Chapter 173: The Will of Fire Extends to the Mist

A single, accurate shot from a Water Cannon.

One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was killed with ease.

Under the attacks of the Tobirama No. 1 bombs, as well as the sniper attacks of the air troops, the Kirigakure shinobi who can still survive have extremely high combat literacy.

Some used the corpses of their comrades to protect themselves from Amaterasu's fire; others possessed formidable individual strength that allowed them to survive the siege and suppression of Konoha's troops.

Of the survivors, only the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and a few extremely promising jonin still held out hope of making it out alive.

This brutal purge had reduced Kirigakure to only its surviving elite.

"Put down your weapons. This senseless war is over..." Kazuki said as he raised a finger towards a Kiri shinobi who, although he heard his words, continued to wave his sword.

[Bang!]

Another shot. Another head explodes.

Kazuki once again performed his Water Gun Technique. Very close to him, the Kabutowari Sword wielder, Jinin Akebino, barely managed to shout his oath to fight to the end before a water bullet pierced his skull.

Kazuki's every shot was impeccably accurate. With the Hozuki clan's focused killing technique, he was slaughtering the Kiri shinobi...

[Bang!]

[Bang!]

[Bang!]

After a few rounds, the battlefield fell deathly silent.

The elite Kiri-nin still trying to resist were stunned. They watched their enemy use the Second Mizukage's iconic techniques to annihilate their own comrades, one after another.

Using the Water Gun Technique to take down the Kiri shinobi was a deliberate act on Kazuki's part.

From the resentment built up by people like Jinzaburo, to the confusion of shinobi like Kisame, Mei, and Zabuza, it was clear that Kirigakure was a distorted place.

A people without ideology, without unified values ​​to guide their path. Since their founding, power had been their only language. Governing, leading, building, managing... all of that was alien to them.

In a place that should have been a paradise in the shinobi world, easy to defend and difficult to attack, they had created a hell: the Village of the Bloody Mist. It is also quite bizarre.

Kazuki let bones slowly emerge from his arm, while his face was now hidden under a bone mask.

He looked at the Kiri-nin who were still alive and said dully, "I want to offer you a way out. A chance to start over..."

"Put down your weapons."

Behind Kazuki, Mei stood beside him with an enigmatic smile, as she sent secret messages to her clan members.

Kisame and Zabuza seeing Mei standing next to Kazuki, quickly joined her behind Kazuki.

Even Jinzaburo, after a slight cough, led the members of his clan, who were re-educated with Kazuki's fists, to stand behind Kazuki, making their stance clear.

The Kiri-nin, who had witnessed Kazuki's devastating power when he fought the Third Mizukage, also began to form ranks behind him, accepting their fate.

The rest of the battlefield was stunned.

An enemy who wielded the Water Gun Technique to assassinate several elite Kiri-nin was now backed by Kirigakure's strongest clans and even some of its most promising geniuses.

This scene is really too strange.

It's so strange that Biwa Juzo, who originally wanted to resist, had some doubts about life...

Why now it seems that they are the ones who are rebelling against Kirigakure, and the enemies are the ones who are loyal?

Finally, Biwa Juzo let out a deep sigh, muttered a silent apology to the Third Mizukage, and threw the Kubikiribocho to the ground. He then raised his hands high in surrender.

The fight had lost all purpose.

If the other Kiri-nin continued to resist, facing Kazuki with hatred and fury in a battle to the death...

Maybe dying on the battlefield would mean that someone would remember him a dozen years later, even honoring him on an anniversary. That would at least have some value.

But now, with most of his comrades having switched sides, even if he fought to the last drop of blood for the Third Mizukage, no one would remember him.

This kind of death is meaningless.

Many Kiri-nin shared the same thought as Biwa Juzo. So they began to surrender one after another.

The sound of weapons falling to the ground began to fill the battlefield, first sporadically, then increasingly constant.

"You're probably wondering why, being part of the Uchiha clan, I possess the Shikotsumyaku, I master the secret techniques of the Hozuki clan, as well as Kekkei Genkai such as Boil Release, Lava Release and even Ice Release, exclusive to Kirigakure..."

Kazuki clasped his hands together, forming a seal as he created a chibi puppet of Tobirama over ten meters tall. Sitting on his shoulder, he added, "And not only that. How could he possibly know Steaming Danger Tyranny, the secret technique exclusive to the Second Mizukage?"

Seeing this technique, the Kiri-nin who had just surrendered were completely taken aback. Their gazes trembled.

What's going on here? Is it a fight against Konoha or against the Second Mizukage himself?

The feeling was so absurd that they couldn't describe it.

Kazuki, still sitting on the puppet's shoulder, raised his arm, revealing his hand covered in a bone exoskeleton, and shook his head. "I cannot answer that question…"

"But what I do want them to understand is that I have appreciation for this village. I don't see them as enemies, but as people with whom I could work to build a better future."

"I already made it clear in my message from Konoha: if one day life in Kirigakure becomes unbearable, you can always come to Konoha."

The Kiri-nin exchanged glances, and then, little by little, their eyes widened.

Those strong public messages from Konoha attacking all the big villages, were not written by the Third Hokage, but by this Uchiha?

Facing the Steaming Danger Tyranny, which was ten meters tall, the Kiri-nin recalled what they had learned in ninja school.

Although the Third Mizukage was known as the strongest, true insiders knew that he was nothing more than a defeated opponent of the Second Mizukage.

And now, that signature technique of Gengetsu seemed even more powerful and terrifying in Kazuki's hands.

Although Tobirama's Chibi puppet had a chubby and comical appearance, that apparent ridiculousness hid an overwhelming pressure that made it difficult for the Kiri-nin to breathe.

"I've already given them a chance in the past. But I understand that they didn't know me then, so I don't blame them." Kazuki spoke calmly, "The Blood Mist policy has always seemed to me to be a reflection of the Mizukage's incompetence. It's a clumsy strategy to maintain control through absurd excuses and weaken the shinobi clans."

"I'll be honest: I could lead Konoha's troops across the ocean to take over Kirigakure. That's an indisputable fact."

"But because of my regard for that village, I swear on the honor of the Uchiha clan that if you follow me, I will truly consider you as part of my people. The will of fire will shine for you as well, without any prejudice."

Kazuki looked around at the Kiri-nin present and exchanged glances with Jinzaburo.

Jinzaburo's body shook. Suddenly, he shouted excitedly, "Kazuki-sama! The Kaguya clan has felt your compassion, and we swear eternal loyalty to you."

The other members of the Kaguya clan were puzzled. When did this guy decide to speak on our behalf?

However, in an instant, they remembered Kazuki's skills: his bone mask, his handling of the Shikotsumyaku, and his unusual yet devastating combat/healing style. They quickly joined Jinzaburo, swearing their loyalty with fervor.

An unprecedented prodigy in the use of Shikotsumyaku, and he's no lunatic, too. He's the perfect leader!

The members of the Kaguya Clan had always been a bit hypocritical. They believed that the strong should have a killing instinct, while the weak deserved to die. However, when a genius in the use of Shikotsumyaku appeared in the clan, and crushed them all, they suddenly thought that someone so murderous was a danger.

After a good 'correction' by Kazuki, those Kaguya who no longer had so many entanglements in their minds and who had been planning to rebel against Kirigakure for some time, quickly joined Jinzaburo and decided to follow Kazuki, becoming the first faction to take sides.

Seeing this, Mei was anxious and quickly turned her head to glare at the elders of her clan, as if to say: You guys are always complaining that the Kaguya were airheads! Now look, you guys are the real idiots! What are you waiting for? Start swearing allegiance!

Within seconds, the members of the Terumi clan also began to proclaim their loyalty to Kazuki, and the voices cheering him grew even louder.

Kisame and Zabuza crossed their arms and looked at their former ANBU teammates, eyes full of amusement.

But this time it wasn't just the ANBU who joined in; even the members of the Hozuki Clan began to cheer.

The secret techniques of the Hozuki Clan had been restored to the shinobi world, and it had been done so by someone who was willing to treat them as equals.

In the shinobi world, if someone from an ancient clan like the Uchiha publicly swore an oath on the honor of their clan, it carried enormous weight.

Kazuki using the Uchiha name as collateral showed that he truly cared about Kirigakure.

As for how he had learned those secret techniques, all distinctive symbols of Kirigakure, everyone had their own theories. However, in the end, that detail no longer mattered.

With Kazuki's strength, what was the point of complaining? It was best to accept the situation and make the most of it.

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