Mei Terumī's heart sank to its lowest point as she listened to Ryūjin's calm words. Anxiety gripped her completely, but her body refused to respond. She had already lost the ability to fight and could do nothing to intervene.
Worse still, this entire conspiracy involved Mangetsu Hōzuki, one of the Hidden Mist's own elite. The area surrounding the Mizukage's office had been sealed off in advance. No reinforcements would come.
All she could do was watch helplessly as the Mizukage was about to be killed by an outsider.
Meanwhile, Mangetsu Hōzuki's expression shifted slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He did intend to assassinate Yagura Karatachi, but there was one thing he could not allow.
The Three-Tails must not fall into the hands of an outsider.
His mission was for the sake of the village. That was no empty claim, it was the truth.
"I have to stop him," Mangetsu decided silently, a sharp light flickering in his eyes.
Yet Ryūjin's strength was overwhelming. Even the dense mist summoned by Yagura seemed useless against him. Acting recklessly would only lead to failure.
After a brief moment of thought, Mangetsu made his move.
Using the Hydrification Technique, his entire body melted into water, spreading silently across the ground. In this liquid state, he began to move toward Ryūjin without making a sound.
At this moment, everyone's attention was fixed on Ryūjin and Yagura. No one noticed Mangetsu's approach.
In the thick fog, a flowing puddle of water slipping through grass and stone was impossible to detect.
But what Mangetsu did not know was that Ryūjin, in Sage Mode, perceived everything.
Every fluctuation of chakra in the surroundings was laid bare before him. The moment Mangetsu transformed, Ryūjin had already sensed it. The movement of that liquid chakra creeping closer was as clear as day.
Ryūjin simply ignored it.
To him, Mangetsu posed no real threat.
Without a hint of concern, Ryūjin continued what he was doing.
He tore open Yagura's clothing, revealing the sealing formula on his abdomen.
During his long time checking in at Konoha, Ryūjin had mastered countless sealing techniques. Large or small, complex or simple, he had absorbed them all.
It was no exaggeration to say his sealing ability stood unmatched in the ninja world.
The strongest sealing techniques once belonged to the Uzumaki Clan of the Land of Whirlpools. After its destruction, most of those techniques had been preserved in Konoha due to the Uzumaki's close ties with the Senju.
Over time, Ryūjin had already obtained them all.
Looking across the entire ninja world, no one could rival him in this field.
With just a glance, he saw through Yagura's seal completely.
"This is just a variation of Uzumaki sealing techniques," Ryūjin said with a faint chuckle. "After all these years, no one has improved them. Still living off old methods."
Back in the Warring States era, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had distributed the Tailed Beasts among the villages, and the seals used at the time were crafted by the Uzumaki.
Those same techniques had simply been passed down ever since.
Breaking it was trivial for Ryūjin.
After a brief analysis, he already understood how to undo it.
"Stop glaring at me like that. You're not dying," Ryūjin said casually, his tone relaxed.
Without wasting more time, he began to undo the seal.
Yagura struggled violently, but his weakened body couldn't produce any resistance.
Slap.
Ryūjin pressed his palm against Yagura's abdomen, beginning the process.
Then, suddenly, his movement paused.
Behind him, a mass of liquid rose silently from the ground, gathering into a human shape.
"It's Mangetsu!" Mei Terumī's eyes widened with both shock and hope.
At this point, Mangetsu had become the Hidden Mist's last chance.
Even she had not noticed his approach earlier. In this situation, that level of stealth was nothing short of miraculous.
Kisame Hoshigaki also noticed, but he said nothing. His shark-like eyes gleamed with interest.
"I wonder if you can survive this," Kisame thought quietly.
Zabuza Momochi understood immediately what Mangetsu intended. A trace of conflict appeared on his face, but in the end, he stayed silent.
Whatever his motives, he did not want to see the Tailed Beast taken by an outsider.
"Got you," Mangetsu thought, a flicker of excitement crossing his face.
Fully reformed behind Ryūjin, he raised his hands and shaped them like a pistol, aiming directly at Ryūjin's head.
This was the Hōzuki Clan's secret technique, the Water Gun Jutsu.
At that moment, Mei Terumī, Kisame, and Zabuza all felt their hearts tighten.
Everything would be decided in the next instant.
Crackle!
Before Mangetsu could act, several bolts of lightning struck around him.
The electricity surged through his body instantly.
Mangetsu collapsed to the ground, his form destabilizing into a jelly-like mass, completely unable to move.
The Hōzuki Clan's greatest weakness was Lightning Release.
"Damn it!" Mei Terumī cursed, slamming her hand against her thigh.
Only now did she fully realize the truth.
Ryūjin had sensed Mangetsu from the very beginning.
But how?
Even she had noticed nothing until Mangetsu revealed himself.
"Failed?" Kisame blinked in surprise, then smirked faintly. "Unexpected… but not really."
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