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BOOM!
Zabuza Momochi kicked off the ground and charged, blade drawn.
This guy attacked without a word.
But Mangetsu Hozuki had never backed down from a fight.
His joking expression vanished.
He drew his blade and met the charge head-on.
CLANG—two sharp standard-issue Mist blades collided.
Mangetsu stiffened.
His strength was being overpowered by this unknown brat.
Zabuza cackled.
“Genius of the Hozuki Clan? Doesn’t look as strong as the rumors say.”
SLAP!
Mangetsu kicked hard at Zabuza’s blade hand.
Zabuza grimaced.
The impact knocked his two-handed grip upward.
Mangetsu switched to offense.
His blade thrust forward, the tip driving straight toward Zabuza’s heart.
Against someone who wanted him dead and insulted the Hozuki Clan, Mangetsu had no intention of holding back.
SLAP!
Zabuza copied the move.
He spun and kicked the thrusting blade aside, twisting to evade the now off-target strike.
“Wind Release: Pressure Strike!”
Still airborne, Zabuza completed hand seals with both hands gripping his hilt.
He twisted his wrists and brought down the blade, now sheathed in wind.
Wind Release, not Lightning Release?
Mangetsu noted it silently and stepped aside.
SPLURT—an invisible wind blade slashed his face.
Water sprayed from the gash.
Perfect.
Mangetsu’s left foot hit the newly formed puddle.
Three water pillars erupted, blasting toward Zabuza.
Crap!
Zabuza dodged by a hair.
He knew better than to fight a Hozuki on wet ground.
Both feet hit earth and he retreated.
“Don’t even think about running!”
Mangetsu’s eyes blazed.
He gave chase.
“Hydrification Secret Technique: Great Water Arm!”
Confirming Zabuza probably wasn’t a Lightning Release user, Mangetsu stopped testing and got serious.
His right hand swelled.
Massive muscles, far beyond what his age should allow, coiled across the limb.
Zabuza brought his blade up to defend.
Mangetsu’s hydrated body passed straight through the steel.
BOOM—the punch slammed into Zabuza’s gut.
PWAH!
Zabuza folded.
The impact launched him backward.
He reacted fast enough to stab his blade into the ground, skidding a long distance before stopping.
Crouched low, Zabuza gasped for air. The source of this chapter is g.com.
His battle-hungry eyes locked onto Mangetsu.
So strong.
He wiped blood from his mouth, rose with blade in hand, and faced Mangetsu head-on.
The meaning was clear.
Again.
That actually made Mangetsu regard him more highly.
And from Zabuza, Mangetsu caught the scent of a kindred spirit.
Hungry for strength.
Craving battle against the strong to become even stronger.
Mangetsu shook his hand.
The reinforced flesh shrank back to normal.
He looked coldly at Zabuza.
“You don’t use Lightning Release. With just a blade, you can’t hurt me.”
“So what.”
Zabuza didn’t yield an inch.
“Maintaining a hydrated body requires chakra, right? How long can yours hold out?”
“…”
Sorry, but I can maintain it until the seas dry up.
Is this guy an idiot?
Coming to die without proper intel?
Mangetsu gave Zabuza an inscrutable look, then sighed.
His hand returned to his hilt.
“In that case, I’ll just have to cut you down.”
Before the words finished, his sharp brows furrowed.
He accelerated, charging toward Zabuza.
SHING, SPLURT!
Zabuza thrust both hands into his pouch and hurled six shuriken.
All six hit the charging Mangetsu head-on.
Mangetsu couldn’t be bothered.
He took the hits without dodging.
His body split open, water streaming from the wounds.
His speed never slowed.
The next instant he was in front of Zabuza, swinging his blade down.
Zabuza had discarded his long blade.
The weapon in his hand now was a kunai from his pouch.
He met the descending blade head-on.
Mangetsu confirmed it.
Without the Great Water Arm Technique, his strength couldn’t match this guy.
“HRAAAHHH!”
Zabuza forced the kunai upward, throwing off the pressing blade.
His left hand flung three more kunai.
The three kunai pierced Mangetsu’s body.
Mangetsu went with it, his entire body transforming into water and merging into the puddle.
Gone.
SHHK, the next instant, Mangetsu appeared behind Zabuza.
No time.
No chance to escape.
He swung his blade down at the neck.
The moment Zabuza heard the water sound, he realized Mangetsu had flickered behind him.
No time to think.
Pure reflex brought the kunai up to block.
Mangetsu cursed inwardly.
Especially when he saw Zabuza reach into his pouch yet again.
Mangetsu couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
More kunai and shuriken?
How long is he going to play these boring games.
“When you’re dead, remember one thing in hell.”
Mangetsu used the Great Water Arm again.
His blade-gripping right hand swelled just like before.
The intensified pressure made Zabuza’s hand tremble.
Gritting his teeth, he struggled to hold on, the webbing of his hand nearly tearing.
“Go to hell!”
Mangetsu went rigid at the ninja tool Zabuza threw.
Not just a kunai.
A paper tag was attached.
On the tag, a massive character: “Explode.”
Exploding Tag!
How does this guy have an Exploding Tag!
Exploding Tags weren’t cheap.
A major clan like the Hozuki could spend freely, but for an ordinary civilian ninja, they were an absolute luxury.
Mangetsu didn’t recall any clan with the surname Momochi.
Dodge with Body Flicker?
No time!
Mangetsu immediately broke off and retreated.
But speed couldn’t match a thrown kunai.
The kunai with the Exploding Tag attached pierced through him.
Zabuza revealed a bloodthirsty grin.
His hands had already formed the seal.
“HA!”
BENG, the Exploding Tag detonated.
Black smoke carrying blast force and flames engulfed Mangetsu.
Zabuza lowered his trembling right hand and snorted with pride.
The Hozuki Clan genius was nothing special.
He fell just the same.
The black smoke dispersed with the wind.
A bizarrely shaped silhouette slowly became clear.
Zabuza frowned.
Had the hydrated body been blown into that shape?
Well, you learn something new every day.
But as the mass took form, it was pink and solid with many columnar protrusions on its surface.
Something’s wrong.
Zabuza went into combat readiness.
His hand gripped the kunai tight.
“Who’s there?!”
“Alright, alright, alright. I was wondering what all the commotion was about. Mangetsu, you’re being way too distant.”
Those pink solid objects had a scientific name: coral.
Yagura Karatachi gently clenched his hand.
The coral on his palm detached and fell to the ground.
Looking at the somewhat overly familiar dark-skinned little ninja before him, he smiled cheerfully.
“I’m Yagura Karatachi, the future Fourth Mizukage.”
Yagura tilted his head slightly and crooked a finger at the spiky-haired Zabuza.
“Want to try assassinating me right now, Zabuza Momochi-kun?”
➤ Next: Mangetsu: At This Moment, Just Like That Moment