Chapter 43

Kimimaro still followed Yudao distantly, but his previously cloudy gaze cleared up.

Suigetsu fixed a curious gaze on the back of the First Mizukage; one important detail of the short conversation with Kimimaro did not escape him.

Hozuki is aware of the destruction of the Kaguya Clan.

"An old friend of the Kaguya Clan..." Suigetsu thought, also not considering Yudao's words a lie, and whispered under his breath. "Who are you?"

– You'll find out soon, you'll find out soon, by the way... you have the scroll of the seven swords of fog, right? – The First Mizukage looked back.

- Well, of course, it was, after all, passed down from generation to generation in my family. My Hozuki Clan has long been the leader among the Seven Swordsmen and was responsible for the scroll of Swords of Mist! – Suigetsu said proudly, folding his hands behind his head and raising his chin, and then shrugged his shoulders carefree, because there was no secret in this anyway. "But the scroll contains only three swords - Nuibari's Long Sword, Kabutowari's Dull Sword and Shibuki's Explosive Sword, and the connection with the others is broken because they have masters.

Yudao nodded. If Ameyuri's mission is successful, and counting the three swords in Hozuki's scroll, Kirigakure now has five swords out of seven.

The only things missing are Samehada's Great Sword and Kubikiribocho's Decapitating Sword.

He didn't particularly care about the owner of the Beheading Sword, Momochi Zabuza, but with the owner of the Great Sword, Hoshigaki Kisame, certain difficulties might arise.

"Akatsuki..." Yudao whispered to himself, squinting slightly.

"Did you come for my soul just for the swords?" – Suigetsu asked suspiciously.

"Not only, because you are one of the candidates for the new Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist," the First Mizukage answered without looking back.

New Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?!

– Has the village finally decided... to restore the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist! – At first he was a little taken aback, and then exclaimed stunned.

"Yeah," Yudao nodded slightly.

Why did the guy get even more excited!

In fact, the main reason for his escape from the village was the death and defection of all the Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist, completely unacceptable for a man who dreamed of reviving their former glory.

When this was added to Kirigakure's complete lack of desire to restore the fallen organization, the disappointed Hozuki finally decided to escape from the village along with the scroll.

The village would have long ago sent a squad of shinobi hunters after Suigetsu, if he had not come from an influential clan and, no less important, caused damage to the village when he escaped.

"Ho-ho-ho, now the time has come for the young master of the Hozuki Clan to demonstrate his true skills, soon the name of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist will thunder throughout the whole world!" – Hozuki laughed excitedly.

– This is commendable, of course, but have you already decided on the sword? – Yudao asked, looking at the laughing guy as if he were a complete idiot.

– Ha, my clan owns everyone! Yes, for a genius like me..." Suigetsu lifted his chin and proudly declared, but fell silent, encountering the indifferent look of the First Mizukage, after which he moderated his ardor and smiled with all his pointed teeth. – Well... I'll prefer Kubikiribocho, decapitating sounds cool, but Kabutowari's Dull Sword, which they say can break any defense, will also do.

"Kubikiribocho is yours, if you defeat Zabuza, you will soon have such an opportunity," Yudao answered, turning around again.

- Zabuza himself? – Suigetsu whispered with excitement in his voice.

Hozuki had respect for Zabuza, but it faded into the background when it came to the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

***

On the ruins!

Illuminating the sky and earth, violent lightning wreaked havoc all around.

Two blurry silhouettes flashed across the devastated land!

And from time to time the sound of weapons thundered.

Utakata sighed in relief as he watched the battle between Ameyuri and Raiga from the sidelines.

The battle was nearing its end.

"It's terrible how dangerous Kekkei Genkai is! Without information, big problems could arise..." the Jinchuriki said to himself, casting a close glance at the soap bubble hovering nearby, from which a young boy was watching the battle, blinking his red eyes.

This was Ranmaru, mentioned in Kirigakure intelligence reports.

Ameyuri and Utakata almost paid... cruelly did not pay for neglecting Ranmaru.

To their surprise, this child turned out to be the owner of an unknown Dojutsu, capable of perceiving almost any threat.

Because of this, they were ambushed by Raiga!

But they were still able to take Ranmaru away from him in time, relying on their outstanding skills and abilities.

The child was not injured at all, but remained inside the soap bubble due to his too weak body, which prevented him from even walking normally.

- He will die? – Ranmaru asked, pressing his hands to the bubble.

"There is such a possibility," Utakata answered indifferently.

– Where will you take me, since you didn't kill me? – the child continued.

"To one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Kirigakure, a respected person is waiting for you there," the Jinchuriki answered again, not taking his eyes off the battle for a second.

Boom!

Just at that moment a dull roar came from there.

After which the sounds of battle died down.

"Hmm..." and the exhausted Ameyuri coughed, but her face was shining, despite the burns and wounds from lightning all over her body.

- I won! – the kunoichi said excitedly, wearily approaching Utakata and Ranmaru with the "Swords of Thunder" in her hands.

"Eh..." the jinchuriki sighed with relief, making sure that his partner did not have any serious injuries, and added with his characteristic indifference. "We would have won long ago if you hadn't wanted to fight alone."

- Hm! – Ameyuri pouted cutely at Utakata's reminder.