Capítulo 115: Chapter 115: Mission: Subjugate Manten
"Mizukage-sama."
Soma entered.
Arafuni and Kaguya Izumi were stationed not far from the door.
"Soma, what's the matter?"
"Mizukage-sama, there is indeed something I need your help with."
"What is it?"
"Mizukage-sama, do you have any free time recently?"
"Free time? With the current situation in the village, as the Mizukage, I can't afford to be idle. But if it's important, I can make some time."
Soma then explained the situation regarding Kisame and others to the Third Mizukage.
"Is it really so..."
The Third Mizukage hesitated for a moment.
"I've seen the effectiveness of the Ninjato you've crafted, Soma. It can be said that you, as an individual, have upheld half of the current era of the Hidden Mist Village."
"Without the Ninjato, the situation in our Hidden Mist Village would undoubtedly be much worse."
"So the matter of the Ninjato can be given top priority."
"Soma, how many people do we need this time?"
Soma replied.
"Four in total."
"My idea is this: me, Ao-senpai, you, Mizukage-sama, and one more, I haven't decided yet. If there's really no suitable candidate, Daida can also join."
As one of the Squad Captains of the Forging Department's security team, Daida's strength is pretty good.
"Let's go with Daida."
The Third Mizukage said, "Daida is trustworthy and his strength is decent."
"Then let's go with what you say, Mizukage-sama. When would you have time?"
The Third Mizukage glanced at the documents on the table.
"How about tonight?"
"Mizukage-sama, the enemie may be very strong. This time, the client requested four ninjas, more than any previous time. Mizukage-sama, after a day of work, will you be in good condition tonight?"
"Then let's meet tomorrow morning."
The Third Mizukage said, "I'll be working a bit late tonight to handle some of tomorrow's tasks."
"Rest well tonight, and there shouldn't be any problems tomorrow morning."
Soma nodded.
"I'll wait for you on Forging Island tomorrow morning."
"Agreed."
After confirming that the Third Mizukage could participate, Soma returned to Forging Island.
He immediately found Daida.
"Chief-sama."
"Daida, as a Squad Captain, I have a task for you..."
Soma's introduction to Daida was briefer than the one to the Third Mizukage.
"Daida, how about it?"
"Chief-sama, I have no problem."
"That's good."
As soon as he finished speaking, Soma took out the Thug Recruitment Token.
The night passed quietly.
The next day.
Morning.
The Third Mizukage came early, bringing the Skeleton Emperor.
During this time, besides his work, the Third Mizukage had actually conducted some research and usage of the Skeleton Emperor. Compared to when he first obtained it, he was now able to utilize the Skeleton Emperor's abilities much more effectively.
In addition to achievements, the Third Mizukage aimed to surpass the Second Mizukage in power. To achieve this, the Skeleton Emperor was crucial.
The Third Mizukage was aware of his own talents.
Relying solely on Ninjutsu had reached its limit.
But, with the addition of Zanpakuto, it was different.
Just Juzo alone might not prove much.But with the addition of Fuguki... Everyone could see the changes in the two.
Previously, the two "ordinary" members of the Hidden Mist Seven Ninja Swords had once been a disgrace to elite Jonin. But now?
In the eyes of the ninja world, they were already second only to the Kage.
"Without Zanpakuto, I am stronger than Juzo and Fuguki."
"And the Skeleton Emperor may be even stronger than the Blue Rose Sword and Water Dragon Possession."
"The time it took to forge the Skeleton Emperor was much longer than other Zanpakuto."
"Some also deliberately learned Fire Release to enhance the Forging Technique."
"If I fully master the Skeleton Emperor, my improvement will surpass Juzo and Fuguki by far."
When the Third Mizukage arrived at Forging Island, Soma, Ao, and Daida were already waiting.
"Mizukage-sama."
The four of them entered an empty forging room.
"Mizukage-sama, Daida."
Soma said, "Since this is your first time, I'll give you a brief overview of the situation."
"This is essentially the same as a ninja mission."
"Complete the mission, and you'll receive a reward."
"Usually, the client will appear after entering."
The Third Mizukage and Daida exchanged a glance.
"Understood."
Immediately, Soma took out the Blueprint.
Muttering silently.
"Enter Dungeon Instance!"
The next moment, Soma's figure disappeared.
When he reappeared, he had already entered the Dungeon Instance.
Before his eyes was a forest and he was on the edge.
"Summon thugs!"
[The current Dungeon Instance has reached the maximum number of thugs that can be summoned. Once summoned, they cannot be replaced. Are you sure you want to summon these three thugs?]
"Yes!"
A force pulled simultaneously on the Third Mizukage, Ao, and Daida.
The three did not resist.
Soon, they all entered the Dungeon Instance and came to Soma's side.
The Third Mizukage and Daida looked around curiously.
"This is the Forging Master Spiritual Land?"
"Similar to the Summon Beast Sanctuary?"
[Dungeon Instance Mission: Subjugate Manten.]
[Mission Reward: Materials for the Lighting Blade Fang.]
[Do you accept the mission?]
Soma was slightly stunned.
This situation was somewhat different from before.
Previously, the client would appear and then introduce the mission.
But this time, the mission appeared directly.
And it was a subjugation-type mission.
This type of mission had never appeared before.
However, given the change in circumstances, Soma couldn't refuse the mission.
"Accept!"
...
...
Hozuki Island.
Conference hall.
The elders of the Hozuki Clan gathered.
A middle-aged man exclaimed anxiously, "Clan Head, we must think of a solution. If we continue like this, our Hozuki Clan will become a laughingstock before we even rise."
A young man beside him echoed, "Yes, Clan Head. Mangetsu indeed has great talent. With Hiramekarei and enough time, he could grow into a very powerful ninja."
"Surpassing Biwa Juzo and Fuguki Suikazan is not impossible."
"After all, Mangetsu possesses the potential of a Kage."
"But Mangetsu is still too young. It will take a long time for him to grow."
"It's not something that can be achieved in just one or two years."
Hozuki Kazuhiko furrowed his brow.
The current situation of the Hozuki Clan also troubled Hozuki Kazuhiko.
Taking advantage of the Kaguya Clan's troubles and the opportunity presented by the appearance of Zanpakuto, Hozuki formulated the plan to seize the Seven Ninja Swords.
Due to suspicion that the Third Mizukage might have insight into the Hozuki Clan's plans, they had to take action prematurely.
Hozuki Kazuhiko originally thought the plan to seize the Seven Ninja Swords would encounter problems.
However, unexpectedly, the plan went smoothly without any interference from the Third Mizukage.
However, after the successful completion of the plan to seize the Seven Ninja Swords, the Hozuki Clan did not develop in the direction they had anticipated.
The main reason for this was time.
The Hozuki Clan lacked sufficient time to find suitable ninjas for the Seven Ninja Swords and to allow these ninjas to showcase the swords' power.
Hozuki Kazuhiko set the standards quite high, not wanting the Seven Ninja Swords to be wielded by unsuitable ninjas.
If they relaxed the criteria, and the outcome was worse than the previous Hidden Mist Seven Ninja Swords, then the Hozuki Clan would become a laughingstock.
But the appearance of the new Zanpakuto was too quick.
Moreover, it just so happened that Fuguki Suikazan became the wielder of the new Zanpakuto.
This made the Hozuki Clan a laughingstock.
"What are your thoughts?" Hozuki Kazuhiko asked.
The young man and the middle-aged man exchanged glances.
"Clan Head, we believe that it might be appropriate to slightly lower the standards for selecting the wielders of the Ninjato set by you, at least to allow someone other than Mangetsu to wield one Ninjato."
"This way, they can go to the battlefield, achieve success, and demonstrate the power of the Seven Ninja Swords and there will be much less criticism of the Hozuki Clan within the village."
Upon hearing this suggestion, Hozuki Kazuhiko's expression softened somewhat.
"The strategy we have set is actually correct," Hozuki Kazuhiko said. "By setting high standards and demanding rigorous training from our people, not only can we select the most suitable wielders for the Ninjato, but we can also enhance the strength of our people."
"The selected Hozuki Seven are bound to be stronger than the previous Mist Seven."
"It may take a little longer, but it's worth it."
"However, the emergence of Water Dragon Possession has indeed had a significant impact on our Hozuki Clan."
"We still need to keep our focus long-term."
"But, we also need to consider the short-term impact."
"I will seriously consider the suggestion you made."
Hozuki Kazuhiko didn't immediately agree.
Lowering the standards of the wielder of a sword was acceptable to Hozuki Kazuhiko.
But he needed to carefully consider which sword it would be.
It had to showcase the power of the Ninjato without compromising the Hozuki Clan's own plans.
Hozuki Kazuhiko glanced in the direction of Forging Island in the distance.
"This blacksmith's actions are deliberate."
"And he's not just targeting our Hozuki Clan."
"Furthermore, he wants his Zanpakuto to surpass the fame of the Hozuki Seven Ninja Swords."
"To elevate his reputation beyond that of the Great Blacksmith of yesteryears."
"Such audacity!"
"Toward Seniors, there's not an ounce of respect. Without the Great Blacksmith of the past, how could the current Forging Island even have a legacy? He relies on the techniques left behind by that Great Blacksmith."
"Ingratitude."
"Such a person will definitely meet a bad end."
What Hozuki Kazuhiko didn't know was that most of Soma's Forging Techniques had little to do with that Great Blacksmith. He relied on the Blacksmith System, God's Hand, and his own research.
The Chakra Smelting Technique and the Breathing Forging Method on Forging Island were just names passed down.
Soma developed the Chakra Smelting Technique by relying on his Mastery-level Forging Technique and mastering the Fire Release.
As for the Breathing Forging Method, it's based on the Breathing Techniques of the Demon Slayer's Blade.
The appearance of Soma's Zanpakuto had absolutely no contribution from that Great Blacksmith.
"You can discuss which Ninjato to choose if you decide to pick one," said Hozuki Kazuhiko, prompting everyone to start discussing.
"Samehada has its own personality. Without finding the right person, forcing its use is inferior to an ordinary Ninjato."
"Bluntsword is just resilient. It's basically impossible to achieve astonishing effects with it."
"Longsword has a high level of difficulty in operation, and currently, no one can use it well."
"The usage difficulty of Blastsword isn't that high, and its effects can be quite impressive. However, there's a problem with Blastsword; it's easy for people to think that it's all thanks to Explosive Tags."
"Seversword was previously used by Juzo, but he voluntarily gave it up after obtaining the Blue Rose Sword."
"A bloodsucker with self-healing abilities isn't prominent enough," he continued. "Unless we can develop better ways to use it."
"Thunder Swords, when used, create a spectacular scene. With sufficient Chakra, they can unleash extremely powerful Lightning Release techniques on a large scale, which can also be coordinated with Water Release."
At this point, some members of the Hozuki Clan had already realized that, compared to Zanpakuto, the Seven Ninja Swords didn't seem strong enough.
"Kiriichimonji can create wounds that are unhealable, causing continuous bleeding in the opponent. Seversword can only collect the spilled blood. Blue Rose Sword grants Biwa Juzo Ice Release. Thunder Swords only grant the user Lightning Release. One is a Kekkei Genkai, the other a regular elemental Ninjutsu. Which is superior, is quite evident."
"Water Dragon Possession directly elevates Fuguki Suikazan's Water Release abilities to a higher level. In the eyes of many, it has surpassed the Water Release ninjas of the Hozuki Clan."
This point particularly displeased the Hozuki Clan. Hozuki Kazuhiko summarized, "So overall, Blastsword and Thunder Swords seem more suitable. Comparatively, choosing an unsuitable user for Blastsword would have a smaller negative impact on our clan than selecting one for Thunder Swords. After all, the potential of Thunder Swords is higher than that of Blastsword."
Just then, a figure rushed in at a rapid pace. "Clan Head."
"What is it?" Hozuki Kazuhiko looked over.
"The front-line ninja brought back the severed tail of Manda, which was cut off by Fuguki Suikazan's blood sword. They're preparing to turn it into a monument in the central square."
"Many people are gathering to watch."
Instantly, the expressions of the Hozuki Clan Elders, including Hozuki Kazuhiko's, turned grim.
"What does Mizukage-sama mean?"
"To erect Manda's tail in the square and make it into a monument."
"Is this to permanently seal this matter?"
"Then, won't our Hozuki Clan be mentioned forever?"
"Using this severed tail to keep people talking about our Hozuki Clan?"
Hozuki Kazuhiko fell silent for a moment.
"Choose a user for Thunder Swords."
"It seems that Blastsword is not enough anymore."
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