Chapter 212: Mangetsu Hōzuki's Lightning-Fast Defeat
Dawn.
Hoshikawa , in a deep sleep, heard a knock on the door, immediately opened his eyes, and left the tent.
"Lord Hoshikawa ." The person knocking on the door was a young Chūnin. His mission was to wake up the ninja participating in the attack on the Kirigakure base at four in the morning.
"Is Master awake?" Hoshikawa nodded slightly and asked.
"I don't know." The young Chūnin explained. "Lady Tsunade said to call her last yesterday."
"You don't have to go, I'll do it." Hoshikawa thought for a moment.
"Yes." The young Chūnin turned to call the other ninja.
"Master." Hoshikawa walked to Tsunade's tent and called out.
"Come in." After a moment, Tsunade's voice sounded.
Hoshikawa walked in. Tsunade, who had slept in her clothes, was already awake and lying on the mat, yawning. Her long golden hair was scattered messily, and combined with her movements, she looked quite languid.
After lingering for a few seconds, Tsunade stood up and stretched, her body leaning back slightly, giving her clothes a full, rounded curve.
Hoshikawa blinked. It was certainly worth coming to wake Tsunade up.
"What are you looking at, brat?" Tsunade noticed his gaze.
"Master." Hoshikawa said with a straight face, "You are truly beautiful."
Tsunade was slightly stunned. Her mind, still somewhat hazy from just waking up, immediately cleared. She hadn't expected Hoshikawa to be so honest and bold. For some reason, Tsunade didn't feel angry, but rather pleased.
"I am your teacher." Tsunade stepped forward and flicked him on the forehead.
"Is a student complimenting his teacher forbidden?" Hoshikawa held her slender, soft hand and asked.
Tsunade's heart trembled slightly, and she instinctively pulled her hand back. She looked toward the outside of the tent and said, "It's time to go. Don't waste time."
After speaking, Tsunade left the tent.
The sky hadn't completely brightened yet; there was only a faint trace of light. The ninja from Konoha and Sunagakure participating in this offensive mission had all arrived. There were a total of seven ninja squads, twenty-eight ninja, more than half of whom were Jōnin. The reason was simple: this was a surprise attack mission. There would undoubtedly be many traps outside the Kirigakure base. The higher the strength, the easier it was to detect traps and achieve the goal of a surprise attack.
"Time is short; everyone eat while we move." Tsunade looked at the crowd. "We'll come back for a big meal once we win the battle!"
"Yes!" The twenty-eight ninja answered in unison.
Tsunade glanced at Hoshikawa , then turned and left the main camp. The group moved at an extremely fast pace, reaching the seaside in about half an hour.
"I have an idea for a surprise attack." Hoshikawa looked at the small island in the sea in the distance, his mind moving.
"What is it?" Tsunade was contemplating where to land on the island and subconsciously asked.
"I'll use the Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave to create a giant tidal wave. You can follow behind the wave, stepping on the seawater to attack." After Hoshikawa spoke, he saw everyone looking surprised. He paused and asked, "Is that not okay?"
"Is that still considered a surprise attack?" Tsunade couldn't help but retort.
The other ninja nodded in agreement.
"Why not?" Hoshikawa cleared his throat and asked.
"This method of surprise attack, I'd say, only you in the entire ninja world could pull off." Tsunade couldn't help but laugh. The Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave consumed too much chakra. Most ninja didn't know this Water Release ninjutsu. In fact, in the original story, only Tobirama Senju and Kisame Hoshigaki had used it.
"Start." Tsunade restrained her smile and said seriously, "Let's give them a surprise."
"Mmm." Hoshikawa nodded, then formed hand signs. A large amount of chakra was mobilized and converged in his throat. Hoshikawa took a deep breath, leaned back, and spat out a stream of water.
The water stream plunged into the vast ocean, causing the surface of the sea to churn, raising a gigantic wave over ten meters high, with one wave immediately following another. Everyone was greatly shocked. Those ninja who had never seen Hoshikawa use the Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave were particularly dazed, unable to imagine such a terrifying Water Release.
"Go!" Tsunade leaped up, stepping on the giant wave, and headed toward the island. Everyone recovered and quickly followed suit.
The giant wave was moving extremely fast, and the patrolling Kirigakure ninja at the base only noticed it after it had crossed half the distance.
"What is that?"
"What's with the huge wave?"
"Did an earthquake happen?"
"Hurry! Raise the alarm!"
The patrolling Kirigakure ninja shouted in alarm and quickly sounded the warning. It was 4:30 AM, and most of the ninja were still asleep. By the time they woke up and rushed to the base entrance, the giant wave had arrived.
Screams rang out. Many Genin and Chūnin who couldn't react in time were directly knocked unconscious by the massive impact of the wave. The Kirigakure Jōnin quickly used defensive ninjutsu, and walls of water and earth rose, barely carving out a safe zone.
Mangetsu Hōzuki was among them. But he was completely at home in the seawater, his entire body liquefying and perfectly merging with the seawater. Just then, he suddenly spotted Tsunade and the others.
"Watch out! It's Konoha ninja!" Mangetsu Hōzuki quickly shouted.
But it was too late. Tsunade rushed into the crowd and stomped her foot. Centered around her, the immense force cracked the ground, sending countless fragments of stone flying. The ninja near her were first flung backward, then struck by the flying debris, their bodies spraying blood. Tsunade's full-power Heavenly Foot of Pain resulted in injuries of varying severity to at least a dozen Kirigakure ninja.
The rest of the Konoha and Sunagakure ninja displayed their respective skills, using different ninjutsu. Wind as sharp as a blade, fire that burned everything, lightning of extreme speed, earth that altered the terrain, and so on. The various ninjutsu mixed together resulted in a sky full of bloody rain, and a brutal, bloody battle ensued.
"Damn it!" Mangetsu Hōzuki watched, his eyes blazing with rage. The ground was littered with corpses, and the strong smell of blood made him inevitably angry. But just as he was about to engage the enemy, a dazzling flash of lightning erupted before his eyes.
Bad idea! Mangetsu Hōzuki's heart tightened, and he quickly reverted to his human form. The Hydrification Technique ignored physical attacks, but if hit by Lightning Release, he would be at the mercy of his opponent.
Body Flicker Technique! Mangetsu Hōzuki narrowly dodged several bolts of lightning that sped toward him. He subconsciously looked at the user, his face turning grim.
"Are you Hoshikawa ?" Mangetsu Hōzuki asked tentatively. Although he had never met Hoshikawa , his characteristics were quite distinct: first, he was young; second, he was remarkably handsome; third, he was extremely powerful. The young man before him undoubtedly met all three criteria.
"I am." Hoshikawa smiled and asked, "I heard you were looking for me?"
Mangetsu Hōzuki was surprised. Although he was considered a genius in Kirigakure, his reputation was not widespread in the ninja world, unlike Hoshikawa , who was known to everyone. Hoshikawa knowing him was quite unexpected. He could only conclude that he had underestimated a teacher who thought highly of her student.
"I am indeed looking for you." Mangetsu Hōzuki nodded in confirmation, then asked, "Do you have the seven ninja swords of Kirigakure on you?"
"Yes." Hoshikawa raised an eyebrow.
"Very good!" Mangetsu Hōzuki suddenly shouted. "Give them back to me now!" His body vanished from the spot, reappearing directly in front of Hoshikawa .
Great Water Arm Technique! His arm muscles bulged, instantly filling with explosive power. The sound of air being cut rang out. Mangetsu Hōzuki threw a punch, immediately stirring up an invisible shockwave.
Super Strength! Hoshikawa looked at the fist right in front of him and threw a punch of his own. The two fists collided, and a terrifying force traveled back up Mangetsu Hōzuki's arm. His face changed drastically. He cried out and was sent flying backward uncontrollably.
Hoshikawa couldn't help but shake his head. The Great Water Arm Technique was a secret Water Release technique of the Hōzuki clan in the original story. It was indeed powerful, but it was inferior to Super Strength. Of course, the most important reason was that Mangetsu Hōzuki hadn't fully matured, and half of his talent was focused on sword skills. In the Fourth Great Ninja War, when he was Edo Tensei-ed, his power was greatly reduced because he didn't have the ninja swords. His only reliance was the Hydrification Technique, which was unfortunately countered by Hoshikawa 's Lightning Release.
"Damn it!" Mangetsu Hōzuki struggled to get up. He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and took out two ninja swords. From their appearance, they resembled the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei, with flat blades.
Mangetsu Hōzuki darted toward Hoshikawa like an arrow, thrusting both swords, one from the left and one from the right.
Clang! Hoshikawa used the Lightning-Fire Blade to deflect the sword on the left, then followed the blade to strike the sword on the right. Mangetsu Hōzuki felt both his arms go numb. He was horrified. What was with this power? It could be explained by Super Strength before, but did he have such power even in his regular form?
Konoha Style: Willow! Hoshikawa retreated backward, his body becoming elusive, and the Lightning-Fire Blade in his hand flashed with countless sword shadows. Mangetsu Hōzuki instinctively widened his eyes, but still couldn't distinguish which sword shadow was the real attack. Just as he was about to raise his twin swords, he suddenly found his body unable to move.
Genjutsu? When did that happen?
Mangetsu Hōzuki had no time to think and quickly dispelled the Genjutsu. Just then, a cold flash of light appeared, and the Lightning-Fire Blade was already in front of him. He felt like he would be killed in the next second.
Hydrification Technique! In the nick of time, Mangetsu Hōzuki transformed into a puddle of water. The Lightning-Fire Blade missed, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
But just then, a piercing cry of birds appeared.
Chidori Stream! Lightning spread across Hoshikawa 's entire body, then, without losing momentum, expanded outward. Mangetsu Hōzuki could only watch as the lightning covered him.
A scream rang out. Mangetsu Hōzuki's body reappeared. But he had been knocked out by the electricity and was unconscious.
Hoshikawa did not kill him, as he still needed to learn how to cultivate the Hydrification Technique from him. In fact, there was no need to kill him. In the original story, Mangetsu Hōzuki died young, only living to seventeen. In other words, he would die within two years.
Hoshikawa stepped forward and formed hand signs.
Four Limbs Heavy Seal! A surge of chakra erupted and covered Mangetsu Hōzuki. The effect of this sealing technique was simple: it sealed the target's strength. Hoshikawa was worried he might wake up and escape using the Hydrification Technique.
After sealing Mangetsu Hōzuki, he rejoined the battle. Although this base had many Jōnin, none of them were a match for Tsunade and Hoshikawa . In less than half an hour, the Konoha and Sunagakure ninja claimed victory, occupying the island. Kirigakure had lost over seventy ninja.
"Is this Mangetsu Hōzuki?" Tsunade asked, looking at the white-haired young man at Hoshikawa 's feet. The other ninja had gone to clean up the battlefield. But as the commander, she was entitled to openly slack off. Hoshikawa naturally didn't say anything, as he was also relaxing.
"Mmm, it is." Hoshikawa nodded.
"How strong is he?" Tsunade asked casually.
"He's decent." Hoshikawa thought for a moment and commented, "He's a standout among his peers."
Mangetsu Hōzuki's Hydrification Technique was very useful. As long as he didn't encounter a Lightning Release ninja, he would have a great advantage. Even if he couldn't win, he could stall for time. Unfortunately, he met Hoshikawa , who perfectly countered him in every way. Hoshikawa also realized the benefit of learning many ninjutsu. No matter how tricky the enemy's technique was, he could always find a corresponding ninjutsu.
"You are also one of his peers," Tsunade reminded him with a smile.
"It seems I'm no longer considered a peer by you all." Hoshikawa blinked.
"Don't get carried away!" Tsunade rolled her eyes at him and instructed, "Always maintain the necessary vigilance."
"Yes, Master." Hoshikawa tilted his head.
"Alright, let's clean up. We're going back to the main camp." Tsunade looked at him and smiled again. "By the time Yagura Karatachi reacts, we'll be surrounded by a large number of Kirigakure ninja."
"Mmm." Hoshikawa waved his hand, using chakra to lift Mangetsu Hōzuki.
"Are you planning to use him to trade with Kirigakure for something?" Tsunade asked with some curiosity.
"No." Hoshikawa shook his head. "I want to learn the Hōzuki clan's secret Water Release technique."
"That's truly your style." Tsunade sighed. "Only you can learn so many ninjutsu."
Ninja had limits. Most ninja could only master one elemental transformation in their entire lives.
After the battlefield was cleaned up, the group retreated promptly. About an hour later, Yagura Karatachi and his forces arrived belatedly.
"Mizukage-sama." Ao inspected the area. "Tsunade and Hoshikawa led the attack personally." He had discovered the traces left by the Heavenly Foot of Pain. Besides the brute strength, the island was covered in water. There were very few Water Release ninja in Kirigakure who could achieve this, and in Konoha and Sunagakure, there was only Hoshikawa .
"This is too much!" a young man said angrily.
Mei Terumī was slightly lost in thought when she heard the name Hoshikawa . She again recalled the black fishnet long stockings he had taken.
"Mizukage-sama, there's one more thing: I didn't find Mangetsu Hōzuki's body." Ao speculated. "He might have been taken prisoner."
Yagura Karatachi felt a headache coming on. The Hōzuki clan was a major ninja clan in Kirigakure. Now that Mangetsu Hōzuki was missing, he had to provide an explanation to the Hōzuki clan.
"Clear the base, retrieve the bodies, and then we retreat." Yagura Karatachi said after a moment of silence.
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