Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 69: The Assassin Seeking Answers

On the field, as Hozuki Mangetsu finished speaking.

Terumi Mei's heart tightened. She glanced at Uchiha Ci, bit her lip, and immediately shouted, "He has nothing to do with this!"

"Does it really matter if he's involved?" Hozuki Mangetsu shook his head. His eyes, dulled from too many killings, coldly glanced over.

"You should know what the responsibility of a hunter-nin is."

Terumi Mei took a deep breath, furrowing her brows as she looked at Hozuki Mangetsu.

The hunter-nin was the most brutal unit in Kirigakure, tasked with hunting down rogue ninjas. Currently, they were one of the most formidable forces in the Land of Hot Water.

Hozuki Mangetsu looked at the two calmly and said indifferently, "Although I don't know why the Third Mizukage ordered the assassination of Jōnin Captain Yagura, this is how Kirigakure operates."

"We are nothing but tools, pawns of those in power, and our only job is to follow orders."

"That's the purpose of our existence."

Hearing this, Terumi Mei clenched her fists, shaking her head as her gaze turned cold.

"No!"

"That's just the Third Mizukage covering up his wrongdoings."

"The bloody elimination system in the ninja academy, the fear-driven politics where one wrong word can mean death, the heartless ideology that sacrifices comrades for mission efficiency, and the relentless hunter-nin squad chasing down defectors—"

"None of this is reasonable. Kirigakure ninjas deserve a better future!"

Hozuki Mangetsu raised an eyebrow, staring at Terumi Mei, frowning as he asked, "So, where is this better future?"

"What have you and your so-called 'righteous' allies done to change anything?"

He scoffed disdainfully, his voice icy, "Everything unfair you experience now was established under the orders of the Third Mizukage."

"That's right, he's the one who pushed Kirigakure to the edge of a cliff."

Hozuki Mangetsu squinted his violet eyes, asking, "But what will you do about it?"

"In this village where people fight to the death over mission rewards, where tasks are scarce and funds are tight, what will you do if you seize power?"

Terumi Mei fell silent under Mangetsu's questioning.

She had no answer.

Ever since the Second Mizukage had gambled the country's future by waging war against Iwagakure, leading to a mutual defeat, Kirigakure's decline had become apparent.

The Daimyo of the Land of Water had no faith in the Third Mizukage. After the death of Gengetsu Hozuki, the Daimyo became suspicious and indecisive, reducing funds each year out of fear of rebellion, while secretly nurturing his own forces within the village.

Yagura, along with the Ketsuryūgan clans and most of the elder council, had managed to survive in this hostile environment, thanks to the Daimyo's support.

The Third Mizukage's actions, though extreme, had forcibly held the village together.

In fact, with the limited resources, he had done quite well.

"It's unfortunate."

"Any drastic action would shatter this village, which is already rotten to the core."

"In the end, all you can do is continue this system, silencing everyone, pretending not to see its decay."

Terumi Mei's trembling hands showed the turmoil inside her.

Hozuki Mangetsu glanced at her indifferently before slowly drawing his sword from his waist.

"It seems you don't have an answer either."

"You are just a tool, a means of communication between the elder council and Yagura."

"And tools don't need their own thoughts."

"As a tool, you won't tell me Yagura's whereabouts."

"And I won't stop pursuing him, cutting off his head."

Hozuki Mangetsu's dull pupils grew even colder.

He asked these questions every time before killing a target.

But unfortunately, no one ever gave him an answer.

In turn, another fellow ninja would perish by his hand.

In the end, this village was beyond saving.

So why did he keep asking such pointless questions?

Terumi Mei watched as Hozuki Mangetsu slowly drew his sword, her pupils dilating as her body trembled.

She had seen firsthand the terrifying strength of Hozuki Mangetsu, a true genius, a true "prodigy."

But to have her resolve denied like this left her feeling deeply unsatisfied.

Clenching her fists, she struggled internally and argued, "There must be a way to fix Kirigakure."

She couldn't help but recall what Uchiha Ci had said under the moonlight, biting her lip as she added, "If we don't act, there won't be a future!"

"The elder council has pinned their hopes on Yagura for a reason!"

Hozuki Mangetsu shook his head; such words wouldn't sway his conviction.

"Regrettably, what I need right now is not useless comfort."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hozuki Mangetsu melted into a puddle of water, seeping into the ground.

In the next instant, he reappeared behind Terumi Mei, emerging from a splash of water, slashing his sword toward her neck!

Just as the blade was about to reach her, Terumi Mei's eyes widened, completely unable to react.

"Impossible, how is he so fast?!"

She hadn't even seen Mangetsu prepare to use the Body Flicker Technique!

But at that moment—

Clang!

Sparks flew.

A pair of crimson Sharingan flared up.

Uchiha Ci, who had been silently observing, immediately drew his blade to intercept.

"You idiot! So useless!"

"The person in front of you has been a water clone this whole time. He's been hiding beneath your feet with the rainwater."

Cursing, Uchiha Ci kicked Terumi Mei's behind, sending her flying far away.

Then, turning his gaze to Hozuki Mangetsu, who was still masked, he smirked.

"With these eyes, I've already seen through all your moves!"

"Prodigy? You're nothing but a sneaky coward!"

Hozuki Mangetsu remained silent.

This move of his, to use words to break the opponent's mental defenses before launching a surprise attack, had always worked well.

As a hunter-nin, this was the essence of assassination.

Hozuki Mangetsu pressed one hand against his sword while his other hand swelled like a balloon, muscles bulging and veins popping as it grew to seven or eight times its size.

Water Release: Great Water Arm Technique, activated!

He swung his massive fist directly at Uchiha Ci's face, who was still grinning brightly!

Boom!

Uchiha Ci was sent flying.

But Hozuki Mangetsu frowned, surprised at how tough the boy's face felt—like it was made of diamond.

"Uchiha Ci, you—!" Terumi Mei, still sore from the kick, glared angrily.

But before she could blush, a black shadow flew toward her.

Luckily, Uchiha Ci, being half a gymnast, spun in mid-air and landed gracefully, though his face was now swollen.

"Ha! Tui!"

Spitting out blood, Uchiha Ci raised his chin and looked at Hozuki Mangetsu, sneering, "You want an answer?"

"Let me give it to you!"

"I'll tell you how to save Kirigakure!"

Hozuki Mangetsu snorted, thinking the boy had lost his mind from that punch. "You're joking, right? I need an Uchiha to teach me?"

He stomped his foot, water splashing as he charged with another fierce punch!

However, this punch stopped right in front of Uchiha Ci after his next words.

The wind from the punch was strong enough to lift Uchiha Ci's hair, but he simply smirked at Hozuki Mangetsu.

"You've been talking all this time, trying to provoke her into giving you an answer that aligns with your beliefs, waiting for someone to say—"

"You can start now!"

Then, staring directly into Hozuki Mangetsu's eyes with his spinning, menacing Sharingan, Uchiha Ci sneered like a devil.

"Hozuki Mangetsu,"

His smile widened as he taunted, "The one who most wants to kill the tyrant is you, the tool who serves him, right?"

"Why not follow your heart's deepest desire?"

"Take the first step,"

"Stage a coup, assassinate the Third Mizukage!"

"Go for that future you desire—a Kirigakure in ruins!"

At that moment, a caption appeared in front of Uchiha Ci:

[Hozuki Mangetsu is deeply shocked, thinking your brain must have been eaten by a dog.]

In the shadows of the hall, an old man and a pale figure stared at the battle with the expression of someone reading a bizarre text on their phone.

They too fell silent.

After hearing Uchiha Ci loudly plot to assassinate the Mizukage right in front of a hunter-nin loyal to the Third Mizukage, Uchiha Madara's cane nearly slipped.

Raising an eyebrow, he glanced sideways at the puppet-like Third Mizukage behind him.

"Hmm, this is getting interesting."

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