Chapter 51

"Hozuki Mangetsu!!"

"What on earth is going on!!!"

Yagura Karatachi's face turned incredibly gloomy; he never imagined that the situation would take such a sharp turn for the worse in an instant.

Right now, anyone who wasn't a fool could see that Hozuki Mangetsu's sudden appearance was specifically aimed at him.

Facing Yagura Karatachi's changing expression, Hozuki Mangetsu merely sneered in silence, not making a rash move.

Because for Hozuki Mangetsu, as long as he dragged out the time, his odds of winning would continue to increase.

Time was now completely on the side of the Mizukage.

As soon as Mizunuki Ryosuke completely broke the Three-Tails' seal and freed up his hands, the Mizukage's side would instantly gain an additional "Kage"-level combatant.

This weight would instantly tip the scales of the war.

"Suikazan, you look truly pathetic right now."

Before Hozuki Mangetsu could speak, a ninja at his side—carrying a giant broad-bladed longsword, looking fierce with an eyepatch over one eye—was the first to mock Fuguki Suikazan.

Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, wielder of the Blastsword: Shibuki—Jinpachi Munashi!

"Exactly, exactly!"

Beside Jinpachi Munashi, a man as short as a dwarf chimed in.

Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, wielder of the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei—Kushimaru Kuriarare.

"Such an act of rebellion violates the original intention of the Second Mizukage in establishing the Seven Swordsmen."

"Fuguki Suikazan, we are ashamed to be associated with you!"

Finally, a middle-aged man who looked the most normal compared to his eccentric teammates spoke solemnly, his eyes filled with contempt as he looked at Fuguki Suikazan.

Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, wielder of the Blunt Sword: Kabutowari—Jinin Akebino.

Seeing this, not only was Fuguki Suikazan directly mocked, but the expression of Yagura Karatachi beside him also turned extremely ugly.

That’s right, the remaining three of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen all belonged to the forces controlled by the Hozuki clan.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were originally created by the Second Mizukage; after the Second's death, it was only natural for them to be close to Hozuki Mangetsu, the orphan of the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki.

With Hozuki Mangetsu jumping out to oppose him now, it effectively wiped out the advantage Yagura Karatachi held in terms of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's combat power.

It was foreseeable that, excluding the already severely injured Raiga Kurosuki, what would follow would be a three-on-three duel.

"Hozuki Mangetsu, this matter originally had nothing to do with the Hozuki clan; why go to the trouble of getting involved?"

"Since Mizunuki Ryosuke took office, you and I both know the situation in the village."

"I, too, am acting for the good of the village."

"Why must you insist on being in the same boat as him?"

"If you don't want to help me, there's no need to help him either."

"As long as you withdraw now, once I finish off the Third, I can directly hand the position of Mizukage to you."

Yagura Karatachi spoke to Hozuki Mangetsu with sincere words, his eyes filled with a look of honesty.

At this moment, Yagura Karatachi even went so far as to offer the Mizukage position as a promise, putting on the image of a "good person acting for the village."

"Hahahahahaha!!!!"

But who would have thought that upon hearing Yagura Karatachi's words, Hozuki Mangetsu suddenly burst into laughter, even shedding a few tears from the corners of his eyes.

"What are you laughing at!"

Yagura Karatachi barked with an ugly expression.

Although anyone could hear that his words lacked credibility, he didn't believe that Hozuki Mangetsu would be completely unmoved by the position of Mizukage.

"I'm laughing, of course, at how ridiculous you are!"

Hozuki Mangetsu rebuked Yagura Karatachi without mercy.

"You don't really think I'd believe your nonsense, do you!"

"And, 'nothing to do with the Hozuki'?"

"Anyone who dares to get involved with the Rock ninja is an enemy of the Hozuki!"

Saying this, a trace of hostility flashed in Hozuki Mangetsu's eyes, and his gaze toward Yagura Karatachi was finally no longer hidden.

"What do you mean by that!"

Hearing this, Yagura Karatachi's heart skipped a beat, and his mood plummeted to the bottom.

"What do I mean?"

"We've reached this point, what are you still pretending for?"

"Yagura Karatachi, you colluded with the Rock ninja and attempted to assassinate the current Mizukage. Now that the evidence is ironclad, you still want to quibble?!"

A cold light flashed in Hozuki Mangetsu's eyes, and he then opened a sealing scroll and tossed out a massive human head.

On this head, the Rock ninja forehead protector, reflecting the sunlight, was clearly visible.

As soon as Hozuki Mangetsu said this, apart from the Mist Anbu members who had been turned earlier, the majority of the other Mist Anbu members were in an uproar.

It was true they were loyal to Yagura Karatachi, but they never imagined that Yagura Karatachi would go so far as to collude with the Rock ninja.

Hozuki Mangetsu exposing Yagura Karatachi's filth before the battle directly caused the morale of the Mist Anbu ninjas to plummet to a low point.

"So that's how it is."

Looking at the Rock ninja's head on the water, Yagura Karatachi suddenly understood everything.

No wonder those Rock ninjas could never be contacted, and no wonder the Hozuki clan used the Hydrification Technique to hide at the bottom of the lake early on, waiting for him to take the bait.

It turned out this was a trap from the very beginning!

The other side had long been prepared to wipe him out in one fell swoop.

At this moment, Yagura Karatachi suddenly remembered Tian Tian Yuanshi, who had come to "play chess" with him in the middle of the night, and the letter that had been suddenly delivered to him just before he set out.

The other side had even quietly turned many members within the Mist Anbu.

Without a doubt, there must be a mastermind behind this who had calculated all his actions clearly.

And who had led everything to the current situation.

Who is this person? To be so terrifying!

Yagura Karatachi's heart suddenly felt cold; he knew clearly that Mizunuki Ryosuke absolutely did not have such means.

Who exactly was the other party?

Could it be Hozuki Mangetsu before him?

At this moment, this was the biggest doubt in Yagura Karatachi's heart.

Realizing this, Yagura Karatachi also understood that his attempt to win over Hozuki Mangetsu just now was indeed ridiculous.

— Author's Notes —

(Seeking flowers, seeking votes, seeking support, thank you very much!).