Under Duanmu Ci's control, countless sharper hardwood branches, like spears, instantly grew from the surface of the giant trees in the attacked area, stabbing back like a forest of thorns at Suikazan Fuguki and Samehada! At the same time, thick vines extended from the barrier, coiling like giant pythons around the other Seven Swordsmen members who tried to approach or attack!
A seamless blend of offense and defense! At this moment, Duanmu Ci's Wood Release displayed the terrifying power worthy of "Divine Power"! The core of Taoyuan Village had temporarily become an insurmountable chasm for the Seven Swordsmen.
Standing atop the barrier, Duanmu Ci looked down at the furious and alarmed Seven Swordsmen below, his voice cold as ice as it echoed across the battlefield:
"Executioners of Kirigakure, this is not a place for you to run wild! If you want to touch Taoyuan Village, first ask whether the Wood Release in my hands agrees!"
Seven Ninja Swordsmen versus Konoha Azure Dragon! Around the Tree World Barrier that protected everything, a brutal offensive and defensive battle had only just begun its bloody prelude! Like an ancient shield of a colossal god, the Tree World Barrier firmly guarded the heart of Taoyuan Village. For the first time, the Seven Swordsmen's mad assault was forcibly halted by this living wall. But these killing weapons from the Land of Bloody Mist had not earned their reputations for nothing. After their brief shock came an even more frenzied assault and merciless teamwork.
"Don't let a single wall scare you! Concentrate your attacks on one point! Fuguki, Jinpachi! Blast it open from the front!" As the most experienced among them, Juzo Biwa immediately roared out adjusted orders.
"Leave it to me! Samehada, devour!" Suikazan Fuguki roared. His obese body erupted with astonishing strength as he swung the door-sized Great Sword: Shark Skin and smashed it viciously into the same spot on the barrier. Samehada's barbs tore madly at the wood, trying to devour its Chakra. Every heavy blow made the giant trees boom dully, sending wood chips flying.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Blast through it for me!" Munashi Jinpachi had completely fallen into madness. Exploding Blade Shibuki sprayed dense Explosive Tags like a machine gun, accurately sticking them onto the area Fuguki was attacking. A continuous series of violent explosions charred that section of the barrier black, and cracks began to spread! The two were trying to break through the surface by focusing on one point!
"Raiga! Keep bombarding it! Don't give the trash inside a chance to repair it!" Raiga Kurosuki continuously swung his twin blades, sending thick bolts of lightning crashing into other parts of the barrier like electric dragons plowing the earth. He disrupted Duanmu Ci's Chakra output and Wood Release repairs while suppressing the guards trying to counterattack from behind the barrier.
"Kushimaru! Akebino! Mangetsu! Deal with those annoying flies—the guards—and find the weak points! Don't let them interfere with Fuguki and Jinpachi!" Juzo Biwa himself prowled along the flank, his Kubikiribōchō sending out sharp blade auras to sever the vines and wooden spikes trying to bind them. His cold gaze swept across the entire battlefield.
With the orders given, the Seven Swordsmen's coordination was fully displayed.
Kushimaru Kuriarare slipped away from the main battlefield like Gui Mei. Under the moonlight, Nuibari traced lethal silver lines through the air. Every flash was accompanied by the scream of a guard who had failed to retreat behind the barrier in time. He was too fast, and his attacks came from vicious, tricky angles, striking specifically through gaps in the guards' defenses to spread panic and casualties.
"Bastard!" Shizune's eyes nearly split with rage as she led an elite squad to intercept Kushimaru. "Medical Ninjutsu: Poison Mist Spray!" She sprayed out a wide cloud of purple poison mist, but Kushimaru's body twisted strangely, passing through the gaps in the mist as Nuibari stabbed straight for Shizune's throat!
"Watch out!" A guard beside her threw himself forward and shoved Shizune away, only for Nuibari to pierce his shoulder and nail him to the ground. He let out a pained groan.
"Get out of my way!" Jinin Akebino swung the heavy Kabutowari and charged toward another gathering of guards like a humanoid tank. The axe-hammer blade came crashing down with terrifying force. A guard's refined steel shield shattered like paper, and both guard and shield were blasted away, their fate unknown. His strength was too overwhelming, and the guards' combined formation was forcibly scattered.
Hozuki Mangetsu, or his successor, wielded the Twin Swords: Flatfish and stood calmly some distance away. The flounder-shaped blades came together, and at their tips condensed a highly compressed high-pressure water ball that radiated terrifying fluctuations. "Water Style: Water Ball Jutsu!" he muttered. The water ball shot forth like a cannonball, not at the barrier itself, but precisely at a crack near its base that Raiga had previously carved open with lightning!
Boom! The high-pressure water ball exploded, and the immense impact instantly widened the crack. Water seeped inside, further eroding the structure of the wood!
The Seven Swordsmen's tactics were extremely effective! Fuguki and Jinpachi launched a fierce frontal assault, while Kushimaru and Akebino slaughtered and destroyed from the flanks. Raiga provided suppressive interference, and Mangetsu delivered precise strikes! Under such violent and focused fire, the Tree World Barrier began to shudder fiercely. The cracks in the concentrated attack zones rapidly widened and deepened, becoming charred and shattered. Its repair speed was beginning to fall behind the pace of destruction!
Atop the barrier, Duanmu Ci's face had also turned slightly pale. Maintaining such a massive Tree World Barrier while withstanding the Seven Swordsmen's relentless bombardment consumed enormous amounts of his Sage Chakra and mental strength. He could clearly feel the barrier's agonized groans.
"I can't let them continue like this!" Duanmu Ci's eyes sharpened. He had to break their rhythm and take the initiative!
His gaze instantly locked onto the two greatest threats—Hozuki Mangetsu, who was madly destroying the barrier's foundation, and Jinin Akebino, who was rampaging among the guards and causing massive casualties! Jinin Akebino in particular was farther from the core barrier, making his position relatively exposed.
"You're the one!" Killing intent surged within Duanmu Ci. His hands rapidly formed seals within his wide sleeves, while the purple ripples deep within his Rinnegan spun rapidly once more!
"Banshō Ten'in!"
"Banshō Ten'in!"
Duanmu Ci's right hand suddenly aimed at Jinin Akebino, who was swinging Kabutowari and smashing a guard and his weapon away together. His five fingers clenched at empty air!
"Hmm?!" Jinin Akebino suddenly felt an irresistible, overwhelming force of suction seize his entire body! His several-hundred-pound body, along with the enormous Kabutowari, rose from the ground like a weightless scarecrow and flew uncontrollably toward the barrier where Duanmu Ci stood—or, more precisely, toward Suikazan Fuguki and Munashi Jinpachi, who were frantically hacking away at the barrier!
"What the hell is this?!" Jinin Akebino was terrified beyond words. He flailed helplessly in midair, but could not break free from the strange force at all. He felt as though an invisible giant hand had seized him and hurled him away!
"Akebino?!"
"Watch out!!"
Juzo Biwa and Suikazan Fuguki both noticed the horrifying scene and cried out in alarm.
But everything happened too fast!
Jinin Akebino became a human cannonball, hurtling under the terrifying pull of Banshō Ten'in at astonishing speed toward Suikazan Fuguki and Munashi Jinpachi, who were attacking the barrier side by side!
"Bastard! Move!" Suikazan Fuguki's obese body could not react in time, and he could only barely twist aside.
Munashi Jinpachi was even more bloodthirsty, completely unaware of the change behind him as he continued frantically sticking Explosive Tags onto the barrier. "Blow it up! Blast it open for me!"
Booom—!!!
Jinin Akebino's immensely heavy body, along with his equally massive Kabutowari, slammed squarely into Munashi Jinpachi's back!
"Puh—!" Munashi Jinpachi's eyes bulged as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs! The tremendous impact sent him flying forward like a rag sack, while in his hand he still clutched a bundle of activated Explosive Tags that had yet to be thrown!
Worse still, the direction he flew was straight toward Suikazan Fuguki, who had exposed an opening while twisting aside to evade!
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