They're promoting the "Konoha threat" theory, and spouting nonsense about the Hidden

Chapter 213 Hypnosis & The Puppet's Name & The End (Two-in-One)

"Where is my son, Crescent Moon?"

When Mizuki saw Yanagisawa Takamasa being killed so easily, and then saw Kakuzu's grotesque appearance with his head supported by black tentacles, he immediately realized that he had miscalculated. He lost his previous arrogance and began to call for his reinforcements.

Upon hearing this, Kakuzu immediately stopped in his tracks.

After all, Hozuki Shingetsu is no longer the kid who could only make a name for himself through schemes and tricks. As the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, and as for how he single-handedly forced the representatives of the various ninja villages to stop before the peace talks, his story has become widely known as news of the peace talks spread.

Therefore, even though Kakuzu had experience "fighting" with Hashirama Senju, he wouldn't be so arrogant as to face Shingetsu Hozuki.

Boom boom boom!

The footsteps did not come from the rooftop terrace of the castle tower, but rather from the stairs of the castle tower.

Everyone present involuntarily turned their heads to look at the staircase. However, to their surprise, it was not Hozuki Shingetsu who arrived, but Mizuto Tomioka's target for this trip, Mizu Masahiko!

"My dearest brother, I miss you so much!"

Shui Dufu was stunned for a moment, then shouted affectionately, and immediately wanted to go over and give his older brother a good beating.

However, he stopped very quickly because Hozuki Shingetsu was right behind Mizuki Masahiko.

"So it was you who protected him..."

Unlike Mizu Masahiko, who was gritting his teeth, Mizu Keita was overjoyed to see this scene.

Given Mizuto Tomioka's blatant attitude, it was clear that Mizu Keita was relieved about his decision to pass the throne to his eldest son.

"Good...very good!"

"New Moon, I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

"Yahiko, come here quickly!"

"You will be the next daimyo!"

At Mizu Keita's invitation, Mizu Masahiko did not show excessive excitement. Instead, he calmly swayed his body and came to Mizu Keita's side.

"you……"

When Shui Du Fu saw this, he tried to stop him, but Kakuzu pulled him back.

"Don't move... something's wrong with this person."

The black tentacles on Kakuzu's neck had now healed the wound, and he looked at Mizu Masahiko with a solemn expression.

Although, according to my investigation, Mizuya Mizuhiko was no different from a normal person, the "Earth Grudge" within his body gave off a faint sense of danger.

Shui Keita, naturally lacking Kakuzu's keen perception, immediately embraced his eldest son upon seeing him approach.

"Yahiko, you..."

boom!

Shui Jingtai had barely uttered a sentence when he saw his son's face suddenly turn bright red, and then, like a water-filled balloon, he exploded.

It literally exploded. Right in front of Mizu Keita, Mizu Masahiko's entire body exploded under the control of Blood Pond Ryoma.

Just moments before, Shui Jingtai was immersed in the joy of his eldest son's survival, but in the blink of an eye, his entire body was covered in his son's blood and fragments, and the smile on his face instantly froze.

Seeing this scene, Sui Keita glanced at the blood on his hands, then at Sui Tofu, and finally, with a strange look in his eyes, at Hozuki Shingetsu, who was all smiles, as if asking:

Why?

Why do you treat me like this when I treat you like my own child?

Instead of directly answering Sui Keita's gaze, Hozuki Shingetsu called out to someone behind him:

"Masahito, as agreed, the rest is up to you."

Boom boom boom!

The moment Mizu Keita saw Kusaka Masato appear, he understood everything.

"Heh...heh..."

He pointed angrily at Hozuki Shingetsu, his chest making a constant rattling sound like a broken bellows.

"Hmm... To let you have some fun, Munen, use a sealing technique to stimulate his life force!"

"It's up to you now."

Hozuki Shingetsu said this to Kusaka Masato.

It is foreseeable that he will not stay in the capital for some time to come, so the capital court needs a trustworthy and capable person to take charge for him, and Kusaka Masato happens to be a very suitable candidate.

All of Mizuki Keita's value has now been squeezed dry. All the nobles in the city who are related to the daimyo by blood have been killed by Mizuki Tomoyuki. And now so many people are watching Mizuki Tomoyuki enter the castle tower with his sword. So Mizuki Keita's last bit of value is gone.

So now, just as promised, he has handed over the daimyo title to Kusaka Masato so that he can take his revenge.

"Thank you... Lord Crescent Moon."

Kusaka Masato took the kunai from Blood Pond Ryoma and, trembling, walked step by step toward Mizu Keita, who was standing there stunned.

"Eighteen years... eighteen years! Do you know how I've survived these eighteen years?!"

puff!

Seeing that the two over there had started flirting, Hozuki Shingetsu stopped paying attention and turned to look at Shuidu Fu.

"How is it, Second Prince? Do you like this gift?"

like?

Shui Dufu may be arrogant, but that doesn't mean he's brainless.

After witnessing Hozuki Shingetsu's series of actions, he realized that he seemed to have been used.

From the moment I decided to launch the coup, it seemed as if an invisible hand was secretly controlling everything.

It was only at this moment that he realized that the mastermind behind this was none other than Hozuki Shingetsu, the lowly ninja he had previously looked down upon!

Seeing Mizuto Tomioka, who was stunned and speechless at the scene before him, Hozuki Shingetsu shook his head, a hint of boredom flashing across his face. "You're really boring right now... I preferred your previous unruly self."

"Don't worry, since I promised to be your inside man, I will definitely keep my promise. You will definitely become a daimyo, I swear!"

Hozuki Shingetsu glanced at Kakuzu standing in front of Mizuto Furuichi, a smile playing on his lips. "After all, in our line of work, integrity is paramount, isn't it?"

"Really?... Haha, I knew you were reliable, Shingetsu. Don't worry, once I become a daimyo, I'll officially announce your status as a prince, and Kirigakure's military budget will definitely more than double..."

Upon hearing Hozuki Shingetsu's words, Mizuto Tomioka immediately jumped out excitedly, making grand promises and practically offering Hozuki Shingetsu a written agreement as proof.

However, as he spoke, his voice involuntarily lowered, because he realized that no one in the room was listening to him; everyone's eyes were fixed on Hozuki Shingetsu and Kakuzu.

"..."

Kakuzu was being stared at by Hozuki Shingetsu, and even though his body had been completely transformed by Jigan-yu, a bead of cold sweat still trickled down his forehead.

He didn't know why this young man in front of him could exert so much pressure on him just by looking at him.

At that moment, he felt as if he had returned to the scene of his ambush on Hashirama Senju, and his body involuntarily recalled the feeling of being watched by Hashirama Senju from 800 meters away.

"...He paid me 100 million taels to protect him."

Kakuzu remained silent for a while before finally uttering those words.

"I'll double it."

Hozuki Shingetsu shattered all of Kakuzu's resolve with just a single, simple sentence.

Throughout the entire black market, who doesn't know that Lord Kakuzu is famous for adhering to professional ethics?

Since his debut, Kakuzu has maintained a perfect record of zero complaints. Every single person who employs him will remain silent when asked how they would rate him.

But what about paying more?

Well, I'm sorry, but my professional ethics aren't unchangeable!

After all, that's two hundred million taels!

More than six Asumas—it goes without saying what this sum of money means to Kakuzu, whose pension was stolen.

Seeing Kakuzu silently take a step back, Hozuki Shingetsu nodded in satisfaction.

For Kirigakure, which has already embarked on an industrial revolution and is actively expanding into the Eastern Continent market, 200 million taels is really nothing.

Moreover, the Water Kingdom is about to fall into his hands, and a large number of nobles in the city have died. With a little manipulation, he can easily come up with 200 million taels.

In comparison, it's incredibly cost-effective to exchange 200 million taels for a master like Kakuzu to serve you.

"Wait... I'll offer four hundred million taels... no, one billion taels! As long as you guarantee my safety, you can choose whatever's in the national treasury first!"

Seeing Kakuzu step back, Blood Pond Ryoma stepped forward with a sinister grin. How could Mizuto Fumi not know that he had already been betrayed?

He immediately grabbed Kakuzu's clothes and refused to let go, making all sorts of promises.

Perhaps it was because he heard the part about money in Mizuto's words, or perhaps he thought of something, that Kakuzu, who had retreated, stepped forward again and stood in front of Blood Pond Ryoma.

"Judging from your expression, you seem to be planning to hire me, so to make you feel like you've gotten your two hundred million taels... let's have a fight!"

He certainly didn't stand up for the money that Mizuto Fu mentioned. Kakuzu also understood this very well. Hozuki Shingetsu alone was enough for him to concentrate all his energy on dealing with, not to mention that Blood Pond Ryoma and Uzumaki Muneto were also present.

He can't save Shuidufu no matter what.

However, he also realized that Hozuki Shingetsu was not short of money, so in order to prevent the two hundred million taels of silver from becoming a one-off deal, he felt it was necessary to demonstrate his strength.

After all, he had never heard of such a high reward before.

The allure of a young, wealthy Shingetsu Hozuki is far too strong for him now that his pension has been stolen.

"Are you sure?"

Hozuki Shingetsu looked at Kakuzu with a strange expression.

With Hozuki Shingetsu's current strength, as long as he doesn't engage in a grueling battle against 30,000 ninjas like the Third Raikage, there's practically no one in the ninja world who can defeat him.

Moreover, he already knew the biggest secret behind the five masks behind Kakuzu, so fighting Kakuzu under these circumstances always made him feel like he was bullying someone.

However, since Kakuzu has said so, Hozuki Shingetsu has decided to grant his wish in order to maintain long-term cooperation in the future.

"Liangma, I'm entrusting this man to you. You know what to do, right?"

Hozuki Shingetsu gave instructions to Blood Pond Ryoma.

"I know, you told me that before... Don't worry, a layman wouldn't be able to spot any flaws!"

"Our name would be a perfect match for his personality!"

Blood Pond Ryoma, with his scarlet dragon eyes wide open, made this promise to Hozuki Shingetsu.

That's right. Due to the current international situation, Hozuki Shingetsu has changed his mind.

The death of all male members of the Water Clan with inheritance rights makes it easy for outsiders to have an excuse to interfere in the internal affairs of the Water Clan.

Therefore, what he is thinking now is to support Shui Du Fu to become this puppet leader. With Xue Long Yan by his side, he can also ensure that Shui Du Fu will completely obey him.

Moreover, there is another wonderful benefit to doing this.

Hozuki Shingetsu, wanting to consolidate the power of the entire Land of Water, naturally had to target the nobles, both high and low, within the country.

Hozuki Shingetsu was, after all, a ninja by birth. Even if he eventually became Kanpaku or Taijo-daijin (Grand Minister of State), he would still be looked down upon by the nobles, both large and small, in the country.

Although these things are nothing compared to Hozuki Shingetsu's methods, they will still cause some turmoil for a period of time. In the current international environment, he really can't afford to make such a big splash.

However, if it is water that is abundant, then it is completely different.

As a "tyrant" who slaughtered all his clansmen with inheritance rights, isn't it perfectly normal for him to be ambitious, harm the nobles in the country, and implement policies that damage the interests of the nobles?

Hozuki Shingetsu is far away in Kirigakure, and aside from sending some insignificant guard ninjas, he has absolutely nothing to do with any of this!

When the time comes, after successfully implementing his reform plan through Shui Du Fu's help, those nobles who were harmed by Shui Du Fu might even come to Kirigakure to ask him to cleanse the court of corrupt officials!

After all, with the protection of Kirigakure ninjas, there really isn't anyone in the Land of Water who can deal with Mizuki Shingetsu if he doesn't agree.

By then, the relationship between the Rinnegan and Konoha will likely have been exposed, and the Third Shinobi World War will be about to begin. With Konoha as a major enemy, there will be no need to worry about the impact of the international situation on the Land of Water.

As Hozuki Shingetsu pondered this, he watched as Blood Pond Ryoma used the Blood Dragon Eye to gradually hypnotize Shuidu Fu.

Soon, the panicked and frightened look in Mizuto Tomioka's eyes disappeared, replaced by boundless loyalty to Hozuki Shingetsu.

"Lord Xinyue."

"Very well...you can go and clean up this mess now!"

Hozuki Shingetsu glanced at Mizu Keita, who was convulsing under Kusaka Masato's manipulation, and gave instructions to Mizuto Tomio.

If all those with inheritance rights are dead, then Mizuto Fumi is the rightful heir to the daimyo.

No matter how cruel he becomes, this will not change.

"Well... now it's our turn."

Hozuki Shingetsu turned to look at Kakuzu, who was on full alert, and smiled slightly.

Stab it!

boom!

Two piercing sounds appeared one after the other.

Before Kakuzu's incredulous gaze, Hozuki Shingetsu instantly activated his Water Mine Chakra Mode, leaving a long, water mine "channel" in the air composed of water vapor and lightning. He appeared in front of him like a ghost, pressing down on his head with one hand.

Before Kakuzu could react, he smashed him to the ground.

boom!

Huge, spiderweb-like cracks suddenly appeared on the floor.

Immediately afterwards, a violent force surged from his seemingly emaciated body, running down his bulging veins from his arms to his palms, and then pressed down on Kakuzu's head.

click!

click!

To Kakuzu's disbelief, Hozuki Shingetsu forcefully broke through the floor and forced Kakuzu's head down to the next level.

No, not just this one layer.

layer.

Two layers.

Three floors.

……

With a continuous roar, under Hozuki Shingetsu's incomparably violent power, Kakuzu was completely powerless to fight back and was smashed from the top floor of the castle tower to the bottom floor!

(End of this chapter)