Battle Against the Ninja Swordsmen Again

"Eighty, eighty, eighty!"

Taking advantage of Mind's Eye of the Kagura's foresight, Namikaze Yoru turned into a battlefield scavenger.

Watching the steadily rising numbers, he even felt the serenity of entering Sage Mode.

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[Host: Namikaze Yoru]

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Sensing that the people across the battlefield, more than ten kilometers away, had all gathered toward the center of Uzushiogakure, Namikaze Yoru figured Uzushiogakure likely would not be able to hold out much longer.

Just as he was about to leave, Namikaze Yoru suddenly sensed two familiar Chakra signatures heading toward the small house where he had originally hidden.

"Genin Kato and Genin Kiyomizu? What are those two doing entering the battlefield?"

Konoha ninja left special markers along their infiltration routes so that later reinforcements could determine their path by following those marks. Those two had followed the markers left behind by Jonin Ito.

As for Namikaze Yoru, he had been too immersed in the joy of looting corpses to remember such a thing.

Now that he saw the two violating Jonin Ito's orders and failing to retreat in time, Namikaze Yoru did not believe they had come out of kindness to meet up with him.

Increasing the range of his senses, he vaguely discovered an unfamiliar Chakra signature not far from them.

That unfamiliar ninja was indeed quite skilled at concealing himself. If Namikaze Yoru had not searched carefully, he truly would not have noticed him.

But there were no what-ifs. What ninja battles tested was intelligence, and with the advantage of foresight, Namikaze Yoru decided to run while he could.

Just as he was about to avoid the two and leave in the opposite direction, another familiar Chakra signature appeared within his senses. Jonin Ito was also heading toward the small house.

"It's up ahead."

Kiyomizu Kenjin and Kato Taka wore slightly unnatural expressions as they followed the coded markers through the ruins of the battlefield.

Before long, they arrived at the small house. Seeing the pool of blood in front of it and the headless Mist Ninja, they were certain that a fierce battle had taken place here.

Before they could call out, they were about to push open the door.

Then they saw Namikaze Yoru emerge from the house, his expression icy as he sternly rebuked them, "I told you two to remain on standby. Why did you disobey orders?!"

The two were also taken aback to see Namikaze Yoru. But being reprimanded by a junior made their expressions turn ugly as they replied, "Kid, watch your tone. We came to provide support. Where is Jonin Ito?"

Without answering their question, Namikaze Yoru's sharp gaze swept over their slightly trembling hands. At the same time, he noticed the nearly imperceptible steel wires tied around their ankles.

"You disobeyed orders and infiltrated the battlefield. And how do you explain the 'tail' behind you?"

Before the two could explain, a voice as cold as a venomous snake sounded from the shadows behind them. "Oh? You noticed me. Not all Konoha ninja are trash after all."

Kushimaru Kuriarare, wearing a ghastly pale mask, appeared like a ghost. With a slight tug of the long blade Nuibari in his hand, the nearly invisible steel wires instantly gleamed with a chilling light, binding Kiyomizu Kenjin and Kato Taka tightly. Blood immediately began flowing along the wires.

"Looks like this is your other teammate." Kushimaru Kuriarare examined Namikaze Yoru's young face, his tone somewhat teasing.

"Tell me where your team's jonin is, and I might consider sparing you."

Namikaze Yoru promptly put on an angry expression and glared at the two as he cursed, "You betrayed the village!"

Kato Taka's face turned pale as he lowered his head in shame.

Kiyomizu Kenjin, however, broke down and shouted, "What were we supposed to do? We didn't even have a chance to resist! We want to live too!"

"Too much nonsense."

Kushimaru Kuriarare seemed to have lost his patience. The long blade in his hand moved slightly, and the wires upon it tightened once more, ready to kill the two.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."

At that moment, Jonin Ito had already returned. A continuous stream of Fire Style flames burst from his mouth and shot rapidly toward Kushimaru Kuriarare.

Kushimaru Kuriarare reacted swiftly as well. Seeing that Jonin Ito had appeared, he did not dare let down his guard. He immediately abandoned the two under his wire control and flipped backward, retreating as lightly as a feather.

His long blade danced through the air, cutting apart several fireballs whose power had weakened by then due to the distance.

"Are you two all right?"

Seeing Kushimaru Kuriarare retreat, Makoto Ito flashed forward and stood in front of Namikaze Yoru, warily staring at the powerful enemy before them.

Catching sight from the corner of his eye of Kiyomizu and Kato, who had been taken hostage and then freed, he instantly understood the situation.

"Deal with the enemy in front of us first. Genin Namikaze, adapt to the situation."

After saying that, he made a gesture to Namikaze Yoru to leave immediately. It seemed he intended to hold off Kushimaru Kuriarare himself.

"The big fish has taken the bait. Catching small fry on the outskirts has bored me to death." Kushimaru Kuriarare's voice remained cold, though there was less mockery in his words.

Battle was about to erupt!

As an experienced jonin, Makoto Ito continuously used Fire Style and Earth Style, coordinating the two with practiced skill.

As he cast ninjutsu, he constantly kept Kushimaru Kuriarare at a distance and never lingered in one place for long. After all, against Nuibari, prolonged combat was like a carefully woven net—one careless move, and he would fall into its wire trap.

Meanwhile, Namikaze Yoru grabbed the mobility-impaired Kiyomizu Kenjin and Kato Taka and continually retreated toward the Dense Forest.

In the fierce battle, Makoto Ito was ultimately no match for Kushimaru Kuriarare. The latter seized an opening and slashed his arm, affecting his ability to cast ninjutsu.

"Now! Longsword Ninjutsu: Earth Spider Stitch."

Kushimaru Kuriarare seized the chance. Countless steel wires erupted around Makoto Ito like the massive trawl net of an ocean fishing vessel, instantly drawing tight.

Though Makoto Ito desperately tried to dodge, the wires ultimately severed both his legs. Even more wires embedded deeply into his flesh, leaving him drenched in blood.

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse. Namikaze Yoru, burdened with two deadweights, had not managed to flee far when Kushimaru Kuriarare swung Nuibari, sending dense steel wires streaking toward the three of them.

Seeing Kushimaru Kuriarare turn to pursue his subordinates, Makoto Ito wanted to save them. But having lost both legs, he could only watch as the three were engulfed by the wires.

"It's over."

Kushimaru Kuriarare delivered the cold verdict, then turned back to face Jonin Ito. Nuibari stabbed straight toward Makoto Ito's throat.

"Splash."

Yet within the wire restraints, Namikaze Yoru turned into a puddle of water.

At the same time, within the nearby Dense Forest, Namikaze Yoru's real body seized this hard-won opportunity. His hands swiftly formed the hand seals he had long prepared.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!" (the honest 44-hand-sign version)

A massive water dragon roared as it charged at the somewhat less vigilant Kushimaru Kuriarare, catching him completely off guard. After all, during his earlier interrogation, Kiyomizu and Genin Ito had already revealed that only an ordinary four-man squad had come here.

"Water Style: Water Wall Technique."

Kushimaru Kuriarare hurriedly turned to block. As he cast the Water Wall Technique, a large amount of Chakra gathered on Nuibari, and the steel wires wove themselves into a net.

The Water Dragon Bullet smashed through the hastily formed Water Wall with unstoppable force, but it ultimately lacked momentum and was sliced apart by the dense wire net.

Jonin Ito, who had been temporarily ignored, kept his hands moving as well, forcibly gathering Chakra.

"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"

Even from some distance away, the blazing flames still carried formidable power. Attacked from both front and back, Kushimaru Kuriarare was finally forced into danger.