"Grandfather went too hard on me... Tch."
Supporting his aching lower back, Yagura staggered back to his room and collapsed onto his bed.
"No, wait... he went too hard on my legs."
No need to worry about the training grounds.
The Karatachi Clan had Earth Release users. A single jutsu and it would be as good as new.
Grandfather was just venting. A couple of kicks and he'd be fine.
It wasn't the first time the house had been wrecked.
Back in his room, Yagura sprawled lazily on his bed, crossing one leg over the other. His gaze landed on a file sitting on the nightstand beside him.
Bored, he picked it up and flipped it open.
"Hozuki Mangetsu... Chakra nature: Water and Fire? The Hozuki Clan can use Fire Release?"
His clan's secret technique was the Hydrification Technique, and he was highly skilled in wielding swords. He was already capable of using B-rank ninjutsu.
The photo showed a young boy with white hair and violet eyes.
Yagura recognized those eyes. They looked just like those of Hozuki Suigetsu from Sasuke's Taka squad in the original story. Even the name was similar.
Though Hozuki Mangetsu had only appeared briefly during the Fourth Great Ninja War after being resurrected by Edo Tensei, Yagura quickly made the connection—this Hozuki Mangetsu was none other than Suigetsu's older brother.
A genius swordsman capable of wielding all seven blades of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!
During the war, while the other resurrected members of the Seven Swordsmen were quickly sealed away, Hozuki Mangetsu had fought all the way to the end. It wasn't until Uchiha Itachi cut off the Edo Tensei's control that he was finally released.
And he hadn't even wielded a sword. Just by relying on his own abilities, he had surpassed the other members who did have their swords!
Great. Another grudge to add to the list against the Third Mizukage (or maybe Obito)… No, make that two.
Yagura mentally noted this in his growing record of grievances.
Previously, when tallying up Kirigakure's talent losses, he had only noted those with significant screen time. Clearly, he had overlooked some.
Hozuki Mangetsu was one such oversight.
And that led Yagura to another thought—one more member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen who had also been revived during the Fourth Great Ninja War: Ringo Ameyuri!
So, make that two more names on the list.
Flipping past Mangetsu's file, Yagura moved to the next entry.
"Onime Kaede, heir of the Onime Clan, possesses the Kekkei Genkai..."
Rustle... Rustle...
Though the sound was almost imperceptible, Yagura still caught the movement outside his window.
"Who's there?!"
...
After a long pause, a voice answered, "Meow... Woof~"
Yagura's expression twisted. That didn't sound like a cat, nor did it sound like a dog.
"...Could you at least try to sound convincing?"
Judging by the voice, the intruder was a boy about his age. Yagura relaxed slightly.
"What do you want? Come out and talk."
The other party was surprisingly obedient, but the way he entered was... unsettling.
A white-and-violet gelatinous substance slowly oozed through the window, flowing into the room like liquid.
Yagura felt his sanity dropping like a status bar in a horror game.
"Ew!" He instinctively took a step back.
Once all the liquid had seeped inside, it quickly solidified into a human form.
A boy with white hair and violet eyes—someone who looked eerily familiar.
Now fully formed, Hozuki Mangetsu casually greeted his future teammate.
"Hey, good evening, Karatachi Yagura."
At that moment, Yagura finally realized who this was.
Of all the ways he had imagined meeting Hozuki Mangetsu for the first time, he never expected it to be in his bedroom!
"Wanna fight?"
Mangetsu's second sentence cut straight to the point.
Yagura, still processing the situation, instinctively responded, "...In bed?"
...
[Ninja sprinting—high-speed Live2D transition effect]
...
Yagura led Mangetsu outside, heading toward a small forest at the village outskirts where he usually trained.
This little brat had infiltrated the Karatachi Clan estate. Yagura didn't believe for a second that his grandfather, a former Kirigakure jonin, hadn't noticed.
Even in retirement, he was still a jonin, after all.
Since the old man had allowed Mangetsu in, it meant there was no real danger.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The battle had already begun before they even arrived. Both boys sped up as they ran, testing each other's limits.
They were both shocked.
"He can keep up with me?!"
Both had always considered themselves the strongest of their generation in Kirigakure, yet now, they had finally met a worthy rival!
Glancing at Mangetsu, who had briefly fallen behind only to immediately catch up, Yagura mused,
No wonder he was one of the named geniuses in the original story. This kid's got skills.
Still, he didn't believe he would lose. He hadn't even used his Lightning Release chakra yet!
The two arrived at a clearing in the woods.
Yagura landed first, his feet touching the ground firmly. Mangetsu followed immediately, standing across from him, eyes burning with excitement.
This guy is strong!
Having gotten a glimpse of Yagura's abilities, Mangetsu's fighting spirit was fully ignited.
Wasting no time, he began weaving hand seals. "Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Water chakra surged through his body, and he spat a torrent of water toward Yagura!
Yagura leapt onto a nearby tree, easily dodging the attack.
The jutsu wasn't strong—it wouldn't do much more than soak him. But...
"The ground is covered in water."
Yagura's expression darkened as he recalled Kirigakure's secret techniques.
"The Hydrification Technique allows Hozuki clan members to instantly move through water."
...
"Looks like you know quite a bit about our Hydrification Technique!"
Mangetsu smirked, dropping his stance and tilting his head challengingly.
"Thinking about running?"
Run?
What a joke!
This was his first real battle!
Losing his debut fight would be too humiliating!
Lightning Release: Taijutsu!
A layer of blue lightning chakra crackled around Yagura's body!
With a powerful stomp, he launched himself toward Mangetsu in a flash, his right palm striking out!
Smack!
A lightning-infused strike splashed against a puddle of water, scattering droplets everywhere!
Mangetsu's form reassembled behind Yagura, his scalp tingling.
If he hadn't reacted fast enough to shift away before Yagura closed in, he would've been paralyzed by that Lightning Release!
Damn it! Of all things, this guy had to be a Lightning Release user?!
Water conducted electricity.
This was bad.
But a fight was a fight—he wasn't backing down now.