This Guy Isn't Simple

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist swept their gazes around and found that there were indeed only three Konoha Ninja surrounded.

Their eyes immediately turned wary.

"That Uchiha who wounded me with a kunai isn't here."

Jinin Akebino gave a grim reminder.

"Forget him for now. He probably got scared and ran off, heh heh! Killing these few first is just the same!"

Suikazan Fuguki, gripping Samehada, let out a sinister laugh. He swung the massive sword and leaped down from the tree, sweeping it horizontally at Sarutobi Shio's waist.

Meanwhile, two of the other Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist simultaneously launched attacks against Hyuga Koji and Uzuki Sen.

The remaining four did not make a move, merely maintaining defensive stances as they prepared to deal with any other enemies who might appear.

It was clear that these seven were highly professional and experienced in combat.

Sarutobi Shio's expression changed slightly as he faced Suikazan Fuguki's sudden attack.

Yet he remained calm in the face of danger and instead shouted, "That Uchiha you mentioned? That's right, he already fled in panic. He's nothing but a coward!"

"The one who'll take you all down here today is your Uncle Sarutobi Shio!!"

As he spoke, two strangely shaped weapons appeared in his hands, and he used both hands to desperately block Suikazan Fuguki's Samehada.

A tremendous force swept toward him.

In just a single clash, Sarutobi Shio was sent flying.

With a dull bang.

Sarutobi Shio's body slammed into the trunk of a large tree more than ten meters away, and blood immediately spilled from the corner of his mouth.

But before he could even catch his breath, Suikazan Fuguki chased after him with a sinister grin.

"You don't actually think that with your little bit of skill, you can turn this around and kill us, do you?"

"Learn to open your eyes properly in your next life!"

Suikazan Fuguki swept his blade out. With a thunderous boom, he severed both Sarutobi Shio and the massive tree that would have taken at least three people to encircle at the waist.

But at that very moment, there was a poof.

The bisected Sarutobi Shio turned into a log.

Seeing his opponent use the Substitution Technique right before his eyes, Suikazan Fuguki sneered. "The kid's got some skill, but this ends here!"

As he spoke, he suddenly launched a powerful kick toward his rear right.

Sarutobi Shio, who had just appeared and was preparing a sneak attack, looked as though he had thrown himself into the kick. He was sent flying more than twenty meters, crashing into another tree and coughing up another mouthful of blood.

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, Rotation!!"

In another direction, Hyuga Koji was fighting Kushimaru Kuriarare, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

His weapon was the long sword Nuibari, shaped like a needle over a meter long.

His attacks were incredibly fast, and their angles were particularly tricky.

Though injured, he still possessed enough combat strength to suppress Hyuga Koji, forcing Hyuga Koji to use the Hyuga Clan's "absolute defense."

"How long can you keep this move up?"

Kushimaru Kuriarare was cold and merciless, continuously attacking Hyuga Koji in his Rotation state from every direction, trying to breach his opponent's defenses.

Seeing her two companions completely unable to fight back under the attacks of their powerful enemies, Uzuki Sen, the team's medical ninja, was at a complete loss and had no idea what to do.

Just as she became distracted, a sinister laugh suddenly sounded behind her. "What are you looking at?"

Hearing the voice behind her, Uzuki Sen shuddered, her face draining of color.

She spun around and saw a massive iron hammer smashing toward her head.

That weapon was Kabutowari, Jinin Akebino's weapon.

Before the beautiful Uzuki Sen could be flattened with a single hammer blow from Jinin Akebino—

At that moment, two kunai suddenly flew out from nowhere, shooting directly toward Jinin Akebino's heart and throat.

"He's here!!"

Jinin Akebino's expression changed drastically as he hurriedly pulled back his weapon to block them.

This time, the attack came from the front.

He was able to spot the incoming kunai immediately and counter them, saving his own life.

But because of that, he missed his chance to kill Uzuki Sen and was scared half to death himself.

The other four Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist who had not made a move also saw that scene clearly.

Hearing Jinin Akebino say that the hidden Uchiha clansman had arrived, they all entered combat readiness.

Yet when they scanned the entire battlefield, they saw no enemy reveal himself.

Everything had happened in the blink of an eye. Just as they were baffled, a wave of heat suddenly surged from behind them.

Firelight illuminated the entire dark forest.

The four Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist spun around in shock and saw a massive fireball over ten meters in diameter flying straight at them.

It was so fast and so powerful that they had no choice but to avoid its edge for the moment.

The four of them leaped in different directions at once, trying to evade the incoming giant fireball.

However, it was as though their retreat routes had already been calculated by this invisible enemy.

The instant they sprang into the air, four enormous spheres of water appeared behind them.

Pfft!

The four Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were actually trapped inside Water Prisons that had appeared out of thin air.

"Is that brat the Uchiha?"

Suikazan Fuguki's side had already more or less decided the outcome.

Dealing with a mere Konoha Chunin, this had already been rather slow by his standards.

Hearing the commotion, he turned around just in time to see his teammates being attacked.

He viciously dragged Samehada, which had been slashed into Sarutobi Shio's left shoulder, downward, making the nearly lifeless Sarutobi Shio—pinned to the tree—spit out another mouthful of blood.

Suikazan Fuguki grinned cruelly and looked up at his four teammates trapped in Water Prisons in midair.

Then, he glanced at Kushimaru Kuriarare, who had also stopped fighting and was standing some distance away on the other side.

"There!"

Kushimaru Kuriarare leaped into the air and charged toward the pitch-black forest ahead.

But the instant he rose into the air, three Kunai suddenly shot out of the darkness, incredibly fast, precise, and vicious.

If Kushimaru Kuriarare did not retreat, at least one of them would strike his body.

With no other choice, Kushimaru Kuriarare swung Nuibari to block them, only to be sent crashing back down to the ground by the force of the impact.

"Is that the Uchiha?"

Suikazan Fuguki's expression turned grave.

At that moment, Jinin Akebino, who had just been driven back by the incoming Kunai, reappeared nearby, still shaken.

Staring into the darkness ahead, he said in a low voice, "Looks like taking him down will require some effort."