Eternal youth... Even in this world with almost omnipotent Chakra, it's a difficult thing to achieve.
In the original work, in the entire Shinobi World, only Tsunade achieved this.
Even Orochimaru only constantly changed bodies; he couldn't prevent an existing body from aging.
"Hey, you're the one in charge, right?"
At this moment, behind the Third Mizukage, a guy with a giant cleaver sword slung over his shoulder arrogantly asked.
Black short hair, no eyebrows, sharp teeth, a large cross-shaped scar on the right cheek. Ears and neck wrapped in bandages. The lower half of the face painted with red stripes.
—Biwa Juzo, current wielder of the Executioner's Blade among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Aside from Juzo, the other swordsmen were also behind the Third Mizukage.
Wearing a Shinobi cap, sharp teeth, beard on the chin, neck wrapped in fluffy bandages, current wielder of the blunt sword Kabutowari… Akebino Jinin.
Yellow spiky long hair, wearing a Kirigakure's Anbu mask on the face, neck wrapped in fluffy bandages, slender limbs, current wielder of the long sword Nuibari… Kuriarare Kushimaru.
Green long hair, thick eyebrows, sharp teeth, upper body wrapped in bandages, wearing a black vest outside, current wielder of the lightning sword Kiba… Kurosuki Raiga.
Sharp teeth, long blue sweater, wearing a blue shinobi vest outside, terrifying large eyes bulging, current wielder of the twin swords Hiramekarei—name unknown.
Additionally, the current wielders of the explosive sword Shibuki, Munashi Jinpachi, and the large sword Samehada, Suikazan Fuguki, who returned from outside to regroup… the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist all gathered here.
Aside from these seven, Yagura standing to the side and two other elders around fifty with powerful Chakra also caught Ryuji's attention.
Yagura goes without saying; the future Fourth Mizukage, a perfect Three-Tails Jinchuriki.
Although he wasn't the Mizukage or a Jinchuriki yet, his strength shouldn't be underestimated.
As for the other two elders, at this age still having Chakra quantities that made him feel uneasy from afar, they were likely Kirigakure's Three-Tails and Six-Tails Jinchūriki.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!"
Juzo gripped the hilt with one hand, the Executioner's Blade, as wide as an adult's body and nearly two meters long, pointing diagonally at the mechanical bird carrying Ryuji, displaying astonishing arm strength.
Ryuji glanced at him and chuckled lightly. "Although I'd like to have a good chat with experts like you, I am here on official business. If delayed too long, missing the opportune moment would be unfortunate."
"So I am asking what business! Don't think anyone's actually interested in your status!"
Those from Kirigakure, tempered by the Bloody Mist, were mostly arrogant and unruly. Even facing powerful enemies, they never backed down.
Juzo, facing such a perilous situation, remained arrogant and insolent, speaking rudely.
Aka frowned, wanting to teach him a lesson to achieve the effect of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys.
But Ryuji's body blocked her, signaling not to act rashly.
Kirigakure's lineup was so formidable that even a power surpassing Kage-level might not guarantee a win. Plus, Kirigakure's Shinobi were unyielding; even facing someone stronger, they wouldn't easily submit.
Aka thinking she could teach Juzo a lesson to scare others was purely wishful thinking.
The moment she acted, it would likely escalate into a full-scale battle.
If that happened, Ryuji's purpose in talking to the Third Mizukage would be meaningless.
Although the final outcome of the talk was probably meaningless too, he still wanted to try.
What if it succeeded!
So, regarding Juzo's insolence, he didn't mind, merely smiling faintly. "This is something you can't decide."
Hearing this, Juzo displeasingly clicked his tongue, sheathed the Executioner's Blade, and retreated to the back.
Seeing this, the Kirigakure's group looked at Ryuji again.
The Third Mizukage remained silent for a while, then said, "I can decide all matters for Kirigakure. State your business."
"I have a deceased friend from the Uzumaki Clan. Hearing his clan and village were in calamity, I rushed here without stopping. Could Mizukage-dono spare the surviving Uzumaki Clan?"
The so-called deceased friend from Uzumaki Clan was, of course, nonsense… just a random excuse to make Kirigakure withdraw.
Although his army consisted of puppets, and he could use the Dragon Vein for infinite recovery, the enemy's lineup was too formidable. Kirigakure's main forces were almost all here. Even if he could ultimately win, it would be very difficult.
Moreover, the Mechanical City wasn't complete yet; it didn't possess the power to suppress the entire Shinobi World.
Before that, it was better to reveal its might as little as possible to avoid other Shinobi Villages in the world uniting against Sunagakure due to a sense of crisis.
"Give up?"
Upon hearing this, the Third Mizukage paused, then couldn't help but laugh.
"You do nothing and want us to abandon the mission target in our hands? Do you think such a good deal exists in the world?"
If they had already obtained the Uzumaki Clan's sealing technique, then fine.
But they deployed such massive forces to destroy Uzushiogakure yet failed to obtain what they wanted... Although their main goal was to conquer Konoha, destroying Uzushiogakure and seizing the sealing technique was just incidental, abandoning the mission target because of another force's words?
If word got out, wouldn't the dignity of being one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages be lost?
"No, no, no. Precisely because we do nothing, we ask you to give up!" Ryuji lightly shook his head. "If we took action, wouldn't you suffer casualties?"
"Are you saying Kirigakure is certain to lose?"
The Third Mizukage opened his black eyes, an icy, bone-chilling cold emanating from him.
This wasn't an illusion; it was real cold.
The ground under the Third Mizukage's feet and the surrounding air crystallized with frost.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Yagura, the Three-Tails and Six-Tails Jinchuriki, and other guards standing near him all tacitly jumped away in unison, leaving a clearing of several hundred meters.
The moment they jumped away, the cold invaded.
Within the several-hundred-meter clearing centered on the Third Mizukage, thick ice instantly formed. Snow began falling from the sky, and the air became even more bitingly cold.
"Snow?"
Ryuji looked up in surprise. Above was the floating continent's inverted peak. Even if it snowed, the floating continent would block it.
But now, snow fell, ignoring the floating continent's obstruction.
"No, it's not ignoring the Floating Continent's obstruction. The snow is generated below the Floating Continent. This is snow created by Chakra, ignoring natural laws." Aka, with better eyesight, saw the situation two hundred meters above at a glance.
"That's right, this is my snow." The Third Mizukage's long hair fluttered without wind, his gaze sharp as he looked at Ryuji and Aka. "I am from Kirigakure's Yuki Clan, possessing the Kekkei Genkai Ice Release. You are already within my ice and snow domain."