Along the eastern coast of the Land of Whirlpools, Ghost Hōzuki Muratsuki—the wielder of the Samehada—was kneeling over a corpse.
Towering behind him stood a giant nearly two and a half meters tall.
Fuguki Suikazan of the Samehada clan bared his rows of sharpened teeth, staring at both Mangetsu and the massive blade strapped to his back.
The Second Mizukage had long since passed, but the Hōzuki clan still held four of the Seven Ninja Blades.
And Samehada, the strongest among them, was enough to stir envy in Fuguki's eyes.
Mangetsu pointed toward a jagged reef nearly twice a man's height.
"Fuguki, you were right—this was key intel.
Someone stood on that rock and used Water Gun Jutsu to pierce this Mist-nin's skull.
The water bullet didn't lose force—it went straight through the ninja's head, then through the reef behind him, and finally into the earth.
There's no mistake. Copper Fox was here.
The one who stole the Twin Blades and extracted our clan's secret techniques must die."
Fuguki scoffed.
The Hōzuki Clan had fallen far—from once guarding the Seven Blades and their secret jutsu to now being interrogated and robbed.
'So much for calling them 'secret techniques' if just anyone can use them, he thought scornfully. They bragged about their seal-less Water Release for decades, and now it turns out others can use it too.'
To him, Hōzuki Mangetsu was a disgrace to Kirigakure.
Still, Fuguki quietly admitted to himself: The traveling shrine maiden hadn't lied. The Twin Blades really were nearby.
Mangetsu turned to him again.
"Fuguki, give it up. The Twin Blades belong to the Hōzuki Clan—they will be reclaimed by us.
You won't be getting your hands on them."
Fuguki didn't reply. He merely sneered inwardly.
*I never cared about the Twin Blades. It's the strongest of them all that I want—Samehada.
Sure, the Twin Blades were decent, but they were nothing compared to that monstrous sword.
At that moment, five jōnin approached, crossing over the ocean's surface and landing near them.
Three were from the Hōzuki Clan. Three were personally chosen by Gensui. And one of them was Kurisame Tsumaru.
Other than Mangetsu and Kurisame, everyone here had come to seize one of the Seven Swords.
Across the long coastline, Konoha and Kirigakure were locked in a bloody meat grinder of a war.
For the Mist Village to spare seven elite jōnin here spoke volumes of how much they valued the Twin Blades.
Mangetsu, as mission commander, said coldly:
"This body's been dead for about twenty hours.
Use this spot as the center point. Search for traces and confirm Copper Fox's direction!"
The squad captains vanished instantly, scattering outward.
Over ten kilometers from the coast, Yako came to a halt.
He was still outside the perimeter Yellow Dog had set—far enough that there shouldn't be any Hyuga nearby.
He sent the Antelope Squad outward to keep watch, then formed seals and activated Summoning Jutsu.
Back at the forward base, he had avoided using summoning at all—for fear of the Hyuga spotting White Fang's dogs.
With a puff of smoke, Pakkun appeared.
"Oh, it's you, Fox. What do you need?"
"I need you to ask Lord Sakumo something," Yako replied.
"Is Hayama Shirakumo truly one of his loyal followers? And who among the Konoha shinobi on the Whirlpools front follows him?
I intend to support them… at the right time."
"Alright. I'll go ask."
Three minutes later, Yako summoned again.
Pakkun reappeared, licking his paw.
"Fox, Sakumo said some of those on the frontlines were always loyal, others he's still evaluating. I'll list them—remember their names."
Yako listened intently.
Jōnin Yamashiro and Moonlight Kento—both former comrades of Sakumo.
Now they stood firmly with him.
Among the Tokubetsu Jōnin, Hayama Shirakumo and Shinma were willing to approach Sakumo's camp.
"Got it. I'll keep an eye on them," Yako said.
"I've met Hayama Shirakumo through Lord White Fang.
I even saved him a few days ago. Looks like I chose right."
After Pakkun vanished again, Yako performed a second summoning.
This time, Longspear Egret appeared.
The remnants of Uzushio had taken shelter in a remote region of the Land of Rain.
If Yuka had anything urgent to report, she'd tie a letter to the egret's leg.
Sure enough, this time there wasn't just a letter—but also a scroll.
He opened the letter first. It was from Yuka.
She'd discovered a new summoning beast clan—Giant Pandas.
Their bodies could harden like white porcelain, forming an armor-like shell that could block attacks, much like Earth Flow Wall.
The Giant Panda had appeared in the original story—summoned by the Animal Path of Pain.
But now, Yuka had found them first.
What made them even more extraordinary was their intelligence.
They had five fully functional fingers and could perform basic hand seals.
This made them one of the rarest kinds of summoning beasts—capable of using ninjutsu.
That meant if Yuka ever needed help, she could summon a Giant Panda…
…and have it reverse summon Yako, instantly transporting him to the Land of Rain.
Unrolling the contract scroll, Yako saw only one name on it: Uzumaki Yuka.
This was a newly contracted clan—completely untouched by others.
Clearly, Yuka had been working hard even in isolation—quietly strengthening what was left of the Uzumaki.
Yako bit his finger, pressed his blood-soaked palm to the scroll, and added his name.
After forming the seals, a puff of smoke revealed a massive, two-meter-tall panda.
"You are...?"
It could speak. That alone confirmed its intelligence.
"I'm Fox. Yuka passed the summoning contract to me—"
Before he could finish, the panda swung a huge fan-like paw at him.
Yako raised his arm to block.
The clash of paw and forearm produced a clean, ringing crack.
The panda blinked in surprise.
"Why is your arm that hard?"
"I've also mastered hardening techniques," Yako replied evenly.
"This isn't the time for sparring—if it were, I'd show you that my abilities are no less unique than yours."
The panda nodded and withdrew its hand, shaking it lightly.
It acknowledged Fox's strength.
In that brief exchange, it had sensed a powerful chakra contract—not inferior to the one Yuka had imprinted upon them.
"That hurt… Your strength is impressive.
My name is Porcelain. I recognize you now."
Yako nodded.
"If the opportunity comes, I'll have you fight alongside me.
Tell Yuka this—if she faces mortal danger, she can reverse summon me.
And I'll make time to visit her soon."
Porcelain dipped his head and dismissed the summoning.
Back in the southwest bamboo forests of the Land of Rain, Porcelain broke a stalk of bamboo over his head and began chewing.
Their Giant Panda clan had lived peacefully in this forest—until one woman came, and with powerful sealing techniques, bound them in contract.
That was one thing. But now she'd handed him over to a masked man.
That masked man was even stronger than the woman.
Still, contracting with a ninja wasn't all bad.
Next time danger struck, he could just summon that "Fox" guy to fight for him.
Besides… the clan needed a strong shinobi partner.
As the summoning smoke cleared, Yako turned back toward the battlefield.
He still had a mission to finish.