"Zabuza! What exactly are you trying to do?"
Genji slammed his cane against the ground. His imposing presence made him seem formidable even without anger as he loudly demanded an answer.
Likewise, Terumi Mei, standing beside Genji,
looked at Zabuza with a deeply puzzled expression.
Back then, Zabuza had opposed the Fourth Mizukage's Blood Mist Policy and even questioned Fourth Mizukage Yagura himself. He had launched a coup, failed, and fled.
She knew all about it.
And quite a few like-minded shinobi in the village knew as well.
Some had even secretly helped Zabuza, stayed in contact with him, and provided information on Anbu movements and the like.
Suikazan Fuguki was one of them.
Terumi Mei was, too...
Otherwise, Zabuza alone could never have evaded the Kirigakure Anbu's relentless pursuit all these years.
That was why Terumi Mei couldn't understand.
Why had Zabuza chosen this exact moment to come back to the village and get himself killed?
Did he really think that he and a few hired shinobi behind him could take on the entire Kirigakure?
Zabuza stepped forward, gazing firmly at Genji as he spoke in a low voice.
"Lord Genji. I've returned to challenge Fourth Mizukage Yagura!"
"Although I once staged a coup, failed, and defected..."
"I'm still a Kirigakure shinobi!"
"Everyone here knows what our village has become during the Fourth Mizukage's rule."
"Have we grown richer? Have we grown stronger?"
"No. Neither!"
"Instead, tyranny has reigned these past years. The number of shinobi has dwindled, and everyone lives in fear..."
"If this continues, Kirigakure will inevitably fall!"
"And today, I've come to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage and rebuild Kirigakure!"
Zabuza swung his great sword, declaring his resolve without the slightest hesitation.
He wasn't a man who was good with words.
But he had kept these feelings bottled up for years.
Today, he really had to let them out.
Even if death was all that awaited him...
Hearing this,
the hundred or so Kirigakure shinobi around them couldn't help but look crestfallen.
As people of Kirigakure, how could they not feel the changes in their village over the years?
They had simply been too afraid of the oppressive policies of the Third and Fourth Mizukage to complain, no matter how angry they were...
Now that Zabuza had said it openly,
the Kirigakure shinobi thought back to the good times of the past. Their hearts ached, and they fell silent.
At the same time, seeing Zabuza weaken half the enemy's morale with nothing but words,
Natsume couldn't help but admire him.
Talk no Jutsu really is amazing!
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Zabuza, I never knew you had a talent for speeches."
"But smooth talk alone won't do you any good."
"Can we get this fight started already?"
"I haven't finished eating yet. Let's get this over with so I can eat."
Natsume urged him on, growing a little impatient.
He'd been on a boat all day.
He was already hungry.
He just wanted to finish the fight and get to eating.
Zabuza's expression turned slightly cold. He couldn't help thinking that this kid really was confident.
Still, he wasn't wrong.
No matter how much Zabuza said, in the end, they'd have to rely on strength to settle things.
If he couldn't beat Fourth Mizukage Yagura, all his words were empty.
"Ahem..."
"Zabuza, I understand how you feel."
"But choosing the path of a coup was a mistake!"
"Besides, as a missing-nin, you can't expect the village to keep letting you get away with this. Surrender peacefully..."
Genji coughed twice and tried to reason with him.
But before he could finish,
"Whoosh—"
A figure shot through the air.
Another person suddenly leaped into the crowd,
coming face-to-face with Zabuza and his group.
There was no doubt about it: it was Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura, who had just arrived.
The moment Yagura appeared, his cold, powerful presence made the Kirigakure shinobi around him catch their breath.
He merely glanced at Zabuza and the others, standing some distance away outside the gate.
Then, without a word of explanation,
he gave a cold command:
"Kill!"
At the Fourth Mizukage's order,
dozens of Anbu shinobi hidden nearby rushed out.
Without hesitation, they charged at Zabuza and his companions.
The battle erupted in an instant.
Seeing the fight break out at the village entrance,
Terumi Mei and the others hurriedly escorted Elder Genji away.
"Gonbei, quickly evacuate the villagers nearby!"
"Then tell the Barrier Team to come and set up a defensive barrier!"
"This battle doesn't look like it'll end anytime soon..."
Elder Genji quickly gave his instructions.
"Understood!"
Gonbei acknowledged the order and hurried off to evacuate the villagers.
But Terumi Mei, standing nearby,
couldn't help speaking in a low voice:
"Elder, this might be our chance!"
"Should we join in, too...?"
"Not yet."
"Let's wait a little longer..."
"The situation isn't clear. Unless the reinforcements Zabuza brought really can defeat Yagura!"
"Otherwise, if we make a move now, we'll only ruin everything!"
Genji lowered his hoarse voice and spoke quietly to Terumi Mei beside him.
In truth,
as an eighty-year-old relic, Genji had watched every step of Kirigakure's founding and development.
He knew every Mizukage throughout the generations like the back of his hand.
So how could he not have noticed that the Third Mizukage and Fourth Mizukage Yagura had changed personalities overnight and begun enforcing the brutal Blood Mist Policy?
That was why he had long suspected that something was wrong with Fourth Mizukage Yagura.
But Yagura was immensely powerful, and he was the Mizukage.
Genji bore responsibility for Kirigakure's fate.
He had always been wary and had never dared to act.
So he had lain low until now, waiting for a good opportunity to overthrow Yagura's rule in one decisive move!
Whether this was a good opportunity
would depend on how well Zabuza and the others did.
If that man dared to challenge the entire village, he must have some kind of trump card, right?
"Fine! We'll wait a little longer!"
Terumi Mei bit her lip and nodded firmly.
Then she quickly turned her gaze toward the battlefield.
At that moment,
the dusk was dark as ink, and the mist flowed like water.
The dozens of Kirigakure Anbu shinobi attacked like a torrential downpour,
blocking out the sky and leaving no place to hide.
Their countless jutsu dazzled the eye, leaving no time to respond.
Even Zabuza, Nichiyo, and the others felt a faint unease.
Clearly, before you possessed overwhelming power,
an attack backed by sheer numbers could still overwhelm an enemy. There was a reason they said enough ants could kill an elephant.
Unfortunately, this time,
one of them possessed overwhelming power.
"Susanoo—activate!"
Natsume immediately activated Susanoo.
In an instant, the crimson skeletal Susanoo Demon God rose from the ground once more.
It immediately formed chakra flesh and armor around its skeleton, advancing to its second form.
It covered Natsume, Nichiyo, Zabuza, and the others within its protection.
"Boom! Boom, boom..."
Countless jutsu, Kunai, Shuriken...
rained down on Susanoo like a storm.
Unfortunately, not one of the attacks managed to shake it in the slightest.
They were like tofu smashed against a rock, crumbling apart in an instant.
Susanoo was known as the Ninja World's strongest defensive technique for a reason!
What's more, bolstered by ample chakra and Hashirama Cells, Natsume could control Susanoo with almost no strain. It was far easier for him than before.
"Are you all done?"
"My turn, then!"
Natsume chuckled.
He controlled Susanoo, sweeping out one huge hand and drawing another chakra greatsword.
Naturally, he didn't use the Spirit Weaponized Kunwu Blade. He didn't want it to be so powerful that it killed the enemy outright.
The next moment,
Susanoo gripped the sword and swung it with a fierce sweep, sending the wind surging like waves.
Only, it struck with the flat side of the blade.
"Smack, smack—"
Three Kirigakure shinobi were struck by the greatsword in quick succession.
They shot backward like marbles launched from a slingshot, hurtling dozens of meters before crashing through several houses and collapsing unconscious on the spot.
Fortunately, Natsume had controlled his strength.
Otherwise, those three would have been smashed into pulp.
The sight of that ferocious blow left the Kirigakure Anbu shinobi stunned. One after another, they stopped in their tracks.
"Come on, come on! Bring on more!"
"Don't stop attacking!"
"This slash: five hundred thousand!"
"This slash: two million!"
"This one: five million!"
"This strike: ten million!"
"Hahahaha!"
"I've hit the jackpot, I've hit the jackpot!"
In the mist, beneath the drizzle.
The young man piloting the demonic Susanoo Gundam swung its blades with abandon, battering his foes, venting his excitement, laughing wildly, gone completely mad.
As if the ones he was knocking unconscious weren't enemy after enemy,
but bucket after bucket of gold and silver!
The sight left countless Kirigakure Ninja's scalps tingling and their legs trembling.
Before you continue