Chapter 76: The Hidden Mist's Secret—A Peak Confrontation!
However, facing such a terrifyingly powerful secret technique—
"Enough!"
Mei Terumi showed no sign of panic. She took another step forward, staring coldly at Hōzuki Mangetsu.
Then she shouted with certainty,
"You deliberately let us eliminate those five Hunter-nin, didn't you?!"
"Once I used Exploding Water Colliding Wave to flood the battlefield, you could have ended this fight immediately."
The Water Release: Tate Eboshi technique required massive amounts of water to activate.
In the context of Water Release: Kirisame's weakening field, if Mei Terumi hoped to hold back Hōzuki Mangetsu, she would inevitably rely primarily on Water Release techniques.
Other ninjutsu—including her Kekkei Genkai abilities—could only serve as supplementary attacks in such an environment.
Once Mei Terumi employed large-scale Water Release, or Hōzuki Mangetsu unleashed his own massive water techniques,
The battle would effectively be over.
With home-field advantage and this secret technique at his disposal, Hōzuki Mangetsu was virtually unbeatable.
Mei Terumi looked up at Hōzuki Mangetsu, her tone accusatory.
"But you didn't use this technique immediately!"
"What were you waiting for? You were waiting for your five subordinates to be defeated, weren't you?!"
She pointed at the five cold bodies of the Hunter-nin lying on the ground and declared sharply,
"You're so cold-blooded and callous—killing your own comrades. Are you truly worthy of being called a Hunter-nin?"
"I thought Uchiha Tsukasa's speculation was nonsense, but your actions prove it!"
Hōzuki Mangetsu fell silent under this accusation.
Mei Terumi paused, then raised her head and continued.
"Hōzuki Mangetsu—"
"You're so desperate to know Yagura's whereabouts,"
She stared at him with an unwavering gaze and shouted with absolute certainty,
"You truly are a demon who longs to overthrow Kirigakure and assassinate your master with your own hands!"
Faced with this question again, Hōzuki Mangetsu's expression showed a hint of turmoil, his eyes growing noticeably darker.
He immediately sneered coldly:
"What does that prove? Or rather—so what?"
Mangetsu took a deep breath and said lightly:
"As shinobi—as executioners whose hands are stained with their comrades' blood—we should have been prepared long ago. 'The killer will be killed' is common sense."
"Being killed proves nothing except that they weren't skilled enough for the role of executioner."
Mei Terumi frowned and asked sternly:
"Do you think you're suitable to be that executioner?"
"Then if I asked you to assassinate the Third Mizukage—how far could you actually go?"
Mangetsu's expression turned cold, a trace of inner conflict flashing in his eyes before he shouted back:
"These meaningless provocations end here, Mei Terumi."
"You live in a deliberately constructed bubble of sunshine. You're not ready for real change at all. You should just stay in your greenhouse and be decorative."
Then he stared at Mei Terumi and demanded coldly:
"Tell me—what exactly is Yagura planning?"
Mei Terumi's face showed no anger at being called decorative. On the contrary, she felt relieved.
Only now, after Tsukasa's bold deductions and several rounds of verbal sparring, had she managed to guide him into revealing his true purpose.
Once both parties were reluctantly placed in the same camp, the crisis could be tentatively resolved.
Mei Terumi took a deep breath and declared resolutely:
"As you suspected, the captain of Kirigakure's Jonin corps—Karatachi Yagura—has collected sufficient evidence to overthrow the Third Mizukage!"
"Next, Kirigakure will usher in a new era of reform."
"We—Lord Yagura, the Elder Council, and the bloodline limit clans—will unite and continue the policies of the First and Second Mizukage, starting with reforming the Academy's graduation system and abolishing the bloody oppressive policies implemented in recent years."
Mei Terumi's expression was firm, her ambitions clear. With light shining in her eyes, she said to Hōzuki Mangetsu gravely:
"No more Hunter-nin units! No more bearing the sin of killing your own comrades!"
"And you can serve under the Mizukage as the next-generation leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!"
"The Elder Council sent me to find Karatachi Yagura for precisely this purpose!"
"Oh?" Hōzuki Mangetsu narrowed his eyes slightly. "Really?"
Then he responded expressionlessly:
"Then take me to see Yagura. If he's not qualified to become the Fourth Mizukage—"
"I'll kill him with my own hands."
Mei Terumi clenched her fists, weighed the pros and cons momentarily, bit her lip slightly, then nodded with difficulty,
"Fine. But after arriving at that location, you must accept a sealing technique!"
"Doesn't matter." Hōzuki Mangetsu then turned expressionlessly, looking at Tsukasa behind Mei Terumi.
"If that's the case, then—"
Hōzuki Mangetsu's tone turned icy, his lips curling into a predatory grin.
He bit his finger and formed summoning hand seals:
Boar-Dog-Bird-Monkey-Ram!
He placed his hand on the [Seven Ninja Swords Summoning Scroll] and swept it horizontally!
[Hiramekarei], [Samehada], [Kiba], [Kabutowari], [Nuibari], [Shibuki], [Kubikiribōchō]!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Seven puffs of smoke erupted, and seven legendary blades—each with distinct characteristics—appeared in a row above the giant water construct's head.
Hōzuki Mangetsu drew the twin lightning blades Kiba with a reverse grip, spun them in a cold flourish, and
Pointed them directly at Tsukasa, shouting coldly,
"Uchiha brat—let's continue this battle!"
Tsukasa took a deep breath, having already anticipated this.
He stepped around Mei Terumi and moved forward, drawing his ninja blade in reverse grip. He
Gripped the handle with both hands, looking up slightly with focused intensity.
His crimson Sharingan locked onto Hōzuki Mangetsu standing atop the massive water beast, suppressing his inner apprehension at the overwhelming size difference.
He stood straight with legs shoulder-width apart, ready for combat.
"Wait! Hōzuki Mangetsu!" Mei Terumi suddenly looked up, eyes wide, and asked in shock:
"What are you doing?!"
Hōzuki Mangetsu simply shook his head at Mei Terumi and said indifferently, "He cannot know about Kirigakure's internal affairs."
Then he looked at Tsukasa coldly and stated calmly,
"Don't worry—I'm just sending him off. Isn't that why he came here in the first place?"
"It doesn't really matter whether he's killed by that creature below or by my hand."
With that, Hōzuki Mangetsu drew the blunt blade Kabutowari and the great blade Samehada from the weapon array and mounted them on his back.
From over ten meters above, he looked down at Tsukasa,
Killing intent surging in his eyes!
Tsukasa took a deep breath and looked up at Hōzuki Mangetsu hovering atop the water construct.
He let out a fierce grin.
"You think you can kill me?"
"Come on, then!"
The next moment,
He immediately activated his secret technique—Earth Grudge Fear Stitching!
From his wrists, dark, tough threads emerged, tightly binding his palms to the sword's handle. Then they stretched upward along the blade, forming a reverse spiral pattern—narrow at the top, wide at the bottom.
Then he unleashed the forbidden technique he could use for the final time: Physical Regeneration!
His well-defined muscles rippled, extracting a surge of fresh chakra from his already depleted reserves. He channeled this chakra through the Snake seal, pressing both palms against the blade.
Water Release: Water Fang Blade—suddenly spiraling to life!
The rotating water blade surged and expanded with the massive chakra infusion, transforming into a nearly two-meter-long spiral blade.
He then carefully applied Chakra Flow technique, further increasing its cutting power.
Tsukasa
Raised the water blade—now at the absolute peak of his capabilities—and pointed it coldly at Hōzuki Mangetsu standing at a towering height of over ten meters, wielding the finest legendary blades in the entire shinobi world.
He sneered with disdain:
"Do you think I'm afraid?"
His eyes blazed with intensity, the corners of his mouth curling into a reckless smile as he roared:
"Come on! Meet me in mortal combat!"
Under Mei Terumi's astonished gaze,
The young man actually took the initiative, raising his blade and charging directly at Hōzuki Mangetsu!
End of Chapter 76
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