The Smoldering Might Duy

Along with Yoru's voice.

The chakra within his body was consumed frantically, like a floodgate opening, to support the formation of this Kido.

A heavy, crushing pressure, as if weighing a thousand jun, suddenly permeated the area, causing the very air in the environment to solidify.

The next instant.

Pipa Juzo's eyes contracted sharply, and he stared ahead in utter shock.

Within his line of sight, a profound blackness that made his heart turn cold surged forth, instantly binding and enveloping Might Duy completely.

From a distance, it looked just like a black coffin!

The suffocating power made Pipa Juzo gulp repeatedly; he could not believe that such a terrifying technique had been unleashed by Yoru.

The rising star of Kirigakure, the most outstanding disciple of Elder Genji, a top-tier genius comparable to Yagura, the Blade of the Bloody Mist of the ANBU.

Although he had not yet awakened the bloodline limit of the Yuki Clan, the high-ranking officials of Kirigakure were well aware of Yuki Yoru's reputation as a genius, and Pipa Juzo regarded Yoru as his equal, without a shred of contempt.

Because everyone knew that as long as he continued to grow, it would not take long for Yoru to reach, or even surpass, the level of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

But that was the future, an estimation, a Yoru who had fully matured!

Yet now...

"The power of this technique is at least at the Forbidden Jutsu level. This kid..."

"Is he a true genius?"

Yoru did not know of the shock and emotion in Pipa Juzo's heart, but he could sense a bit of it from those eyes filled with awe.

While it felt good to be stared at by someone of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's caliber, Yoru's focus at this moment was mostly on Might Duy, who had been swallowed by the Black Coffin.

The difficulty of unleashing Kido level 90 and above was extremely high; even for Yoru, it was impossible to release such a level of Kido without a complete incantation.

Indeed.

The reason Aizen and others chanted when releasing such high-level Kido was to significantly increase its power, but for Yoru at this moment, it was to ensure it could be successfully cast at all.

Such was the gap in chakra volume and the mastery of Kido!

"This should be enough..."

Feeling the emptiness within his body, Yoru's expression was solemn.

This Black Coffin had consumed nearly all the chakra in his body, but he believed he had seized the window of Might Duy's weakness.

If he still couldn't take this guy down, then there was nothing more he could do.

A torrent of suffocating pressure surged within the coffin, but soon, Yoru's expression changed abruptly, and Pipa Juzo beside him widened his eyes, letting out an exclamation.

"How is this possible?!"

"Buzz-crack..."

The shroud of the Black Coffin lasted only a few breaths before its interior seemed to suffer an incredibly terrifying impact, and countless cracks appeared on its surface.

In an instant, a flash of blood-red flame shot into the sky, and the Black Coffin shattered with a boom, revealing the entity within.

A blood-colored beast!

Might Duy's body was covered in dense wounds, yet not a single drop of blood flowed.

The terrifying chakra had evaporated all the blood in his body, turning it into blood-colored steam that shrouded him.

Eight Gates Formation!

"Kirigakure..."

The blood-colored monster locked onto Yoru.

His eyes were rolled back, and with a roar, his charge became even more ferocious.

Almost in a blink, he reached Yoru's front.

Under the enhancement of all eight gates opened, Might Duy's momentum had broken through its limits at this moment, reaching an unprecedented peak, so formidable that even Pipa Juzo, Suikazan Fuguki, and the other surviving swordsmen felt a suffocating sense of impending death!

Yoru stood motionless on the spot, showing no defensive stance whatsoever.

Might Duy's momentum was extremely fierce, reaching Yoru in an instant, but just as his fist was about to land on Yoru, his expression suddenly shifted.

His momentum condensed, and his charge came to an abrupt halt.

He had burned out.

The fierce battle with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, coupled with the strength of the Eight Gates to forcibly break the Black Coffin, had consumed everything within this beast's body.

The hand rose and the blade fell.

[Ding! Successfully completed the S-rank target "Might Duy" mission (2), mission (3): Reward 150,000 Points.]

[Ding! Successfully killed a special-type Genin, reward: 2,500 Points.]

Following the sound of the system, Might Duy's head and body were separated.

Not a drop of blood flowed from the severed neck; the moment the blood-red flames extinguished, his physical body had already completely carbonized, resembling dry charcoal that would crumble at the slightest touch.

This is the charm of the Eight Gates Formation.

By breaking the Gate of Death located at the heart and releasing all the chakra within the body to gain immense power, it becomes like fireworks in the dark of night—brilliantly magnificent!

Pipa Juzo, standing to the side, was completely stunned.

He did not know if this was Yoru's luck or his calculation.

But regardless, that monster who had nearly crushed the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist single-handedly had truly died at Yoru's hands.

Beheaded by Yoru's blade!

After storing Might Duy's head and mangled remains into a sealing scroll, Yoru began to channel Kaido to heal Pipa Juzo and the other two.

"All the ribs in your abdomen are fractured, and some bone fragments have pierced your internal organs. Your leg is broken, and your left arm has a comminuted fracture. Lord Pipa Juzo, I cannot fully heal injuries of this severity."

"Lord Suikazan Fuguki and Lord Raiga Kurosuki are in similar conditions."

"I can only help you stabilize your injuries slightly, but with the aid of Military Ration Pills, you should all be able to regain mobility."

The three of them seemed unable to recover from the battle that had just taken place; whether it was that terrifying Black Coffin or the horrific power unleashed by the Eight Gates Formation, it was all simply too shocking.

It was not until Yoru had treated the injuries on all three of them that they finally regained their senses.

Looking at the indifferent Yoru, Pipa Juzo shook his head with a bitter smile: "I never expected you could already reach this level. After this battle... no, once we return to the camp, you should be able to take over Kushimaru Kuriarare's position, or perhaps even higher."

Suikazan Fuguki and Raiga Kurosuki nodded in deep agreement. After this incident, both his strength and his qualifications were enough for Yoru to sit in their positions.

"There is no difference between being a vice-captain or a squad leader." Yoru shook his head: "Besides, rather than thinking about that now, we should think about how to explain this to Lord Yagura and Mizukage-sama."

"Furthermore, we must bring this news back as soon as possible so that the Third Hokage and Genji can formulate the next battle plan quickly and prevent the consequences of this failed mission from escalating."

The three of them fell into silence, especially Suikazan Fuguki, whose expression was particularly grim.

He was not only one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, but also one of the individuals responsible for Kirigakure's intelligence; almost all the information regarding this operation had passed through his hands.

As a result, due to a major error in intelligence, not only had all their plans gone to waste, but four of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swords had been lost.

Even as members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, they could hardly escape responsibility for such an outcome!

"At least we took out a monster, didn't we?"

Suikazan Fuguki said in a muffled voice: "Let's head back first. The commotion just now was too great, and a small squad of Konohagakure ninja escaped at the start. If Konohagakure reinforcements arrive, I'm afraid we won't be able to leave easily."

"Mm."

The four of them moved quickly, disappearing into the thicket.

Not long after they left.

A dozen or so Konohagakure ninja appeared in this devastated clearing, staring in disbelief at the chaotic battlefield scarred by the fight, their minds shaken.

Among the group, the young genin Might Guy knelt powerlessly on the ground, weeping bitterly.

Today, he had lost his father.