Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Sand Puppet Force

"How is this possible! Kirigakure's..."

"Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!"

"Why would they appear in a place like this?"

Everyone cried out in shock and disbelief.

The Land of Water was east of the Land of Fire, and the Land of Wind was west of the Land of Fire. Had the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist traveled halfway across the Land of Fire to the west?

This was precisely because the Hyuga clan's reconnaissance efforts were primarily focused westward, with virtually no sentries stationed in the east.

As a result, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were only discovered when they were already dangerously close to the troops.

And they were only discovered because the enemy revealed themselves!

At the front of the formation, the Hyuga brothers blocked the path of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

"Are you invading the Land of Fire to start a war?" Hyuga Hiashi's face was ashen as he angrily rebuked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Suikazan Fuguki, his belly protruding, stepped forward with a sinister grin.

"War? Heh heh, hasn't war already begun?"

"Samehada? You're Suikazan Fuguki!" Hyuga Hiashi gritted his teeth and cursed, though he didn't truly want to engage these individuals.

Each of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was a Jonin, with varying strengths.

However, when paired with Kirigakure's seven special ninja swords, their strength surged to that of elite Jonin.

Even... Kage-level!

Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga were solid Jonin, and with their unique Byakugan, they could contend with elite Jonin.

But the others might not fare so well against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Although the troop numbered close to three thousand, over ninety percent were Chunin and elite Chunin.

The number of Jonin was only in the dozens, less than a hundred.

Furthermore, many of them were Special Jonin.

A mere difference in a single word, yet a world of difference in strength.

While Special Jonin wouldn't be instantly cut down like vegetables by elite Jonin, it was virtually impossible for a Special Jonin to defeat an elite Jonin.

There was another, even more crucial reason: this troop was the fresh reinforcement force heading to the western Konoha camp to aid in the defense against Sunagakure.

They were not meant to fight to the death against this group of Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

If they suffered heavy losses, Hyuga Hiashi, as the leader of the troops, would face immense difficulty, even as the clan head of a prominent Konoha family.

"Chunin retreat, Jonin assemble, prepare to face the enemy!" After a moment's hesitation, Hyuga Hiashi made his decision.

If he used the Chunin as cannon fodder, they might be able to keep these seven here.

But he wasn't confident enough, so he abandoned that idea.

"Trying to escape?" Jūzō Biwa, carrying Kubikiribōchō on his back, bared his fangs in a strange grin.

"Don't get cocky!" Hizashi Hyuga, enraged, unleashed an Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm.

Suikazan Fuguki grinned, leaped forward, and with a mighty downward slash of the enormous Samehada, he cleaved the attack in two.

Bang!!

The Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, split in two, struck a nearby rock, emitting a dull thud.

Upon closer inspection, the hard stone was found to have been shattered into powder!

"What terrifying power!~" Kushimaru Kuriarare chuckled eerily, his voice devoid of any fear, instead carrying a hint of disdain.

"Damn it!" The veins around Hizashi Hyuga's eyes bulged, revealing a network of grotesque vessels.

"Don't be rash, Hizashi!" Hyuga Hiashi grabbed Hizashi's arm. All they needed to do was wait for the troops to evacuate safely.

Buying time was the most critical objective right now.

The Chunin quickly retreated with the provisions, while nearly a hundred Jonin remained.

One hundred against seven, the numbers held a significant advantage.

However, reputation preceded them; the power of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was forged through their individual prowess and their swords.

But the ninjas of Konoha were not to be trifled with either!

The atmosphere was oppressive, and dark clouds gathered in the sky.

It felt as though a torrential downpour was imminent.

An invisible force seemed to be compressing the space, and the eerie atmosphere caused the air to solidify.

Suddenly!

"Attack!" Jūzō Biwa shouted, swinging his thick arm, Kubikiribōchō falling into his grasp.

Immediately, he charged straight into the Konoha army formation alone.

Hyuga Hiashi's expression darkened. How arrogant!

They weren't taking the hundred Jonin seriously at all!

Even a Special Jonin is still a Jonin. Did these seven guys think of them all as mere cabbage and tofu?

"Too arrogant! Take them down!"

"Take their ninja swords, and they'll be useless!"

"It's time to hand over the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist's ninja swords!"

The Konoha villagers were filled with righteous indignation. With a wave of Hyuga Hiashi's hand, everyone madly surged towards the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

The battle was about to break out!

On the other side, Tōka was rapidly retreating with the Chunin troops.

Fighting against elite Jonin and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was still too early for him.

Although unwilling, Tōka was not an impulsive person.

Compared to hot-blooded battles, he preferred using his brain.

"I feel like this isn't that simple," Tōka said in a low voice to Might Duy beside him as he walked in the middle of the troop.

"Did you discover something?" Might Duy knew that Tōka's intellect was by no means measurable by his young appearance.

Tōka remained silent, but his mind was racing.

He was thinking...

Since Kirigakure dared to target this unit, they definitely wouldn't send only the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were very strong, capable of fighting against two or three Kage-level powerhouses.

But this time, Konoha had sent an elite force of three thousand people to reinforce the border!

There was no shortage of powerhouses like elite Jonin in the troop.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would have to be out of their minds to think they could take down these three thousand people with their seven selves.

It would be impossible for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to take down the Hyuga brothers without paying some price.

Therefore, there was only one explanation left!

"There's likely an ambush here!"

As soon as Tōka's words fell.

BOOM!

A huge explosion rang out.

What followed were continuous explosions and raging fires that engulfed the sky.

Dust and sand flew everywhere, sweeping across the entire land.

Everything within sight was consumed by raging flames.

Nearly half of the troop ahead was completely swallowed by the fires ignited by Explosive Tags.

"Ambush! Retreat quickly!"

A Chunin shouted in alarm, but his voice was completely drowned out by the continuous Explosive Tags.

RUMBLE!

As if the sky and earth were collapsing, a giant mushroom cloud shot up into the sky, and the terrifying shockwave struck like a tide.

The giant trees in the Konoha forest were violently pressed to the ground.

Everyone stared in horror at the scene of hell before them.

"How could this happen..."

"They're dead, all dead!"

In an instant, the troop suffered more than half casualties, with over a hundred people killed directly by the Explosive Tags.

The number of injured and crippled was countless.

Tōka and Duy had deliberately slowed down while talking, so they fell to the rear of the troop.

The explosion of the trap ahead did not affect the two of them.

One wave had not subsided before another arose!

CRACKLE CRACKLE!

A strange joint sound suddenly echoed from the forest, a wooden joint sound.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

Hundreds of dark figures rushed out from the shadows.

A sky full of senbon rained down like a drizzle, the icy breath of death permeating the entire forest.

"Quick, retreat! It's the Sand Puppet Force from Sunagakure!!"

"This is a trap, send a signal quickly!"

After several setbacks, everyone hadn't even recovered from the previous explosions.

Immediately following, the puppet army advanced, and in an instant, another large group of Chunin were injured and poisoned.

The Sand Puppet Force's greatest strength is poison, and they are equipped with potent toxins personally concocted by the Shadow-level expert, Grandmother Chiyo.

Even a mere graze from a senbon was enough to be fatal!

Suddenly!!

A green blur broke through the layers of smoke, appearing directly on the front lines.

"Stop! Don't you dare lay a hand on my comrades!" Might Duy shouted, leaping forward and spinning 360 degrees in the air.

"Konoha Strong Gale!"

Bang!!

One man, one leg instantly sent a group of puppets swarming towards him flying.

The wooden puppets were no match for Might Duy's attacks.

The powerful shockwave forcefully pushed back the Sand Puppet Force.

"Kappa?"

"Watermelon rind?"

"What's that green light on his body?"

The Sand Shinobi puppet masters, hiding in the rear, watched in astonishment as Might Duy single-handedly separated the battlefield.

The injured Konoha shinobi retreating behind also stared at him, dumbfounded.

Wasn't Might Duy just a Genin responsible for transporting supplies in their squad?

In the end, they still had to rely on him to protect everyone?

The faces of the Konoha shinobi changed, revealing expressions of disbelief.

Half a day earlier, at the gates of Konohagakure, three thousand elite troops were assembled.

Chunin made up ninety-nine percent of the force, with about a hundred Jonin. Strangely, there were two Genin in the squad.

A seven-year-old brat, and a perennial Genin – Might Duy.

Might Duy was someone without talent for Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, who only became a Genin through Taijutsu.

And such a person, bearing the title of Genin, performed only the most basic missions.

Twenty years!!

He had trained Taijutsu for twenty years.

Yet, he still hadn't become a Chunin.

In the eyes of everyone, Might Duy was a complete failure with no ninja talent.

However, the world's opinions seemed to never affect him.

Might Duy always greeted everyone with a smile, taking all their words as encouragement.

And he always wore a strange green jumpsuit, with watermelon-rind hair, looking exactly like a kappa.

In Konohagakure's ninja circles, Might Duy was quite famous.

The title of failure, the title of perennial Genin, only knowing Taijutsu, having no ninja talent.

This stood in stark contrast to the title of genius held by Kakashi, who graduated from the Ninja Academy at five and became a Chunin at six.

Such a guy was actually part of the elite squad supporting the western front?!

"Why is this failure in the squad?"

"And what's with that kid, do they expect us to be babysitters?"

"Looks like he pulled some strings to tag along for a escort mission!"

"As long as he doesn't drag us down, nothing else matters."

Harsh words echoed through the squad, their contempt for Might Duy evident.

Even Tōka, standing nearby, was ignored.

Hyuga Hiashi, the highest commander of the unit, noticed the commotion but merely glanced at Might Duy before turning his head away.

Hyuga Hizashi, on the other hand, tried to speak a few times but was glared into silence by Hyuga Hiashi.

Tōka's face darkened, and he remained silent, though a chilling coldness covered his eyes.

Tōka could remain detached from other people's affairs.

But when it came to his own affairs, Tōka absolutely could not stand it!

In Konohagakure, Might Duy and Might Guy were the only two people Tōka truly recognized.

To recognize the ninja way they adhered to, Might Duy spent twenty years of his life forging the forbidden Eight Inner Gates.

Day after day, year after year, rain or shine.

Marks of punches and kicks on the large tree stumps in the forest.

The calluses on the palms and backs of their hands, the wounds of various sizes on their bodies from training.

Their perseverance, their ninja way, were worthy of respect.

A bunch of useless trash who knew nothing!

Just a bunch of petty Chunin!!

To shamelessly judge others!!!

It was truly disgusting!

Crack!

A gray bone filled with the stench of decay extended from Tōka's fingertips.

The thought of killing these disgusting humans surfaced in Tōka's mind, lingering for a long time.

Suddenly!

A large hand landed on Tōka's shoulder.

Might Duy gave a thumbs-up, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth at the crowd who had been mocking him.

"Thank you all for your support, I will continue to work hard in the future!"

Clang!!

Gleaming teeth, off-the-charts confidence, a reflective bowl cut, and a green jumpsuit that hugged his curves.

He successfully blinded the onlookers. The surrounding Chunin mechanically turned their heads.

"When you encounter enemies, take care of them."

"That's true, they are comrades after all."

"I doubt any enemy would dare approach him."

"That's also true, especially with that evil-warding green jumpsuit."

The killing intent that Tōka had gathered in his eyes instantly dissipated.

He glanced at Might Duy inexplicably, clenched his fist, and turned away.

He had really been impulsive just now. He had been living a peaceful life for too long and seemed to have forgotten that this was a very dangerous place.

Tōka secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Might Duy had stopped him.

Before absolute power is attained, everything requires—acting within one's capabilities.

For a moment, the team returned to a state of calm.

Might Duy, standing behind Tōka, looked at the small, receding figure, a warmth welling up in his eyes.

"Kai, did you see that?"

His twenty years of effort had not been in vain; at least one person had truly recognized him from the heart.

"Thank you, Tōka, thank you for your recognition!"

"Sixth Gate, Gate of View, open!!"

"It's not over yet!"

Might Duy stood in a lunging stance, his fists clenched, veins like centipedes bulging on his forehead and neck.

"Seventh Gate..."

"Gate of Wonder, open!!"

With a roar from Might Duy, his body began to emit blue gas.

Blue steam generated from evaporating sweat!

"If you want to harm my comrades, you'll have to step over my dead body!"

Might Duy's skin turned red, and his pupils seemed to disappear.

He threw a powerful punch with his clasped fists.

A straightforward punch, without any fancy moves.

The sky and earth seemed to crack, and exaggerated air currents transformed into tangible shockwaves.

Wherever they touched the ground, it was flipped over.

The earth cracked open, and space trembled.

A powerful pillar of air shot directly into the heart of the Sand Puppet Force.

RUMBLE!!

In less than a breath, a deafening explosion rang out.