A week passed in the blink of an eye.
News that the Three-Tails' Jinchuriki had finally been found spread like wildfire through the streets of Kirigakure.
Never underestimate a ninja!
When it comes to gathering intelligence, shinobi are absolute professionals.
Even though the Third Mizukage had tried to keep it under wraps and didn't officially release the information, the massive mobilization of ninja toward the northern part of the Land of Water made it impossible to hide.
Almost the entire Sealing Corps was deployed. Such a large-scale operation couldn't go unnoticed.
What could possibly require such a huge deployment of shinobi in the north?
If it were an enemy invasion, the Sealing Corps wouldn't be involved.
Most Chunin and higher-ranked Mist ninja knew that the Three-Tails was sealed in the northern region of the Land of Water.
Putting the pieces together, there was only one logical conclusion.
There was only one truth!
The village was preparing to seal the Three-Tails. And this time, instead of simply imprisoning it in the lake, they were planning to transfer it into a Jinchuriki!
...
Mangetsu and his two friends picked up on the rumors through their own channels. Wanting to know more, they headed to the library to brush up on their knowledge of the Three-Tails, Tailed Beasts, and Jinchuriki.
Zabuza closed his book with a sigh. After absorbing a mountain of new information from scratch, his heavy eyelids were already starting to droop.
Tossing the book aside, he tried to wake himself up with a new topic: "Speaking of which, it's been a while since we last saw Yagura. He's not dead, is he?"
Mangetsu glared at him. "Hey!"
"He should be alive," Onime Kaede replied, still focused on his book. Among the three of them, he was the studious type.
Mangetsu chuckled and took a sip of water, suppressing his urge to fight Zabuza on the spot. He flipped his palm over and asked,
"How do you know?"
"I ran into him two days ago."
"Where?"
"At the market, running errands."
"?" Zabuza tilted his head, puzzled. "Why would two young masters like you need to run errands at the market?"
He had always assumed only kids from small, ordinary families—like himself—had to do such things.
"It's nothing special," Kaede replied. "It looked like Yagura was being punished by his family."
Punished?
Not surprising.
"Hey, hey."
Mangetsu waved them closer and whispered, "Do you think Yagura knows about this? About the whole Jinchuriki thing?"
Zabuza shot him a look of pure disdain. "Did your brain fall into a toilet and get flushed? Of course he knows. There's no way he wouldn't."
Mangetsu nearly exploded. "You're the brainless one!"
"Shh."
Kaede pointed at the sign on the bookshelf beside them: Silence in the Library.
"Tch."
Mangetsu scowled. Zabuza smirked.
Kaede sighed, already exhausted from dealing with them. Changing the subject, he said,
"According to my family, the sealing ritual is happening this afternoon."
Mangetsu nodded. "Yeah. A lot of people from my clan were mobilized for it today. I wanted to go see what a Tailed Beast sealing looks like, but the old man wouldn't let me. Plus..."
He trailed off but subtly motioned toward the ceiling.
There were ninja watching him.
Monitoring his every move.
Kaede gave him a serious nod, then glanced upward as well.
Mangetsu's eyes widened: You too?
Kaede: Yeah. Same boat.
Zabuza looked around, then burst into laughter.
"Ha! Pathetic. I bet there are enough of them up there to start a few rounds."
Mangetsu didn't deny the possibility. Folding his arms, he grumbled, "Anyway, my house felt like a haunted mansion this morning—completely empty."
Zabuza chuckled. "A haunted house, huh? Well, it is the Hozuki residence. Fits the theme."
"You didn't have to use that awful pun to assassinate me." Mangetsu shivered exaggeratedly. "I think I just froze solid."
...
Northern Land of Water, Lake
Also known as the Three-Tails' super-sized swimming pool.
Unaware that his three friends were still thinking about him, Yagura was crouching by the lakeshore, waiting for the Sealing Corps to finish their preparations.
From where he stood, the lake stretched endlessly in all directions. There was no shore in sight.
On the water's surface, countless ninja darted back and forth.
The Sealing Corps worked on undoing the existing barrier and preparing the new one. Meanwhile, combat units set up traps designed to weaken the Three-Tails.
"They actually put a sealing barrier over this entire lake?"
Yagura turned to the six ninja beside him, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Damn, the Three-Tails really scored big in the real estate game. Got himself a whole mansion in the Land of Water—rent-free."
The six ninja: "..."
Yagura kept going. "Have you guys bought houses in Kirigakure? How big are they? Expensive? Does your salary even cover it?"
The six ninja: "...."
"I mean, you should be able to afford one, right? Surely the village pays you well. If even high-ranking ninja like you guys can't buy a home, what does that say about Kirigakure's future?"
Ignoring the awkward silence, Yagura smirked and twisted the knife.
"After all, you are the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
The Severing Sword – Juzo Biwa.
The Thunder Swords – Kurosuki Raiga.
The Sewing Needle – Kuriarare Kushimaru.
The Explosive Blade – Munashi Jinpachi.
The Twin Swords – Hozuki Chiren.
And, of course, a familiar face—
The Blunt Sword – Jinin Akebino!
Only one person was missing: The Greatsword – Fuguki Suikazan.
Munashi Jinpachi, always quick-tempered, snapped, "Shut your damn mouth, brat! You're giving me a headache!"
Kuriarare Kushimaru, wearing a masked Anbu helmet, muttered ominously,
"This kid's mouth should be sewn shut."
"No need," Yagura quipped. "I'll do it myself."
With a grin, he mimed zipping his lips.
Juzo Biwa glanced at him and scoffed. "How disgraceful. Have kids in Kirigakure always been this weak?"
"Who knows?" Kurosuki Raiga mused. "But if this brat dies later, I'm not attending his funeral."
Standing in the back, Jinin Akebino remained silent, listening but not commenting.
Hozuki Chiren, the quietest of the group, simply focused on his assigned task—protecting and monitoring Yagura.
Yagura fell silent, gazing at the still, unbroken surface of the lake.
In just a few hours, this place would erupt into one of the bloodiest battles Kirigakure had seen in years.
The shift in atmosphere unsettled even the rowdiest of the swordsmen.
Except for Chiren, the natural introvert, the rest of them were itching for action.
Munashi Jinpachi swept his gaze across the group and growled, "Where the hell is that fat Suikazan? Did he oversleep?"
A real possibility.
"He got called away by the Mizukage," Juzo Biwa said, spitting into the grass. "Maybe his dirty little secrets finally caught up with him. Hahaha!"
"Oh, now that I'd love to see," Kurosuki Raiga grinned. "A proper lightning funeral might even burn off some of his fat!"
...
And speaking of missing people…
Where was Hoshigaki Kisame right now?
As Yagura stared at the Three-Tails' lakefront mansion, his thoughts drifted to places unknown...
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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