In front of the "Iron-Cutting" Merchant Guild in Kirigakure Village.
With the Third Mizukage's mediation, the tense atmosphere eased slightly as the Kirigakure ninja sheathed their blades. Kamihane also calmly explained his purpose.
"Thirteen years ago, the Hyakute-ryu Oikawa family was forcibly split from the legendary Iron Country merchant guild 'Tanzōsai' by Hōzuki Gengetsu through illegal means. Now, it's time for them to return."
Mizukage Sora hesitated for a moment: "If I'm not mistaken, the 'Oikawa family' Lord Kamihane mentioned refers to the 'Zantetsu' merchant guild, correct?"
"Exactly. The guild's leader should be a man named Oikawa Genshō." Kamihane nodded, somewhat surprised by how cooperative the Third Mizukage was being. He had originally expected to need more elaborate methods.
"It seems the renowned 'Tanzōsai' merchant guild of Iron Country is also part of Lord Kamihane's assets. However..."
Mizukage Sora showed a troubled expression. "As far as I know, the current president of the 'Zantetsu' merchant group is named Kaguya Kyō, not the Oikawa Genshō that Lord Kamihane mentioned. I've never even heard that name before..."
"Kekeke, trying to deny it now, are you? If you dare lie to us, I won't hesitate to turn this Kirigakure village into a bloodbath!" Kakuzu let out a low chuckle as black threads writhed from his wrists, his words dripping with unmistakable threat.
"Wait! There must be some misunderstanding here!"
Mizukage Sora urgently stopped the restless ANBU from acting and spoke quickly: "First of all, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with Kirigakure's leadership! Everything back then was handled personally by Lord Gengetsu—we had no authority to question it. If Lord Kamihane wishes to reclaim the merchant group, Kirigakure will cooperate fully!"
Beads of sweat formed on his temples. There was no helping it—while Kirigakure appeared formidable on the surface, it was actually weak at the core. As the Mizukage, he understood this better than anyone.
Due to the system established by the Second Mizukage, the village's strongest combat force had been the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist." But all seven had perished on the battlefield, and the new generation of sword masters hadn't been fully assembled yet. Currently, the village severely lacked high-level combatants.
If a real fight broke out, only he, the Mizukage, could hold his own for a few exchanges—and even then, just barely manage a couple of moves at most.
Each of the three opponents before him radiated profound presence, their chakra levels all surpassing Kage-level. Especially that terrifying figure—the one who had single-handedly crippled Konoha at its peak!
Fortunately, Kamihane's emotions remained stable, showing no signs of killing intent.
"Did you just say that the Oikawa family's merchant association is now under the control of your Kirigakure's Kaguya clan?"
"Correct. This was appointed by Gengetsu-sama when 'Zantetsu' was first established."
A trace of bitterness flashed across Mizukage Sora's face. "The Kaguya clan is the strongest in the village, but also the most arrogant. They're warmongering, cold-blooded, and brutal in their methods—difficult to control. They don't even respect Kirigakure's higher-ups. To be honest, even the great Byakuren-sama back in the day found them quite a headache..."
He said helplessly, "Lord Kamihane is a wise man. I presume the true intention behind Lord Gengetsu selecting them to lead the merchant association doesn't need to be spelled out by me, does it?"
Kamihane stroked his chin thoughtfully, his expression unreadable beneath the black silk covering.
Hikaru said softly, "Using the merchant association's resources to win the support of the Kaguya clan, consolidating the Mizukage's position while ensuring other clans and Water Country's nobility won't exploit the newly established association?"
"Mm, absolutely correct. You're as sharp as ever." Kamihane didn't hesitate to give a thumbs-up.
Kakuzu snorted coldly and said gruffly, "In my opinion, there's another layer to it—to legitimize the plundered resources, turning them into their own possessions under a righteous name."
"Oh?" Kamihane was somewhat surprised, looking at Kakuzu with newfound respect. "You actually considered that angle?"
Kakuzu smirked disdainfully. "It's said most of the Kaguya clan are simple-minded brutes who only know slaughter. The core operations of the merchant association are probably still in the hands of Hōzuki Gengetsu himself. They just slap the Kaguya clan's name on it, toss them a few meager scraps, and use their strength to keep the other clans of Kirigakure in check—while he reaps the benefits as the exploiter sitting atop it all."
"I'm starting to realize you're quite knowledgeable about these things..." Kamihane trailed off, his preconceived notion of Kakuzu as a rigid, mindless executioner beginning to waver.
Meanwhile, Mizukage Sora listened as the others spoke freely, openly exposing the hypocrisy of Kirigakure's higher-ups. All he could do was force a bitter smile.
Seeing that they had finally accepted his intelligence, Mizukage Sora seized the moment to extend an invitation, asking them to relocate to the Mizukage's office to discuss the matter of the Kaguya clan together.
Kamihane naturally had no reason to refuse. He had no fear of any hidden malice from the other party, for his strength was more than enough to suppress all threats.
On the very day he awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, he had already mastered the ultimate power of the Complete Body Susanoo.
Moreover, after near-obsessive refinement, his Susanoo had long since surpassed its former limitations.
After adapting to Hashirama's Wood Release power, he attained ultimate control over chakra shape transformation, altering chakra density according to the arrangement of metal atoms to enhance power and hardness—what's known as "Golden Convergence."
If 'Dew on Autumn Leaves' could be transformed into an incomparably sharp slash that even made Hashirama's scalp tingle, how terrifying would its power become when applied to Susanoo?
Fundamentally, Susanoo's principle relies on materializing energy through ocular power—a high-output form of chakra release that creates an ultra-dense chakra construct. Theoretically, this aligns perfectly with the principle of "Golden Convergence."
Practical application confirmed this. Kamihane first attempted to apply the metal atom arrangement's condensation method to Susanoo's skeletal structure. Through terrifyingly precise manipulation, he spent ten days finally perfecting this technique, achieving perfect compatibility between Susanoo's external manifestation and "Golden Convergence," stabilizing the flow of chakra.
His Susanoo skeleton abruptly shrank—the originally hill-sized third-stage "Tengu" Susanoo transformed into a battle deity merely the height of an adult. Even its divine weapons proportionally reduced, the entire construct now pitch-black with profound metallic luster, floating ominously behind him.
This level of sturdiness has surpassed his Poseidon Body, allowing free movement even under the extreme water pressure of the deep sea.
If he continued to infuse chakra on this foundation, the Susanoo would gradually grow larger. While it would maintain its armored hardness, the consumption would be terrifyingly immense.
He attempted a single spear swing. That day, a colossal black crescent descended like the moon itself, shattering earth and mountains, leaving behind an unfathomably deep canyon in the western region of the Land of Fire.
If one were to unleash the complete form of Susanoo, further enhanced with golden armaments, and then deliver a strike after restoring its original size, that mountain-splitting, sea-rending force could truly be called world-ending—far beyond merely cleaving through a few mountains.
Thus, at this moment, Kamihane feared nothing. Even if it were a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, there was no place he wouldn't dare to venture.
At worst, he could just remove his eyepatch—let them guess the consequences.
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