The Knockoff Kotoamatsukami

Hōzuki Mangetsu covered his eyes once more, fresh blood trickling from his right eye.

The Sharingan was an immense burden for a body that possessed neither Uchiha nor Senju bloodlines; Hōzuki Mangetsu felt exceptionally exhausted after using a single genjutsu.

It was even more draining than the battle against Orochimaru.

This body was truly unsuitable!

Hōzuki Mangetsu exhaled a long breath and nodded slowly.

"Help me transplant the eyes back."

He spoke in a tone of command.

"Yes, Master!"

Amachi replied blankly, immediately setting to work to swap back his original eyeballs.

Once his own eyes were restored, Hōzuki Mangetsu felt a wave of relief; he could finally understand the sorrow of Hatake Kakashi.

While transplanting a Sharingan was a source of power, it was simultaneously a heavy burden.

Without fusing with the cells of Hashirama, transplanting a Sharingan was nothing short of a suicidal act.

The reason he had risked the transplant this time was entirely because of Amachi.

The combination of the Cursed Seal and genjutsu transplantation was a weakened version of Kotoamatsukami, capable of keeping a person trapped in a permanent illusion.

This was a power capable of igniting wars.

Therefore, Hōzuki Mangetsu had to keep it a secret, and a fickle person like Amachi had to become his puppet.

It had to be said that Shisui was the strongest genjutsu ninja; the power of his Sharingan genjutsu was immense. Amachi's will had been rewritten in an instant, and as long as the Cursed Seal was planted on him, he would remain Hōzuki Mangetsu's puppet forever.

Thinking of this, a smile curled on Hōzuki Mangetsu's lips as he took out a syringe.

Years ago, Amachi had secretly kept a portion of Orochimaru's Cursed Seal materials, which Hōzuki Mangetsu had since restored into two doses.

One was given to Chukichi, and the other was naturally meant for Amachi himself.

Genjutsu plus the Cursed Seal—this was a double insurance policy.

Amachi's screams echoed through the laboratory.

For years, he had been experimenting on others, never expecting that one day he would become the test subject himself.

Not all ninjas were capable of practicing Sage Mode.

Among Orochimaru's test subjects, those with bloodline limits had a higher survival rate for the Cursed Seal, which suggested that the more gifted a ninja was, the greater the possibility of mastering Sage Mode.

Fortunately, Amachi survived, and his body adapted to the changes brought by the Cursed Seal.

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

Hōzuki Mangetsu had used Shisui's eyes to rewrite Amachi's will, forcing him to be loyal, thereby achieving his goal of controlling the Land of the Sea base.

From this moment on, this base in the Land of the Sea belonged to Hōzuki Mangetsu, becoming his first sphere of influence outside the village.

"Lord Mangetsu!"

Red-Eyed Ranmaru, who had been diligently training, saw Hōzuki Mangetsu's figure and rushed over with excitement.

Seeing the look of adoration in Ranmaru's eyes, Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled slightly and reached out to pat his head.

"How has your training been during this time?"

Red-Eyed Ranmaru said excitedly, "Lord Mangetsu, look!"

As he spoke, his hands moved rapidly through a series of seals.

Summoning Jutsu!

A massive clam appeared beneath their feet.

Hōzuki Mangetsu looked at the child in surprise.

The Red Eyes and the Giant Clam were a perfect match.

Therefore, Hōzuki Mangetsu had already allowed Ranmaru to sign a contract with the Clam Clan, meaning Ranmaru also possessed the ability to summon clams.

However, the size and duration of the summoned clam were related to the summoner's ability.

Usually, Ranmaru could only summon smaller clams; while small clams could also use Mirage, there was a significant gap in the range of the technique compared to the Giant Clam.

He hadn't expected that in such a short time, this child would actually be able to summon the Giant Clam.

"Ninja Art, Mirage!"

Ranmaru performed a few more seals, unleashing the Second Hokage's strongest genjutsu.

Although the range and power of the technique were still a distance away from Hōzuki Mangetsu's, it still left Hōzuki Mangetsu deeply impressed.

This child was truly a genius.

The coordination between Ranmaru and the Giant Clam could be called seamless; he would undoubtedly be a great asset to Hōzuki Mangetsu in the future.

Very good!

Hōzuki Mangetsu nodded and praised, "Ranmaru, you really are a genius."

Ranmaru rubbed his head in embarrassment.

He was extremely satisfied with his current life.

"Ah Da, come out!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu suddenly said.

A tall, thin figure suddenly appeared before the two of them.

This is...

Seeing the man with his face wrapped in bandages before him, Ranmaru was so startled that he hurriedly took a step back.

"Don't be afraid, this is Ah Da, and he is my subordinate. From now on, you two will be a team."

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled.

This Ah Da was naturally Chukichi.

After Hōzuki Mangetsu altered his will, he had become Ah Da. His Dark Release and sensory abilities, when combined with Ranmaru and the Giant Clam, could exert even greater utility.

"Uncle Ah Da, my name is Ranmaru, please take care of me!"

Ranmaru said cautiously.

Ah Da glanced at him and smiled: "The Master ordered me to protect you, so I will certainly not let you come to any harm."

Although some of his will had been erased, his emotions had not been extinguished.

Seeing such a cute child as Ranmaru, he was happy from the bottom of his heart.

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

Hōzuki Mangetsu suddenly said.

A mission!

Hearing this, Ranmaru jumped up with joy.

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

Hōzuki Mangetsu smiled, his gaze turning toward Kusagakure.

There was a promising child there—Karin.

A descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, she possessed Chakra with super-recovery abilities and the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan.

She would be a very good assistant!

Calculating the time, she should be suffering through hardships now. This child possessed the rare Kagura Eye, and her sensory abilities far exceeded those of the two people before him.

Hōzuki Mangetsu had long wanted to rescue her.

This child would be of great use.

He had originally intended to act personally, but time was pressing, and he had to return to the village. Thus, he entrusted this matter to Ranmaru and Ah Da.

With Ranmaru's genjutsu and Ah Da's experience, bringing a small child back from Kusagakure should pose no problem.

On the outskirts of Kirigakure.

A tall figure was running incessantly, with a group of Anbu in pursuit behind him.

The tall figure appeared to be injured, blood flowing continuously, and in his hand, he clutched a sharp, oversized steel needle.

It was Zabuza, who had now become the wielder of the longsword Nuibari.

"Zabuza!"

The Anbu leader, possessing a shark-like face, was none other than Kisame, the confidant of Suikazan Fuguki.

Zabuza had obtained the longsword Nuibari from Hōzuki Mangetsu and had received his recognition, thereby ascending to become one of the new Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

This left the highly controlling Suikazan Fuguki somewhat dissatisfied. He did not wish for his underling to stand on equal footing with him, so he refused to acknowledge Zabuza's status.

Under his instigation, Kisame began to challenge Zabuza, vying for the longsword Nuibari.

Originally, with Zabuza's skills, he did not fear Kisame, but with the support of Suikazan's Anbu behind Kisame, he was quickly injured and forced to flee in defeat.

In a short while, Kisame and his subordinates had surrounded him.

Zabuza!

Kisame said viciously: "In consideration of our friendship, hand over the longsword and I will spare you; otherwise, there is only a dead end."