Gengetsu Hozuki, the Second Water Shadow of the original timeline.
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During his tenure, this guy not only imitated the Second Hokage Tobirama in establishing the Hidden Mist Ninja School and Anbu, but also formulated secret laws to protect the Hidden Mist Village, stipulating that Hidden Mist Ninjas must protect their own information, and not reveal it even to their comrades, let alone enemies.
This also led to the Hidden Mist Ninjas being too mysterious, and even the younger generations of the Hidden Mist Village did not understand the strength of this Water Shadow.
Not only that, he attached great importance to the inheritance of the Ninja Swords, and the famous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist started with him.
He made these seven people who inherited the Ninja Swords direct subordinates of the Water Shadow, and cultivated a large number of new generation Ninjas as members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, effectively consolidating the development of the village.
Shin'yu curled his lips, "Who's familiar with you?"
As soon as he clenched his fist, Gengetsu Hozuki's body was torn apart as if by a chariot, and except for his head, the other parts turned into gurgling water balls, and his flesh and blood liquefied into transparency, looking extremely strange.
"Damn it, what kind of ability do you little brat have!" Hozuki bared his teeth, trying to hide the fear in his eyes.
Shin'yu looked at him leisurely, "The Hozuki Clan, even if their heads are blown off, they can recover. I wonder if they can still recover if they are broken down into molecular states?"
"I really haven't died before..." Hozuki immediately interrupted himself, exclaiming, "No! Who exactly are you? Why do you know so much about me?"
"Do you think you have the right to ask questions?" Shin'yu raised his chin, and a ball of water next to Hozuki immediately swelled and exploded, scattering into a cloud of water vapor with a "pop", and the air became a lot more humid.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't be impulsive!" Hozuki was frightened, staring at another ball of water that was gradually swelling, cold sweat streaming down his face, "Big brother, ask whatever you want, little brother will answer everything I know."
He forced himself to make a flattering expression, his eyes never leaving the ball of water.
Damn it, that's my lower body... It will take a long time to fully recover...
"State your identity, purpose, and why you assassinated the Daimyo?" Shin'yu's expression turned cold, recalling Lord Madara's tone, and unconsciously became a bit more majestic.
Gengetsu Hozuki twitched the corner of his mouth and said depressedly, "I am Gengetsu Hozuki, a personal disciple of the Water Shadow of the Hidden Mist Village in the Land of Water. I came here to snatch the 'Three Iron Traditions' from the Land of Iron. The assassination was also a necessary means to achieve this goal."
How humiliating... Damn brat, when I break free, I will definitely kill you...
Shin'yu nodded to Maya and continued to ask, "Why do you want to seize the 'Three Iron Traditions'? What conspiracy does your Land of Water have?"
"I..."
"Speak quickly!" Shin'yu hooked his fingers, and a ball of water suddenly burst, shattering into foam in front of Hozuki's eyes.
"Stop, stop, stop! I'll talk, okay!"
Hozuki shouted in a trembling voice, "Hidden Mist Village needs swordsmiths, especially needs them! But the best swordsmiths in the entire Shinobi World are concentrated here!"
"I, I, I... have an idea. If Ninjutsu can be combined with Samurai-style swordsmithing to create unique Ninja Swords, then our village will definitely become stronger..."
"Oh, and this plan was planned by myself, and all actions are my own idea, and have nothing to do with the Hidden Mist Village. Even my teacher is kept in the dark..."
Shin'yu nodded thoughtfully, "What have you done to accomplish this plan?"
"I..." Hozuki said helplessly, "I had this idea a long time ago, but their 'Three Iron Traditions' are as solid as iron, and they have also established a chamber of commerce. If you want to disintegrate them, you can only start from the inside..."
"Therefore, many years ago, I sent the most trusted confidant of my clan, disguised as a person from the Land of Iron, to be placed in the chamber of commerce, in order to alienate them one day... Until yesterday, I didn't receive any news from him..."
"Yeah, I killed him." Shin'yu said indifferently.
"So it was you..."
At this moment, Niwa Maya suddenly spoke, his voice filled with indignation, "You say you did these things behind the Water Shadow's back, but how did you mobilize the Hidden Mist Village ninjas? On the day of the incident, the people who attacked us and the Shogunate Army included many powerful ninjas!"
"Tch~" Gengetsu Hozuki curled his lip in disdain.
Shin'yu said coldly, "Answer his question."
Gengetsu immediately opened his mouth, "You mean those guys? Those were just mercenary groups made up of rogue ninjas and assassins. As long as you're willing to pay, they'll do anything. I can guarantee that, apart from me and my confidants, no one from the Hidden Mist Village was involved in the entire plan!"
Damn it, damn it, damn it, I'll kill you, kill you...
He stared fixedly at Shin'yu's finger, truly terrified.
"Lord Daimyo, do you understand now?"
The Daimyo sat blankly in his chair, his face showing shock throughout. Now, he had no choice but to believe it...
"So that's how it is. I never expected that so many spies would secretly infiltrate my Land of Iron, which is supposed to be a neutral country!"
The Daimyo appeared extremely angry, but amidst his anger, he also felt touched to have found such capable retainers. With tears in his eyes, he shouted:
"Fortunate is Maya-kun for his resourcefulness! Magnificent is Shin'yu-kun for his awe-inspiring power! The two of you turned the tide and rescued us from dire straits, thus preventing the Land of Iron from suffering shame..."
"Lord Shin'yu, please execute this scoundrel immediately!" The Daimyo pointed at Gengetsu, shouting in a shrill voice.
Shin'yu smiled slightly and disappeared from the spot with Gengetsu Hozuki.
He was very fast. Gengetsu only felt a whirlwind, and the surrounding environment shifted rapidly. Shin'yu had already taken him outside the city.
"Little mustache, I don't dislike you. Go back."
Shin'yu released his hand with a smile. The invisible restraints were undone, and Gengetsu immediately merged with several large water balls beside him, a complete human figure standing up, dripping wet.
"Little mustache?" Gengetsu's face turned ashen. He immediately moved away from Shin'yu, leaping several hundred meters away in a few bounds.
Because he could feel that as long as he left the boy's range, that strange binding force would weaken!
"Kid, I was careless just now. I'll repay the humiliation I suffered just now!"
He formed hand seals with both hands and slammed them heavily on the ground.
"*Summoning Technique!!!*"
When the white smoke dissipated, he stood high on a giant clam. The shell was pure white, and two fleshy tentacles protruded from the gap.
"Demonic Illusion: Vapor Stealth!"
"Tss—tss—"
The tentacles wriggled, and a huge amount of thick fog spewed out from the breathing holes, instantly encompassing a radius of a thousand meters, including Shin'yu, who was still standing there with a strange expression.
He's scared silly, right, kid? This old man is a Genjutsu Ninja. Everything you see in this mirage is an illusion!
The thick fog quickly dissipated. Gengetsu and his giant clam were still standing in place, but in reality, these were all illusions created with Genjutsu. His real body was moving stealthily.
He didn't choose to approach Shin'yu, but instead moved in a roundabout way, hiding behind a boulder.
That kid can control water. Although I don't know what kind of strange Ninjutsu it is, I can't approach him rashly. So... how about a large-scale bubble attack?
The ground beneath his feet suddenly became wet, and countless bubbles of all sizes emerged, floating towards Shin'yu in a swarm.
"Water Ball Technique: Burst!" He snapped his fingers.
A sky-shattering explosion erupted. When he peeked out, Shin'yu was still standing there unscathed, tilting his head and examining his illusionary clone.
Cold sweat trickled down Gengetsu's forehead. What the hell? Immune to bubble attacks too? Fine, I'll just have to use my Jokey Boy to finish you off!
Jokey Boy—this was his self-developed infinite explosion Ninjutsu, using the oil and water in his body to create a child-shaped clone. Its movements were extremely agile. The exterior was oil, and the interior was water, making it extremely susceptible to heat and cold. Once it moved, the oil on the surface would be rapidly heated, causing the water inside to evaporate. The clone's size would also increase, eventually leading to a violent steam explosion!
After the explosion, the rising steam would cool and turn into hail to cool and reduce the volume. The clone would then re-condense, ready for the next explosion, allowing for an infinite cycle.
In the original timeline, he had relied on this unique skill to perish together with the user of Dust Release!
Gengetsu Hozuki hid behind a rock, raised his hand to form a hand seal, and Chakra slowly gathered. Steam surged around him, gradually forming a smiling clown face.
"What are you doing?"
The sudden voice startled Gengetsu, and the water-oil clone that was about to take shape seemed to lose control and directly collapsed.
"W-w-w-you..." Gengetsu trembled as he leaned against the boulder, shakily raising his head to look up.
Shin'yu was squatting on the rock, looking down at him with a cat-and-mouse expression, as if he had been there all along.
Gengetsu subconsciously wanted to run, but unfortunately, the damned restraint descended again. A vast, immense force crashed down, and he was lifted into the air, his entire stomach swelling into a water balloon.
"N-no... impossible..." he said in disbelief. "Weren't you fooled by my mirage? How could you have found my real body!"
"I... I'm not just a Water Release Ninja, but also a master of Genjutsu!"
"That's why!" Shin'yu said, pointing to his own eyes, "You're completely countered by me!"
A red light flashed, and he revealed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan. The onyx-like patterns swirled in the scarlet background, and Gengetsu couldn't help but stare blankly.
"U... Uchiha?" He was completely dumbfounded.
Shin'yu narrowed his eyes. "Little mustache, I said I don't dislike you, but that doesn't mean I won't kill you."
A chilling killing intent flashed, and Gengetsu's expression immediately turned serious.
"I'll spare you this time, but there won't be a next time. Have some self-awareness, you idiot."
He casually released his grip, and Gengetsu immediately fell to the ground, looking extremely disheveled.
"If you dare to target the merchant guild again, I promise to personally visit the Hidden Mist Village and kill you in front of the Water Shadow."
"T-that's not right, is it?" Gengetsu gasped for breath. "Why are you protecting the Land of Iron? Aren't you... from the Hidden Leaf Village?"
With a "poof," Gengetsu's head instantly exploded, and water droplets scattered like rain.
"Don't mention that name in front of me."
Shin'yu's tone was stern. "I'm not some saint. Like you, I'm just a robber taking advantage of the situation, a bastard who forcibly seizes benefits from the Land of Iron. It's just that my methods are more elegant than yours."
He turned around, no longer paying attention to Gengetsu's life or death. "Get lost. I won't interfere with the Oikawa Family's affairs anymore, and don't you ever set foot in the Land of Iron again."
He activated the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared on the spot, leaving Gengetsu Hozuki sitting blankly on the ground.
Water flowed and gathered at Gengetsu's neck, gradually condensing into a hairless, frightened face.
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