Intervening

Seeing who had appeared before him, Guy could hardly believe his eyes.

"Dad, why are you here?"

When his companions heard Guy's greeting, they deflated like punctured balloons. His father was famous in Konoha Village as the "Eternal Genin." They couldn't count on him now.

"Run! I'll hold them off."

"Dad, they're all Jonin! How are you supposed to stop them? You shouldn't have come."

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were elite shinobi from the Mist. Only elite Jonin were worthy of wielding their seven swords. Each of them was incredibly powerful, and now there were seven.

"Don't worry. I still have the Eight Gates Formation."

"But..."

"I want to shine just once."

Might Duy cut Guy off. He wanted to be a hero for once, someone whose son could hold his head high and proudly say, "That's my father." Might Duy wanted to show the world what he could do.

"Oh, prey's come right to me. I'll make sure to treat you well."

Zabuza Momochi rested his greatsword against the ground as he spoke.

"Seventh Gate: Gate of Wonder, open!"

Might Duy immediately opened the seventh of the Eight Gates. His opponents wouldn't give him the chance to open the gates one by one; one wrong move, and he wouldn't get the chance to open them at all. Blue steam burst from Might Duy's body, and the resulting shockwave instantly knocked Guy and the others behind him off their feet.

"Whoa, not bad. That's nearly Kage Level!"

Hiding behind a tree, Karot gave his running commentary.

"Dad..."

This was the first time Guy had seen his father open the seventh gate. He'd imagined the Eight Gates Formation would be powerful, but he'd never expected it to be this overwhelming.

"Guy, is that really your father?"

Ebisu gaped at him in stunned disbelief. Usually, Might Duy was just a goofy, friendly neighborhood uncle. This transformation was too much.

Blue steam continued to pour from Might Duy's body. The veins in his forehead bulged as he struggled to suppress the power within him, waiting for an outlet.

Then Might Duy fixed his gaze on Zabuza Momochi. He'd been the first to speak up, after all. Might Duy was simply a man of principle.

He took one step and was already in front of Zabuza before the man could react.

"So fast!"

Zabuza quickly raised Kubikiribōchō across his body. Might Duy's fist struck the blade, and with a single punch, its terrifying force smashed the greatsword in two and sent Zabuza flying.

"Zabuza!"

The other six were shocked. Everything had happened so quickly. A Genin had suddenly gained the strength of a Jonin. Unbelievable!

But they reacted just as quickly, drawing their swords and trying to attack Duy from behind. Suikazan Fuguki swung his blade, and Duy raised an arm to block it. Suikazan Fuguki laughed.

"Hahaha! You fell for it. Let Samehada feast!"

Samehada could absorb an opponent's Chakra. But he was doomed to be disappointed. The blue steam around Might Duy wasn't Chakra.

"Just what I wanted!"

Guy grabbed Samehada and pulled. Suikazan Fuguki couldn't let go in time and went flying toward Might Duy.

"Daytime Tiger!"

A heavy, crushing punch landed squarely in Suikazan Fuguki's chest, killing him on the spot.

Six remained.

"Morning Peacock!"

Might Duy followed with a rapid flurry of punches, sending countless flames crashing toward the Six Ninja Swordsmen. They could do nothing but dodge frantically. Taking advantage of the opening, Might Duy charged at Zabuza. Without Kubikiribōchō, Zabuza was much weaker.

"Daytime Tiger!"

"Daytime Tiger!"

Zabuza dodged the first attack, but not the second. Kubikiribōchō was reduced to a hilt in his hands, and he fell to his knees.

Five remained.

"Cough, cough."

Might Duy's rasping cough rang out across the battlefield.

Might Duy wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and thought, Looks like I can't avoid opening the eighth gate after all.

"Guy, watch closely. This is the eighth gate of the Eight Gates Formation—the Gate of Death."

Suddenly, a hand caught Might Duy by the wrist.

"Duy, you don't need to open the eighth gate for them. Leave the rest to me."

Karot's appearance stunned every shinobi on the battlefield. None of them had sensed how fast he was.

"Oh, Karot. Good thing you're here."

With Karot's arrival, Might Duy didn't have to make that final sacrifice. After all, who would choose to die if they could live?

"Dad!"

Might Guy hurried over to support his father.

"All right, I'll take it from here."

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen stared at Karot.

"White hair, red clothes. You're the Red Demon, Karot."

Raiga Kurosuki spoke up.

"Correct. But there's no prize. Are you going to make the first move, or should I?"

Karot regarded the Seven Ninja Swordsmen with a teasing grin.

"Damn brat! I'll teach you a lesson!"

With that, Raiga Kurosuki swung Raiga and fired a ball of energy. It passed straight through Karot's body.

"Impossible! That can't be!"

What he saw was beyond anything he'd imagined.

Karot had moved so fast that Raiga Kurosuki thought the energy orb had passed through him. In reality, Karot had dodged just before it hit.

"Now it's my turn."

With that, Karot vanished. Raiga Kurosuki looked frantically around, then suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm right here."

Karot's voice came from beside his ear. Before Raiga could move, Karot slammed him into the ground, leaving only his head above the surface. Raiga Kurosuki coughed up blood and died.

Four remained.

The other three leaped away from Karot, who was still smiling. One against four, and Karot had the upper hand.

"Weren't you here to fight me? Why are you backing away?"

The four felt as though they'd fallen into an icy pit, their whole bodies trembling. Karot had moved so fast that they hadn't even noticed him kill Raiga Kurosuki. This was no longer about how to defeat Karot. They had to figure out how to survive.

Even the Mist feared Karot's power, and Might Duy and the others were just as stunned. In only a few seconds, Karot had taken down the shinobi who'd forced them to flee in such disarray. They looked at him with admiration.

"Come on."

Karot beckoned with a finger.

His contempt finally roused the four men's fury. Each of them had survived the brutal selection process in the Blood Mist Village to become one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Now this stranger was looking down on them.

"We have no choice. Fight!"

One of the Mist shinobi formed hand seals, and a thick fog instantly enveloped Karot.

"Mist Village Technique!"

The dense white fog blocked Karot's vision. The four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen attacked in perfect coordination. Their strikes were powerful and came from tricky angles, but Karot dodged every one with ease.

"How can this be? We were so close. Is he toying with us?"

One of them spoke in disbelief.

"Not bad. But even now, you've figured it out in time."

Karot's voice sounded behind him.