How About It, Reigetsu, Isn't My Idea Pretty Good?

Hozuki Reigetsu quickly replied, "How could Kirigakure possibly do without you? My brother is just worried that he isn't capable of shouldering such a heavy responsibility. He fears he won't be able to lead the village forward, which is why he is hesitant."

"How will he know if he can or can't if he doesn't try? He may lack confidence in himself, but I have full faith in Gengetsu," Byakuren laughed. "He has the ability and the qualifications to take my place and become the Second Mizukage.

When you go back, bring this up with him more often!"

Hozuki Reigetsu was naturally pleased. If his older brother became the Mizukage, the status of the Hozuki Clan in the village would naturally rise, and he would benefit as well, gaining even more power. Where else could he find such a good deal?

So, he nodded and respectfully replied, "Yes, Lord Mizukage, I will do my best to persuade my brother."

Byakuren gave an "hmm" and then instructed, "I won't hold you accountable for the mission's failure, but since your identity has been exposed, you must give Konoha some kind of explanation.

How about this: I will announce that this was your personal action and punish you with three months of confinement at Cold Water Cliff... So, Reigetsu, don't leave the village during this time."

Hozuki Reigetsu had no objections to this and accepted it honestly.

After leaving the Mizukage's office, he headed straight home. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw his older brother, Hozuki Gengetsu, squatting by the pond, teasing something.

Hozuki Reigetsu had just walked over and hadn't even opened his mouth when his brother's voice drifted over.

"I heard you botched the mission? Even had your cover blown?" Hozuki Gengetsu didn't turn his head, his tone light and airy.

Hozuki Reigetsu's expression turned stern. "I have brought shame upon the family, and I am very sorry."

"Hahahaha!" Hozuki Gengetsu suddenly laughed out loud, then turned his head to look at him. "What of it? What ninja doesn't make a mistake? I was just asking casually, teasing you."

Watching his brother's lack of seriousness, Hozuki Reigetsu was speechless. He composed himself and said, "Just now, Lord Mizukage asked me to pass on a message, saying that..."

"Alright, alright," Hozuki Gengetsu waved his hand to interrupt him. "The old man just wants to shirk his duties and have me take the fall. I know that even without you saying it."

"Brother, the position of Mizukage..." Hozuki Reigetsu was a bit confused by his attitude.

Hozuki Gengetsu stood up from the edge of the pond, shook the water droplets off his hands, and kept that same nonchalant smile on his face, not picking up the topic.

After shaking his hands dry, Hozuki Gengetsu spoke leisurely. "Reigetsu, you don't understand, do you? The old man doesn't really want to retire; he's testing me! This final step is to see if I can keep my composure.

Only when my heart is steady will this test be considered passed, and only then will he feel safe handing over the Mizukage's seat.

If I were eager and impatient right now, would you dare to take on this burden if you were him?" He laughed to himself as he said this.

Hozuki Reigetsu was stunned. "Then, brother, you mean..."

"Sigh," Hozuki Gengetsu sighed, his expression dimming slightly. "The old man looks sturdy, but that's just a facade he's keeping up. The hidden injuries he accumulated in his early years won't heal. In my opinion, he doesn't have much time left.

Let him walk this final stretch in peace, so he can understand that in choosing me, he didn't choose the wrong person.

I have plenty of patience and can keep my cool." After his reflection, he suddenly regained his energy, his eyes lighting up, and he beckoned to Reigetsu.

"By the way, I fished out a fun little thing from the lake where the Three-Tails Isobu used to stay. Come take a look..."

Hozuki Reigetsu leaned toward the pond and saw a strangely shaped creature twisting and turning in the water. Before he could look closely, Hozuki Gengetsu proudly introduced it: "Interesting, right? I gave it a name: 'Samehada'."

"Samehada?" Hozuki Reigetsu stared at the bizarre creature and repeated the name.

"Yes, that's right, Samehada." Hozuki Gengetsu grew more enthusiastic as he spoke. "This guy is amazing. I don't know if it mutated from hanging around the Three-Tails for too long.

It can actually absorb other people's chakra! And it doesn't just absorb it; it can feed that chakra back to me... So, I've come up with an interesting idea."

"What idea?"

A sharp glint flashed in Hozuki Gengetsu's eyes as he lowered his voice. "Let's see if we can... raise this little thing into a one-of-a-kind ninja sword!"

Don't let the fact that the brothers didn't usually carry swords fool you; the Hozuki Clan were ancestral masters of the blade, and they had an almost obsessive love for collecting famous swords.

"Right now, the family has a few good blades, and the Kubikiribocho isn't bad. There are also some good swordsmen in the village, and some special ninja swords are held by various experts..." Hozuki Gengetsu said, rubbing his chin.

Hozuki Reigetsu listened, pondered for a moment, and looked up to ask, "Does brother mean... we should go and take all those swords?"

"Tsk!" Hozuki Gengetsu was choked by his words and waved his hand impatiently. "What nonsense are you talking about! We're all from the same village; how could we do something like that? Don't ever suggest that again."

Hozuki Reigetsu smiled awkwardly and asked, "Then what is brother's plan?"

"Me? It's just a preliminary concept." Hozuki Gengetsu curled his lips into a meaningful smile. "I think our Kirigakure should establish a specialized action unit to handle the toughest jobs.

This team must be full of experts, and as for the specialty..." He paused, his smile deepening, "Uniformity—everyone uses a ninja sword! What do you think?"

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen?" Hozuki Reigetsu blurted out.

"Exactly, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!" Hozuki Gengetsu clapped his hands and said happily, "If we can really pull together such a fierce and unique team, the name itself would scare off many enemies, and the prestige of our Kirigakure would rise significantly.

How about it, Reigetsu, isn't my idea pretty good?"

Hozuki Reigetsu smiled too. "It is quite interesting. So, when does brother plan to start organizing it?"

"What's the rush? I don't have that authority yet." Hozuki Gengetsu shook his head, looking very calm. "It won't be too late to arrange this once I've actually taken the position of the Second."

After he finished speaking, he bent down to tease the Samehada in the water with his finger and whispered, "For now, let's just see if we can raise this little guy into a good sword. Haha!"

Believe it or not, Hozuki Gengetsu really did pull this off in Kirigakure later on, forming the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist" that shook the ninja world. In the wars that followed, they were a constant presence, their fame legendary, becoming a resounding brand for Kirigakure.

It was precisely because of this origin that the Hozuki Clan was particularly fond of these seven ninja swords. By the time of their descendant Hozuki Mangetsu, it was even more impressive; he could wield all seven blades, including Samehada, with great skill.

With the five great ninja villages at peace, it generally meant that the five great nations were at peace. Without major storms in the ninja world, the remaining small countries and villages were left to squabble among themselves.

In the eyes of the five great villages, those were just minor scuffles, and many were even "proxies" acting under their direction.

When there was friction between villages and it wasn't convenient to step in personally, they would often cultivate a subordinate to do the dirty work.

This method might not sound very honorable, but it was effective. At the very least, it avoided large-scale conflict, allowing the five great villages to free up their hands and focus on developing their own territories behind closed doors.

With things quiet on the outside, matters within the village also went smoothly. Hibari had been resting at home for a few days, and his body had finally recovered.

Grandpa Hashirama and Second Uncle Tobirama also seemed to have more leisure time; they were no longer spending all day in the Hokage Building and could often be seen wandering around the large Senju Clan estate.

Early one morning, Hibari was called into Second Uncle Tobirama's room, who said he wanted to work on a sealing jutsu to temporarily suppress the lingering issues in Hibari's body.

Hibari stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. Behind the window at the corner of the hallway, two pairs of eyes—one large and one small—were watching intently.

The ones sneaking a peek were none other than the head of the Senju Clan, Hashirama, and his precious granddaughter, Tsunade.

Seeing the door shut tight, Hashirama immediately lowered his voice. "Little Tsunade, it's your first mission. Are you ready?"

The little girl straightened her back and mimicked a serious posture. "Reporting to Lord Hokage, standing by!"

"Very good!" Hashirama grinned and leaned in closer. "I've been observing for several days. Your brother Hibari's payment is all hidden in the wooden box on top of the wardrobe in his room.

He comes here to see your Second Uncle on time every day and won't come out until it's time to eat." He rubbed his hands together, speaking with great excitement.

This Hokage didn't seem to care much about official village business, but he was incredibly sharp when it came to tracking Hibari's movements; he had completely abandoned any sense of shame.

He paused and continued to lay out the plan: "So, we have plenty of time. Tsunade, this mission is entrusted to you. Go to your brother Hibari's room and take all the money in the box.

The two of us will split it, and then Grandpa will take you to the gambling den to have a blast!"

Tsunade had been a little hesitant at first, thinking that her brother Hibari had brought her takoyaki just a few days ago, and stealing his money seemed a bit unkind. But as soon as she heard "gambling den" and "have a blast," her eyes lit up instantly.

Her brother Hibari's past kindnesses were forgotten in the blink of an eye.

"Mission guaranteed to be completed!" the little girl replied crisply, her face full of excitement.

Having received the "Lord Hokage's" permission, she tiptoed out of the room and, like a thief, slipped away toward Hibari's room.

At this moment, Hibari was focused on studying the jutsu formula with Second Uncle Tobirama, never expecting that a "thief" had entered his home. It truly lived up to the old saying: guard against everything, but it's hard to guard against a thief in your own house.

He would never have guessed that the dignified First Hokage could be so unreliable in private, even coveting his own grandson's money!

Inside the room, Hibari straightened his clothes and jumped down from his chair, asking as he buttoned his shirt, "Second Uncle, you've been working on this for days. Do you have any leads on that sealing jutsu?"

Second Uncle Tobirama set aside the body data he had just recorded and didn't look up. "How could it be that fast? This jutsu is meant for your body; can I not be extra careful? If something goes wrong, the trouble will be huge.

This kind of thing cannot be rushed; it must be steady. Did you remember that?"

"I remembered." Hibari nodded.

In truth, having lived like this for so many years, he was almost used to this state of occasional malfunctions, so he wasn't too anxious.

Watching his Second Uncle writing and drawing at the desk, Hibari suddenly remembered something else. "By the way, I heard from Uncle Hiruzen that ninjas who can use the 'Shadow Clone Jutsu' seem to be popping up in every village lately. Second Uncle, has your signature technique leaked out?"

Clone jutsu had always existed in the ninja world and were considered basic ninjutsu; Hibari knew them too.

But the Shadow Clone was different; it was a physical clone technique uniquely created by Second Uncle Tobirama during the Warring States period. It was exceptionally effective for gathering intelligence and coordinating with the original body to perform complex jutsu.

Hearing this, Second Uncle Tobirama didn't stop his pen, still keeping his head down. "It was only a matter of time. This jutsu formula wasn't that complex to begin with, and it was even copied by members of the Uchiha Clan using the Sharingan early on."