I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

Hozuki Mangetsu remained silent; he was indeed not qualified to represent Kirigakure.

Moreover, the strength displayed by the opponent truly deserves the title of village leader. Their statuses are not equal. It is unknown how such a powerful Uzumaki ninja could suddenly appear in the Land of Whirlpools, which has been extinct for more than 20 years.

However, the other party just mentioned the masked man. Could it be that the masked man is the ninja who manipulated the Fourth Mizukage?

Chapter 101 The Beautiful Boy in a Kimono

After the conversation, Naruto left Uzushio Village with Hozuki Mangetsu and Zabuza.

He also handed over all the affairs of Uzushio Village to Shisui, telling him to consult Huomen for internal matters and Ashina, the old clan chief, for external matters, thus becoming a completely hands-off manager.

Zhi Shui didn't have much resistance; he participated in the village's development and watched it improve step by step.

This was his wish since he became a ninja.

The entrustment from Lord Menma represents trust, and he will not betray Lord Menma's trust, causing the Uchiha to lose their last refuge in the ninja world.

However, Shisui also realized that Menma-sama was not without desires.

Menma-sama does have enemies and rivals, such as the masked man who created the Nine-Tails Night and is currently manipulating the Fourth Mizukage. Coincidentally, his enemy is also the masked man, who shares the same interests.

……

Outside Uzushio Village, Hozuki Mangetsu and Zabuza, now free, were not as happy as they had imagined.

They had indeed gained their freedom, but Naruto was only twenty or thirty meters behind them, and his clumsy disguise left them unsure whether to expose him.

If they expose them, they fear the other party will become enraged and imprison them both in the Whirlpool Country prison again.

If we don't expose them, it would be an insult to their professional level as ninjas. They feel uncomfortable all over, as if ants are crawling on their bodies. It's extremely painful.

After some deliberation, Hozuki Mangetsu and Zabuza decided to maintain the status quo.

Because strength truly allows one to do whatever one wants, even the Hidden Mist Village at its peak wouldn't dare to provoke a Kage-level powerhouse like him.

After all, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are said to be able to hunt down the Five Kage, but that's only in a seven-on-one situation.

Normally, the Five Kage are protected by Jonin of considerable strength, making them impossible to hunt down.

After boarding the ferry leaving the Land of Whirlpools, Hozuki Mangetsu saw Naruto wearing sunglasses and looking at the sea on the deck and couldn't help but say:

"Since Lord Menma wanted to go to Kirigakure together, why didn't you say so in advance?"

Naruto glanced at Hozuki Mangetsu, made an exaggerated expression, sighed and said, "I didn't expect my disguise skills to still be so inadequate. You guys still managed to find out. As expected of the elite of Kirigakure, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist who dared to assassinate the Mizukage."

Naruto spoke loudly, which caught the attention of many passengers, who then cast puzzled glances at him.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Hozuki Mangetsu's face was extremely ugly. Was it acceptable to openly announce an assassination attempt on the Mizukage? He and Zabuza had indeed planned to assassinate the Mizukage, but they always carried it out secretly, not by openly storming the Mizukage's building.

"Lord Mianma, please keep your voice down. They've already noticed us."

Left with no other choice, Hozuki Mangetsu used a respectful form of address for Naruto for the first time. He, who always considered himself to be neither humble nor arrogant in front of anyone, actually lost his composure in this situation.

Naruto revealed a triumphant smile: "Don't worry, they can't hear our conversation. The reason I chose to come along was to protect you and Zabuza, or more precisely, to protect the information in your heads."

"?" Hozuki Mangetsu looked puzzled. Did these two Jonin need protection?

Naruto glanced at the dark clouds on the distant sea and explained, "Normally, you two don't need protection, but since you came from the Land of Whirlpools and are now Kirigakure, you'll definitely be under the masked man's close watch. You don't want to alert him, do you?"

Hozuki Mangetsu frowned: "No matter how strong the masked man is, he shouldn't have extended his surveillance range to the Land of Whirlpools, right? This place is thousands of miles away from Kirigakure. Could it be that the masked man is spying on the Uchiha?"

Naruto nodded slightly: "The masked man was indeed monitoring the Uchiha clan within the Land of Whirlpools, which is why you were attacked by Shisui and the others the moment you landed on the island, and ultimately became their prisoners."

"Furthermore, if Shisui hadn't been able to retrieve the memories of plotting to assassinate the Mizukage from your minds, you would now be like the other masked men's subordinates who landed on the island earlier, becoming subjects for ninjutsu experiments."

Upon hearing this, Hozuki Mangetsu and Zabuza felt a chill run down their spines. Could such cold words be said so casually?

The only strict thing about the Fog Shadow is the Blood Fog policy, which requires killing each other for the graduation exam, but that's only for a moment. The experiment, on the other hand, sounds like a long-term torture, which is too inhumane.

After a pause, Naruto continued, "Of course, if you get caught by the masked man, you'll probably become vegetable-like, literally vegetable-like, and you'll be able to master the Wood Release bloodline limit with a single click."

One-click access to Wood Release bloodline limit... Hozuki Mangetsu, feeling both amazed and confused, swallowed hard.

He had a premonition that after returning to the village, even if he and Zabuza launched a plan against the Fourth Mizukage, they would only be supporting characters. This would be a battle between five Kage-level powerhouses.

After all, no one can sway the thoughts of powerful figures like Naruto and the masked man.

……

It took two and a half days to travel from the Land of Whirlpools near the coast of the Land of Fire to the Land of Water islands.

In the past two and a half days, Hozuki Mangetsu's impression of Naruto has changed from a mysterious and powerful Kage-level stunner to a playful, gluttonous, and lazy Kage-level stunner who is good at disguising his identity.

After all, if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, who would have thought that a genin who was full of flaws could have the strength of a kage?

In addition, guided by Naruto, they discovered the White Zetsu, a member of the masked man's crew, floating on the sea disguised as driftwood, and witnessed how a person in a vegetative state becomes a real vegetative state.

After landing on the island, Hozuki Mangetsu and Zabuza each contacted their subordinates and received news that Kisame Hoshigaki's assassination attempt on the Daimyo of the Land of Water had failed. Their expressions immediately turned serious.

In the past, they might have been happy about Kisame's defection, glad that they had one less opponent.

But now that they know the Fourth Mizukage is a puppet, they know that the masked man is behind this, and after Kisame was forced to defect, they estimate that they will be the next to make a move.

Their previous assassination plans may have been guided by the masked man.

Naruto remained unmoved upon hearing the news. Kisame had undoubtedly received orders from Obito and might already be recruited into the Akatsuki organization by Obito, given how tempting the Eye of the Moon Plan truly was.

He knew that his purpose in coming to the Land of Water was to make contact with the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails and collect their chakra.

As the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, once he obtains the Tailed Beast's chakra, he can use the corresponding elemental ninjutsu, which greatly increases his strength.

Just then, a handsome young man wearing a kimono and a headband with a misty appearance appeared before them.

Even though they were far apart, Naruto could still sense the water and wind chakra attributes intertwined within the other person, making the identity of the beautiful boy obvious.

This is Shiro, an orphan adopted by Zabuza and a member of the Yuki clan.

Chapter 102 People must learn to acknowledge their own insignificance

"Lord Zabuza, you've finally appeared. We couldn't get in touch with you before."

Upon seeing Zabuza, Haku was visibly excited, then looked at Hozuki Mangetsu beside him: "Who is this sir? Is he a friend of Lord Zabuza?"

Zabuza glanced at Haku, and just as he was about to explain, he suddenly remembered something and shouted:

"Why ask such a question? Don't forget your place. You're just a tool I picked up. Once you've delivered the intelligence, you can get lost."

"Zabuza-sama..."

Bai nodded somewhat disappointedly and reluctantly withdrew.

Zabuza saw Haku's expression and sighed softly in his heart.

He didn't want to scold Bai. Although Bai was an orphan he picked up from the garbage dump, he took him in because he saw that Bai had awakened the Ice Release bloodline limit. But over the years, their relationship had become almost like that of master and disciple.

Returning to the village to stop the masked man carries a high risk of death, so he doesn't want Bai to get involved.

Hozuki Mangetsu saw through Zabuza's thoughts and said with a light laugh, "Alright, Zabuza, stop deliberately chasing him away. As a remnant of the Snow Clan, he didn't take the opportunity to escape, so he has the right to know our plan."

With that, Hozuki Mangetsu waved to Haku and said with a light laugh, "You brat from the Snow Clan, Zabuza and I are going back to assassinate the Mizukage this time. Even so, are you still willing to come along?"

"Assassinate the Water Shadow?" Bai froze on the spot, then nodded solemnly.

Several years ago, it was Zabuza who saved him; otherwise, he would have died in the garbage dump long ago. Therefore, even when it came to assassinating the Mizukage, he was unwilling to abandon Zabuza.

Zabuza grumbled, "I told you to get lost, and now look what's happened! You have no choice but to come back with us to assassinate the Mizukage. Why can't you understand human language?"

Hozuki Mangetsu shook his head: "The more people you bring, the higher the success rate will be. Besides, do you think this child will have a bright future if you don't bring him along? He'll only be worse off than before."

"Stop talking nonsense and let's think about how to deal with the masked man. Let's come up with a detailed plan first, otherwise even if we successfully get close to the Fourth Hokage, we'll be killed as rogue ninjas."

Hozuki Mangetsu pointed at Naruto across the street: "Zabuza, don't you understand? With him by our side, any plans we devise are futile; everything has to go according to his wishes..."

Zabuza's heart skipped a beat, but he still forced himself to say, "Once we get to the village, we should be able to join forces with others to deal with Menma. No matter how strong he is, he can't possibly be a match for Kirigakure."

"Ninjas are certainly no match for ninja villages, but villages are never a unified whole. They don't need the entire Hidden Mist Village to wage war; they only need to stand behind the scenes and support their pawns."

After hearing Hozuki Mangetsu's explanation, Zabuza's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty: "Are we just supposed to sit idly by and watch these people use the village as a chessboard and us as pawns?"

Hozuki Mangetsu smiled without saying a word, gestured for Zabuza to follow, and walked towards Naruto.

……

Naruto was eating seafood porridge by the roadside when he saw several people walking towards him and he narrowed his eyes slightly.

Haku's appearance at this point in time surprised him somewhat, but the timeline itself is not static, otherwise he should be staying in Konoha as a bottom-ranked student now.

If you truly believe that the timeline will not change, you will inevitably suffer a great loss sooner or later.

Hozuki Mangetsu approached Naruto and said with a fawning expression, "Menma-senpai, news has come from the village that Kisame killed Suigetsu Fuguki, one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and then defected after attempting to assassinate the Daimyo of the Land of Water. Could this be part of the masked man's scheme? Shall we proceed to Kirigakure as planned?"

Naruto remained silent, glancing at Haku beside him. Hozuki Mangetsu immediately explained, "He is Zabuza's subordinate, Haku, an ice-style ninja from the Snow Clan. He's the one who brought the information from the village."

Naruto said expressionlessly, "Assassinating the Mizukage is your business. I'm just an observer. The plan was also devised by you. You can decide for yourself."

"I know that Menma-senpai looks down on ordinary Jonin, but what if I overthrow the Fourth Hokage's rule and become the Fifth Mizukage? Menma-sama would need the Mizukage's assistance, wouldn't he?"

Naruto looked Hozuki Mangetsu up and down: "Trying to make empty promises? With your strength, you're not qualified to become the Mizukage, are you?"

"That's why I need your help, senior. I promise you that once I become the Mizukage, I will immediately sign an alliance contract with Uzushio Village, recognize the legal status of the Land of Whirlpools, and resume trade with the Land of Whirlpools."

Hozuki Mangetsu patted his chest, revealing his ambition without any attempt to hide it.

Upon hearing this, Zabuza frowned.

Although their initial plan was to assassinate the Fourth Hokage and become the new Mizukage, isn't the Mizukage now potentially being manipulated? All they need to do is bring the Mizukage back to his senses.

Hozuki Mangetsu's current plan is to use Menma's power to overthrow the current Mizukage and break free from the masked man's control, but in doing so, he will only become someone else's puppet.

The Hidden Mist remains the chessboard, and these people remain the chess pieces.

However, Zabuza couldn't refuse him either. Hozuki Mangetsu's approach was the best option at the moment. With their current strength and influence, they were simply no match for the Fourth Mizukage and the masked man. They could only temporarily resort to a strategy of using one enemy to defeat another.

After their eyes met, Hozuki Mangetsu sighed softly.

He was unwilling to give in, but at least he could escape the current crisis facing the village.

After all, compared to the masked man who secretly manipulates memories, this vortex powerhouse, although tough in attitude, is clearly someone who can be communicated with.

Judging from the fact that the other side controls the Land of Whirlpools, they should also be inclined towards peaceful development and will not simply cause destruction like the masked man. There is still greater room for cooperation in the future.

After hearing Hozuki Mangetsu's conditions, Naruto neither agreed nor disagreed, and looked towards the distant sea:

"Let's discuss the terms later. First, let's find a way to get close to the Mizukage and show your determination to become the Mizukage. Otherwise, what if you accidentally die at the hands of the masked man after we've reached an agreement?"