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

Chapter 83 Riot! Riot!

When the news spread that Ren would be attending the New Year's banquet hosted by the Hozuki clan, most people in Kirigakure breathed a sigh of relief, seeing it as a sign that Ren was accepting the Hozuki clan's overtures.

Accepting this signal of goodwill means that Ren intends to reconcile. With both sides working together, the prosperity of Kirigakure will be just around the corner.

However, many people are also worried about this, because judging from the past behavior of this Mizukage, he is not someone who gives up so easily.

However, the passage of time will not be slowed down or accelerated because of whether Lian is sincere or not.

A week later, the day that would decide the fate of Kirigakure finally arrived.

On the night of January 3rd, in the 33rd year of Kirigakure and the 34th year of Konoha, at the Hozuki clan mansion.

The mansion was brightly lit and bustling with people. At this moment, the Hozuki Mansion had gathered all the well-known ninja clans and ninjas from the entire Hidden Mist Village.

It's no exaggeration to say that if Madara Uchiha had the ability to launch a meteorite from a distance and hit the Hozuki Mansion directly, Kirigakure would have been wiped out of the ninja world.

The people here are truly a case of Jonin everywhere, Chunin less than dogs. On the contrary, Genin are the rarest. After all, the Genin who can enter this kind of event are basically the heirs of various ninja clans, brought by their parents to broaden their horizons. Therefore, Genin are particularly precious in this setting.

"Has Lian not arrived yet?"

Hozuki Shingetsu stood at the entrance of the mansion, welcoming the guests, and took a moment to ask Ao beside her.

As a time traveler, he had no airs whatsoever, and didn't think it would be shameful for him to greet guests at the door given his new status. For him at this point, the reputation of being "respectful and courteous" was still something he needed to make use of.

"No, they probably thought they'd come last!"

Qing shook her head, indicating that she had not received any messages.

"Ha, what a boring little trick." Hozuki Shingetsu shook his head dismissively.

Hozuki Shingetsu has always looked down on this kind of little trick where the most distinguished person always makes a grand entrance last.

Well, this has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he was the organizer and couldn't show up at the end.

"Have all the members of the Uzumaki clan arrived?"

Hozuki Shingetsu turned to look at Yukinagi beside her—this spot should have been occupied by Uzumaki Kushina, but knowing what was going to happen today, why would Hozuki Shingetsu have let her be here? She would have had her stay home on standby long ago.

With her Jonin-level skills, Yukinagi should have no problem protecting herself in the upcoming events, as long as she isn't in the heart of the battlefield.

Yukinagi, unaware of the specifics, seemed genuinely pleased to be standing beside Hozuki Shingetsu in this setting, and responded with a smile:

"They're all in position. Two elders of the Uzumaki clan are stationed at Yagura's location, and the entire outer perimeter is staffed by our people. Their safety is guaranteed; there's absolutely no chance of anything going wrong!"

Upon hearing this, Hozuki Shingetsu felt somewhat relieved.

He put himself in Ren's shoes and realized that the only thing Ren could do today was to sabotage Yagura's suppression of the Three-Tails, causing him to fail at the last minute. Therefore, he made special preparations for this.

As for the Six-Tails... it's not that he didn't want to tamper with things, the key is that Kirigakure isn't his alone, and the place where the Six-Tails is suppressed is not something the Hozuki clan can access at all, it's handled by Elder Genshi.

Helpless and trusting of Master Yuan, Hozuki Shingetsu did not make any preparations against the Six-Tails—after all, his manpower was limited, and he could not eliminate all unstable factors; he could only select a few of the most likely targets for focused defense.

Just then, Ren finally arrived late with Kaguya Yoshio and the others.

Upon his arrival, he joked with Hozuki Shingetsu, "Haha, it's quite an honor to have our renowned 'Ninja Fox Demon' waiting here!"

"Lord Mizukage is joking. This title is merely bestowed upon us by others out of respect for Kirigakure. Besides, how can this 'Demon Fox of Ninja' compare to Lord Mizukage, the pillar of Kirigakure?"

In response to Ren's teasing, Hozuki Shingetsu replied respectfully.

Those who witnessed this scene were once again convinced that the Hozuki clan had the idea of ​​reconciling with the Mizukage—otherwise, Hozuki Shingetsu wouldn't have lowered his stance so much.

"Good, very good!"

Ren patted Hozuki Shingetsu on the shoulder with a smile, and entered the venue without saying anything more.

However, the Kaguya clan members, including Kaguya Yoshio, who followed closely behind him, were not so friendly towards Hozuki Shingetsu. They were already being very polite by not spitting at him in front of everyone—they hadn't forgotten how Hozuki Shingetsu had rejected the Kaguya clan's marriage proposal in front of so many people!

Hozuki Shingetsu seemed unconcerned, raising his head and turning to follow them into the mansion. As they entered, the gates of the Hozuki clan slammed shut with a loud bang.

-

"...I'm so glad that Yagura Karatachi took on the responsibility of being the Three-Tails' Jinchuriki. That's what makes him a truly excellent ninja from Kirigakure!"

As soon as Hozuki Shingetsu entered, he heard Ren already speaking in the banquet hall. His words were quite normal, expressing his appreciation for Yagura Karatachi and his satisfaction with the Hozuki clan's use of this opportunity to gather everyone. Hozuki Shingetsu had Yagura Karatachi perform the tailed beast sealing today under the pretext that with so many ninjas present, any unexpected events could be dealt with at any time.

Hozuki Shingetsu didn't react to Ren's overbearing behavior, which was exactly what he expected.

The rest is up to our Mizukage to figure out what methods he'll use to hinder Yagura Karatachi...

hold head high!

Just as Hozuki Shingetsu was thinking this, the unexpected happened. Accompanied by an angry roar and the sound of houses collapsing, a frenzied aura of chakra rose from the secret area behind Hozuki's mansion, and a heavy pressure suddenly pressed down on the hearts of the ninjas present.

Three tails!

Upon sensing this familiar chakra, all the ninjas present had a grim expression.

Only Lian, upon seeing this scene, smiled slightly, as if this situation was not unexpected.

Why?

Hozuki Shingetsu looked at Ren with confusion, not understanding how he could interfere with Yagura's actions despite the heavy defenses.

As the relatives of the Second Mizukage, the Hozuki clan naturally possessed an extraordinary clan residence. When it was built, the residence even encompassed an entire mountain, and the place where Yagura Karatachi secluded himself was a secret chamber at the bottom of that mountain.

Two elders of the Uzumaki clan and elites of the Hozuki clan guarded the secret chamber at all times. Hozuki Shingetsu couldn't understand how Ren had managed to get past the defenses.

Bang!

Just then, a memory suddenly came to Hozuki Shingetsu's mind, which made him understand why the Three-Tails was still berserk despite being guarded by the two Uzumaki elders—it was the memory transmitted back after the shadow clone that Hozuki Shingetsu had placed next to Yagura Karatachi dissipated.

Hozuki Shingetsu narrowed his eyes slightly and said, word by word, "White Zetsu!"

In fact, Yagura Karatachi's process of subduing the Three-Tails went extremely smoothly; he had even just successfully become the Three-Tails' jinchūriki with the help of the two Uzumaki elders. However, just as Hozuki Shingetsu's shadow clone was about to send back this message, White Zetsu appeared.

Disguised as Ghost Lantern Crescent Moon, he easily bypassed the tight defenses and, taking advantage of the situation, killed two Vortex Elders in a single encounter.

And Hozuki Shingetsu's shadow clone was no exception, unable to stop it in the slightest.

Before the shadow clones dissipated, what I saw was the Sharingan appearing in Yagura's eyes.

However, as the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly. Just as the ninjas present were preparing to subdue the Three-Tails, a beastly roar suddenly came from outside again, and a new surge of violent chakra appeared once more.

At the same time, a ninja covered in blood appeared and shouted:

"The Uzumaki clan has been attacked by the Six-Tails!"

"The Six-Tails has gone berserk!"

-

"This scene is truly captivating; I never tire of seeing it!"

Gazing at the Three-Tails wreaking havoc in the distance, a look of ecstasy appeared on Black Zetsu's dark face.

"With the Three-Tails and Six-Tails appearing together, coupled with the internal conflict between the Hozuki clan and the Mizukage clan, after today, regardless of who wins or loses, Kirigakure can truly be considered the last of the Five Great Shinobi Villages!"

White Zetsu glanced in another direction and, echoing the Three-Tails, the Six-Tails, which was also constantly destroying buildings, spoke with great interest.

"Ha! They brought it on themselves! Betrayal, internal strife... So even after a thousand years, humanity hasn't changed at all..."

Black Zetsu looked up at the moon in the sky, a strange look flashing in his eyes.

-

"Six-Tails rampage? Uzumaki clan attacked?"

Upon hearing this, the banquet hall fell silent instantly, and then the atmosphere began to boil over.

Unlike most of the ninjas who were in a hurry to rescue, the high-ranking members of the ninja clans present all thought of one thing—the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails went berserk one after another, and both of them happened to choose this time. Could it really be a coincidence?

Could it be that our Mizukage really intends to incite internal strife?

After all, Hozuki's side would never allow the tailed beasts to cause trouble at this time. Judging from the current momentum of the Hozuki clan, as long as they develop their strength steadily, Hozuki Shingetsu will be the fourth Mizukage. There is no need to take such a huge risk at this time.

They exchanged a knowing glance with Ren, who stood calmly in the center of the room, and Shingetsu Hozuki, whose face was grim. They couldn't help but speculate.

Meanwhile, Hozuki Shingetsu was indeed in a terrible mood.

Upon hearing that White Zetsu was controlling Yagura and that the Six-Tails had gone out of control and attacked the Uzumaki clan's territory, he knew he had miscalculated.

The main reason for his misjudgment was the addition of the Uzumaki clan. The addition of the Uzumaki clan, who possessed the ability to unleash the "Dead Demon Sealing Technique," instantly unbalanced the power between friend and foe, and also made him complacent and arrogant.

In addition, Black Zetsu's previous act of giving him information also misled his judgment.

That incident led him to mistakenly believe that Black Zetsu thought that even if White Zetsu joined the war, Ren wouldn't be able to defeat Hozuki's side after the Uzumaki clan joined forces with the "Reaper Death Seal." Therefore, due to rational considerations, coupled with his consistent "continental balance policy" and actions that disrupted the ninja world, Black Zetsu was forced to abandon Ren and support him instead.

But now it seems he was too naive.

Supporting him and causing heavy losses to the Hidden Mist Village are not contradictory.

Based on this, it's likely that the Six-Tails was released by Black Zetsu and Ren.

Moreover, the Six-Tailed Rampage means that Yuan Shi, who was able to keep Lian in check in terms of prestige, has encountered an unexpected situation.

The moment the news arrived, he went to look for Master Yuan.

However, the Yuan Master who was originally present suddenly disappeared, which made him realize that the Yuan Master from before was not the Yuan Master at all—it was Jue in disguise.

"Black Zetsu... well done!"

Hozuki Shingetsu silently made a mental note of this.

Since he transmigrated, he has always been the one scheming against others. When has he ever been schemed against so badly?

He would be a despicable person if he didn't avenge this!

He already had a complete idea for how to design Black Zetsu, but now it seems... he still needs to add some elements!

However, the most important thing right now is not to deal with Black Zetsu, but to figure out how to deal with the Three-Tails and Six-Tails' rampage, as well as... the attack by the Mizukage and Kaguya!

At this moment, everyone present from the Hozuki faction looked at Hozuki Shingetsu, awaiting his orders—since Hozuki Shingetsu had successfully planned several times in a row, he had successfully taken over the position of Hozuki Zangetsu and automatically assumed the responsibilities of the commander.

"Fifth Elder, please take the ninjas present and help deal with the Three-Tails!"

Hozuki Shingetsu swiftly cut through the mess. Given the uncertainty of friend and foe, it would be best for all the ninjas from the smaller ninja clans present to disappear!

In such a chaotic moment, it's impossible to discern sides, so let's just use the previous excuse to get all these people to deal with the berserk Yagura!

Led by the Fifth Elder of the Uzumaki clan, these people should have more than enough power to deal with a rampaging Three-Tails Jinchuriki!

The other ninjas present also noticed something amiss from Ren's calm expression. Realizing something, they immediately felt a pang of disgust towards Ren—suppression is one thing, but what's the meaning of releasing the tailed beast without regard for the village?

It's not wrong for you to suppress Hozuki, after all, the Hozuki clan has no vested interests with them. But what about the damage caused by releasing the Tailed Beasts?

Ren's previous actions could be considered as a personal grudge between him and Hozuki's side, but at this moment, his current seat can definitely be considered to have aroused public outrage!

But when asked to stay and deal with Lian directly, they hesitated greatly—that's how neutral parties are; they look before they know what's going on and never take a gamble before the outcome is certain. They can only add to the glory, but never offer help in times of need.

For them, no matter what personal grudges Ren and Hozuki had, or the greater good of the village, nothing could compare to their own little family.

Especially now, with both tailed beasts rampaging at the same time, what would happen to the tailed beasts if they turned their guns on Ren?

What about the villagers outside?

Or rather, what about their property and their people?

Besides, whether the Tailed Beast was actually released by Ren is debatable, isn't it? Once the rampaging Tailed Beast Jinchuriki is subdued, the truth will become clear.

Therefore, Hozuki Shingetsu's suggestion was exactly what they wanted, since dealing with the Three-Tails was also serving the village, wasn't it?

It's amazing that they can also escape the battle between the Water Shadow and Hozuki.

Ren did not stop these ninjas from leaving.

Clearly, he shared the same thoughts as Hozuki Shingetsu, since he was the one who knew best who was at the root of the tailed beast rampage, and he was equally uneasy about these neutral factions.

"Lord Yoshio, you will be taking the Uzumaki clan ninjas to deal with the Six-Tails in a moment!"

Hozuki Shingetsu looked at Uzumaki Yoshio, who was anxious and worried, and said this.

Having just left their homeland to arrive in Kirigakure, their clan's territory was attacked by a tailed beast. Under these circumstances, it was unrealistic to force them to stay, so he directly sent the Uzumaki clan back to deal with the Six-Tails.

Immediately afterward, ignoring the surprised looks from everyone present, Hozuki Shingetsu said, "And... I'm going with you all!"

That's right, he has made up his mind to become the Six-Tails Jinchuriki today!

Black Zetsu's unexpected attack disrupted his plans. At this point, there were very few elders left in the Uzumaki clan who could use the "Dead Demon Seal," and he also had to take care of two areas where the tailed beasts were rampaging. If White Zetsu were to attack at this moment, he would inevitably be overwhelmed.

Therefore, at this moment, he must fight with all his might!

At this point, his combat strength as a Jonin was at best useless in this kind of battle, like a mirage playing a minor role.

Only by using his cheat ability to become a Jinchuriki of a Tailed Beast and successfully reach the Kage level can he play a decisive role in the subsequent chaos!

After glancing at the venue, Hozuki Shingetsu handed over command to his father and left the mansion with a group of Uzumaki ninjas without looking back.

Ren watched Hozuki Shingetsu's departing figure without stopping him.

Despite Hozuki Shingetsu's sharp mind, as a newly promoted Jonin, his role in this situation is limited.

For him now, the more important thing is to deal with the rebels led by Hozuki Zangetsu!

Once these people are eliminated, Hozuki Shingetsu is nothing but a clown, easily defeated with a snap of the fingers!

"Heh, it seems all that scheming and plotting has come to nothing but us in the end!"

Lian looked at the ghost lantern and the moon opposite her, her tone somewhat inexplicable.

"Yes, I've wanted to fight this battle for over a decade." Hozuki Zangetsu downed his drink in one gulp and then smashed the glass on the ground.

As the cup in Hozuki Zangetsu's hand fell to the ground, a large number of Hozuki ninjas dressed in white filed in, and together with the Yuki clan ninjas, they surrounded Ren, Kaguya Yoshio, and the others.

At the same time, a large number of ninjas dressed in gray also appeared here.

Among them, besides Kaguya, who had a red mole between her eyebrows and a crazy expression, the four ninjas dressed in strange clothes and wielding various long swords were the most eye-catching.

That was none other than the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist," founded by the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki, and directly subordinate to the Mizukage!

"It seems that Tachibana Haruhiko is indeed problematic... But it doesn't matter, four are enough."

Upon seeing this, Lian immediately understood who was behind it all. However, he didn't care, because compared to their opponents, they were currently in a stronger position.

"Lord Remnant Moon, as the direct subordinate force of the Mizukage, I believe you, who share the same bloodline as Lord Phantom Moon, can understand our actions at this moment?"

The tall, ferocious-looking, red-haired Watermelon Pufferfish Demon touched the Samehada in his hand and grinned.

"So, I'm sorry to offend you later! I promise I'll make sure you die without any pain."

"Heh...it seems you really are quite faithful in carrying out Lord Phantom Moon's will!"

Of course, Hozuki Zangetsu knew that when Hozuki Gengetsu founded the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he had made it clear that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's duty was to be the Mizukage's direct subordinate force and to be loyal only to the Mizukage.

Therefore, objectively speaking, from the perspective of Kirigakure, the actions of Suigetsu Hozuki and others are actually a good thing.

"Further words are useless. From this day forward, there will be no place for you in Kirigakure!"

With a burst of power, Lian used a teleportation technique to appear in front of Hozuki Renge and begin fighting him.

As if a signal had been activated, the other ninjas present also brandished their weapons and began searching for opponents, following Ren's movements.

Kaguya the Ninja versus Hozuki the Ninja, Kaguya Yoshio versus Yukihira Kyo, the head of the Yuki clan, and the four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist leading the Anbu against the Yuki clan ninja—thus began their duel.

The banquet hall, which was just filled with laughter and joy, was suddenly filled with blood!

There's still 4K this afternoon.

(End of this chapter)