The Hozuki Clan

"Clan head! Clan head! Something terrible has happened! Please wake up, quickly!" A rapid, anxious pounding sounded at the door, accompanied by a panicked, urgent shout that rang through the house.

In an instant, the room of the Hozuki clan head, which had been pitch-black and silent, was suddenly flooded with light.

Then, a figure shot out of the room like a bolt of lightning.

A closer look revealed a tall, slender man with long yellow hair and a thin mustache above his lip. He was none other than the current head of the Hozuki Clan, Hozuki Gengetsu.

"Yueshi? You and Zhengyi were on guard duty today. How did someone manage to sneak into our clan grounds under cover of darkness?" Hozuki Gengetsu spoke in a flurry, his sharp eyes already fixed on the man before him before he had even finished asking.

At the clan head's question, a look of embarrassment appeared on Yueshi's face. He hurriedly explained, "It's not that. Someone just broke into our clan grounds..."

"Someone broke in? If someone trespassed on our territory, just drive them out! Do you need me to teach you that? I thought Konoha had attacked!" Hozuki Gengetsu furrowed his brow, his voice tinged with displeasure. At the same time, he reached out and lightly flicked Yueshi on the forehead.

Rubbing his sore head, Yueshi answered cautiously, "Uh... well, it wasn't an attack by Konoha Village, but the situation might not be much better. From what I could tell, the clan crest on the intruder's clothes seemed to belong to the Uchiha Clan..." As he spoke, Yueshi glanced up at the clan head's expression, secretly wondering how he would react.

"Yawn..." Hozuki Gengetsu yawned and rubbed his eyes. "This sleepiness really does come out of nowhere."

But before he could finish grumbling, he heard Yueshi's words...

"Are you sure you saw it right? It really was the Uchiha Clan Crest?" Hozuki Gengetsu's eyes widened in disbelief as he asked urgently.

"Uh... Clan head, now that you've asked, I'm not so sure anymore. But I can guarantee that, judging by the aura coming from that person, he's extremely powerful!" As he spoke, Yueshi thumped his chest to show he meant it.

But to Yueshi's surprise, before he could finish, Hozuki Gengetsu hurried off without another word, his steps brisk.

"Clan head?"

"Come on!!!"

"Huh?"

"Take me to him! Quickly, quickly! And you left Zhengyi alone over there! Aren't you worried something might happen to him? Lead the way!!!"

Madara didn't have to wait long. Hozuki Gengetsu soon hurried to the entrance of the clan grounds with Yueshi.

As soon as his eyes fell on the upright figure carrying a Gunbai, an indescribable fear swept over him. Every hair on his body stood on end as if he'd been struck by lightning.

Hozuki Gengetsu didn't dare waste a moment. He quickened his pace and reached Madara in just a few strides.

He bowed slightly and said respectfully, though with a hint of nervousness, "Madara-sama, I've long heard of your reputation. I'm Hozuki Gengetsu, the current head of the Hozuki Clan."

Yueshi, standing nearby, looked bewildered. Hearing his clan head address someone who didn't look particularly old as "senior," he couldn't help feeling curious and confused.

So he couldn't resist asking, "Clan head, you look older than him, don't you? What do you think, Zhengyi?"

"Maybe it's because the clan head has a mustache!" At that moment, a human figure emerged from an inconspicuous puddle of water, speaking with a teasing tone.

Before either of them could say another word, Hozuki Gengetsu swung his fist without hesitation and struck Yueshi on the head with blinding speed.

With a muffled thud, Yueshi's head turned into a puddle of water.

Hozuki Gengetsu quickly pulled back his hand, as if he hadn't thrown the punch at all. Then he lowered his head and apologized to Madara. "I'm terribly sorry, Madara-sama. The youngsters are still young and don't know any better. Please be patient with them."

Madara merely glanced at Yueshi, whose head had already re-formed, and replied softly, "It's fine."

For some reason, when Madara saw Yueshi's incessantly chattering mouth and somewhat guileless expression, Qile's face came to mind.

His mood, which hadn't been all that good to begin with, improved a little.

At that moment, Hozuki Gengetsu composed himself, took a deep breath, and asked Madara again, "Madara-sama, may I ask what brings you to the Hozuki Clan so suddenly? If you need any help, just say the word. We'll do everything we can."

"I was bored, so I left the village to wander around," Madara said casually, waving a hand to put Hozuki Gengetsu at ease. "I'm rather interested in your clan. How many clan members do you have these days?"

"Wandering around?" Hozuki Gengetsu wondered to himself. He couldn't figure out what the man before him was really after, but kept his composure as he replied, "Our Hozuki Clan isn't very large. We have fifty or sixty people at most, including the elderly and children. Only a handful of our members are in their prime and capable of taking on important responsibilities. That's why the burden of being clan head fell on my shoulders."

Madara got straight to the point. "Then do you have any greater ambitions? For example, making the Hozuki Clan stronger and more prosperous, or even securing a place for yourselves in the shinobi world?"

At this, Hozuki Gengetsu's expression changed abruptly, turning grave. "Does this mean Konoha intends to interfere in Kirigakure's affairs?"

"You don't need to be so tense. Relax. I came here strictly on my own behalf. This has nothing to do with Konoha or... the Uchiha!" Madara narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing calmly at Hozuki Gengetsu, who had greeted him with a hint of flattery but was now on his guard. His tone was utterly casual.

Hearing this, Hozuki Gengetsu was taken aback, and his thoughts began racing.

All sorts of possibilities flooded his mind, but no matter how he tried to think it through, his thoughts were like a tangled skein of thread. For a moment, he couldn't make sense of any of it...