"Cough, cough..."
Masked shattered, blood poured from Kushimaru Kuriarare's mouth, and his life force rapidly faded. Yet his gaze had fallen on Yoru.
"Yoru... I didn't expect you to be here too. Was that intense chakra battle to the east just now your doing?"
[Detected same-faction B-rank target "Kushimaru Kuriarare." Side quest triggered.] Quest (1): Save Kushimaru Kuriarare and bring him back to Kirigakure; quest reward: 5,000 Points! -
"Your assassination target just had his people gang up on me. I nearly died there, Lord Kushimaru Kuriarare."
Hearing the system's voice, Yoru's hand glowed with the light of Responded, which he placed over the wound in Kushimaru Kuriarare's lower abdomen, pierced through by Nuibari.
But Kushimaru Kuriarare's life force continued to fade rapidly. In just a few breaths, his face had turned deathly pale.
"Are your eyes injured...? I'm sorry you had to face an opponent like that. There was a huge intelligence failure, and Konoha actually had a trump card like that... Might Duy..."
"This level of medical ninjutsu won't help. Don't waste your chakra. Also, you've completed your mission to draw their attention, but now I have a new task for you."
Kushimaru Kuriarare grabbed Yoru's hand, stopping him from using Responded any further. Instead, he pressed Yoru's palm against Nuibari's hilt.
"Bring the Ninja Blades back to Kirigakure!"
"Lord Kushimaru Kuriarare..."
Yoru furrowed his brow.
"Not just Nuibari. You must bring back Juzo's Kubikiribōchō and the others' blades too."
"That guy may be a monster, but you... You know I've always had faith in you. This mission may be difficult, but if anyone can do it, you can."
"No matter what... Konoha must not take Kirigakure's Ninja Blades..."
Before he could finish, Kushimaru Kuriarare's life force faded away completely. Yet his hand still clutched Yoru's tightly.
And Nuibari, too.
Looking at Kushimaru Kuriarare's lifeless body, then at the battlefield drawing ever closer, where water was already beginning to surge, Yoru didn't know what to say.
How the hell was he supposed to fight that? That was youth's daddy! Was he supposed to fight him with his head?!
Quest failed. Yoru pulled Nuibari from Kushimaru Kuriarare's body, took a sealing scroll from his waist, and sealed the blade along with the corpse inside. He was getting ready to pack up and make a quick getaway.
But the next moment, the trees in front of him exploded with a thunderous crash, and a terrifying chakra cyclone surged past.
The terrifying shockwave didn't hit Yoru, but it destroyed every tree in front of him, leaving him completely exposed to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and Might Duy.
"I really..."
The sudden blast froze Yoru in place. Inside, he felt like a thousand horses were stampeding.
"So you're really forcing me into this, huh?!"
Looking at the battlefield in front of him, Yoru felt his chest, where the bones had only been temporarily set and hadn't healed at all, then sighed.
First, he'd ambushed Shuangtian Town to fight Uchiha Shisui and Sarutobi Shinnosuke. Then he'd run into Jiraiya and a team of Konoha Jonin.
And now he had to take on Might Duy.
Was he some kind of special general, getting thrown straight into Forty-Eight Hours of Hell?!
No wonder Kirigakure had become the weakest of the Five Great Villages in the original story, with no one but Terumi Mei worth a damn. The rest were all useless.
Who could handle this kind of intensity?!
A few minutes earlier.
On the nearby battlefield, the fight between the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and Might Duy had already reached its boiling point.
The forest had become a lake.
The sharp clash of blades and the explosions churned the water into a frenzy. But even more terrifying was the figure who had been swallowed by a Water Dragon just moments before!
"Seventh Gate, Gate of Wonder..."
"Open!"
A furious roar came from beneath the water.
The next moment, a middle-aged ninja in a dark green bodysuit burst out of the water. His thick brows and wide eyes stood out, and the chakra surging from him was so fierce that the air hissed around him.
In an instant, he vanished from in front of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. As he kicked Kushimaru Kuriarare flying, Might Duy also punched the swordsman nearby who wielded the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei.
The guy didn't even have time for last words before he died on the spot.
"Damn you!"
Munashi Jinpachi raised the Exploding Blade Shibuki and swung it hard at Might Duy, but Duy merely shifted to the side and dodged it with ease.
Jinin Akebino charged in from the side too, but Might Duy's speed was beyond imagination. One moment, he was beneath Jinin Akebino's Bluntsword; the next, he was in front of Pipa Juzo.
Pipa Juzo immediately swung Kubikiribōchō at Might Duy, but the attack, which seemed certain to hit, missed once again.
"What, an afterimage?!"
The shock had barely registered when Might Duy appeared at his side, a sweeping kick whistling toward him.
Pipa Juzo only had time to raise Kubikiribōchō in front of himself before he and the blade were sent flying.
"Ugh!"
Pipa Juzo spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of his organs. The Kubikiribōchō in front of him shattered into pieces!
"Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon Tornado!"
But while Might Duy was attacking Pipa Juzo, Raiga Kurosuki finally reacted. He crossed Kiba in his hands and released every last bit of chakra in his body. A twisting, spiraling Lightning Dragon roared as it swallowed Might Duy whole!
"Boom!!"
Lightning blazed as the Lightning Dragon engulfed Might Duy completely.
But before Raiga Kurosuki could breathe a sigh of relief, Suikazan Fuguki, bulky with layers of fat, suddenly paled.
"Not good!"
"Raiga, dodge!"
As he shouted, Suikazan Fuguki formed Hand Seals with both hands, so quickly that they left afterimages.
"Suiton!"
"Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
Suikazan Fuguki's cheeks swelled. All the chakra in his body gathered, and a massive Suiton jutsu surged from his mouth like a waterfall, charging toward Might Duy, who was engulfed in lightning!
"Rumble!!"
Lightning flashed and thunder roared overhead, while wind and rain battered the earth. At that moment, it seemed the whole world was trembling.
As Samehada's wielder, Suikazan Fuguki possessed a terrifying amount of chakra. His all-out "Great Dam Whoosh" could even create a massive lake!
His surging Suiton was like a tsunami. Combined with Raiga Kurosuki's Lightning Release, the two had formed a perfect combo.
But soon, they realized something was wrong.
Might Duy, who had been swallowed by the Bursting Water Shockwave and the Lightning Dragon, was standing there completely unharmed. It was as though their imposing combination jutsu hadn't caused him the slightest trouble.
And that was exactly what had happened.
The instant the Lightning Dragon and Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave struck, blue steam appeared around Might Duy's body.
His terrifying chakra forcibly blocked the Lightning Dragon's attack. Then, he charged at the two men straight into the Great Dam Whoosh.
At the same time,
he threw a punch!
The high-speed straight punch generated flames as it cut through the air. An astonishing pressure gathered around him, mingling with the flames. Over the surface of the water, it formed a wave of heat like a peacock spreading its tail!
"Morning Peacock!!!"
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