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“Lightning Release…”
SMACK!
Just as Yagura was poised to press his advantage and take down Mangetsu—
Mangetsu exploded!
“A Water Clone?”
Yagura shielded himself from the spray, eyes narrowing as he scanned for his opponent.
“When did he—?”
The Water Clone had been so ravaged by Lightning Release chakra it was barely holding together.
Maintaining it any longer would just waste chakra.
Mangetsu decisively abandoned the clone.
His real body, completely unharmed, launched a fresh assault.
Yagura parried Mangetsu’s relentless attacks while replaying the fight in his mind.
There shouldn’t have been any opening for Mangetsu to use a Water Clone.
So from the very beginning, could it be that from the moment he’d entered the house, it was already a clone?
Using a Water Clone to gather intel.
Clever.
Yagura raised his arm to block Mangetsu’s sweeping kick.
Mangetsu clicked his tongue, flexed his right leg, twisted his whole body, and launched another heavy strike!
They traded blows until Mangetsu’s speed gradually slowed and the fight finally died down.
Even with the Water Clone’s lesson learned, even though Mangetsu had been extremely careful to avoid the Lightning Release, the creeping numbness in his body was still fatal.
Yagura switched from defense to offense.
In one motion, he caught Mangetsu’s hand and hurled him away.
Then he kicked off the ground, shot forward to cut him off, and thrust out a palm crackling with gathered lightning.
“I lose.”
Mangetsu Hozuki dodged with Water Body Flicker, immediately sheathed his sword, and raised his hands in surrender.
Yagura blinked.
“Huh?”
Can’t be helped!
He’s hard-countered by Lightning Release!
He’d come here fired up and confident, ready to duel, and got dropped in less than half a chapter.
Total black mark on his record.
In all fairness, Mangetsu Hozuki didn’t think he was weak.
Not everyone’s an inverse-attribute master like Ash!
“You’re a Mist ninja. What the hell are you doing with Lightning Release!”
Mangetsu stalked up to Yagura Karatachi, teeth clenched in frustration.
When he’d reviewed Yagura Karatachi’s file, he’d never even considered what he’d do if the guy turned out to be a Lightning Release user.
The data said Yagura had Water, Wind, and Lightning nature chakra.
That was a two-thirds chance of not being Lightning!
And yet it just had to be Lightning!
He should’ve left the house with his other foot first today!
“Hmm… good question.”
Yagura considered it seriously.
“But my main specialty is Water Release. You want me to fight you with Water Release?”
Mangetsu: “…” If you’re willing, I mean, that’s not off the table.
Lightning Release is only your secondary specialty?!
Yagura Karatachi, are you this ridiculous and do your parents even know?!
It took some time and effort, but Mangetsu purged the Lightning Release chakra from his body.
The relief felt damn good.
May this world be free of Lightning Release!
He glanced at Yagura, then awkwardly turned away, unsure how to face the guy who’d just humiliated him.
Yagura noticed the kid’s embarrassment.
Considering himself the adult here, he spoke first.
“You heading home to sleep?”
Mangetsu shook his head.
“At my age, I’m not tired yet.” Probably go home and read manga.
Yagura thought that was perfect.
“Then let’s walk and talk?”
“…”
Mangetsu hated this.
Why didn’t he just say he was going home to sleep?!
Chatting like old friends with someone who’d just crushed him.
Mangetsu didn’t think he could do it.
“Yagura, what’s up with your Lightning Release? Why’s it different from normal Lightning Release?”
“All the Lightning Release I’ve seen goes like pew-pew, shooting out!”
“If only I had Wind Release chakra, I could counter Lightning a bit.”
“How strong are your Water Release jutsu? How do they compare to your Lightning Release?”
“You’re so strong. Why’s there barely any info on you in the data my grandpa collected?”
“What am I gonna do? I can already see myself 6 years from now at the graduation exam, dying to your Lightning Release.”
…
So many words.
This guy’s a total motormouth!
But Yagura patiently answered everything he could.
This kid had serious potential as a trusted aide to the future Fourth Mizukage!
He had to be cultivated as a key development target!
“My Lightning Release enhances cellular activity in my body. I referenced the Raikage from Hidden Cloud Village.”
“My grandpa must’ve hidden my information well. I’m very strong. Too strong, actually.”
“Water Release jutsu… I can use B-rank Water Release: Water Barrier. Want to try it?”
“Six years from now… the Third Mizukage might already be dead by then. The Village of the Bloody Mist might be over. Then the Academy wouldn’t require killing your teammates to graduate.”
Even Mangetsu was startled by that.
“You’ve got some nerve saying that!”
“He’s just an old relic from a past era.”
Like that fossil Uchiha Madara, nearly a hundred years old and still stirring up trouble.
Pointless.
Better if he just moved on.
Then he’d succeed as Fourth Mizukage and lead Mangetsu Hozuki, Mei Terumi, Kisame Hoshigaki, Zabuza Momochi, Ringo Ameyuri, plus the future Suigetsu Hozuki, Haku, and Kimimaro to build Hidden Mist into the strongest village in the shinobi world!
His gaze burned as he fixed it on Mangetsu.
Yagura decided to start recruiting right now.
He placed a hand on Mangetsu’s shoulder.
“Mangetsu, what’s your dream?”
“Dream?”
At that topic, Mangetsu perked up. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
He clenched his fist confidently.
“Obviously to become one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen serving the next Mizukage! And I want to be their leader!”
Perfect.
As long as your dream isn’t to be Mizukage, any other position is yours.
Assuming you can keep those two troublemakers Kisame Hoshigaki and Zabuza Momochi in line.
Yagura stared directly at Mangetsu, not hiding his intentions toward his future subordinate.
“When I become Fourth Mizukage, you’ll be my leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.”
Mangetsu nearly thought he’d misheard.
“You? Fourth?”
Yagura shot back, “Think I can’t do it?”
“It’s not that…”
Mangetsu thought it over.
Yagura was only 7 and already this strong.
Given time, it really wasn’t impossible.
The thing was, connecting it to what Yagura had just said, that before their graduation exam’s mutual slaughter, the Third Mizukage would die and Yagura would take over.
Even stretching those 6 years to the limit, Yagura would only be 13.
A 13-year-old Kage?
That’s absurd!
In the entire shinobi world, across all five great villages, there was no precedent for that!
Even their Hozuki clan’s pride, Hozuki Gengetsu, had been around 30 when he became Second Mizukage!
No matter how strong you are, Yagura Karatachi, this isn’t how you live.
Are you even letting anyone else breathe?
But meeting Yagura’s intensely serious eyes that didn’t look like they were lying, Mangetsu couldn’t bring himself to say it was impossible.
Instead, he found himself curious whether Yagura could actually pull it off.
On a smaller scale, if Yagura really became Fourth within 6 years and abolished that Academy system, then Mangetsu wouldn’t have to die miserably under this freak’s Lightning Release.
He could even leverage their friendship to get a ninja sword from Yagura!
On a larger scale, this guy had vision.
Following him meant a future.
However Mangetsu looked at it, it beat dying under Yagura’s Lightning Release at 12, before he’d even gotten a sword or graduated.
Yagura extended his hand toward Mangetsu.
Index and middle fingers extended together, the other three curled in.
Mangetsu looked at the gesture with confusion and mimicked it, pointing at Yagura.
“You don’t know it?”
Yagura looked surprised.
“This is the Seal of Reconciliation.”
Mangetsu racked his brain before finally recalling what this “seal” meant.
The Seal of Reconciliation, symbolizing that no matter how great the rift between ninja, reconciliation is possible.
Theoretically, this seal existed among ninja.
But it didn’t fit Hidden Mist’s culture.
It was more popular in the Leaf.
Mangetsu lowered his head with a grin that was hard to read.
“OK OK. You’re pretty childish.”
Going along with what he saw as a childish gesture, he hooked his extended fingers firmly around Yagura’s.
The Seal of Reconciliation—formed!
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