I'm back!!!
----
"You anticipated this long ago?"
Izumo sighed.
"Shin, considering our past friendship, I gave you a choice, but unfortunately, you made the wrong one."
"Rest in peace."
Izumo reached out his hand.
He placed it on Shin's shoulder.
"Lightning Release, Lightning Canon!"
A beam of light pierced straight through Shin's body.
Shin's body lost its strength.
His life force instantly vanished.
"Bang!"
The next moment, the corpse hit the ground heavily.
Izumo looked at the corpse of his childhood playmate and shook his head.
"One wrong step, and everything that follows could be a terrible mistake."
"Shun."
"You've probably forgotten the shinobi way we promised each other as kids."
"It was those narrow-minded, petty radicals within the clan that influenced you."
"It's just as well that the Hozuki Clan disappears."
After the "annihilation," all the radical members of the Hozuki Clan died, while the innocent survived.
However, they had already lost the Hozuki surname.
Unable to remain in the Hidden Mist Village, they could only survive temporarily on an island outside the village arranged by Genji.
To the shinobi world, the Hozuki Clan had already disappeared.
The Hozuki name ended its fate in a rather unfortunate way.
It became synonymous with rebellion.
"I will lead the Hozuki Clan to a rebirth."
"From now on, I am the future of the Hozuki Clan!"
On the other side, Mangetsu did not escape as Shin had instructed.
Instead, he voluntarily came before Fuguki.
Mangetsu looked up at Fuguki, who was calmly seated in a chair.
Fuguki didn't seem surprised by Mangetsu's arrival. In fact, it seemed like he had anticipated it.
Mangetsu hesitated for a moment before asking, "Fuguki-sama, I have a question. Can you give me an answer?"
"What question?"
"What do you think I should do now?"
This question took Fuguki by surprise. He had expected Mangetsu to come but hadn't anticipated this kind of question.
"Mangetsu, what do you think?" Fuguki replied with a question of his own.
Mangetsu said, "I feel like things might not be exactly as they've said."
"The village I have in my heart shouldn't be one that would implicate an entire clan just because of the mistakes of a few people."
"If that were the case, I wouldn't have had the chance to learn that information. I would have been killed before hearing it."
Fuguki nodded.
"You guessed correctly."
"I just recently learned the full story myself."
"I can briefly explain it to you."
"That night, the Hozuki Clan launched a surprise attack on the Forging Department, killing many members of the department's guard. Their ultimate target was Chief Uehara."
"Attacking fellow villagers, especially someone as crucial and highly contributive as Chief Uehara, is undeniably an act of rebellion."
"Therefore, Mizukage-sama ordered the annihilation of the Hozuki Clan."
"But Chief Uehara and Elder Genji believed the innocent shouldn't be implicated. Killing those who deserved it would be enough."
"They made suggestions to Mizukage-sama."
"However, Mizukage-sama didn't listen."
"So, Elder Genji and Chief Uehara secretly made arrangements."
"They arranged for the innocent members of the Hozuki Clan to fake their deaths and escape to a safe area."
"The Hozuki Clan members on the front lines were also arranged in this way."
Izumo, following Genji's orders, came to deliver this message to Fuguki. However, he didn't mention the fact that Yagura was under a Genjutsu.
Firstly, there was no real need. Whether it was said or not, it wouldn't affect the handling of the upcoming matters. Secondly, the situation on the front lines was complex, and revealing it to Fuguki could increase the risk of a leak.
Mangetsu's eyes widened, then he lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.
"They actually did something so excessive?"
"Then they truly deserved to die."
Mangetsu had no hostility toward Soma. When the Hozuki Clan initially refused Soma's ninja tools, Mangetsu even went to Forging Island to apologize.
Even though Mangetsu had once told Soma that if there was an irreconcilable conflict between the village and the clan, he wouldn't side against the clan, wrong is wrong, regardless.
Mangetsu didn't want the innocent members of the clan to be killed. But those who were wrong deserved to die—that was only natural. Blood debts must be repaid in blood. A killer will be killed.
Mangetsu also understood very well Soma's contributions and importance to the village.
"So now, you have two choices," Fuguki said. "First, like the other innocent members of the Hozuki Clan, you can go into hiding."
"Second, you can defect."
Mangetsu's pupils contracted. "Defect?"
"That's right. I can create an opportunity for you to escape. With so many Hozuki Clan members on the front lines, it's actually quite normal for some to successfully flee."
"But wouldn't that make me a rogue ninja?"
Fuguki nodded. "If you make that choice, I can be your fallback. I'll be your contact, and when conditions allow for your return to the village, I can vouch for you."
"Both choices have their own advantages."
"If you fake your death and go into hiding, there won't be much trouble. You can live a normal life in seclusion. The only drawback is a lack of freedom and the chance to make a name for yourself in the shinobi world."
"Becoming a rogue ninja, on the other hand, means giving up a stable life. The outside world will be dangerous, but you'll gain more freedom and the opportunity to build a reputation in the shinobi world."
"Additionally, if you become a rogue ninja, many other factions will likely want to make contact with you, and you could gather valuable intelligence for the village."
Mangetsu thought for a moment.
"Fuguki-sama, will this promise of yours always be valid?"
Fuguki nodded. "As long as you don't do anything detrimental to the Hidden Mist Village, my promise will always stand."
"Alright, I choose to become a rogue ninja."
"Then you can escape right now. I will arrange for people to pursue you. You will experience a difficult process in escaping, and you will be injured in the pursuit."
"No problem."
The decision to let Mangetsu become a rogue ninja was the result of careful discussion among Soma, the Third Mizukage, and Genji.
First, Mangetsu would never reveal the secret that some Hozuki Clan members had faked their deaths and escaped. His deep attachment to the Hozuki Clan made that clear. Additionally, the fact that he had voluntarily approached Fuguki showed his high level of loyalty to the village.
Second, the existence of the Akatsuki Organization hides a great conspiracy. Kaguya Neko alone as a rogue ninja might not be enough to gather sufficient intelligence, but adding Mangetsu would only be beneficial.
Soon, Fuguki's arrangements were put into action.
A squad of ninja chased Mangetsu relentlessly.
A figure appeared—Izumo.
Izumo carried a few corpses in his hands, placing them along the path of Mangetsu's escape. This created a false impression that Mangetsu had only managed to escape thanks to the self-sacrifice and protection of those Hozuki Clan members.
The escape of Mangetsu was made to appear even more convincing.
"Water Release, Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
A water dragon fiercely surged toward Mangetsu's direction, sending him flying backward. As he fell, the ground beneath him disappeared, and below him was a cliff and a deep valley.
Mangetsu's body plummeted straight into the valley below, along with Hiramekarei.
A Mist Village ninja approached the edge, glanced down, and said in a deliberately exaggerated tone, "Falling from such a height, Mangetsu must be dead for sure."
"But we need to confirm. Dead or alive, we must find the body."
"We'll search below."
The search, of course, would be in vain. They would neither find Mangetsu nor his body.
The leading ninja pretended to show a grim expression. "We failed to complete the mission!"
Upon returning to Fuguki, the lead ninja bowed his head deeply.
"Fuguki-sama, we failed to kill Mangetsu and have let you down. Please punish us."
Fuguki punished the entire squad. Since they were putting on a show, they had to go all the way. However, Fuguki wasn't worried about them holding a grudge. For one, these were all his "own people." Secondly, the punishment was for appearances, and Fuguki would certainly compensate them afterward.
Meanwhile, Mangetsu had already reached the western side of the Land of Fire, near the Land of Rivers. As a rogue ninja, a wandering ninja, the most suitable place to go was the Land of Rivers. This was a camp for wandering ninjas, a gathering place for rogue ninjas.
Carrying Hiramekarei on his back, Mangetsu had it wrapped and disguised with bandages. The moment he entered the Land of Rivers, he could feel many gazes falling on him. Most of them were filled with ill intentions.
Among wandering ninjas, there was usually little camaraderie.
And even more, they wanted to gain benefits from the other person.
Mangetsu sensed that someone was following him, tailing him with a blade in hand. Suddenly, the attackers struck, and intense combat ensued. Mangetsu moved away, and the three who had been tailing him would never open their eyes again.
Mangetsu glanced back. "So this is the ninja environment outside the village... it really is harsh."
"But their skills are too weak."
"Fuguki-sama said to try and gather intelligence from other factions. Therefore, my first step should be to make contact with the core organizations of these wandering ninjas."
Izumo returned to the Hidden Mist Village shortly after arriving at the front lines. This was Yagura's arrangement for him. After the night of the clan's annihilation, Izumo was given a position in the Mizukage's guards. He demonstrated his loyalty to the village through his performance.
Yagura also rewarded Izumo for his loyalty. However, in reality, Izumo was not loyal to Yagura. His true loyalty was to Soma, and his loyalty to Genji was even higher than to Yagura.
...
Peach Hermit Garden Box.
Soma opened the wooden box again. The power from the dangerous thunder beast related materials inside had completely vanished, absorbed by the nearby fruit tree.
"This tree is of the citrus family. I wonder what kind of fruit it will produce."
"However, continuing to cultivate it in the Garden Box is not ideal."
"If I want to use Sage's Plant Cultivation technique, it must be taken outside."
Soma used a shovel to dig up the entire tree. Carrying the tree, he left the Garden Box. Outside, Soma's body rapidly restored to its normal state, and the tree expanded at the same speed. It continued to grow until it reached a height of two meters.
"It needs to be planted in a location with natural energy, but it shouldn't be too intense; it needs to be adjustable."
"Additionally, there are requirements for the soil, wind, and sunlight."
Soma scanned the area and then identified a location. Near the living quarters, not far from Soma's wooden house, there were several vacant buildings, and the conditions were quite good except for the natural energy.
"The issue with natural energy can actually be solved."
Soma thought of a solution. After creating the Peach Hermit Garden Box, it had attracted a lot of natural energy, even more intense than that found deep within a volcano. However, the Garden Box was located inside a cave, and the conditions inside the cave were not suitable for plant growth.
"I can create a passage that connects the cave where the Garden Box is located with the area where this tree is to be planted."
"The natural energy will flow through this pipe to the new location."
"Since it's a pipe, it's also easier to control the concentration of the natural energy."
After Soma cleared the passage, he could clearly see that the vitality of the orange tree seemed to have increased.
"Soil, moisture, sunlight, natural energy..."
"Using Sage's Plant Cultivation technique on this orange tree, the results will surely be more valuable than those from the scraps."
"I didn't expect the Garden Box to have such uses."
"I wonder if it's a coincidence or if the Garden Box indeed has this capability."
"If so, there are many possibilities."
"First, let's cultivate this orange tree and observe the results."
A breeze blew, causing the orange tree to sway. The leaves rustled, and sunlight filtered through, casting dappled patterns.
Three days later, the orange tree had fully stabilized.
Sitting under the orange tree, Soma felt the air seemed to become softer. A faint fragrance surrounded him.
"Resting under this orange tree has such an effect."
"Does this mean that soaking orange leaves in water could be refreshing?"
"Then, what about the fruit?"
"What about the branches? They might be used as materials for making ninja tools."
Soma looked up.
"It has absorbed nutrients from the soil."
"It has absorbed moisture."
"It has absorbed sunlight."
"It has absorbed nutrients from the air."
"It has absorbed natural energy."
"But it seems to be missing something."
Soma frowned in thought. After a while, he arrived at the answer.
"Life energy."
"According to the theory of Sage's Plant Cultivation technique, this orange tree is still lacking in life energy nutrients."
"Only with life energy nutrients will it be considered complete."
"There will be a qualitative change."
Soma left the yard. To cultivate the orange tree, Soma had demolished all the nearby wooden houses, leveling them to create a large plot enclosed by walls, dedicated to planting.
"Izumi."
"Chief-sama."
"Get some fish, the more vitality they have, the better."
"Yes, Chief-sama."
---
You can read up to 50 Advanced chapters and support me at patreon.com/Lookar