"Kushimaru Kuriarare can hold one, so you want to hold one too?"
Hozuki Muratsuki was even more infuriated upon hearing such nonsense. Being forced by the village to hand over three of the ninja swords was the greatest pain of the Hozuki clan.
The Steam Impelling Blast charged straight toward Fox. The blade on the clone's arm slashed violently toward Yagami's chest. Yagami's arm turned copper-colored, blocking the heavy strike, and he immediately noticed the clone expand slightly. When this clone moved violently on its own, it caused the oil on its surface to expand until it eventually exploded.
The Steam Impelling Blast was repelled by Yagami's copper light. After circling around once, it continued its charge toward him. Yagami didn't want to engage in a meaningless battle with the clone; he threw kunai at Hozuki Muratsuki and Fuguki Suikazan.
The two dodged the kunai, and Fuguki Suikazan formed hand signs to counter with Water Style. This was exactly what Yagami wanted to see. Since he was prepared to restart and change this terrible situation, there was no need to hide his trump cards anymore. What he needed to do now was gather as much intelligence as possible to prepare for changing the plot in the next life.
The master of the Great Sword Samehada, Hozuki Muratsuki, and Fuguki Suikazan—these two were likely the highest commanders and the strongest pair in this Mist operation.
A massive wave of water surged toward Yagami.
Hozuki Muratsuki turned and snarled, "Fuguki Suikazan! You idiot, don't get in the way!"
Hozuki Muratsuki knew that Fuguki Suikazan coveted the Twin Swords Hiramekarei and was also a monitor placed by Genbu. When you loathe someone, everything they do seems wrong. At this moment, Fuguki Suikazan using Water Style looked like nothing more than an attempt to disrupt Muratsuki's rhythm in the eyes of the Hozuki elite. If too much water appeared, the explosive power of Steam Impelling Blast would be greatly reduced.
Fuguki Suikazan retorted:
"Hozuki Muratsuki, you're too slow. We agreed to deal with the Hidden Leaf ambushers early and reclaim the Twin Swords Hiramekarei. Yet you insisted on using Steam Impelling Blast to slowly blow up the Uchiha ninja wave by wave, dragging your feet. You dragged it out until Copper Fox actively found us. Don't you feel incompetent?"
Hozuki Muratsuki sneered:
"You can't be stupid enough to think Uchiha ninja are easy to deal with, right? Steam Impelling Blast ignores Genjutsu. Who else could kill so many Uchiha ninja so easily?"
As the two were arguing, a figure suddenly appeared behind them. Yagami's fist, glowing with copper light, smashed ruthlessly toward Hozuki Muratsuki's back. Muratsuki's scalp tingled, and he managed to twist his body slightly at the last moment. The punch aimed at his spine hit his shoulder instead due to his evasion.
Only after the bones in his shoulder shattered did Hozuki Muratsuki manage to use the Hydrification Jutsu. His entire body turned into a pool of water, scattering beneath the surface.
Fuguki Suikazan's eyes widened in shock, and he immediately leaped backward.
"What kind of Body Flicker is this!" Fuguki Suikazan was stunned, instantly thinking of Hanzo's legendary Water Instantaneous Body. Only Water Instantaneous Body could produce such an effect. But why would a Hidden Leaf ANBU know Hanzo's signature ninjutsu?
Yagami stared at Hozuki Muratsuki as he reappeared from the water. Muratsuki's shoulder bones were shattered, and one arm was useless. It seemed that as long as one was fast enough to strike before the Hydrification Jutsu was active, they could be heavily wounded.
However, Hozuki Muratsuki's mangled arm turned into water, and through the reconstruction of the Hydrification Jutsu, the heavy injury actually recovered.
Is this?
The legendary medical secret technique of the Hozuki clan, the Hydrification Healing Jutsu, which was much more effective than standard medical ninjutsu. When the body suffers external trauma, the Hydrification Healing Jutsu can be used to reconstruct the body.
Yagami was very tempted. With this technique, wouldn't he be able to increase his margin for error and no longer fear heavy injuries?
Seeing that Copper Fox wasn't looking at him, the nearby Fuguki Suikazan quickly formed hand signs. A dozen strands of orange hair lengthened, piercing toward Copper Fox from different angles. Knowing that Copper Fox had an absolute defense, he used his hair like hemp ropes to bind him.
The hair tightened, binding Copper Fox firmly. However, there was no hint of triumph on Fuguki Suikazan's face; he saw Copper Fox's hand form one last seal.
The hair instantly lost its target, binding only a splash of water. Yagami's figure appeared behind Fuguki Suikazan using Body Flicker.
"Fuguki Suikazan, what you want isn't the Twin Swords Hiramekarei, it's the Great Sword Samehada, right?"
Fuguki Suikazan was stunned, and Yagami was also stunned for a moment. Yagami felt something was off, then realized he had nearly misspoken the name of the sword.
Having his secret desire called out, Fuguki Suikazan's orange hair danced wildly as he stabbed backward. Yagami's figure had already vanished.
Yagami reappeared in front of Fuguki Suikazan and said, "If you want it, you have to say it. If you don't say it, how can I help you?"
Fuguki Suikazan went from initial shock to breaking out in a cold sweat, then finally to a slight calm.
"Are you also one of Danzo's people? Did Danzo send you to help me seize the sword?"
Yagami's eyes flickered.
Also?
Also one of Danzo's people?
After all this, Fuguki Suikazan was one of Danzo's people? This meant that Danzo's shadow was lurking within this ambush mission?
"Yeah, I'm also one of Lord Danzo's men," Yagami said. "Stop fucking pretending. I'm here to help you take the sword."
Fuguki Suikazan replied, "There are Mist Ninja nearby sensing through the fog. It's not convenient for me to strike Hozuki Muratsuki directly. I'll slack off at most and not use my full strength."
"Oh? There are sensory ninja?"
Yagami thought to himself that in the next life, he shouldn't use Water Instantaneous Body in front of Hozuki Muratsuki if he could help it, and even if he did, he had to be extremely cautious. Mist cannot serve as a medium for Water Instantaneous Body; only a continuous surface of water can.
"Then go ahead and slack off."
Yagami sent Fuguki Suikazan flying with a kick. Fuguki Suikazan possessed a special technique, skipping across the water's surface like a stone and quickly retreating into the distance.
Yagami was stunned; this man was truly a slippery one. No wonder he was eventually killed by Kisame Hoshigaki for betraying the Mist Hidden Village.
Seeing Copper Fox form signs again, Hozuki Muratsuki instinctively swung the Great Sword Samehada in a horizontal arc behind him.
Clang!
The Great Sword Samehada slammed into Yagami's raised forearm. In the next instant, Yagami's expression changed!
His chakra was being devoured by Samehada!
The copper light of his absolute defense actually showed cracks because the chakra was being drained. Hozuki Muratsuki dragged Samehada backward, the spikes of the blade scraping against Copper Fox's skin.
Yagami retreated, looking at his arm in shock. Several scratches appeared on the outside of his forearm, forming shallow wounds. This was the first time his absolute defense had faced a real threat.
Yagami thought to himself that in the next life, he must never go head-to-head with Samehada. His absolute defense was built on the Crystal Refining secret technique of Earth-attribute chakra; if his chakra was devoured, he couldn't maintain it.
Hozuki Muratsuki held the Great Sword Samehada while the Steam Impelling Blast prowled nearby. Every time Samehada struck him, his chakra was sucked away, causing pieces of his copper-colored absolute defense to shatter. The Steam Impelling Blast looked for every opportunity to explode.
Yagami fought with Hozuki Muratsuki for a long time without seeing many other valuable hidden cards. He feigned running out of chakra and failed to dodge the Steam Impelling Blast.
After the white steam exploded, Yagami was killed by the Steam Impelling Blast.
[Host death detected. Arc of Moon system is starting...]
Yagami's vision went dark, and the scene shifted.
In this life, he would utilize his plot advantage to find a way to break this deadlock.
***
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