Souya leaped backward again, putting some distance between himself and his opponent. He thrust his right hand into the ground, and Chakra surged out. Gold Dust quickly condensed and compressed in his palm.
When Souya pulled his hand out of the ground, he was already gripping a gleaming golden rod!
Souya hurriedly popped a Military Ration Pill into his mouth, but before he could even taste its characteristic bitterness,
the corner of his eye caught a flash of dazzling metal. So fast! His heart tightened.
Clang!
Souya held his rod horizontally to block. Kushimaru Kuriarare had appeared in front of him without warning, bringing down Nuibari with a fierce slash.
Kushimaru's face was hidden behind his mask, so naturally, Souya couldn't read his expression after his attack was blocked.
The two of them traded blows. Souya swung the Gold Rod with a fierce, whistling force, and their weapons clanged together repeatedly.
Suddenly, Kushimaru tugged a long length of fine Steel Wire from the end of Nuibari and swung it forward, trying to ensnare Souya.
Souya wasn't about to let him get away with that. He gripped the Gold Rod with both hands, forced Nuibari back, then twisted hard, winding the Steel Wire around the rod.
After twisting it around, Souya raised his left hand slightly and formed a hand seal.
Snap!
In an instant, Gold Dust surged from the sand beneath Kushimaru's feet, snaking up like ropes in an attempt to bind his legs.
Krrk...
Kushimaru gave a sharp tug. The Steel Wire scraped against the Gold Rod with a grating sound, then slipped free from where it had been wound around the rod. Kushimaru leaped into the air, evading the Gold Dust that surged after him.
In midair, he twisted the Steel Wire in his hand. The length he hadn't yet drawn back sliced across Souya's arm.
This guy! He's way too nimble! Bright red blood welled from the cut on Souya's left arm. The wound wasn't large, but it was deep, and blood poured from his body like a horse that had broken free of its reins.
Steel Wire was a difficult weapon to defend against at close range.
With a rip, Souya tore off a piece of his sleeve and hastily wrapped it tightly around the wound. Only then did a piercing pain begin to set in.
"Ninja Art: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"
The other two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen didn't just stand by. They seized the moment Souya faltered and launched their techniques.
Souya could only direct Gold Dust upward to block the water dragon, then roll to the side.
But he never expected that the two Lightning Balls speeding toward him were merely feints. The moment they touched the Gold Dust, they vanished into two wisps of faint blue smoke.
Souya's heart clenched violently, as if an invisible hand had seized it and squeezed hard.
His temples throbbed. It seemed the shadow of death had appeared behind him, swinging a scythe to claim his life.
At this critical moment, Souya's thoughts raced faster than ever before, but his body was unnaturally stiff, as if time and space had frozen around him.
Move! Move, damn it! Souya roared inwardly, trying to command his body.
He could already glimpse the dazzling flash of electricity below him. The feeling of danger had locked onto him.
At last, Souya summoned all his strength. His hands managed to move, and the Chakra within him began to flow as he directed it.
Gold Dust rose beneath Souya's feet, forming a wall.
Boom!
A streak of silvery-white electricity shot toward him. The lightning was like a venomous snake that had lain in wait, finally seizing its chance to bare its fangs and strike hard against the Gold Dust wall.
But the wall, hastily thrown together, clearly wasn't strong enough. The current pierced straight through it and bit into Souya.
"Aah!"
Souya looked like a light bulb hooked up to a high-voltage line. Blinding silver light flared, and silvery-white electricity engulfed him.
Pain! A numbing agony overwhelmed his mind in an instant!
Electricity rampaged through Souya's body, destroying every bit of flesh it encountered.
Sizzle!
Souya's body shook violently like a sieve. His muscles spasmed from being struck by the high-voltage current.
"Hah!"
After a moment, Souya fought to control his body and spat out a breath tinged with wisps of black smoke. His skin had also turned faintly charred. He was probably burned and scorched to varying degrees all over.
Fortunately, the Gold Dust wall had absorbed some of the blow. Otherwise, he'd probably have met his end here today.
"So much for the 'smoke means no damage' rule. I start smoking and I'm immediately badly injured..." Souya still had enough strength to grumble.
The Water Dragon Bullet launched by Suikazan Fuguki also crashed into the layer of Gold Dust Souya had raised. But the layer had been infused with plenty of Chakra. The water dragon burst apart on contact, scattering into a shower of water that reflected dazzling colors.
Souya forced his trembling hands to form hand seals. He had to escape while his enemies were busy attacking.
"I got too cocky..." Souya thought of Gaara's "Sand Coffin."
If only his Magnet Release: Gold Dust could develop a will of its own and protect him automatically. Then he wouldn't have taken that lightning strike.
And compared to Naruto's ridiculously tough body, this level of attack would probably have been nothing more than a "scratch."
Souya gathered up all the Chakra he had left and poured it into the ground at once.
A mass of Gold Dust rapidly rose from the earth, lifted Souya up, then shot straight away from the battlefield with a whoosh.
"That brat's trying to run! Stop him!" Suikazan Fuguki bellowed.
"How are we supposed to stop him? Can you fly?" Raiga Kurosuki panted, needling him. He had released high-level techniques again and again during the fierce battle. Even with the help of Thunder Blades, he had barely any Chakra left.
Kushimaru said nothing. Behind his mask, he simply watched Souya's distant figure.
"That brat has huge potential. We didn't finish him off today, and he'll be trouble in the future..." Suikazan Fuguki regretfully stroked Samehada in his hand.
"What village doesn't have a genius or two?"
"The Yellow Flash of Konoha, the AB Brothers of Kumogakure... They're all a lot harder to deal with than this brat!"
"With Sunagakure's strength, they can't make much of a splash. Our mission this time was only to give them a warning. Otherwise, they'd really think they could stay out of this!"
"Don't forget, our more important mission is to deal with Konoha!" Raiga actually acknowledged Souya's strength and argued back.
"Yeah... Konoha has been getting far too much attention lately..." Suikazan Fuguki sighed at the mention of Konoha.
Before you continue