Chapter 98: Samehada Eats Its Fill
The sky gradually brightened, and a rising sun emerged from the east.
After the earlier Fire Release Ninjutsu, even thicker mist rose from the ground instead. Mangetsu Hozuki and Suigetsu Hozuki took the opportunity to hide in the thick mist, biding their time.
Taking advantage of the moment while hidden in the thick mist, Mangetsu Hozuki took out the scroll storing the ninja swords and, through Summoning Jutsu, released the stored Explosive Blade: Foam.
A giant blade wrapped full of explosive tags burst through the air, steadily caught by him.
Ever since the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were kicked into the “Lucky Three Treasures” by a Konoha genin during the Third Great Ninja War, the remaining few ninja swords had all been inherited and sealed away by Mangetsu Hozuki.
These seven ninja swords were all forged under the supervision of the Second Mizukage, Mangetsu’s Hozuki. The standard for a genius and patriarch of the Hozuki Clan was to be proficient in using all seven ninja swords and to serve long-term in the task of guarding them.
At the same time, each generation’s genius of the Hozuki Clan was also the leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
After Mangetsu Hozuki died of illness, his younger brother Suigetsu Hozuki aimed to collect the seven ninja swords and reform the Seven Ninja Swordsmen in order to prove himself.
Then, somehow, he was captured by Orochimaru and imprisoned for several years.
It wasn’t until Sasuke Uchiha “killed” Orochimaru, released Suigetsu Hozuki, found Karin, released Jugo, and formed the “Snake Squad.”
When it came to talent, Mangetsu Hozuki was definitely stronger than his younger brother Suigetsu Hozuki.
After confirming that the barrier wasn’t protecting the enemy at all times, Mangetsu Hozuki released the Explosive Blade: Foam.
This was a great sword covered in explosive tags on its blade, and it could summon countless explosive tags. For close-range attacks, it could blast enemies with explosive tags, and it could also throw explosive tags at enemies for long-range attacks.
Holding the Explosive Blade: Foam, Mangetsu Hozuki activated the Great Water Arm Technique. His hands, enhanced by the chakra of the Water Transformation Technique, swelled into knotted muscles, greatly increasing his arm strength.
He exchanged a nod with Suigetsu Hozuki, signaling that preparations were complete.
The two then charged into the mist toward Shura once more.
“Water Style: Rending Torrent!” Suigetsu Hozuki, with one hand shouldering the great sword Samehada, didn’t idle his other hand and formed hand seals with one hand.
This was a secret technique that severed the connection between ninjutsu and chakra. Using the surrounding mist and moisture, it interrupted the enemy’s ninjutsu—of course, Water Release Ninjutsu was unaffected and even strengthened.
Menma indeed felt an invisible resistance subtly affecting his chakra in the void, making it so that even maintaining the effect of his Transformation Jutsu required extra effort.
“Ha!” Mangetsu Hozuki shouted loudly, leaping into midair. The Explosive Blade: Foam in his hand slashed fiercely down toward Shura!
Clang!
Menma blocked the Explosive Blade: Foam with his Kubikiribocho, and at the same time saw the explosive tags on the blade begin to ignite.
“Heh heh!” Mangetsu Hozuki bared his mouthful of sharp teeth in a grin of triumph.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several explosive tags on the blade of the Explosive Blade: Foam detonated together. In the instant the firelight engulfed the two, Mangetsu Hozuki’s body had already liquefied into water.
In the explosion smoke, Mangetsu Hozuki, whose body had water transformed, quickly withdrew. The various parts of his body, originally blasted to pieces, rippled and rapidly healed as good as new.
The Hozuki Clan’s secret technique, Water Transformation Technique!
“Hmph, that kid’s gotta be skinned alive even if he doesn’t die!” Suigetsu Hozuki cracked open his mouth full of sharp teeth, his small eyes carefully searching in the smoke.
“Don’t get careless!” Mangetsu Hozuki didn’t believe this bit of explosion could injure the opponent.
Sure enough, before the smoke even cleared, a figure shouldering the Kubikiribocho slowly walked out of the explosion smoke.
That guy called Shura had not a single injury on his body!
“How did he do that?” Mangetsu Hozuki furrowed his brows, looking at the White Three-Eyed Fox Mask, which showed no trace of gunpowder smoke or damage even from the explosion.
“Was it the earlier Body Flicker Technique?” Suigetsu Hozuki’s pupils contracted sharply, recalling how Shura had suddenly vanished earlier and killed Jūzō Biwa with that move.
“It seems like space-time ninjutsu, but uncertain.” Mangetsu Hozuki glanced sideways at the great sword Samehada, which had become somewhat restless after being awakened, and said to Suigetsu Hozuki: “I’ll keep tying him down.”
He then leaped out fiercely, swinging the Explosive Blade: Foam as he charged at Shura again!
Suigetsu Hozuki formed hand seals with both hands, splitting off two water clones, and cooperated with Mangetsu Hozuki to launch attacks from other directions as well.
“Show some real skill. If it’s just like this, you’ll end up like that guy earlier.” Menma also swung his Kubikiribocho, using the knife edge to block Mangetsu Hozuki’s Explosive Blade: Foam while fighting and retreating, not giving Mangetsu Hozuki a chance to close in.
The Kubikiribocho was fully about one meter seventy-eight long; explosions at this distance couldn’t pose too great a threat.
After several failed attempts to close in, Mangetsu Hozuki drew out a scroll composed of countless explosive tags from the Explosive Blade: Foam. The explosive tag strip was thrown toward Shura opposite, writhing like a dragon or snake.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Wherever the explosive tag scroll’s strip passed, explosions rose one after another, with billowing thick smoke rising everywhere!
“Now!” Taking this chance, Suigetsu Hozuki’s main body and two water clones also charged over.
One figure broke through the smoke, swinging its ninja sword in close combat with Shura.
Another figure rapidly formed hand seals with both hands!
“Water Style: Water Prison Technique!”
A stream of water was sprayed out, quickly enveloping Shura and one of Suigetsu Hozuki’s figures, forming a water ball.
Bang!
Inside the water ball, Menma’s Kubikiribocho shattered Suigetsu Hozuki’s water clone into a puddle of water, but he himself was trapped in the water prison.
“Samehada! Go!” Suigetsu Hozuki’s main body thrust the great sword Samehada into the water prison.
After being released, Samehada swam freely in the water prison like a fish in water, opening its giant maw full of sharp teeth and biting fiercely into Shura’s shoulder.
“Got him!” Mangetsu Hozuki hadn’t expected their tactics to succeed so easily.
But thinking of the enemy’s earlier frivolous words and casual attack methods, it seemed the opponent wasn’t taking them seriously at all, which allowed their tactics to unfold!
“Hmph! Shura! This is the cost of underestimating us!” Suigetsu Hozuki stood before the spherical water prison, watching Samehada continuously absorb Shura’s chakra, and couldn’t help baring his mouthful of sharp teeth in a ferocious grin.
“Samehada feeds on chakra—you just wait to be drained dry!” Suigetsu Hozuki felt this battle was already won.
No one could break a Water Prison Technique from the inside once trapped!
Moreover, Samehada was the Three-Tails’ little brother—no one could resist Samehada’s chakra absorption!
Even he himself was extremely cautious every time he fed chakra to Samehada, even needing to hunt rogue ninja and enemy ninja to supply chakra to Samehada.
“Oh? Is that so?” Yet the guy inside the Water Prison Technique showed no panic at all, his tone still light.
Mangetsu Hozuki had a bad premonition in his heart, gripping the Explosive Blade: Foam even tighter.
Boom!
Suddenly, a thick dark red chakra erupted from Shura’s body, infused with violent, dark, and other negative emotions!
It surged endlessly into Samehada’s large mouth like a tide.
Samehada, which had been happily devouring chakra, was suddenly force-fed a full mouth of chakra. It rapidly swelled up, with dark red chakra overflowing between its sharp teeth.
Finally, under the shocked gazes of Suigetsu Hozuki and Mangetsu Hozuki—
Samehada: yue!
