With Me Here, You're Not Taking the Seven-Tails!

As the mist rose, Sarutobi Hiruzen casually fired off a blast of wind pressure to feint, then summoned Enma and had him transform into his likeness and engage the enemy. He deliberately left an opening, all to make sure their opponent was caught.

Hibari watched the whole thing from his perch up high. So the moment Enma got hold of their target, Hibari already had his blade ready.

Sure enough, he seized that fleeting opportunity and took the man's head with one slash!

"Even if you hadn't stepped in, once Enma had him, he wasn't getting away."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a chuckle. Still, he was quite pleased with Hibari's reflexes and coordination. Being able to see through his intent and respond in the blink of an eye was impressive.

"Hiruzen," Enma rumbled as he sized Hibari up. "Is this the Senju boy you're always talking about?"

"Haha, that's right!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a nod. "What do you think? Pretty good, isn't he?"

But just then, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression changed. He flung up his hand, and several shuriken whizzed past Hibari's cheek! A moment later, Hibari heard a series of metallic pings behind him—the sound of shuriken being knocked aside.

Hibari didn't have time to look back. He kicked off the stone pillar and sprang away. Almost simultaneously, an arm swept through the spot where he'd just been standing, nearly catching him.

Once he'd landed and turned around, Hibari froze. The attacker was none other than the mysterious ninja whose head he'd just cut off!

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was grave as he said, "You turned your body into water... You're from the Hozuki Clan of Kirigakure!"

The Hydrification Technique was a secret art passed down through generations of the Hozuki Clan in Kirigakure. It made its user immune to most physical attacks, rendering cuts from swords and blows from axes completely ineffective. The man had just had his head cut off, and now he was "alive" again. That alone showed how troublesome this technique was.

"The Monkey King, impervious to harm... You certainly live up to your reputation," the mysterious ninja said in a low voice as he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen. "I let my guard down for a moment, and you caught me in your trap."

But now that he'd revealed the Hydrification Technique, there was no point in hiding his identity. Hozuki Reigetsu simply dropped his disguise. His features shifted, revealing his true face.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at him, his brow immediately furrowing. "Hozuki Reigetsu... So it really was you!"

That name carried weight throughout the Shinobi World. Hozuki Reigetsu was a formidable member of the Hozuki Clan, and his older brother, Hozuki Gengetsu, would one day take the seat of Mizukage in Kirigakure. In terms of strength and reputation, Hozuki Reigetsu was no weaker than Sarutobi Hiruzen. He was nearly the equal of the previous generation's Sarutobi Sasuke.

"Is Kirigakure trying to start a war with Konoha?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice turned cold. "The Five Kage Summit only just ended. Are you already tearing up the agreement?"

Earlier, the man had used ordinary Water Release techniques to conceal his identity. Since most Kirigakure Ninja knew a few of those, nothing about it seemed suspicious. But now that he'd revealed his trump card, there was no need to keep hiding.

The Hozuki Clan were masters of water techniques. It was hardly surprising that they had a few lethal jutsu up their sleeves, and Sarutobi Hiruzen's nerves immediately tightened.

Hozuki Reigetsu crooked his lips into a smile. "That's not how I'd put it, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Our Kirigakure comrades were carrying out a secret mission, and two of them somehow wound up dead in one of your Konoha traps. And besides..."

His gaze shifted to Hibari.

"Besides, this kid finished off another of my men."

Hozuki Reigetsu's voice was icy. "Looking at it from any angle, Konoha made the first move, didn't you? The Five Kage Summit only just established the rules. Peace was hard-won... You people sure have some nerve."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes darkened. If they argued over the details, it really was a tangled mess.

You'd taken off your Forehead Protectors yourselves. How was anyone supposed to know where you came from? But they could use "a secret mission" as an excuse, and there was no easy way to challenge that.

Besides, Kirigakure had been the first to suffer casualties. No matter how they spun it, the facts were murky.

"You concealed your own identities. Who can you blame for what happened?" Sarutobi Hiruzen said coldly. "Now that we've cleared things up, we can call it a misunderstanding. What lies ahead involves Konoha secrets, so please stop here and turn back."

"Heh heh heh..." Hozuki Reigetsu let out a few sinister chuckles. "Sorry, but we have a mission too. How about you do us a favor?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen said nothing more. He simply fixed him with a heavy stare. His meaning couldn't have been clearer.

The air turned tense in an instant.

Hibari silently rested his hand on his sword hilt, his eyes fixed on Hozuki Reigetsu. Thanks to that godforsaken Human-Human Fruit, however, the chakra he'd spent was rapidly replenishing.

Just as he was weighing the best moment to strike, both men moved at once!

"Earth Style: Earth Spear!" Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted.

Several sharp spears of packed earth appeared out of nowhere and shot toward Hozuki Reigetsu.

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

A thick wall of water surged up in front of Hozuki Reigetsu. The earth spears thudded against it, all stopped in their tracks. But he didn't pause. He raised a hand and pointed at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Water Gun Technique!"

He flicked his index finger, and a droplet of water shot out so fast it left an afterimage! This was a secret technique unique to the Hozuki Clan. It required no Hand Seals, yet its power rivaled a bullet. It was almost impossible to defend against.

They were so close that Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to be hit—

Clang!

Enma's massive body cut in just in time. He took the Water Gun Technique head-on with his impervious arm.

At almost the same moment, Hibari moved!

He drew his sword with lightning speed, sparks crackling around his right hand. In the next instant, surging Lightning Release chakra wrapped around the blade, turning it into a blinding sword of lightning as he slashed at Hozuki Reigetsu's waist!

The Hydrification Technique wasn't invincible. Lightning Release was its natural counter!

But then another sudden twist—

A monstrous, masked figure burst from the rubble-filled pit nearby. Moving at terrifying speed, it lunged straight for Hibari's back!

Hibari caught sight of it from the corner of his eye.

"Kakuzu's technique!"

His blade was about to strike Hozuki Reigetsu, but the thing behind him had arrived too. One glance was enough for Hibari to recognize the black threads of Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear. If he followed through with his slash, his back would be ripped open.

But Hibari gritted his teeth. He'd died before; besides, one hit wouldn't necessarily finish him off. He hadn't come all this way just to watch from the sidelines.

So what if his opponent was a master? He still had to fight! His gaze sharpened, but he didn't slow the blade wreathed in crackling lightning. He swung it straight at Hozuki Reigetsu!

Hozuki Reigetsu's heart lurched. He hadn't expected this Senju boy to be so reckless—to choose to trade his life without a second thought.

The Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique was powerful, but Lightning Release was its natural enemy! A direct hit would leave him sprawled on the ground like a puddle of mud, completely at his opponent's mercy.

"Damn brat!"

He cursed and darted to the side, trying to escape. But the moment he moved, he left himself open.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had been watching him all along. He was a master of Earth Style, and even Hand Seals were too slow now. He simply slapped his palms together!

"Earth Style: Solid Earth Prison!"

The rocky pillar beneath Hozuki Reigetsu twisted and warped like a living bog, trapping him in an instant.

At almost the same time, Hibari's lightning blade missed, and Kakuzu's black threads reached his back. But a sharp blast of wind swept past Hibari's spine, slicing clean through the threads with a swish.

"Kakuzu, you dare show your face!"

Sarutobi Sasuke stepped in front of Hibari and stared at the mass of darkness, his voice heavy.

As soon as he finished speaking, another man climbed out of the pit nearby. It was Kakuzu, the missing-nin from Takigakure.

As it happened, Kakuzu's defection this time was different from the rumors. No one had sent him to assassinate Senju Hashirama. The greedy miser had simply heard about the Seven-Tails Chomei, then sold the information to the black market. That was what had made him a missing-nin.

"Heh heh heh..." Kakuzu looked at Sarutobi Sasuke, his voice muffled beneath his mask. "Someone offered a lot of money, so of course I came. Who would turn down money?"

No sooner had he spoken than the earthen prison around Hozuki Reigetsu exploded!

Amid the flying rubble, Hozuki Reigetsu emerged carrying a massive sword he'd somehow produced from nowhere. He licked his lips and strode forward.

"Sarutobi Sasuke, so you really are here." He grinned.

"You're working with Kakuzu..." Sarutobi Sasuke sized him up, his voice grave. "Looks like Kirigakure really is after the Seven-Tails. That's already a violation of the Five Kage Summit agreement."

"Don't rush to pin the blame on us." Hozuki Reigetsu waved a hand, his smile never fading. "Just consider this my own personal business. I'm simply curious and want to see how powerful the Seven-Tails really is. You can complain to Kirigakure afterward. I'll accept whatever punishment they give me. As for Kakuzu..."

He glanced at Kakuzu and laughed.

"We hit it off. Worst comes to worst, we can both become missing-nin. That'd be a pretty carefree life!"

"Hmph! With me here, you're not taking the Seven-Tails!" Sarutobi Sasuke said coldly.

Hozuki Reigetsu paused at that, then shrugged.

"I never said I had to take it with me... I just want to see it."

Before he could finish—

A deafening boom rang out from the distant valley, and a wild surge of chakra shot into the sky! The next instant, a shrill, piercing insect cry tore through the air. A gigantic insect silhouette appeared in the valley, charging this way as it crashed through everything in its path!

"The Seven-Tails Chomei?!"

Hibari blurted out as he stared at the sight.

Sarutobi Sasuke stared at the rampaging giant insect and couldn't help cursing. "Those bastards! They really made the Seven-Tails lose its temper!"

Kakuzu turned his head toward Hozuki Reigetsu and said in a muffled voice, "Hozuki Reigetsu, I lost a heart over this..."

"What are you panicking for?" Hozuki Reigetsu grinned and waved a hand. "I'll pay you every last coin I promised, afterward!"

As it happened, when Hozuki Reigetsu had heard from Kakuzu that Konoha was involved too, he'd decided to turn his plan around. The first step was still to come to Insect King Valley and scout the situation.

If they ran into Konoha shinobi, they would move on to the second plan.

Things hadn't gone as expected. His men were all dead, and after he clashed with Konoha, the plan had naturally changed. Following Hozuki Reigetsu's earlier instructions, Kakuzu had gone to provoke the Seven-Tails Chomei hidden in the valley.

Hozuki Reigetsu had it all planned out. He wanted to use the Seven-Tails' rampage to see if he could kill Konoha's pillar, Sarutobi Sasuke, in Insect King Valley.

What he hadn't expected was that not only were members of the Sarutobi Clan here, but someone from the Senju Clan had shown up too! If the Seven-Tails wiped them all out at once, wouldn't that be a fantastic deal?

As he watched the Seven-Tails charge their way, lured in by Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear, Sarutobi Sasuke's expression grew more and more grim.

Hozuki Reigetsu decided the time was right. He rolled his neck and said, "Looks like I was too ambitious thinking I could fight the Seven-Tails alone. I can't handle this pressure, so I'll be the first to make myself scarce! Are you all still fighting? If not... I'm heading out!"

With that, he flipped over and landed beside Kakuzu. He laughed arrogantly a couple of times, then turned and swaggered off.