Chapter 291: Zabuza the Swordless
Kimimaro wasn't stupid.
Although he hadn't interacted much with outsiders growing up, having been locked in a cell all his life, he wasn't stupid.
Masahiko didn't possess Orochimaru's kind of 'personal charm', so Kimimaro immediately questioned his identity.
"Why would a God drill out from a wall, and look exactly the same as this statue?"
Masahiko paused, putting on a profound expression. "God is omnipotent, and God's appearance is ever-changing."
Kimimaro: "..."
No matter how I look at it, this is unreliable.
"If you're omnipotent, can you let me out of here?"
"Of course I can, but why should I take you out?"
Kimimaro was startled, then his face dimmed. "Can't even God save me?"
Masahiko shook his head and smiled. "Although I won't save you, you're going to be let out by someone very soon."
In his perception, a Kaguya clansman was heading straight for the dungeon.
Kimimaro abruptly looked up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Really?"
Before the words fully fell, the dungeon door was opened by someone, and glaring sunlight shone in.
"Kimimaro, the time has come to use you."
"I can go out?" Kimimaro looked at the burly man opposite him in surprise, then turned back to Masahiko. "Are you really God?"
"What God? Who are you talking to? Hurry up and come with me!"
Kimimaro was stunned. "You can't see him?"
"Is there someone else in the cell?" The burly man walked in and looked left and right. "Where is there anyone! Hurry up and let's go!"
Masahiko's voice echoed in Kimimaro's ears. "God can choose whether others can see his presence or hear his voice."
Kimimaro's face filled with excitement as he followed the burly Kaguya clansman out, pausing with every step.
Masahiko almost laughed out loud.
Playing God for a bit felt extremely amusing.
Especially seeing little Kimimaro being completely bamboozled by his bluffing, it was even more amusing.
The dungeon fell quiet. Masahiko fell silent for a moment, pondering the purpose of this trip.
That's right, Masahiko had come to the Mist Village on a whim, without even fully considering his goal.
He only remembered that this event happened in the original story: the Kaguya rebellion, then Orochimaru appeared and took Kimimaro away...
He couldn't remember the specific details at all. Moreover, the cause of the Kaguya rebellion might be different, other Kekkei Genkai clans might also make a move... It was even uncertain whether Orochimaru would come or not.
Even if Orochimaru did come, Masahiko hadn't figured out what to do... He felt he wouldn't be able to catch him.
"It's best if I can catch him. If not, bringing the little boy back wouldn't be a loss."
After pondering for a moment, Masahiko made his decision.
Although Kimimaro belonged to the Kaguya clan, his sense of belonging was clearly not strong. Abducting him back to the Land of Whirlpools shouldn't be too difficult.
"And while I'm at it, I'll collect the debt the Land of Water owes the Land of Whirlpools."
Masahiko's figure vanished from the dungeon.
Outside, under Masahiko's perception, only two chakra fluctuations remained in the Kaguya compound. One was Kimimaro, and the other was the burly man who had just taken him away.
With a flash, Masahiko appeared in front of the two.
"God! You're here!" Kimimaro greeted excitedly.
The burly man, who was speaking to Kimimaro, was startled. He turned to face Masahiko but saw nothing.
"What God? If there's a God in this world, it should belong to our Kaguya!"
Masahiko curled his lip. Well, if Kaguya Otsutsuki counts as a Kaguya...
"God does belong to our Kaguya clan. He looks exactly like the carving in the dungeon."
The burly man, who originally didn't care much, now put on a solemn expression. "The carving in the dungeon?"
Facing the empty space where Masahiko stood, he spoke respectfully, "Is it the First Clan Head? Could it be your spirit in heaven protecting our Kaguya?"
Masahiko paused, almost laughing out loud. "The First Clan Head? So it's him. No wonder he looked so familiar."
"Is it really you!" The burly man's face showed fanaticism as he knelt on one knee. Then, an expression of indignation appeared. "We will never forget your teachings! But the Land of Water is full of cowards who cling to life and fear death. To think they would surrender to the Land of Whirlpools! Now we will go kill them all, seize power, and avenge you and the other ancestors!"
Masahiko sighed inwardly as the burly man continued to speak, "Kimimaro, follow me!"
After speaking, he used Body Flicker to leave.
Masahiko's current appearance was that of the Kaguya clan elder who led the Kaguya's escape to the Land of Water during the Warring States period.
This person held great significance in Masahiko's long life. It was precisely after dealing with him for a month that Masahiko took the alias "Uzumaki Shūsen" (Uzumaki Dealing/Maneuvering)...
The Kaguya elder who swore revenge back then had also passed down the flames of vengeance to the younger generation. But by now, the gap between the Kaguya and the Uzumaki had grown wider and wider. In this generation of Kaguya, only Kimimaro had awakened the Shikotsumyaku...
Perhaps the news of Masahiko's "resurrection from the dead" had robbed them of their last bit of confidence in revenge, leading them to choose annihilation through battle. A mere twenty-something people couldn't possibly seize power in the Land of Water.
Masahiko shook his head. Seeing Kimimaro looking at him eagerly from a short distance away, he shook his head and smiled.
"God, what should I do now?"
"Do whatever you want to do," Masahiko said with a smile.
Kimimaro hesitated for a moment, then also dashed out of the clan compound. Since God gave no instructions, he would follow the burly man's earlier orders and go slaughter the Mist ninjas.
Masahiko trailed far behind, following Kimimaro's progress, maintaining a distance neither too far nor too close, afraid that if he encountered Orochimaru, he might scare him away.
However, he didn't encounter Orochimaru, but instead found two "acquaintances".
Zabuza and Haku.
"Is it destined to cross that bridge, destined to meet 'her'?" Zabuza still ended up meeting Haku.
Facing the two, Kimimaro assumed a defensive posture.
"Are you ninjas from the Mist Village?"
Zabuza placed a hand on the long sword strapped to his back and slowly shook his head. "No."
Masahiko didn't know yet that the rebellion in the Mist Village was actually started by Zabuza. Now that he was a rogue ninja, he naturally wouldn't admit to being a Mist ninja.
Kimimaro was stunned for a moment and prepared to bypass the two and continue forward. However, Masahiko's figure suddenly appeared beside him.
"God? Do you have any orders?"
"God?!" Zabuza repeated with a weird expression, drawing the long sword from his back. "Playing God, who are you!"
Masahiko didn't hide his figure. He looked at the long sword in Zabuza's hand, shook his head slightly, and turned to Kimimaro.
"He says he's not a Mist ninja, and you believe him?"
"The person in front of you is no ordinary ninja. He's one of the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Zabuza the Swordless!"
Kimimaro was startled, assumed a defensive posture, and prepared to attack.
Haku looked at Zabuza with admiration. So Lord Zabuza is this strong...
Zabuza: "???"
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you