Fifteen minutes earlier, when the Third Mizukage entered the basement... Reiji, who was eating in the cafeteria, suddenly frowned. He sensed
Fifteen minutes earlier, when the Third Mizukage entered the basement...
Reiji, who was eating in the cafeteria, suddenly frowned.
He sensed it—the Flying Thunder God seal he had planted on the Third Mizukage was on the move, and it was heading underground!
Does Kirigakure have an underground base?
Of course it does.
Every village has its secrets.
But what Reiji hadn't expected was that the mighty Mizukage would build that secret base right beneath his own office building.
Interesting.
That thought triggered Reiji's instincts—something wasn't right.
He finished his meal with the crowd and returned to his room with a blank expression.
The moment the door shut, heavy dark circles formed under his eyes. At the same time, his sensory web instantly expanded.
In that moment, rocks, trees, dirt, even grass—all became his eyes and ears. A black-and-white world began to slowly take shape in his mind.
His attention locked onto the Mizukage building not far away. His gaze pierced through houses, walls, earth—straight to the basement of the Mizukage building.
There, he sensed only three chakras, each distinct in shape and size.
One was standard—blue and stable. The other two were close together. One radiated an overwhelming purple and blue chakra—massive and dazzling; the other exuded a faint black aura.
What caught Reiji's attention the most was that black chakra. If it weren't for the subtle flow within, he would've thought it was just a rock.
From this, Reiji was certain.
The three underground were Madara Uchiha, Black Zetsu, and the Third Mizukage!
"No way. I can't just let him loiter around Kirigakure—I've got to give this guy something to do."
Muttering to himself, Reiji slowly pulled an explosive tag from his ninja pouch, his expression deadly serious.
Mutual Explosive Tags + Flying Thunder God Technique + Shadow Clone Technique?
No good. The chakra from shadow clones might be remembered, raising the risk of exposure and ruining everything.
Heavenly Transfer Technique + Explosive Tags?
Still no. There are no marks in the Mizukage building's basement!
Mutual Explosive Tags + Heavenly Transfer Technique + Magnet Release?
Now that has potential!
He could use Magnet Release to dig through the earth and stick the Heavenly Transfer seal to the basement ceiling. Then, move to a safe distance and send in the explosive tags with the Heavenly Transfer Technique.
But... Magnet Release makes too much noise. There's no way Lord Madara would just sit there like an idiot and let himself get blown up!
Yeah, not happening.
He kept pondering. Even after the Third Mizukage left the basement, he still hadn't come up with a good plan.
It wasn't like he had to blow them up, but Reiji really wanted to know—what was Madara Uchiha's current state?
Was he still battle-ready?
Or already on the verge of collapse?
Or... was he still as terrifying as when he fought Hashirama?
With that, Reiji made a bold decision—if he couldn't take him on himself, he'd call reinforcements.
He left a shadow clone in the room, formed a hand seal, and vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already within the territory of the Suigetsu Clan.
Unlike Konohagakure, in Kirigakure, each clan had its own cemetery, tightly guarded.
But that kind of security meant nothing to someone like Reiji, who had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Soon, a figure with a shovel on his shoulder sneaked into the heart of the Hōzuki Clan's cemetery, muttering quietly to himself.
"Little Mustache, I'm here~"
Before long, the shovel disappeared from the figure's shoulder, replaced by a skeleton.
Reiji carefully tucked the shovel into the coffin, gently closed the lid, and bowed his head solemnly.
"Brother, I'm really sorry. The village is in serious danger. It's time for you to step in."
With that, he formed a hand seal and vanished again.
In the blink of an eye, most of the night passed.
Around 4 a.m., somewhere outside Kirigakure, the Second Mizukage awoke from a long slumber.
Impure World Reincarnation—Hōzuki Gengetsu!
Meanwhile, far away in the Pure Land, a pair of eyes that could pierce all cycles of reincarnation opened, accompanied by a faint sigh.
"This is the second time."
Somewhere outside Kirigakure, Hōzuki Gengetsu sat cross-legged on the ground, utterly confused, staring at the chubby man squatting in front of him, little mustache twitching, eyes full of suspicion.
"You... you're Suikazan... the fat guy?!"
At that, Reiji's round cheeks twitched slightly. He nodded, reluctantly.
Seeing this, Hōzuki Gengetsu raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth curling into a smirk.
"Little fatso, you're dead too! Hurry up and tell me how you died! This Pure Land is great, but it's boring—I've been arguing with that bandaged guy for ten years!"
Looking at Hōzuki Gengetsu running his mouth nonstop, Reiji scratched his head speechlessly. Just as he was about to say something, the Second Mizukage interrupted him again.
He suddenly stood up, zipped behind Reiji, and clicked his tongue in amazement at the large sword Samehada on Reiji's back.
"Hey, you fatso, who let you inherit Samehada? I remember assigning you the Kabutowari! What the hell are you doing with Samehada? You're all fat—it doesn't suit you at all! If you ask me, the Kabutowari is your true match!"
Hearing that, Reiji wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, completely speechless.
Today, he'd truly learned something new.
This is what it means to be a full-blown chatterbox.
And this is what it means to insult people however you want just because you're senior.
Damn it! One day, I'm going to be just like you!
As Reiji was thinking this, Hōzuki Gengetsu's hand reached out and touched Samehada.
Suddenly, he cried out, "Ouch!" and jumped back dramatically.
"Little fatty, how long have you been starving Samehada?! That thing bit me—actually bit me—and started sucking my chakra!"
Still grumbling, Gengetsu suddenly frowned and looked at the gaping wound in his palm.
"Wait a sec! Bit... me?!"
"Damn you, Samehada! You dare bite me?
Look at that smug face! I'll slap you right in the mouth!"
Watching Gengetsu roll up his sleeves, ready to brawl with the wriggling "salted fish" that was Samehada, Reiji could feel his blood pressure skyrocketing—he was on the verge of blowing his top.
"Second Generation, Second Generation!"
Reiji quickly stood up, turning to block Hōzuki Gengetsu.
"Sir, old man, big bro—please calm down! Don't lower yourself to a dried-up fish's level. Just give this little fatty some face."
Blocked by Reiji's towering figure, the Second Mizukage kept cursing, still pointing at the twisting Samehada behind him.
"Fine, just you wait!"
But as he said that, Gengetsu suddenly fell silent. His twin mustaches curled higher and higher, and his eyes locked onto Reiji.
"Fatso! So after all that—you're not even dead!"