Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

She reached up to touch her forehead, still somewhat incredulous.

Not only her, but anyone who wasn't an ignorant fool understood what Wood Release really meant. Judging from the name, it was a bloodline limit of the same type as Boil Release, Lava Release, and Ice Release. However, a man named Hashirama Senju used his undefeated record and overwhelming power to push Wood Release to the highest throne.

Even today,

The legends left behind in the ninja world continue to deeply influence the ninjas of this land.

"What on earth is going on? Wasn't it supposed to be the Mizukage? Why is it Wood Release again? Is Konoha up to something?" Hozuki Mangetsu's voice was light and weak, and he was indeed very weak. He had been hit by Uchiha Shisui's Great Dragon Fire Technique twice in a row, and the fact that he hadn't died only showed how powerful Hozuki Mangetsu's ability to survive was.

"The one who just chopped off the wooden dummy's head was [Flame Demon] Uchiha Munen."

Zabuza Momochi retorted.

His voice also lacked strength.

Moreover, compared to Hozuki Mangetsu, who only appeared pale, Momochi Zabuza was in much worse condition. His chest and right arm were wrapped in thick bandages, which were applied by the medical ninja who accompanied Terumi Mei. Unlike Konoha, Kirigakure had a pitifully small number of medical ninjas.

He was slashed twice by Uchiha Shisui, but he survived due to his toughness.

He endured the journey until he met up with Mei Terumi and received treatment from a medical ninja.

Of the three, only Kisame Hoshigaki was in good condition. Relying on his naturally ten times larger chakra reserves than ordinary people, as well as his highly honed Water Release techniques, and with the help of his two comrades, Mangetsu Hozuki and Zabuza Momochi, who contributed greatly, he was able to escape unscathed from Shisui Uchiha.

Of course, this was also because Uchiha Shisui did not pursue them relentlessly; otherwise, it would be questionable whether the three of them would still be alive.

"If it's not Konoha, then who is it? Who could it be?"

He didn't say it aloud, but just went through it in his mind. Hozuki Mangetsu didn't argue with Momochi Zabuza. Just as Terumi Mei said, there was indeed something fishy about this. He wasn't as meticulous as Terumi Mei, but his intuition made him realize that something was wrong.

He narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze fixed on the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, who had suddenly appeared in their field of vision and was heading their way.

"Lord Mizukage?"

Mei Terumi also noticed Yagura Karatachi. She decisively and directly formed hand seals, adopting a defensive posture with dignity, and warned at the same time: "Please do not come too close. Please forgive my offense before verifying your identity."

The problem of the two Yaguras is still unresolved, so who knows who this Yagura in front of us really is?

"...You're very good! Being cautious is a very good habit."

Upon hearing this, Yagura stopped in his tracks and did not continue forward. He looked up slightly at Mei Terumi. In his memory, Mei Terumi had always been that little girl who followed Genji to learn, a noblewoman who inherited the bloodlines of the only two bloodline limit families in Kirigakure.

He also saw the 'prodigy' Hozuki Mangetsu.

He was regarded by the Hozuki clan as a genius who could restore the clan's glory to the Second Mizukage, but he was also an unruly and arrogant brat.

Zabuza Momochi... Born into a small clan, he single-handedly changed the graduation examination method of the Hidden Mist Village Ninja Academy. He was the only graduate of that year's Ninja Academy because he killed all his classmates!

Also, Kisame Hoshigaki.

Kisame Hoshigaki, the most outstanding young man in the Hidden Mist Village's Anbu, was the designated next wielder of the great sword Samehada. Unfortunately, Samehada fell into the hands of Uchiha Sogen. Otherwise, with his innate large amount of chakra, Kisame Hoshigaki's endurance might have been comparable to that of a Jinchuriki when paired with Samehada, which could devour chakra.

Yagura looked at the group of people in front of him, his expression dazed.

original,

Before we knew it, these young people had grown up so much!

"You've all done very well!" Yagura's voice softened further. "However, time is of the essence now. We don't have much time to talk. Mei Terumi, use your authority to tell every surviving Kirigakure ninja to stop fighting the Konoha ninja. We... have been defeated!"

He managed to utter the word "defeat" with difficulty.

At this moment,

He suddenly understood why the Third Hokage had chosen to abdicate after the Third Shinobi World War, passing the position of Mizukage to him, and then passing away not long after. At the time, he thought it was quite remarkable that the Third Hokage had lived to such an old age.

In retrospect, it may be that Kirigakure's defeat in the Third Shinobi World War took the life of the Third Hokage!

Admitting defeat

This is undoubtedly a great disgrace to the 'Shadow'!

Even in death, one's failure will be remembered by posterity... Even Yagura Karatachi, who thought he had made sufficient mental preparations, found at this moment that his preparations were far from enough, and the bitter taste in his mouth made it almost impossible for him to continue speaking.

But he could not remain silent.

"Hurry up, we've already shed enough blood, that's enough. There's no point in continuing to bleed. We've already lost." Yagura's face was filled with deep pain, but as long as it was for the village, for the Mist Ninja, for the future, he was prepared to give everything.

Life, soul, honor... there is nothing that cannot be given up.

"Defeat?"

Zabuza Momochi loudly repeated the word he had heard many times six years ago, and heard it again six years later.

His eyes were wide open, and flames seemed to burn within his black pupils—flames of rage. He clenched his fists, and the bandages on his arms were stained red with blood, but he seemed completely unaware that his wound had reopened.

"Lord Mizukage, are you saying we've been defeated again?"

Zabuza Momochi's attitude and tone were entirely questioning.

This cruel, tyrannical, and ambitious man firmly believed that he would change Kirigakure. Even though his coup failed in the original future, he was still plotting the next coup while on the run. To this end, he accepted the employment of any noble or merchant who was willing to pay a high price to carry out assassination activities.

Perhaps it seems very twisted to some people,

But it is clear that Zabuza Momochi has extremely deep feelings for the village.

Yagura avoided Zabuza Momochi's soul-scorching gaze. He stared at the puddle on the ground, suppressing the pain and frustration in his heart, and said blankly, "That's right, we've been defeated! Defeated once again, defeated by Konoha once again."

Zabuza Momochi's eyes were bulging, his extreme anger accumulating in his chest, feeling like he was carrying a volcano about to erupt.

Zabuza, shut up!

Before Zabuza could erupt, Mei Terumi snapped, "Mangetsu, Kisame, what are you two standing there for? Watch Zabuza, don't let him do anything stupid." It wasn't just Zabuza who was in a bad mood; Mei Terumi's mood was equally terrible.

However, her rationality was not broken by her anger.

No matter how harsh the word "defeat" may be, she realized that the Mist Ninja had already lost, or rather, she had already realized it beforehand. Otherwise, she would not have ordered the chunin and genin to retreat and instructed the jonin not to seek to kill the enemy, but to prioritize their own survival. All of this was done to help the village preserve as much vitality as possible.

Hozuki Mangetsu and Kisame Hoshigaki, both with equally grim expressions, kept watch on Momochi Zabuza from the left and right, preventing their enraged companion from doing anything foolish.

"Lord Mizukage, have you managed to bring the situation under control?"

The dark eagle swooped down and landed steadily on the ground. It lay down, spread its wings, and formed a ramp like a plank. Only after Zongxian left did it turn back into a blob of ink, staining the nearby ground black. Zongxian then went to Yagura's side and said in a very familiar tone, "Need any help? Looks like your reputation as Mizukage isn't that great! Want me to help you take care of that murderous-looking, eyebrowless guy?"

murderous intent

No eyebrows yet.

This refers to Zabuza Momochi.

Upon hearing this, Mei Terumi and her group instantly erupted in anger. What did this mean? Why was the Mizukage so familiar with [Enma] Uchiha Sogen? Was this Mizukage an imposter? Or had their Mizukage betrayed the village?

"There's no need for the Uchiha clan head to take action. By the way, has that imposter been dealt with yet?"

"Of course, but it's a pity that the body wasn't left behind. That imposter used an explosive tag to blow himself up, leaving not even ashes." Zong Xian lied without changing his expression. Such precious material as White Zetsu couldn't be shared with others casually, and in his opinion, even White Zetsu was very different.

White Zetsu, capable of using the Wooden Dummy Technique,

The quantity will definitely not be too large.

Yagura didn't delve into the matter of the imposter, although he also wanted to capture the imposter who could use Wood Release and study him. However, circumstances were beyond his control, and compared to such trivial matters, the most urgent task was to end the war on the island.

"Since he's already dead, there's nothing we can do about it."

Yagura sighed softly, then said, "Clan Chief Uchiha, please restrain the Konoha ninja. There is no need to continue fighting. Continuing to fight will only increase casualties. This time, we, the Mist Ninja, have lost."

He bowed his head toward Zongxian.

[Chapter 118 Uchiha Counterattack]

The Fourth Mizukage bowed his head to the Konoha ninja in front of many ninjas from his own village. Even though they were not yet sure if this Yagura Karatachi was really their Mizukage, for some reason, they felt that the short figure with his head bowed seemed to be the real Fourth Mizukage.

The Mist Ninja felt a tightness in their chests, making it difficult to breathe.

"For the sake of the village, have you even given up the last shred of your dignity and honor?"

Zongxian lowered his gaze, looking at this 'chess friend' he felt he had known for quite some time. This was the first time that Yagura had bowed his head to him, and it was in his capacity as the Mizukage that he had done so. He sighed, "If those old guys in our village had your sense of responsibility, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out so badly."

Then--

Zong Xian's expression turned solemn, and he asked again to confirm:

"Lord Mizukage, does the Mist Ninja concede defeat?"

"······Yes."

Yagura closed his eyes, his expression pale, but he still nodded in agreement.

"I hope Lord Mizukage keeps his word, otherwise, my wrath will burn Kirigakure to the ground." As Zongxuan spoke, he turned to look behind him, seeing Momochi Zabuza appear behind him with the Body Flicker Technique, raising his injured arm to complete the hand seals. "Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

This is the strongest offensive ninjutsu that Zabuza Momochi, who comes from a small clan, could master.

Fueled by extreme rage, he squeezed out the last of his chakra and unleashed a torrent of water like a cascading waterfall. This attack wasn't just aimed at Uchiha Sogen; the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, was also within its range.

"Stop! You idiot!"

Yagura was in a panic.

Zabuza Momochi, that madman, is attacking Uchiha Sogen at this time? Does he have a death wish? If he's looking for death, he should find a quiet place to slit his own throat! Attacking Uchiha Sogen, is he not planning to end the war?

Do they have to watch Uchiha Mugen slaughter his way into the village before they're satisfied?

"Hozuki Full Moon!!"

"Kisame Hoshigaki!!"

Mei Terumi was furious.

"Two of you can't even keep an eye on an injured Zabuza Momochi? What kind of trash are you?" She didn't say it aloud, but you could read the meaning in her eyes.

Hozuki Mangetsu's face grew increasingly pale, and without a word, he began forming hand seals almost simultaneously with Hoshigaki Kisame.

Zongxian took off his Flame Fan, looked at the surging torrent, turned the Flame Fan upside down in his hand, and stood it on the ground like a shield. It was like a pillar in the middle of the torrent, absorbing the torrent's scour. No, that's not quite right. It didn't just absorb it!

There are two ways to use Water Release techniques. One is to consume a large amount of chakra to create water waves to fight in waterless or water-scarce environments. The Great Explosion Water Wave used by Yagura Karatachi was actually a Water Release technique that also created a favorable battlefield environment.

Secondly, in environments with abundant water, such as the sea or near rivers and lakes, one can mix one's chakra into the water flow through close contact and manipulate these natural water currents to perform various water-based combat techniques.

at the moment,

Zabuza Momochi falls into the first category.

The nameless island is located in the sea and, strictly speaking, does not lack water. However, there just happened to be no large water source nearby for Zabuza Momochi to use, so he had to use his nearly depleted chakra to create this massive torrent.

only--

Despite the impressive display, it was all for naught. These torrents were transformed chakra, and unlike the stability of Earth Release creations, Water Release, with its ever-changing form, absorbed them extremely quickly. If water had initially flowed from both sides of Sogen, then half a second later, all the torrents were drawn by the vortex and completely absorbed by the Uchiha Fan.