The misty water vapor rose.
Hozuki Mangetsu plunged his head into a not-so-large hot spring, staring intently at the steaming water surface below.
Strands of peculiar chakra seeped into Hozuki Mangetsu's mind with the mist, gradually clouding his eyes.
"Mangetsu, this technique is called the Water Gun Jutsu. Its principle is to compress water-attribute chakra to its limit using the Water Transformation Secret Technique, then release it towards the enemy through your fingers."
"When releasing the Water Gun, you must use the Great Gelatinous Body Jutsu from the Water Transformation Secret Technique to strengthen your hands. Otherwise, your body will be shattered by the powerful recoil. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Father, I understand!"
...
This is a scene from my childhood, learning the clan's secret techniques from my father.
A thought flashed through Mangetsu's mind.
"This is a scroll left by your grandfather. It contains the Hozuki clan's most powerful Water Transformation Secret Technique - Violent Water Release."
"As for the principle, it should be to use the oil and water within the body to create a clone. By utilizing water's property of being easily heated and cooled, it can propel the outer oil to undergo violent chakra changes..."
"I don't have enough talent for this secret technique, and I haven't mastered it yet."
"Mangetsu, if you can successfully cultivate this Violent Water Release, the position of the next Mizukage will undoubtedly be yours!"
"I apologize, Father. It seems I don't have the talent for this secret technique either. I have disappointed you!"
...
"Mangetsu, these are the seven ninja swords left by your grandfather. From today on, you are the keeper of the scroll for summoning these seven ninja swords."
"Father, I can control all the ninja swords for battle. Why does Lord Xue Wu only give me the right to keep the summoning scroll?"
"Compared to my talent in the Water Transformation Secret Technique, isn't my talent in swordsmanship more outstanding?"
"These are the orders of the Mizukage!"
"The Hozuki clan is not permitted to wield the power of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, a power that belongs only to the Mizukage."
"Can't this be changed?"
"No! Unless..."
"You become stronger than the Mizukage in the future!"
"Yes, I... understand..."
...
This was me at twelve years old...
A hint of reminiscence appeared in Hozuki Mangetsu's clouded eyes. The once carefree and unrestrained youth, who used to laugh and curse, finally revealed a unique sorrow.
...
As Hozuki Mangetsu fell into the genjutsu, the external scene began to transform dramatically.
The underground of the misty hot spring room suddenly cracked open with a huge fissure, and Hozuki Mangetsu, along with the spring he was looking at, slowly sank into the ground.
The fissure closed again, and the hot spring owner's bewitching voice was heard from outside the door.
"Esteemed ninja, inside is an even more wondrous hot spring than the one outside."
"Please, come in!"
...
The scene before his eyes blurred for a moment, and Hozuki Mangetsu's memories were gradually interrupted. In their place appeared a grand altar.
"Lord Mangetsu, the great immortal god!"
"Your followers offer you their highest respects. Please accept the worship of us humble beings!"
Below the altar.
Kneeling in the front row were the Daimyo and nobles of the Five Great Nations. In the second row knelt the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Further behind them were the powerful ninjas of the ninja world.
Some were recognizable, some were not. Some were alive, and some existed only in legends...
At the very back, countless civilians were prostrate, a dense mass, like the sky and the earth, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Hozuki Mangetsu sat enthroned on the high platform, looking down upon the creatures beneath him as if they were ants.
Stars swirled in his eyes, the universe flickered and died.
With every movement, all the energy in the world moaned in sorrow.
"Believe in the great evil god, and all that you see before you will transform into reality!"
A voice echoed in Hozuki Mangetsu's mind, grand and vast, reaching the depths of his soul.
"But..."
"My teacher told me that no one in this world has the right to arbitrarily call themselves a god."
"You evil god, did you come from beyond the heavens?"
Hozuki Mangetsu on the high platform withdrew his gaze from the kneeling figures below and looked up at the diamond-shaped mark that appeared before him.
The mark seemed surprised that this boy, barely in his teens, could break free from the illusion he had constructed. It was even more surprised that this boy knew the secret hidden in the ninja world for a thousand years.
"Heh heh..."
"An interesting human!"
"Who is your teacher? To tell you such a secret? And, I can't find any trace of him in your past memories?"
"Never mind! In any case, he is merely a native who inherited some of the God Tree's power..."
The diamond-shaped mark flashed with a brilliant golden light, slowly transforming into a pale-skinned humanoid figure before Hozuki Mangetsu's eyes.
The figure had a single horn growing from its head, resembling a coiled crown. It had only one eyebrow above its right eye, shaved into an irregular shape; its left eye was pure white, and the pupil of its right eye had a golden wheel-shaped pattern, surrounded by eight triangles...
Hozuki Mangetsu was startled by the figure's appearance and instinctively clutched Isobu closer. But Isobu seemed to be truly asleep, without the slightest reaction.
"No need to waste your efforts!"
The humanoid figure chuckled, a hint of disdain flashing in its eyes.
"A mere fragment of energy split from the God Tree, how can it contend with the will of the Otsutsuki clan!"
"Your talent is excellent, and your disposition is top-notch among the humans I've seen over the years."
"As a reward, I will bestow a portion of my power upon you!"
"Accept it, use it..."
"It will make you incredibly powerful, and then..."
"Heh heh..."
The figure let out a long, meaningful laugh, slowly dissipating into a mass of black mist that instantly drilled into Hozuki Mangetsu's body.
"Ah!"
Pain, reaching the depths of his soul, suddenly appeared. Hozuki Mangetsu curled up, screaming as he collapsed onto the altar.
A black diamond-shaped mark slowly appeared on his chest, accompanied by a meaningless 'v' symbol.
Isobu's body, wrapped in a towel, tumbled to the ground with a thud. Then, with a hint of confusion, it opened its eyes.
"Here..."
"Kid, something feels wrong here. We should leave quickly!"
Isobu's call did not receive a response from Hozuki Mangetsu. The diamond-shaped mark on his chest was continuously affecting his body.
Black patterns emerged from the mark, rapidly spreading across Hozuki Mangetsu's entire body. Waves of powerful chakra fluctuations rose from him, growing stronger and stronger.
Under the influence of this chakra fluctuation of unknown origin, Hozuki Mangetsu's originally fair skin became increasingly pale. His white long hair turned silver-gray and began to shine with a dazzling silver-white light.
The muscles on his forehead twitched, as if something was about to emerge from within.
"You're asking for death!"
"Sage Art - Particle Style - Polarity Separation Jutsu!"
With an angry roar, a thick, cubic beam of light enveloped the room where Hozuki Mangetsu's aura had disappeared. The ninja, who was staring at the water under the hot spring owner's persuasion, hadn't even recovered from his daze before he was instantly decomposed into his most primitive particles.
Orochimaru, enveloped in Sage chakra, instantly appeared in the sinkhole revealed by the disappearance of the room. His terrifying mental power immediately locked onto the curled-up Hozuki Mangetsu.
The bulge on Mangetsu's forehead, on the verge of breaking, immediately subsided, and all the power retracted into the diamond-shaped mark on his chest through the black lines.
"Karma?"
"Otsutsuki Isshiki, so it was you!"
Orochimaru stared intently at the diamond-shaped mark on Hozuki Mangetsu's chest, and the 'v' symbol representing the fifth Karma, his eyes flashing with ferocity.
The Sage chakra around him transformed into two dragon-like forms, scooping up the unconscious Hozuki Mangetsu and the terrified Isobu, and instantly disappeared.