked using it to alter someone's will because of Amachi.

The combination of the Cursed Seal and a transplanted Illusionary Technique was a weakened version of Kotoamatsukami. It could keep someone trapped in an illusion.

It was a power that could even spark a war.

So Hōzuki Mangetsu had to keep it secret, and someone as fickle as Amachi had to become his puppet.

There was no denying that Shisui was the strongest genjutsu ninja. The power of his Sharingan Genjutsu was immense. In an instant, Amachi's will had been altered. All Hōzuki Mangetsu had to do was place a Cursed Seal on him, and Amachi would become his puppet forever.

At the thought, a smile appeared on Hōzuki Mangetsu's lips. He took out a syringe.

Back then, Amachi had secretly kept some of Orochimaru's Cursed Seal materials. Now, after Hōzuki Mangetsu had replicated them, there were two doses.

One had gone to Chukichi. The other, naturally, was for Amachi himself.

An Illusionary Technique and a Cursed Seal—now that was double insurance.

Amachi's screams rang out from the laboratory.

For years, he had experimented on others. He'd never expected to become the test subject himself one day.

Not every ninja could learn Senjutsu.

Among Orochimaru's test subjects, those with kekkei genkai had a higher survival rate when given a Cursed Seal. This showed that the more talented a ninja was, the greater their chances of learning Senjutsu.

Fortunately, Amachi survived, and his body adapted to the Cursed Seal's changes.

In other words, he had become Hōzuki Mangetsu's puppet.

Hōzuki Mangetsu had used Shisui's eye to alter Amachi's will and make him loyal to himself, allowing him to take control of the Land of the Sea base.

From now on, the base in the Land of the Sea belonged to Hōzuki Mangetsu. It was his first sphere of influence outside a village.

"Lord Mangetsu!"

Red-Eyed Ranmaru, who had been diligently training, spotted Hōzuki Mangetsu and hurried over excitedly.

Looking into Ranmaru's adoring eyes, Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled and patted his head.

"How has your training been going?"

Red-Eyed Ranmaru replied eagerly, "Lord Mangetsu, look!"

As he spoke, his hands swiftly formed several signs.

Summoning Technique!

A gigantic clam appeared beneath them.

Hōzuki Mangetsu looked at the boy in surprise.

Red Eyes and the Giant Clam were a perfect match.

That was why Hōzuki Mangetsu had already arranged for Ranmaru to sign a contract with the Clam Clan. In other words, Ranmaru could summon clams too.

However, the size of the clam and how long it remained depended on the summoner's abilities.

Normally, Ranmaru could only summon small clams. Though even the small ones could use Mirage, their technique's range was nowhere near as vast as the Giant Clam's.

He hadn't expected the boy to summon the Giant Clam in such a short time.

"Ninja Art: Mirage!"

Ranmaru formed several more hand signs, and the Second Hokage's most powerful Illusionary Technique was unleashed.

The technique's range and power still fell short of Hozuki Mangetsu's, but it was enough to impress Hōzuki Mangetsu.

The boy really was a genius.

Ranmaru and the Giant Clam worked together seamlessly. He would surely become one of Hōzuki Mangetsu's greatest assets in the future.

Excellent!

Hōzuki Mangetsu nodded and praised him. "Ranmaru really is a genius."

Ranmaru shyly rubbed his head.

He was very happy with the life he had now.

"Come out, Ah Da!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu suddenly called.

A tall, slender figure appeared before them.

This was...

Seeing the man with bandages wrapped around his face, Ranmaru jumped back in fright.

"Don't be afraid. This is Ah Da, one of my subordinates. From now on, the two of you will be a team."

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled.

This Ah Da was none other than Chukichi.

After Hōzuki Mangetsu altered Chukichi's will, he became Ah Da. His Dark Release and sensory abilities would be far more effective when combined with Ranmaru and the Giant Clam.

"Uncle Ah Da, I'm Ranmaru. Please take care of me!"

Ranmaru said cautiously.

Ah Da glanced at him and smiled. "Master told me to protect you. I won't let you get hurt."

Though some of his will had been erased, his feelings had not.

Seeing a cute child like Ranmaru made him genuinely happy.

"Ranmaru, there's something I need you two to do for me."

Hōzuki Mangetsu spoke up.

A mission!

At this, Ranmaru leaped with excitement.

It had been a long time since he'd gone on a mission with Hōzuki Mangetsu.

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled and looked toward Kusagakure.

There was a promising child there—Karin Uzumaki.

She was a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, with Chakra that gave her incredible healing abilities, as well as the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu.

She was an excellent assistant!

By his reckoning, she should have already faced hardships by now. The child possessed the rare Kagura Eye, and her sensory abilities far surpassed those of the two before him.

Hōzuki Mangetsu had wanted to rescue her for a long time.

That child would be extremely useful.

He had planned to go himself, but there was no time to waste; he had to return to the village. So he entrusted the task to Ranmaru and Ah Da.

With Ranmaru's Illusionary Technique and Ah Da's experience, bringing a child back from Kusagakure shouldn't be a problem.

Outskirts of Kirigakure.

A towering figure ran at full speed, with a group of Anbu in pursuit.

The figure appeared to be injured. Blood streamed from him, and he clutched a large, sharp steel needle.

It was Zabuza. He had now become the wielder of Nuibari.

"Zabuza!"

The leader of the Anbu had a shark-like face. He was none other than Kisame, Suikazan Fuguki's trusted subordinate.

Zabuza had received Nuibari from Hozuki Mangetsu and earned his approval, becoming the newest member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

This displeased Suikazan Fuguki, who had a strong need for control. He didn't want his subordinates to stand on equal footing with him, so he refused to acknowledge Zabuza's status.

At Suikazan Fuguki's instigation, Kisame had also begun challenging Zabuza for Nuibari.

Zabuza wasn't afraid of Kisame on his own, but Kisame had the support of Suikazan's Anbu. Before long, Zabuza was wounded and forced to flee.

Before long, Kisame and his men had surrounded him.

"Zabuza!" Kisame said viciously. "For old times' sake, hand over the sword and I'll let you go. Otherwise, you're dead."