I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 360 and 361: Zabuza the Demon

late at night.

Kobe Port, Osaka Bay.

"Damn it, I embarrassed myself again. I'm so lame..."

After leaving the school clinic, Kurogane Kouzo sat alone on the beach, lost in thought, from afternoon until evening, and then from evening until sunset, with the stars and moon high in the sky.

After being exposed to the sea breeze for most of the night, the hot-headed Kouzo Kurogane gradually calmed down.

"There are plenty of men stronger than me, like Noro-senpai. How could she possibly be interested in someone as useless as me?"

Kurogane Kouzo chuckled self-deprecatingly, turned his head, and looked around.

This is the shore where he met Ms. Arisa yesterday.

After being beaten to a pulp by thugs who had tried to pick her up, Senior Noro stepped in to save her, and their relationship quickly blossomed.

"From beginning to end, there was absolutely no possibility between me and Ms. Arisa. It was just me, a toad trying to eat swan meat."

Looking at the churning sea under the cover of night, Kurogane Kouzo finally felt at peace.

I can't keep indulging in wishful thinking like this.

At least, Senior Noro's character, appearance, and fighting skills are all excellent.

He pulled a used smartphone out of his pocket, glanced at it, and realized it was already past 1 a.m.

Kurogane Kozo patted his behind, stood up from the steps, and headed towards the Kobe Bridge.

The Kobe Bridge, spanning Osaka Bay, connects Kobe Port in the north to Kita Park on Fukushima Island in the south. It is a double-arched steel bridge with a total length of 319 meters.

The Kobe Bridge has a pedestrian walkway.

"Alas, I am truly sorry, Mr. Kai. I was impotent and furious, and I made a complete fool of myself. But Mr. Kai will surely find a more suitable person to help him attain Buddhahood."

Kurogane Kouzo walked slowly across the bridge, sighing.

Unbeknownst to us, a white mist of water vapor rose from the sea.

It's getting foggy.

As they approached the middle of the Kobe Bridge, the fog grew thicker and thicker, and they could barely see anything more than ten meters away.

Although he wanted to speed up his pace, he lacked the strength. Kurogane Kouzo hadn't eaten anything all day, only receiving an IV drip of glucose at the infirmary; his strength was far from recovered.

Fortunately, Kurogane Kouzan was already very familiar with this section of the Kobe Bridge, so even if his view was obstructed, there wouldn't be any problems.

Just then, Kurogane Kouzo noticed a figure looming in the mist.

"Is anyone still here so late? Is it... Noro-senpai?!"

A tall figure approached, wearing a black hooded trench coat, with a white bandage wrapped around his right hand, and carrying a sword pouch over a meter tall.

Although the other party intentionally covered half of their face, Kouzo Kurogane still recognized who it was by their body shape.

Why is Senior Noro here so late?

And isn't he the captain of the judo club? Why would he be carrying the sword pouch that the kendo club uses to store bamboo swords?

"Bang!"

Noro-senpai suddenly launched a flying kick, aiming a powerful blow at Kurogane Kouzo's abdomen.

Kurogane Hiroshi groaned and flew more than a meter backward, clutching his stomach and kneeling on the ground.

"You useless piece of trash, it's so late and you're still not home. I had to wait for you near your house, wasting so much of my time!"

Noro-senpai was nothing like the amiable person he was in the judo club during the day; instead, he had a vicious and ruthless expression.

He stepped forward, grabbed Kurogane Kouzo by the collar, and pulled him up from the ground.

"Hey, you piece of trash, I have something to ask you, and you'd better tell me everything..."

"Bang!"

Kurogane Kouzo, who had been lying there like a dead dog, suddenly erupted and kicked Noro-senpai in the groin.

Noro-senpai was a seasoned fighter with extensive experience. He sidestepped and narrowly avoided a fatal blow, but he was still kicked in the waist by Kurogane Kouzo, making him wince in pain.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kurogane Teruzo used his right hand to pry open Noro-senpai's right hand that was grabbing his collar, and broke free.

"I didn't expect you to be able to fight back after taking my kick. So you were just pretending to be weak to take advantage of me..."

Senior Noro's expression twisted, his lips twitching as he looked over with a sinister glint in his eye.

Kurogane Kouzo rubbed his stomach, remaining silent in thought; the kick he had just received hadn't caused him much harm.

Because Kurogane Kouzo immediately sensed that Noro-senpai had ill intentions, when Noro kicked at him, he naturally bent his spine, tensed his muscles, and jumped back to deflect most of the force.

"Why did you attack me? Is it to avenge the three from Nishikawa?"

"I have no interest in those three good-for-nothings like you. I'm here to talk to you about something else..."

Because of the previous fight, the white bandage wrapped around Noro's right hand began to loosen and droop down.

Senior Noro simply unwrapped the bandages one by one and threw them on the ground, revealing the strange patterns on the back of his right hand.

Have you seen this cursed seal on anyone else?

Kurogane Hiroshi's pupils contracted.

His hand had four diagonal lines forming a blue symbol resembling raindrops.

Although the color and style are different from the one that appeared on the back of my hand this morning, they are clearly similar.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kurogane Teruzo denied outright.

"Yeah?"

Noro-senpai clearly didn't believe Kurogane Kouzo's words. He rolled his eyes and smiled:

"Kid, since you accepted my challenge when you were in the judo club, this is a rare opportunity. How about we finish the fight right here?"

"Get out of the way, I want to go home."

Kurogane Kouzo refused with a cold face.

This bastard came with ill intentions and malicious intent. Now that it's late at night and no one is around, I wonder what he might do.

"Don't be so cold. How about I add a little something extra? This photo I found yesterday, wasn't it the one you lost?"

Senior Noro gave a sinister smile and pulled a photograph from his pocket.

The photos that fell from Gao Xiang to Kurogane Hui San, then to Nishikawa, changed hands several times, and somehow ended up in Noro's hands.

"It seems you're interested in Ito-sensei too, but Ito-sensei has already agreed to be my girlfriend. If you beat me, I'll let you have some fun after I'm done with you! But you'll have to wait in line, since there are so many people in the judo club."

"Damn it, I'm going to kill you!"

Enraged, Kurogane Kouzo lost all reason in an instant and charged at Noro with furious fury.

Consumed by rage, Kurogane Kouzo's movements became wild and unrestrained, full of openings. Noro-senpai dodged to the side, then grabbed Kurogane Kouzo's waist and slammed him heavily to the ground.

Kurogane felt dizzy and saw stars, like a fish thrown onto the shore, only able to gasp for breath.

Then, Noro-senpai showed no mercy as he punched and kicked Kurogane Kouzo, who was lying on the ground, landing more than a dozen blows on his body.

Kurogane Kouzo was in so much pain that his vision went black, and he completely lost the ability to resist, unable to even move his little finger.

"Ha, you fell for such a simple provocation, which makes me very happy."

Seeing that Kurogane Kouzo was powerless to resist, Senior Noro stopped his punches and kicks, took a breath, and smiled smugly:

"Big-breasted, brainless Ito, those three first-year idiots, and trash like you—I can easily manipulate you all with a little trickery."

"What... Arisaki-sensei..." Kurogane Kouzo hissed.

"Oh, fine, I'll tell you then. I was the one who instigated those three first-years to cause you trouble."

Senior Noro chuckled smugly:

"And those two thugs who tried to pick up Ito yesterday were also my friends from outside of school. You stepped in halfway through, making this hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress drama even more real. Ito also agreed to be with me, all thanks to you, Kurogane-kun!"

"I'll kill you..."

"Oh, oh, oh! That's it, that's the expression I wanted to see! So good, so incredibly satisfying!!!"

Noro-senpai squatted on the ground, roughly grabbed Kurogane Kouzo's hair, and lifted his head up. His originally handsome face instantly contorted into an exaggerated facial expression:

"Every time I see idiots like you, I wonder if we're really the same species? But I'm about to become extraordinary, and then I'll truly be no longer an ordinary person, hahahahaha!!!"

Just then, a deep male voice suddenly appeared.

"That's enough, stop playing around and finish this quickly."

"Yes, Lord Zabuza."

Senior Yelu immediately changed his expression and spoke with utmost respect.

He turned Kurogane Kouzo's face towards him and demanded:

"Useless trash, have you encountered anything unbelievable lately?"

"Pooh!"

A mouthful of bloody saliva was spat out, and Senior Noro instantly flew into a rage, slamming a heavy punch into Kurogane Kouzo's face.

"Bang bang bang".

After a few punches, Kurogane Kouzo was completely disfigured, his face bruised and swollen.

"What kind of look is that? You think you can fight back? The world is a dog-eat-dog world. People like you are destined to struggle and eke out a living at the bottom of society."

"Bang."

"Trash is trash, don't cause me any more trouble, now get to the point!"

However, no matter how much Noro-senpai pressed him, Kurogane Kouzo gritted his teeth and remained silent, only staring fiercely at Noro-senpai with extremely angry eyes.

"Stop dawdling. Fine, let me do it."

The deep male voice appeared once again.

The next moment, a short-haired man with his lower half of his face covered by a gag appeared in the void.

"Zabuza-sama!"

Although Kurogane Kouzo was badly beaten, he was still conscious. Seeing this familiar scene, his heart skipped a beat.

Is there a spirit from the underworld residing within this treacherous villain, Noro?

"You're a piece of trash too, you can't even get a brat to speak." Zabuza scolded Noro-senpai.

"I am very sorry, Lord Zabuza."

The once arrogant senior, Noro, was now obsequious and bowing.

"I am a master of torture. No matter how tough a man is, he won't last more than half a day in my hands before he starts crying and telling me how many times he wet the bed as a child."

Zabuza coldly looked at Kouzou, who was lying on the ground, his eyes devoid of emotion, as if he were looking at a pig or sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

"Kid, I'll see how long you can last."

I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!

In an instant, driven by instinct, Kurogane Kouzo's face turned deathly pale, his teeth chattered uncontrollably, and he was drenched in sweat.

Although Kurogane had never encountered such a mysterious thing as killing intent in his thirty-odd years of life, the cold and oppressive aura emanating from this monster named Zabuza made him instantly understand his fate.

Whether they beg for mercy or reveal the truth, they are doomed to die.

Am I going to die?

Although he has lived a miserable and unsuccessful life so far, it is about to end here, killed by a hypocrite like Noro.

I'm not reconciled! I'm not reconciled! I'm not reconciled!

With his last ounce of strength, Kurogane Kouzo slammed his right fist into the ground.

"Help me, Mr. Kai!"

The next moment, the bright red curse mark reappeared on the back of Kurogane Kōzō's hand.

Zabuza reached out a hand, preparing to grab Kurogane Kouzo, but at the critical moment, his expression changed, and his figure disappeared in a flash.

Then, inexplicably, Senior Noro's body jerked backward and retreated rapidly, flashing seven or eight meters away.

A familiar figure appeared before Kurogane Kouji.

"It really takes a last-minute appearance to truly capture the passion and youthful spirit!"

Teacher Kai turned his head, raised his right hand and gave a thumbs up to Kouzo Kurogane, revealing his white teeth, and smiled.

"I'm sorry... Mr. Kai..."

Kurogane Kouzo's eyes burned, but he didn't even have the strength to wipe them away; tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

Behind Noro-senpai, Zabuza's figure gradually emerged in the void.

"I never expected to run into Konoha's madman Guy in the very first match. I never thought you would choose such a cowardly and incompetent brat. I'm so lucky."

Zabuza, his face covered, looked at Guy with a solemn and serious expression.

"You recognize me? Have we met before? Who are you?"

Guy turned his head to look at Zabuza, tilting his head and looking puzzled.

"No, we didn't meet in our previous lives. But someone as strong as you is certainly not unknown. Your name is in the manual I always carry with me."

Zabuza said in a deep voice:

"But you must have heard of me. I am Momochi Zabuza, who is feared by the world and known as the 'Demon Man'."

"No more killing?"

Ah Kai looked deep in thought, scratched his face, and shook his head after a while.

"I'm sorry, I have absolutely no recollection of it."

"It's Kijin Zabuza!"

"Should we kill him again?"

Zabuza's forehead veins bulged, but seeing Guy's genuine and unintentional expression, he could only suppress his anger.

You actually mispronounced my name twice right in front of me! Just how bad are you at remembering people's names?

"I am Zabuza, the demon who fought Kakashi to a standstill!" Zabuza tried for the third time to correct Guy's way of addressing him.

"Oh, oh, oh, you should have said so earlier."

Ah Kai then clapped his hands together, looking as if he had just realized something, and excitedly said:

"You're the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist who was killed by Kakashi, right?"

(End of this chapter)