Blood Mist Village

Suikazan Fuguki!

A cold glint flashed in Hōzuki Mangetsu's eyes. He had already suspected that there was more to Orochimaru targeting Hozuki Mangetsu, but he hadn't expected someone to have engineered the whole thing.

Originally, the Mizukage was chosen by election, but after the Bloody Mist Era began, that system had become a dead letter.

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, was unpopular and had seized the position by force. His rise had set a bad example for the village.

After enduring the Bloody Mist Era, the Mist Ninja who had come of age were all cold-blooded, bloodthirsty, and obsessed with power.

Now, the influential ninja in the village were all itching to make a move.

Suikazan Fuguki was an ambitious man, and the wielder of Samehada, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's blades.

With Samehada's power, his strength could rival Yagura's. He was also the head of Kirigakure's Anbu assassination unit and wielded tremendous authority.

First, he had driven out the veteran Biwa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki. Then he had set his sights on the youngest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Hozuki Mangetsu.

This time, the intelligence leak had been entirely Suikazan's doing. He'd used someone else to kill for him, having known all along that Orochimaru coveted the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique.

That bastard Suikazan!

Hōzuki Mangetsu could feel Hozuki Mangetsu's anger. When he got back, he would make sure to settle the score with Fuguki.

Orochimaru hadn't told him about this out of kindness, either. His goal was to stir up trouble within Hidden Mist.

Just as expected, there wasn't a single easy-to-deal-with warlord in the Naruto World.

After putting away the Blunt Sword, the long sword, and the Blast Sword, Hōzuki Mangetsu returned to Kirigakure with his newly acquired Kusanagi Sword.

As soon as he reached the village entrance, several Anbu appeared before him.

"Hozuki Mangetsu, put down your weapon and submit to an inspection!"

The man at their head had a sharklike face and a cold voice. He was none other than Suikazan Fuguki's trusted subordinate, Kisame Hoshigaki.

Hōzuki Mangetsu narrowed his eyes. Kisame would eventually become a being of super-Kage-level strength, but without Samehada, he was only an elite Jonin. At this stage, Hōzuki Mangetsu didn't consider him a threat.

Suikazan must have sent him to test the waters. Even if Hozuki Mangetsu could put up a fight against Orochimaru, there was no way he would come away unscathed.

Suikazan must have wanted to find out how badly Mangetsu was injured.

Hozuki Mangetsu was a genius ninja of Hidden Mist, arrogant, domineering, cruel, and bloodthirsty. Why would he put up with Kisame giving him a hard time?

Once he figured that out, Hōzuki Mangetsu sneered. "Get lost while I'm still in a good mood!"

"How dare you?"

Kisame was furious. "You dare talk to the Anbu like that?"

As he spoke, he drew the long sword from his back.

Scrap metal!

Hōzuki Mangetsu sneered, drew the Kusanagi Sword, and blurred forward in a few quick movements.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sharp Kusanagi Sword sliced through the long swords in the Anbu's hands. But that wasn't all: Lightning Release Chakra coursing through the blade invaded their bodies, paralyzing them so badly they couldn't use ninjutsu.

Kisame fared no better. The long sword in his hand was cut in two. He never imagined Hozuki Mangetsu would launch a lethal attack without so much as a warning.

But he was an elite Jonin, after all. He immediately dropped the broken sword and leaped out of Mangetsu's range.

The Hozuki Clan was skilled with the Seven Ninja Swords and excelled at Taijutsu. With a sharp blade in hand, they were unbeatable in close combat. Trying to match him at Taijutsu was just asking for a beating.

"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet!"

Kisame quickly formed several hand signs in midair. A wave surged up beneath him, taking the shape of a shark as it rushed toward Hōzuki Mangetsu.

It was Kisame's signature ninjutsu.

With a roar, the massive wave engulfed Mangetsu.

It worked!

The other Anbu were thrilled.

Lightning Release: Thunder Banquet!

Hōzuki Mangetsu reappeared on the surface of the water. Countless bolts of electricity surged from the Kusanagi Sword in his hand, racing over the water toward the Anbu.

This is bad!

Kisame's expression changed. He hurriedly flipped out of range of the lightning strike.

The other Anbu weren't so lucky. Struck by the Lightning Release, they collapsed onto the water, their bodies paralyzed.

A combination of the Hydrification Secret Technique and Lightning Release Ninjutsu.

Kisame was at a loss.

He was a powerful Mist Ninja who had survived the Bloody Mist Era, and few in Hidden Mist could rival him. But if there was one person who gave him a headache, it was Hozuki Mangetsu standing right before him.

Water Release Ninjutsu had no effect on the Hozuki Clan, and Mangetsu was also skilled in Lightning Release. That made things incredibly difficult for Water Release users like them.

"Water Release: Thousand Feeding Sharks!"

With no other choice, Kisame could only give it his all. This was a high-level B-rank ninjutsu.

Stop!

A towering figure appeared before them.

Suikazan Fuguki.

Hōzuki Mangetsu's gaze immediately fell on the Great Sword Samehada on Fuguki's back. A fierce longing stirred in his heart.

Judging from the later events, Samehada was the strongest of the Seven Ninja Swords, followed by the Thunder Blades Kiba and Hiramekarei. The rest were mostly famous in name only—especially Kubikiribōchō. Its ability to repair itself automatically was practically useless.

"Mangetsu, you've only just returned. Why are you fighting with the Anbu?"

Fuguki asked with a false smile.

Only then did Hōzuki Mangetsu put away the Kusanagi Sword. He sneered. "These men brought it on themselves! Fuguki, keep your subordinates in line. They won't be so lucky next time."

With that, he calmly walked into the village.

After Mangetsu left, the smile on Fuguki's face stiffened.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen held a lofty status among the Mist Ninja. The Hozuki Clan mastered the Hydrification Secret Technique and the Seven Ninja Swords, and had always led the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

For Fuguki, who craved power, that was intolerable. He wanted to eliminate Hozuki Mangetsu and claim sole control over the Mist Ninja.

And the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura?

He was just a child. Fuguki was confident he could turn him into his puppet.

"Sir!"

Kisame walked over slowly and asked, "Are you just going to let him go?"

As Fuguki's trusted subordinate, he knew all about Fuguki's plans to eliminate Mangetsu.

Fuguki said, "Let him enjoy a few days of freedom. There'll be plenty of chances to deal with him later. Tell the men to keep the Hozuki Clan under close surveillance. Report to me at once if anything happens."

Kisame acknowledged the order and withdrew with the others.

Only after everyone had left did Fuguki sneer. "Some Sannin, my ass. He can't even deal with a kid. Orochimaru's nothing special, either."

He left in a huff. He'd been sure he could use Orochimaru to eliminate this thorn in his side, but in the end, he'd gotten his hopes up for nothing.

After Suikazan Fuguki left, a figure flickered into view. Kisame slowly rose from the surface of the water.

So that was it!

He sneered and watched Fuguki's retreating back, a murderous glint in his eyes.

Kisame had long suspected Fuguki was passing information to the enemy. Otherwise, there was no way the enemy could have intercepted their missions so conveniently every time.

Lord Fuguki!

Kisame muttered to himself, "You've disappointed Samehada, haven't you?"