Seven Down, Two Gone

Clang!

A sharp clash of metal rang beside his ear, and Gengetsu saw the Mist Ninja before him get kicked away.

"Brother Minato!"

Gengetsu turned his head, shocked and delighted. He had never expected Minato to appear at such a critical moment; he had already been preparing to flee for his life.

"Gengetsu, are you all right?"

Minato's smile was as gentle as ever, his bearing calm and composed.

"I'm fine, just temporarily exhausted!"

Gengetsu dropped onto the ground, then looked around. Only then did he realize that Minato had not come alone. There was also the familiar face of Choza Akimichi, along with four unfamiliar ninja, all Jonin.

But...

As he looked at the figures standing on the trees opposite them, their familiar appearances made his pupils contract. "The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!"

"These guys actually came too. This is bad!"

In the original story, Might Duy had opened the Eight Gates and only killed four of them. Even if Might Duy was far inferior to Guy the Mightiest, the Eight Gates Formation was still incomparably powerful. Yet only four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had died, which showed just how formidable the seven were. Especially Samehada, that absurdly overpowered sword known as the Tailless Tailed Beast!

His four Shadow Clones had been quickly taken out before, and even their suicidal attacks had failed to take down a single enemy!

Still, Gengetsu had always been curious. How had the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist encountered Guy in the original story? And how had seven people surrounding three Kids who might not even have been Chunin failed to finish them off immediately, allowing Might Duy to arrive and cripple them?

If they had only left one or two people behind to deal with Guy's team, would they not have lost so many?

As Gengetsu's mind wandered, Biwa Juzo of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist spoke. "Eleven against eight. No, six and a half... Kid, you're Uzumaki Gengetsu, aren't you? Using Shadow Clones to lure us away, then dyeing that red hair black. What a foolish Kid!"

"Hahaha, black hair is easier on the eyes. But this Kid is no simple matter. He nearly killed me earlier!"

Jinin Akebino laughed loudly.

"Enough chatter! Let's do it already. I can't wait to skewer them all and hang them from the trees!"

Kushimaru Kuriarare flicked his blade.

"These guys really are troublesome! Minato, what do we do?"

Choza Akimichi spoke.

Minato looked at the heavily injured Sarutobi Kazuhara. "Senior Kazuhara, please withdraw with Gengetsu first!"

"Okay!"

Sarutobi Kazuhara nodded. He knew that staying in his current condition would only make him a burden. He immediately flashed over, helped Gengetsu up, and retreated.

"Hey, leave that Kid behind! Just walking away like that, are you really taking us for nothing—"

Raiga Kurosuki flew into a rage and flashed forward to intercept them. But in the next instant, Choza Akimichi, using the Expansion Jutsu, sent him flying with a single punch. With a boom, his body was embedded in a tree trunk.

At the same time, Minato flashed repeatedly. Roars erupted in succession as the remaining three Jonin who had previously surrounded Gengetsu's group were instantly killed in one move each.

"So fast!"

Biwa Juzo could not help crying out.

Ji'an swallowed, staring at Minato. "Konoha's Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato?"

Gengetsu, who had just turned back, happened to witness the scene. Suddenly, he regretted not learning the Flying Thunder God. That speed was simply too fast—so fast that even the human eye and nervous system could not keep up.

But such speed also requires astonishing neural reaction speed. Otherwise, if you use the Flying Thunder God and fail to seize the opportunity, your opponent will seize one instead. Then the Flying Thunder God will just send you straight to your death!

And unless one possesses extraordinary talent, such neural reaction speed can only be attained by training to the level of the Fourth Raikage!

Lightning Release Chakra Mode!

The thoughts raced through his mind. Then, from afar, Gengetsu saw Minato make his move again. Eight specially made Kunai shot out, while a Rasengan formed in each of his hands.

"He's going to deal with all eight at once!"

Gengetsu's mouth fell slightly open, his eyes widening.

In the next moment, Minato vanished, then flashed through eight positions in sequence. He was so fast that Gengetsu could not track him at all; even his nervous system could not keep up. Only when the distant roars reached him could he barely catch the afterimages Minato left behind.

Figures were sent flying one after another. Then Gengetsu vaguely saw Konoha's many Jonin swarm forward.

He withdrew his gaze and turned back. "Teacher Kazuhara, I've decided. When we return from this mission, I'll try learning the Flying Thunder God!"

"With your talent, you can certainly give it a try. But even if you fail to master it, do not be discouraged. The Flying Thunder God Technique is Space-Time Ninjutsu and extremely difficult to learn. Since the Second Hokage created it, only Minato has mastered it. Even the Third Hokage, known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, was unable to master it!"

Sarutobi Kazuhara said.

By then, Gengetsu had recovered some of his strength. He immediately used the Mystical Palm Technique to treat Sarutobi Kazuhara's injuries. If he did not treat him soon, he feared Sarutobi Kazuhara would bleed to death.

A moment later, the two finally found Uchiha Shinsui and Kanzuki Chiba, but both their expressions changed. Beside them lay a corpse—the Mist Ninja Jonin whom Gengetsu had severely injured earlier.

"Shinsui, Chiba!"

Gengetsu and Sarutobi Kazuhara hurriedly landed.

"Gengetsu, Teacher Kazuhara!"

Kanzuki Chiba burst into tears of joy upon seeing them.

When Gengetsu saw a Kunai embedded in Uchiha Shinsui's chest, his heart sank. He had not expected things to unfold in the worst possible direction.

"Cough, cough, I'm fine!"

Uchiha Shinsui struggled to raise his head. His eyes immediately startled Gengetsu and Sarutobi Kazuhara.

Both eyes had two tomoe!

"Don't move. Let me check you first!"

Gengetsu held Uchiha Shinsui down and quickly examined his injuries. Afterward, he let out a long breath and said to the anxiously watching Kanzuki Chiba, "Don't worry. He won't die yet!"

"That's great!"

Kanzuki Chiba smiled as she wiped away her tears, and some of the guilt in her heart finally faded. Gengetsu had warned them before to watch out for the other Mist Ninja Jonin, but she had been worried about Gengetsu and Sarutobi Kazuhara behind them. Her mind had been unsettled, and she had carelessly fallen into an ambush, nearly getting Uchiha Shinsui killed. If Uchiha Shinsui's Sharingan had not evolved at the final moment, she would likely have been the first to die!

"Shinsui, wait a moment first..."

As he spoke, Gengetsu took out Soldier Pills from his pack and grabbed a handful to eat.

Only after consuming an entire pack of Soldier Pills did his Chakra finally become full again. He quickly created a Shadow Clone, and together with his Main Body, they treated Uchiha Shinsui and Sarutobi Kazuhara respectively.

That was the advantage of having a Medical Ninja. Otherwise, Uchiha Shinsui would have died long ago, and Sarutobi Kazuhara would likely have bled to death as well!

A moment later, the sound of rushing wind reached their ears. Gengetsu's group of four immediately tensed, but they soon discovered that it was Minato and the others, finally letting out a breath of relief.

Six figures landed in total. Apart from Minato, the other five all had injuries to varying degrees, though none were serious.

After exchanging greetings, Gengetsu could not help asking, "Brother Minato, how many of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist died?"

Everyone smiled at that, and Choza Akimichi said, "Gengetsu, it seems you have absolute confidence in Minato!"

"Senior Choza, it's not that I have absolute confidence in Brother Minato. I have confidence in all of you!"

Gengetsu spoke prettily, but deep down, he knew very well that without Minato, the other five could only flee upon encountering the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. It was even possible that they would have been wiped out entirely.

"We left two behind, but Gengetsu, don't underestimate them. Every one of them is an Elite Jonin with outstanding abilities. Without Choza and the others, I could only have kept them occupied."

Minato said modestly.

"Even so, if they had not fled, Minato, you should have been able to deal with them, right?"

Aburame Shibi said.