Red Steam of Burning Youth

When a Konoha Squad fired Signal flare, one of them was already facing a life-or-death crisis.

In the woods, Might Guy's body began to tremble slightly. Seven Mist Ninja appeared ahead and blocked their path, their terrifying killing intent emanating from them.

Ebisu, wearing sunglasses, and Shiranui Genma, who was carrying Senbon, were also sweating profusely. The three of them Chunin, and they never expected to lose their lives on their first mission.

"We might not be able to escape!"

"Could this outfit belong to Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist of the Kirigakure?"

Across from him, Juzō Biwa raised his Kubikiribōchō and slung it over his shoulder, grinning with a strange, gaping mouth, and said, "I didn't expect even these brats from other villages to know our names. Well then, let's give them a quick death!"

"What do we do?" Shiranui Genma bit his Senbon in half. "Can we really hold out until reinforcements arrive? I never expected this..."

"Whoosh..."

Just then, a figure arrived at lightning speed. His body radiated chakra, and a powerful aura emanated from him as he moved. A wave of heat emanated from him as he blocked the path of the three Konoha members. "Finally made it!"

"Father?" Might Guy exclaimed in shock, "Why are you here? You're just a Genin..."

"No need for further questions, just run!" Might Duy Day said resolutely. "I will buy you enough time."

"But the other side is the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist! How can you possibly stop them all by yourself!" Might Guy said with a pained expression.

"Don't forget, I can still open the final gate of the Eight Gates Inner Gates, the Gate of Death."

As Might Guy's eyes widened, Might Duy turned and smiled, giving him a thumbs up. "Now is the time... to protect what's most important to you with your life!"

"Eight Gates Released Formation! Activate!"

"Boom..."

His already powerful chakra was now even more astonishing. Veins bulged on his forehead, his eyes turned white, and a large amount of blue steam was generated around his body. The impact was so great that it almost knocked Might Guy and the other two to the ground.

"Something's not right with this guy, let's make our move!"

Upon seeing such powerful chakra, the Jinin Akebino sensed something was wrong. While ordering the others to attack, he was already prepared to retreat if things went badly.

"Drink up..."

Might Duy felt his muscles starting to crack, and immediately charged at the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist of the Mist with all his might. "Even the Seventh Gate has such strong side effects, it seems I only have a few strikes left. In that case, I can only seize the opportunity to eliminate as many enemies as possible."

Just as the Jinin Akebino wielding the blunt knife was about to make his move, the strange man in the green leather bodysuit rushed straight at him with terrifying speed.

"Bump!"

The full-force punch from the Seventh Gate even caused the air to compress drastically. Jinin Akebino didn't even have time to defend himself before being hit by the huge shockwave. The forest and land behind him were instantly cleared, and dust billowed up everywhere.

"What?! The speed was so fast I couldn't even see it! One strike killed a Jonin!"

The others who were about to attack immediately stopped. They weren't fools; the more powerful the move, the greater the side effects. Anyone who dared to attack now would be a fool. "Scatter and retreat. He can't maintain this state for long."

"They must all be killed, or Might Guy will be in danger."

Might Duy felt that one of his hands had completely lost sensation, and he had to make the most of the remaining time, otherwise it would be terrible if his opponent outlasted Eight Gates.

"Now is the time to burn with the passion of my youth!" He resolutely used his chakra to break through the final barrier leading to his heart, "Gate of Death, open!"

Crimson steam enveloped his entire body, and Might Duy's skin began to crack. Enduring the excruciating pain, he charged towards the fleeing Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, his speed so great that he seemed to move through the air without any sign of falling. "Roar!"

When Kushimaru Kuriarare and Munashi Jinpachi fled, they did not separate. In Kirigakure, they were known as the Merciless Duo, with their Exploding Sword Shibuki Long Nuibari both being renowned for their cruelty.

While they were still thinking about how to retaliate, they didn't know that in Might Duy's eyes, these two enemies standing so close together were the best targets to attack.

"Bump!"

A blood-red figure rushed towards the two at incredible speed, punching Kushimaru Kuriarare in the back, splitting his slender waist in two—and this was only after Might Duy deliberately controlled it.

"Cough cough..."

Might Duy felt his body beginning to break down, and with his arm that he could barely lift, he swung it again at Munashi Jinpachi, "Bang!"

The Explosive Tag on the Exploding Sword hadn't even had a chance to ignite before a tremendous force pushed it away, the blade even driving into his body and crashing into a deep crater. A closer look revealed the blade and the man were almost fused together. "No..."

"Boom..." The thought of struggling to survive flashed through his mind as he was already close to death, and then the belated explosion blew his body in two.

"Huff, huff..." Might Duy, whose consciousness was beginning to fade, looked around. The most conspicuous thing in his field of vision was a large white sword. Although he didn't know what it was, it was definitely the right target for him.

The nameless Kirigakure from Kirigakure, wielding the twin swords Hiramekarei, Jonin utterly unlucky. Unaware that in a green forest, the massive, bandaged blades had revealed his escape route.

Having finally obtained this powerful Ninja Blade, he hadn't even had a chance to enjoy its power before it brought him the shadow of death.

The crimson figure rapidly closed the distance between them, using its last strength to fling itself into the air and kicking the onion-headed youth with one foot. "Ah... Hiramekarei, release..."

The Hiramekarei Mist Jonin, who was making a last stand, had just drawn his Hiramekarei when Might Duy kicked him directly at the blade just as it began to expand. It's unknown whether he regretted it before he died; if he had abandoned the sword and fled, he might have been able to save his life.

"Bang!"

Might Duy had just killed the fourth man, fell from the sky and crashed to the ground. The crimson steam disappeared, and his entire body was completely black, with no intact parts left. "Kai, you have to live on..."

Because of the short time available, the remaining three— Juzō Biwa, Suikazan Fuguki, and Raiga Kurosuki— hadn't gone far. When they realized that their four teammates were dead, they scattered and fled without even looking back.

Today, that somewhat comical, thick-browed middle-aged man has become a shadow in their hearts. Staying here doesn't guarantee what will happen, and failing the mission is better than dying outright.

Earlier, while Might Guy and his two companions encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, a separate skirmish also took place at another location.

Below the Signal flare, Ishikawa Tatsuki stood at the forefront, with Asuma, who had just sent the signal, to his side. Yūhi Kurenai stood behind the two and began Hand Seals. There were many ninja tools scattered around them, indicating that they had already been attacked.

"These Konoha brats are quite capable," said Mist Anbu the Kirigakure ANBU, dressed in a loose battle robe and wearing a wavy mask. "The Seven Ninja Swordsmen have been discovered. It seems our first raid was ineffective. Taking down these kids at least made the trip worthwhile."

His three Anbu immediately drew their long swords and charged towards Ishikawa Tatsuki and his two companions along with their captain.

Water Release: Water Wave!

One of them used Water Release along the way, intending to break through the Konoha Squad's formation and then finish off these "newbies" with fierce close combat.

Although Ishikawa Tatsuki had killed many bandits and Genin, he had few real encounters with skilled fighters, and he was slightly flustered when he saw the Mist Anbu rushing over.

Upon seeing the enemy's familiar hand seals, the scene of sparring with Shuichi flashed through his mind, and his body reacted reflexively, shouting, "Earth Release: Earth Return!"

A triangular earthen wall rose up, and the water waves, after hitting the center, were naturally diverted to both sides, while also blocking the approaching force from the opposite side.

"He activated Ninjutsu so quickly?"

The advance of the Mist Anbu was halted. Surprised by the quality of the Konoha Ninja, the experienced leader directed his team to flank them from both sides, while he himself began to Hand Seals on the spot.

"We've already fired the Signal flare; now our main objective is to buy time." Yūhi Kurenai stood at the rear of the group, giving commands; her widest field of vision allowed her to clearly see the enemy's movements.

"Shuichi-kun said that the Hidden Mist Technique takes time to activate, so the enemy definitely won't use it now." With that in mind, she calmly analyzed the situation and said, "I'll handle the enemies on the left, Asuma, hold off the right, Tatsuki, remember to provide timely support."