Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Hozuki Mangetsu quickly sensed something was wrong. His body instantly turned into water, then separated into a stream of water. In the center of the stream was a drop of deep purple liquid. He was both shocked and furious. He glared at the old man-like Murasaki and demanded, "Who exactly are you?"

"poisonous?"

Hirosaki, who was eating soy sauce senbei, was shocked. The half-eaten senbei fell onto the table. He tried to stand up, but his limbs felt weak and his vision became blurry. Before he could even utter a word, he collapsed and fell face down on the table.

The two nameless Mist Ninja next to him had already collapsed even earlier.

"My medicine didn't work?"

Murasaki deactivated her transformation jutsu and looked in surprise at Hozuki Mangetsu, who was completely unharmed.

"The Hozuki clan's water transformation technique is indeed as good as its reputation. It seems that poisoning is completely useless against you!" Kazuma stood up, and he and Tenmoku and Murasaki stood in different positions, forming a pincer movement against Hozuki Mangetsu.

Kazuma looked at Hozuki Mangetsu with great interest.

The secret technique of water transformation.

This thing is really good!

I wonder if anyone outside the Hozuki clan can practice this secret technique? But my intuition tells me that even if someone outside the Hozuki clan could practice the water transformation technique, that person probably wouldn't be him. Putting aside everything else, his chakra doesn't have the nature of water, which is enough to exclude him.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

Hozuki Mangetsu frowned. He looked at Murasaki and vaguely felt that he had seen her somewhere before, but the impression was obviously very weak and he couldn't remember it for a moment. Kazuma and Tenmoku were wearing straw hats, so their faces could not be seen and no useful information could be obtained from them.

Who we are is not important.

Kazuma picked up the tin cane leaning against the table and gave it a light shake. "I'll take care of you soon."

As soon as he finished speaking,

Zizi made her move.

One after another, poisoned projectiles shot towards Hozuki Mangetsu, only to be casually knocked down without even looking at them. With his water transformation technique, he was completely unafraid of such attacks. Whether it was the cutting of sharp weapons, the striking of blunt weapons, or the corrosive effects of poison, none of it mattered to him, who could transform into water.

Of course, Hozuki Mangetsu didn't think that these unidentified guys only had this much to offer.

The battle has probably only just begun.

The good show is yet to come.

The next second, the rock spears that sprang up from the ground confirmed his thoughts. The sharp rock spears, which were sharp enough to break a person's thigh bone, forced him to respond. He himself was not afraid of this kind of attack, but his three companions, including Hirosaki, who were poisoned, were unable to resist the thrusts of the rock spears. He could not carry the three of them away by himself, so he could only throw Hirosaki and the others far away to avoid the sudden attack of the rock spears.

however--

Suddenly, one of the two mysterious figures wearing straw hats and black trench coats lunged at the three who had been thrown away, picked up the poisoned Hirosaki, and ran away. Hozuki Mangetsu was stunned for less than a second, then thought to himself, "Damn it, these guys' target is Hirosaki!"

Realizing the other party's true purpose, he was about to rush forward and take Hirosaki back, but a tall and thick rock wall that rose from the ground blocked his way, forcing him to stop.

"Your opponent is me! The prodigy of the Hozuki clan."

Kazuma stopped Hozuki Mangetsu.

[Chapter 296. Another prey falls into the net]

[Secret Technique of Water-Iron Cannon] —

That tiny droplet unleashed astonishing destructive power, piercing through rocks and shattering steel. Even though Kazuma had strengthened himself with the Hardening Technique, his left arm, which was held horizontally in front of him, was still painfully struck by the droplet that had pierced through a rock wall!

My bones hurt so much they feel like they're going to break!

"Damn it! This feeling is absolutely awful!"

This incompatible opponent caused Kazuma to experience unspeakable pain.

In terms of strength, Kazuma is by no means weak. Even without the forbidden techniques of the Tsuchigumo clan, he is still an elite figure among the Jonin. Otherwise, he would not have been able to lead the radical and moderate factions among the Twelve Guardian Ninja to stand on equal footing.

But there's nothing I can do!

This time, his opponent was so effective at restraining him.

He is skilled in Earth Release and Wind Release techniques. Logically speaking, he should have the advantage against Kirigakure ninja who are skilled in Water Release techniques. It's a simple principle: Earth counters Water. However, the Hozuki clan has perfected Water Release techniques, and the Water Transformation Technique is completely unaffected by Earth Release and Wind Release techniques.

No matter how powerful his attacks were, whether it was a rock spear that could pierce a person's heart or a wind blade that could split steel in two, they could not exert their due lethality in the face of flowing water, perfectly demonstrating what it means to draw a knife to cut water, but the water will flow on its own.

The only two techniques capable of harming Hozuki Mangetsu, Lightning Release and Fire Release, happen to be outside of Kazuma's area of ​​expertise.

Therefore, from the very beginning, Ma was forced to fight with limited freedom.

It was extremely hard work!

"Whoosh-"

Another droplet burst through the air.

To be honest, this trick is pretty shameless.

Not only is it powerful, but it is also fast, and it doesn't require hand seals; it's completely instantaneous.

Even though Kazuma was mentally prepared, he couldn't dodge every time. This time... the flying droplet was aimed directly at his head. In his haste, Kazuma disregarded the damage to his cervical spine, twisting his head sharply to narrowly avoid it...

Not completely avoided!

"Clap!"

The straw hat was smashed.

Without the concealment of the straw hat, Mana's unadorned appearance was immediately revealed.

"You are... Kazuma, one of the original Twelve Guardian Ninja! So it was you traitors." Hozuki Mangetsu recognized Kazuma. For the past few years, he had basically stayed in Konoha, working in the [Konoha Kirigakure Joint Ronin Investigation Department]. On the surface, his job was to hunt down rogue ninja. He knew all the famous rogue ninja like the back of his hand, or at least had a good idea of ​​them.

Although Murasaki was also one of the original Twelve Guardian Ninjas.

But to be honest, it wasn't very noticeable on that list of rogue ninjas, so I didn't think of it for a moment.

However, Kazuma is at least a person of some importance.

So I recognized it at a glance.

"I've been recognized again. They're really... tough to deal with!"

Kazuma reached out and touched his face.

He wasn't nervous.

Although fighting Hozuki Mangetsu was incredibly frustrating and I've been in close contact with him several times, I'm still alive and well, aren't I? As long as I haven't been killed, there's nothing to be nervous about. After all, being nervous won't help, so it's better to keep a positive attitude.

"You bunch of cowardly cowards, instead of staying in your rat holes and trembling with fear, you dare to come out and cause trouble. Now that you've crawled out of your rat holes, this time... you'll stay here!" Hozuki Mangetsu reached out and took down the twin swords Hiramekarei that he had been carrying on his back.

The murderous aura surged once again.

attack,

Like a raging torrent.

[Blood Mist Blade Technique - Bone Pulling]

One after another, shimmering chakra spikes streaked across the sky like shooting stars, shattering the rock wall erected in front of Kazuma. With just one strike, the Twin Blades Hiramekarei displayed terrifying destructive power in Hozuki Mangetsu's hands.

Kazuma was forced to flee underground.

However, neither Zizi nor Tianmu knew the art of moving on land.

Tenmoku still had a hostage in his hands. When Hozuki Mangetsu made his move, he didn't attack Tenmoku's main body. He just blocked Tenmoku's escape route, preventing him from escaping from his sight. However, Murasaki, who didn't have a hostage in her hands, wasn't so lucky.

Before she could even use her teleportation technique to escape, the lightning-fast light spike pierced through her left leg.

Fresh blood mixed with bone fragments spurted from the wound.

Despite losing a leg, Zizi barely managed to stay upright on the ground. She knelt on one knee to support herself.

"Miko!"

Tianmu's eyes widened.

"Kazuma, Tenmoku, you two go, I'll cover the rear!" After just one glance at her injured leg, Yukiko, being a medical ninja, already knew that she was destined not to leave today. Her left leg was already useless, and even if she were lucky enough to survive, there was basically no chance of it being fully restored.

That is,

Her ninja career is over.

A ninja who can't run and has lost his mobility is already useless.

"Zizi?"

"Come on!"

As Zizi spoke, she threw out several poison mist bombs, and the poison gas quickly spread. That wasn't all; she also threw out poisoned senbon, shuriken, kunai, and a large number of explosive tags without regard for cost. However, these small tricks were of little use.

Just as she took out the new scroll,

Another chakra beam tore through the poisonous mist and pierced Zi Zi's wrist, leaving only a thin sliver of skin holding her right hand together and preventing it from falling off completely.

"Ahhhhhh!!"

This time,

Murasaki finally let out a heart-wrenching wail.

The pain was so intense that she was on the verge of collapse. Her left hand trembled violently as she gripped the kunai, wanting to stab it into her heart, but the pain in her right hand and left leg, along with the rapid and massive blood loss, prevented her from doing so. She could only endure this torture-like agony.

"If you don't want your companion to die here right now, put him down."

Hozuki Mangetsu held up a flounder and pointed it directly at Tenmoku, which was not far away.

obviously,

Murasaki's attempt to cover Kazuma and Tenmoku's escape was pure wishful thinking. Although they were all Jonin, to be honest, she was no match for Hozuki Mangetsu, even if she fought desperately... Some things are simply impossible to do.

Tianmu remained silent.

As a sensory ninja, even through the rock layers, I could still detect the chakra fluctuations coming from underground.

Hiding underground wasn't solely for evasion. After acquiring the forbidden technique of the Earth Spider clan, he had been pondering how to circumvent the limitation of not being able to move freely while using this forbidden technique. To this end, he devised various combat strategies, such as using Earth Escape Technique to create a space underground.

As long as you're not facing an opponent who's equally skilled in earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of technique), or an opponent who can strike deep underground.

Hiding underground not only allows for the safe use of the forbidden technique [Raging Heaven], but also provides a degree of protection against chakra fluctuations by utilizing the soil and rock layers above. It is difficult for non-professional sensory ninjas to perceive changes underground through the thick soil and rock layers; otherwise, earth-walking techniques would not be one of the signature skills of the Iwa ninjas.

As for,

The rock strata can reduce the destructive power of the raging storm to some extent.

But that's perfectly acceptable.

To be honest, in Kazuma's opinion, the destructive power of the forbidden technique "Rage of Heaven" is completely excessive. It's just about killing people. A kunai can kill someone, an explosive tag can kill someone, and a Tailed Beast Ball is just a one-stop service to grind bones to ashes. Even if it wastes some destructive power, it doesn't matter at all.