"Kyōichi-sama, I'm truly impressed. A Hōzuki clansman—how did you manage it?"
Gekkō Kazahana couldn't contain his curiosity.
Since Kyōichi had saved Hayate, Kazahana addressed him with genuine respect.
"With Hayama-san's help, it wasn't too difficult.'
Kyōichi smiled modestly.
Hayama Shirakumo blushed, waving his hand. "Nonsense. All I did was use Great Breakthrough. Kyōichi-sama risked himself to detect the enemy's chakra fluctuation, trapped him with earth release, and paralyzed him with a single strike."
"Earth release?"
"One strike?"
The other three jōnin exchanged glances.
Trapping a Hōzuki with earth release…
They could picture it!
Theoretically possible, but the Hōzuki weren't fools—they wouldn't just sit there waiting to be caught.
This meant Kyōichi's hand seals and sword draw were lightning-fast.
So fast the enemy couldn't react.
And then there was the Raijin Sword!
With just a few clues, the jōnin pieced together the rest.
They couldn't help but admire him.
Even with the Raijin Sword, they doubted they could've captured a Hōzuki.
"By the way, besides the Hōzuki, we encountered a green-haired Kirigakure shinobi. Does anyone know his identity? I suspect he's one of the invasion's leaders."
Kyōichi's tone turned serious.
"Green hair?"
Kazahana frowned, then his eyes lit up. "Ah! I remember—his name's Yagura. Not sure of his surname, but he's definitely a high-ranking figure."
"I've heard the Sandaime Mizukage's health has declined. He rarely appears, delegating many tasks to a subordinate."
Hayama, though no longer in the Anbu, had visited Kirigakure before.
"If that's the case, it's likely him."
Kyōichi nodded gravely.
"No wonder he's so strong."
Hayama agreed, recounting Yagura's attempt to rescue Chikage.
The others grew solemn.
Such power…
Elite jōnin level at the very least.
Kyōichi's suspicion seemed highly plausible!
"Let's wait for Inochi-senpai's intel."
Kyōichi decided, setting the matter aside.
Speculation was pointless without more information.
The others nodded.
Inoichi soon returned, his expression eager.
"We've dug up a lot! This is big!"
"What did you find?"
Kyōichi stood immediately.
"The captive is Hōzuki Chikage. His cousin, Hōzuki Mangetsu, wields Samehada as one of the Seven Swordsmen…"
"Also, the green-haired shinobi you fought is Yagura, a strong contender for the next Mizukage. He's been handling Kirigakure's affairs lately."
"However, the Hōzuki clan also wants the Yondaime Mizukage position, so some Swordsmen and Hōzuki members don't fully obey Yagura.'
Inoichi relayed the intel in detail.
The room grew tense.
This kind of information would've cost countless spies to obtain—if it could be obtained at all. Capturing a live Hōzuki had paid off immensely.
Kyōichi frowned.
"This is bad. By capturing Chikage, we've alerted them. Yagura will pressure the Swordsmen into compliance."
"We had no choice. Without capturing him, we wouldn't have this intel."
Inoichi shook his head.
He understood Kyōichi's concern.
If the Swordsmen had remained divided, they might've self-destructed.
Now, with a common enemy like Kyōichi, they'd unite under Yagura.
Kyōichi sighed.
He wasn't worried about unity—he'd hoped to ambush the Swordsmen like in the anime.
"Inoichi-senpai, did they retreat because they detected us?"
Inoichi nodded.
"That explains the sloppy cleanup. If only we'd moved faster…"
Hayama slapped his thigh in frustration.
With a stronger sensor on his team, they might've intercepted Yagura.
But the best sensor was himself—and he was only average!
"Given Yagura's strength, catching up might not have been wise."
Kyōichi shook his head.
Hayama was strong, but what about the others?
A single Great Water Collision could've trapped them, leaving Hayama helpless.
After all, Yagura was a Mizukage candidate.
Expecting a quick victory was unrealistic.
"By the way, I'll deliver the intel scroll. Katsuyu can relay it directly to Tsunade-nee."
"That's perfect!"
Inoichi readily agreed.
Using a summon eliminated the risks of traditional delivery.
He quickly realized why Kyōichi was chosen as commander—not just for his strength and intellect, but also his connection to Tsunade.
Sandaime was likely paving the way for her succession.
Kyōichi knew Inoichi would figure it out.
As a top intelligence officer, Inoichi's sharp mind was unmatched.
Summoning a Katsuyu clone, Kyōichi handed over the scroll.
The others, seeing Tsunade's signature summon, exchanged meaningful glances—Katsuyu!
Inoichi, recalling Kyōichi's performance in the Chunin Exams, asked, "Kyōichi-sama, how effective is your Katsuyu summoning?"
"It should cover about three kilometers and last a while. As for specifics, I'm not sure. I also have a secret technique to absorb chakra, but the conversion rate is only a third, and it's not very fast."
Kyōichi shared openly.
There was no need to hide these abilities—they bolstered his credibility.
Inoichi was stunned.
He'd assumed Kyōichi's Katsuyu summoning was limited in range and duration.
But this…
While not on Tsunade-sama's level, it was still remarkable.
And the chakra absorption ability—
Even with a one-third conversion rate, it was a game-changer on the battlefield.