Hozuki clan compound
Hozuki clan meeting room
Zangatsu was sitting on the clan leader's chair in the Hozuki clan meeting room.
In front of him, the five elders of the Hozuki clan were seated, waiting for Zangatsu to start the meeting.
One of those elders was Zangatsu's twin brother, his little brother Gangatsu.
Gangatsu is Yukina's biological father.
He looked exactly like Zangatsu, but the only difference between them is their hair.
Gangatsu has long, dark blue hair that reaches to his shoulder, unlike Zangatsu's light blue, spiky hair.
Zangatsu looked playfully at the elders and said, "Thank you all for coming. I have an important matter I'd like to discuss with you all. After I spent some time thinking about this matter, I decided to counsel with you first before I took any action. This matter is concerning my little niece."
All the elders were confused after hearing this, but when Gangatsu heard Zangatsu mentioning his daughter, his eyes widened for a second. Then he smirked playfully and continued listening to what Zangatsu was about to say with rapt attention.
Ever since the Yuki clan tried to assassinate Yukina, he started paying attention to her not out of love but out of amusement.
Gangatsu always considered Yukina as his bastard child, a product of him having fun with Yukira, Yukina's biological mother.
The elders saw Gangatsu smiling and they realized who Zangatsu was talking about. Then one of the elders said to Zangatsu, "Clan leader, what is there to discuss? That child is merely a bastard born after one of our elders had fun sleeping with that woman."
The one who spoke was the eldest among the elders in the room; he was appointed as Hozuki clan elder ever since Gengetsu Hozuki was appointed as the second Mizukage.
The elder's name is Nangetsu. He is a skinny-looking old man; his face is full of wrinkles but his eyes are full of life.
Nangetsu was wearing a light blue robe; it is the robe that all Hozuki clan elders are required to wear all the time.
The other elders of the Hozuki clan erupted in laughter upon hearing Nangetsu's words; even Gangatsu chuckled with amusement.
Zangatsu also chuckled after hearing this. He then said to the Nangetsu, "What you said is true, but you should know that because of her existence, the Yuki clan's reputation has suffered a huge blow." I think this little girl deserves a reward from us for that."
All the elders quieted down and started thinking seriously about what Zangatsu just said.
Zangatsu then continued, saying, "You might not know this but I and Gangatsu have kept a close eye on her ever since the Yuki clan tried to assassinate her 8 months ago."
The elders were surprised upon hearing this and they kept listening to what Zangatsu was saying with rapt attention.
"According to her Jounin instructors at the wartime training camp, my little niece is a true prodigy in the shinobi arts; she only needs to see things once to fully learn ninjutsu, stances, and katas." Even Juzo praised her, and I am sure you are all familiar with Juzo's personality; he never praises anyone without a solid reason."
All the elders widened their eyes upon hearing this except for Gangatsu, who was smiling in amusement.
Zangatsu continued without batting an eye at their expressions, "And when that fool Yukitaro sent assassins after her, she awakened our hydrofication kekkei genkei and the ice release kekkei genkei of the Yuki clan; she killed two of those assassins using her newly awakened kekkei genkei."
"She was only 7 years old when she killed the assassins and those assassins were Chunin-rank shinobi. Do you all understand now how talented this girl is? She killed two Chunins when she first awakened her kekkei genkei. This is pure talent." Zangatsu said seriously to the Hozuki clan elders.
One of the elders started trembling in excitement when he heard Zangatsu's words. He then said to Zangatsu with a tone full of anticipation, "In that case, we should take her in and acknowledge her as part of our clan. Then in the future when she comes of age, we should arrange for her to marry one of our talented clansmen so that when she gives birth to children in the future, she will give birth to talented children."
"If we do that, we might be able to steal the Yuki clan's kekkei genkei."
"If we succeed in stealing the Yuki clan's kekkei genkei, our Hozuki clan will enter a new golden age— an era in which our clan will be acknowledged by Kiri as the greatest clan in the Hidden Mist Village."
All the elders laughed loudly in joy after hearing what the elder just said.
However, Zangatsu wasn't laughing with the elders; instead, he calmly looked at the elder who had proposed bringing Yukina in and accepting her as part of the Hozuki clan.
The elder's name is Kongatsu. He is a middle-aged man with an average face, grey eyes, silver hair, and a fat physique.
Zangatsu shook his head and replied to Kongatsu, "That's not possible now."
All the elders were surprised when they heard this news, and Kongatsu asked Zangatsu, "Why is that, clan leader?"
Zangatsu sighed at first, then he looked seriously at Kongatsu and said, "She is now Fuguki's apprentice, and Fuguki is very protective of her." In the war council meeting, he and Juzo were ready to cut down that fool Yukitaro when he demanded the Mizukage hand over that girl to him."
All the elders were surprised when they heard this.
Zangatsu then looked seriously at the elders and said, "According to my intel about this girl, she is quite intelligent, so deceiving her will be out of the question, especially now that she is Fuguki's apprentice. I am sure she is resentful of the Yuki clan now. Since that fool, Yukitaro, sent assassins after her, our best course of action now is to build a good relationship with her and invite her to join our clan with sincerity."
"If she refuses to join our clan, then we should have her as an ally." She will be a good ally now since she is the apprentice of the strongest member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and in the future she will be a great ally because I am sure Fuguki is training her to succeed him when he either dies or retires."
All the elders thought about what Zangatsu just said then Zangetsu continued, "I will give the girl a copy of the basic theories of our hydrofication kekkei genkei and the basic applications of our hydrofication jutsu to show our sincerity towards her."
All the elders widened their eyes in shock upon hearing this, and one elder anxiously asked, "Clan leader, is this wise? These are clan secrets."
Zangatsu looked at the elder and nodded his head to him.
The elder is a short, middle-aged man with short purple hair and purple eyes. His face appears plump, and his body is slender and strong.
The elder's name is Bangatsu.
Zangetsu waved his hands dismissively when he saw all the elders looking anxiously towards him. He then said to them, "Relax, these are only the basics, nothing special. These scrolls are worthless to rival clans or villages, but they are very valuable to this little girl. We will be able to create a good impression if we gift her a copy of these materials. This exchange will be a very valuable investment for our clan's future."
When the elders heard this, they nodded their heads in approval. He then stood up and said, "I will go meet my niece right now, and I want you to instruct the kids to build friendship with her during the mission tomorrow." If the Yuki clan tries any funny business with my little niece in or outside the village, I want you to show them no mercy."
Zangatsu then exited the meeting room. He went to the clan library, grabbed a copy of the basic theories of the hydrofication kekkei genkei and a copy of the basic applications of the hydrofication jutsu and then exited the Hozuki clan mansion to meet with Yukina.
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