The Hoshigaki Clan and Samehada

In the afternoon.

Irori had just returned from the Intelligence Division and personally relayed something to Yayoi.

"You mean the Hoshigaki Clan?"

After hearing Irori's account, Yayoi could not help showing a surprised expression.

"Yes, Lord Yayoi. What do you think? Would you like to meet the Hoshigaki Clan's patriarch?"

Irori's expression was serene, and a gentle smile rested on her face, as though nothing could stir much emotion in her.

"If I remember correctly, the Hoshigaki Clan is a ninja clan from the Land of Water, right? Why have they appeared in the Land of Night?"

Yayoi did not understand.

From the clan name alone, he knew this was the clan that Kisame Hoshigaki, the S-rank rogue ninja from Hidden Mist Village and one of Akatsuki's members in the original work, came from.

In fact, before learning the Hoshigaki Clan's name, it was the first time he had realized that Kisame Hoshigaki had also come from a ninja clan.

"According to the Hoshigaki Clan's patriarch, because their facial features and bodies differ greatly from ordinary people's, and because the clan itself is not particularly strong, the Hoshigaki Clan has long suffered exclusion and oppression from other clans in the Land of Water.

"Now that Kirigakure has been established, many ninja clans in the Land of Water have gradually joined the ninja village. Because of the discrimination they face, the Hoshigaki Clan is somewhat worried about what would happen after joining..."

Irori roughly explained the Hoshigaki Clan's difficult circumstances in the Land of Water.

"I see."

Long ago, when Yayoi learned that the Hoshigaki Clan existed in the Ninja World, he had specifically investigated the clan.

Naturally, he had not learned many details, but he did know that the clan's physical appearance was indeed different from that of ordinary people.

Members of this clan had gill-like markings on their faces and shoulders, sharp teeth, and differently colored pupils. It was only natural that they drew strange looks from others.

Moreover, thanks to this appearance, all ninjas of this clan primarily possessed a water nature and could breathe underwater for extended periods.

It barely counted as a secret technique inheritance based on body type.

But honestly, among secret techniques, this unusual trait could not be considered powerful.

This special physique merely allowed Hoshigaki Clan ninjas to breathe underwater longer; it did not offer much enhancement to Water Release itself.

Therefore, although the clan's ninjas mainly possessed a water nature, they rarely produced powerful Water Release users who drew attention.

By comparison, the Hozuki Clan, which was likewise skilled in Water Release, had produced many outstanding figures and was a top-tier first-rate ninja clan.

By Yayoi's estimate, the Hoshigaki Clan had at most five or six Jonin. They were somewhat stronger than the Kusanagi Clan he had wiped out, but in essence, they were still a third-rate ninja clan that could barely touch the threshold of a second-rate one.

"Then let's receive them. No matter what, the Land of Night is severely short of talent right now. That will make four clans with secret technique inheritances."

Yayoi spoke in a good mood.

Besides the Aburame Clan and the Hoshigaki Clan that was about to join, there were two other ninja clans under the Land of Night that possessed secret technique inheritances.

They were the Untori Clan, which focused on Yin Release and excelled at Genjutsu, and the Kamakō Clan, which possessed bodily abilities like the Hoshigaki Clan and primarily used Wind Release. (Two original minor ninja clans.)

However, these two clans had arrived as refugees after defeat and had suffered severe losses. Between them, they had fewer than seventy ninjas, and they needed time to recover.

"Lord General, I am Hoshigaki Kairyu. I humbly ask Lord General to take in our Hoshigaki Clan. This is a token of my respect. I hope Lord General will accept it."

The man named Hoshigaki Kairyu was around forty years old.

His short dark-blue hair, watery blue skin, silver eyes, and gill-like markings on his face all closely resembled the Kisame Hoshigaki in Yayoi's memory.

Clearly, these were common physical traits among Hoshigaki Clan ninjas, and outsiders would find them difficult to imitate.

At that moment, he took out a blue Ninjutsu scroll with a respectful attitude.

Aoi stepped forward, accepted the Ninjutsu scroll he handed over, and placed it before Yayoi.

Both she and Rinko were curious about what gift the Hoshigaki Clan patriarch had brought, but they knew it was not appropriate to ask in such a setting, so they obediently stood to the side without saying a word.

"I'll accept the gift. As for the Hoshigaki Clan's decision to join us, honestly, I am very pleased and welcome it. However, the necessary procedures cannot be skipped. I will need to observe your Hoshigaki Clan for three months."

Yayoi did not waste words.

He had long established a set of procedures for incorporating ninja clans that came to him.

Unlike the Aburame Clan, whom he had personally invited, the Untori Clan, the Kamakō Clan, and now the Hoshigaki Clan had all come of their own accord.

Therefore, their incorporation process needed to be distinguished from that of the Aburame Clan.

"Yes."

As the Hoshigaki Clan's patriarch, Hoshigaki Kairyu had already roughly learned how the Land of Night incorporated outsider ninja clans before deciding to pledge allegiance.

One reason they had come to the Land of Night was that the Hoshigaki Clan could easily suffer exploitation from other ninja clans in the Land of Water. The other was their hope that the Hoshigaki Clan could develop better.

The Land of Night was not as powerful as the Five Great Nations, but anyone with eyes could see that it was one of the few powerful nations beneath them. Its national strength was by no means weak.

If the Hoshigaki Clan joined Kirigakure in the Land of Water, they would receive very few resources.

But in the Land of Night, a nation lacking ninja clans, the resources the Hoshigaki Clan could obtain were far better than what they could receive in the Land of Water.

Furthermore, the Land of Night was relatively open-minded, without the oppression and isolation found in the Land of Water.

Most importantly, the General of the Land of Night was a powerful man capable of subduing Tailed Beasts. That was strength powerful enough to protect an entire nation.

After talking with Hoshigaki Kairyu for a while, Yayoi had Irori lead him away to settle the rest of the Hoshigaki Clan.

According to Hoshigaki Kairyu, the Hoshigaki Clan had sixty-one ninjas in total and over four hundred non-ninja clan members.

Among them, five ninjas could be rated as Jonin.

Hoshigaki Kairyu himself was not weak. By Yayoi's judgment, he was slightly stronger than Kakuzu before he fused with Earth Grudge Fear.

"My lord husband, could this scroll contain some kind of Ninjutsu?"

"I think it might seal a powerful weapon, just like the Kusanagi Sword my lord husband obtained."

After Hoshigaki Kairyu left, Aoi and Rinko came over, curious about what exactly was inside the Ninjutsu scroll he had presented.

Aoi guessed that it recorded a rather powerful Ninjutsu.

Rinko thought it sealed some kind of weapon.

"I'm curious about that too. How about we play a game? Whoever guesses correctly gets to decide who serves me first tonight."

Yayoi weighed the blue Ninjutsu scroll in his hand. Seeing Aoi and Rinko's curious expressions, he could not help feeling playful.

"That doesn't count as a reward at all..."

Aoi could not help complaining.

Besides, what difference did it make who went first and who went second?

"..."

Rinko's face flushed red, and her body felt somewhat lightheaded.

But what was this feeling of her heart pounding wildly, like a deer crashing about in her chest?

I've become a shameless girl like Lady Kicho...

"Since neither of you objects, it's settled."

After saying that, Yayoi untied the cord around the blue scroll and spread it across the table.

Its contents were plain to see. It was merely an ordinary sealing scroll.

"Looks like Rinko's guess was correct. There should be a weapon inside. You two should stand a little farther away."

Before confirming what weapon was sealed inside, Yayoi needed to be careful.

Aoi and Rinko obediently moved farther away, though they rose onto their toes to get a better look.

Yayoi carefully inspected the formula once, then pressed both hands onto the corresponding positions on the scroll and injected chakra.

Bang.

A cloud of white smoke rose. Alongside it, lying horizontally across the table, was a massive blade nearly two meters long. Its blade was wrapped in white bandages, concealing its actual appearance.

Without a careful look, it did not resemble a sword at all, but rather a large club wrapped in bandages.

"Samehada..."

Yayoi stared at the incredibly familiar bandage-wrapped blade and softly murmured its name.

Long ago, the Land of Water had been a nation where samurai and swordsmanship were popular.

Like the Land of Iron, it was one of the earliest birthplaces of samurai.

Even now, when ninjas dominated the mainstream, many samurai families still remained within the Land of Water. In fact, many ninja clans in the Land of Water had evolved from samurai families.

Therefore, since ancient times, the Land of Water had produced many ninja blades with bizarre shapes and strange functions.

It was said these were crystallizations of ancient swordsmiths' painstaking efforts. (As long as no specific era or creator is stated, treat them all as having been made by ancient swordsmiths.)

The great blade Samehada was one of these strange ninja blades.

"The Hoshigaki Clan does not inherit such a ninja blade, nor are they skilled in sword weapons. Did they obtain it by chance?"

But no matter what, it belonged to him now.

But in that case, won't Hidden Mist Village's Seven Ninja Swordsmen become the Six Ninja Swordsmen?

This thought suddenly flashed through Yayoi's mind.

(An explanation here: in Naruto, high-ranking ninjas can tell a lower-ranking ninja's approximate strength at a glance.

During Part One, both Orochimaru and Jiraiya evaluated Kabuto Yakushi's abilities as being, at most, around Kakashi's level.

How strong was Part One Kakashi? When he encountered Orochimaru, he could not even resist the killing intent and instantly experienced an illusion of death. Refer to manga chapter 70.

Excluding Irori, Yayoi's base strength was also barely at the Kage level. After releasing killing intent, he could easily suppress Jonin-level ninjas.)