Who Exactly Are You?

Uchiha Daiki had always wondered why the other three members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had managed to survive after facing Might Duy, who had opened the Eight Inner Gates.

That was a powerful ninjutsu that had nearly killed even Madara Uchiha with a single kick.

And now, he finally knew the reason.

Suikazan Fuguki, Juzo Biwa, and Raiga Kurosuki had never possessed the resolve to fight their opponent to the death.

The moment they encountered even a slightly tough opponent, they immediately retreated and fled.

That was why they had survived even after Might Duy opened the Eight Inner Gates.

Meanwhile, Munashi Jinpachi, Jinin Akebino, Kushimaru Kuriarare, and Hozuki Senjin, who had stayed behind and chosen to fight head-on, became the first four ghosts to die beneath the Eight Inner Gates.

But now, the one killing those four was not Might Duy, but Uchiha Daiki.

Without Suikazan Fuguki and Juzo Biwa assisting them, Jinin Akebino, Munashi Jinpachi, and Hozuki Senjin gave it everything they had, trying to cause Uchiha Daiki trouble.

Yet they had still underestimated the boost that Advanced Body Flicker Technique gave Uchiha Daiki.

Among all martial arts, only speed was unbeatable.

When Uchiha Daiki went all out and used Advanced Body Flicker Technique, his entire body became a wind that was nearly impossible to catch.

"This blade will stab you in the kidney."

Uchiha Daiki's voice was like that of a judge of death claiming a life. At the same moment his voice sounded beside him, a sharp kunai viciously stabbed into Hozuki Senjin's lower back from the side.

However, after the kunai pierced his opponent's body, Uchiha Daiki discovered that the struck area was soft and offered no resistance.

It felt as though he had not struck flesh, but a mass of flowing water.

Sure enough, when he looked down, he saw that Hozuki Senjin's body had turned liquid.

"The Hozuki Clan's Water Release: Water Transformation makes us immune to all physical attacks! Die, Uchiha brat!!"

Jinin Akebino swung his blade from behind.

He raised Kabutowari, the axe-like blunt blade, high with both hands before chopping it down directly.

The attack carried the force of splitting a mountain.

If it landed, it would easily cleave his opponent's body in two.

Yet just as he was about to succeed, Uchiha Daiki vanished from before his eyes.

"Damn it... this guy's speed is a real nuisance!"

Jinin Akebino muttered furiously to himself.

He had no idea how many times this was that his attack had failed.

Being toyed with by an Uchiha brat, spun around in circles without ever being able to hit his opponent, left him deeply frustrated.

"Move aside! Let me deal with him!!"

Munashi Jinpachi shouted at the other two.

Immediately afterward, he prepared to deploy an enormous Explosive Tag formation around them and blast Uchiha Daiki to death.

"Watch me blow you away!!"

Munashi Jinpachi loudly warned his other two companions again, telling them to watch out for the ultimate move he was about to unleash.

But at that moment, his body suddenly jolted.

"How is this possible... when did it happen??"

His body suddenly felt as though it had been petrified, completely unable to move. Munashi Jinpachi instantly realized that he had been caught by something.

"Binding Phantom Technique? I didn't expect that brat had gotten you too!"

When Jinin Akebino saw Munashi Jinpachi's condition, he immediately understood what had happened.

He instantly leaped over, intending to help Munashi Jinpachi clear the Chakra within his body and restore his ability to move freely.

But at that very moment, two kunai suddenly shot silently toward him from behind his left side like ghosts.

Two dull thuds rang out.

Jinin Akebino's entire body stiffened, and he fell face-first to the ground.

He had previously been wounded by Uchiha Daiki's kunai, and his injuries had not fully healed. He had only been holding on through bandages that stopped the bleeding and his extraordinary physique.

By this point in the battle, those previous injuries had already greatly affected his strength.

Now that he had once again been struck by Uchiha Daiki's unerringly accurate kunai, worsening his injuries, he temporarily lost his ability to fight.

That left only Hozuki Senjin to face the terrifying Uchiha Daiki alone.

"Who exactly are you?"

Hozuki Senjin slowly returned to normal from his liquefied state. At the same time, a thick mist suddenly began to spread through the area.

The dense fog blocked everyone's vision.

Hozuki Senjin's voice seemed to come from all directions, making it difficult to pinpoint his position.

"Even if you remembered my name, you wouldn't have any chance to reveal it. Still, I'll tell you, so you can die without regrets."

"My name is Uchiha Daiki."

With his powerful senses, using a three-dimensional assessment from multiple angles—sound, smell, sight, and more—Uchiha Daiki could easily lock onto his opponent's exact location even within the dense fog.

As he answered Hozuki Senjin's question, he had already unknowingly arrived behind his opponent.

Yet Hozuki Senjin remained completely unaware.

He was still feeling his way toward the spot where Uchiha Daiki had spoken moments earlier.

To Uchiha Daiki, his cautious, sneaking movements looked utterly ridiculous.

After reaching the approximate location, Hozuki Senjin viciously slashed forward with Hiramekarei.

But the attack hit nothing.

That greatly surprised him.

"Are you looking for me?"

A teasing voice abruptly sounded behind him. Hozuki Senjin's whole body shuddered as though struck by lightning.

"How could this be..."

His body seemed frozen in place, unable to move.

Cold sweat instantly streamed down his cheeks.

"This time, can your Water Transformation Technique still save you?"

Uchiha Daiki smiled teasingly. His hands had already completed the hand seals, and he directly spat a massive fireball at the opponent before him.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The enormous fireball generated terrifying heat.

It instantly evaporated all the dense fog around them and forced Hozuki Senjin, who was in his Water Transformation Technique state, back into his original form.

"Don't underestimate a Hozuki Clan powerhouse! Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!!"

Borrowing the tremendous impact of Uchiha Daiki's fireball attack, Hozuki Senjin leaped forward with the momentum, then turned and unleashed a powerful Water Release ninjutsu at Uchiha Daiki.

In the blink of an eye, an immense torrent surged toward Uchiha Daiki like a flood, crushing everything in its path.

But Uchiha Daiki did not clash head-on with his Water Release. Instead, he arrived before Munashi Jinpachi, whom he had restrained with Binding Phantom Technique.

"So many Explosive Tags. This sword must be worth quite a bit, huh?"

"Then I'll gladly take it."

Like a demon, Uchiha Daiki spoke as he snatched Exploding Blade Shibuki from his opponent's hand, while with his other hand, he viciously drove a sharp kunai into the enemy's chest, piercing his heart.