First Encounter with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen

Beichen Haotian temporarily set aside his training in Armament Haki and quickly swam toward the surface. Because he was skilled and fearless, Beichen Haotian had no intention of concealing himself. He leaped onto the surface, bare-chested, and surveyed the scene on the sea.

The sea was not the site of a fight at all, but a one-sided massacre. Two Kirigakure ninjas were pursuing a large group of ninjas. None of them wore forehead protectors from any ninja village, so they appeared to be a gang of rogue ninjas.

One of the two Kirigakure ninjas had long, slender limbs and spiky yellow hair. He wore an Anbu mask and wielded a slender long blade. As the blade danced, it effortlessly pierced the hearts of three or four rogue ninjas.

The other Kirigakure ninja had his head wrapped in bandages. He was one-eyed, and his hair and beard were tied into bundles. A look of enjoyment spread across his face as he wielded a strange greatsword. Countless Explosive Tags flew from the blade, blasting two or three rogue ninjas into bloody, mangled remains.

"Tsk, tsk, interesting. So it's the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist's 'Longsword,' Kushimaru Kuriarare, and 'Exploding Blade,' Munashi Jinpachi. Looks like I'll have some fun today." Beichen Haotian thought excitedly.

A person had inexplicably appeared on the surface of the sea, and the ninjas on both sides noticed him. They temporarily stopped fighting to size up Beichen Haotian.

"Oh? Jinpachi, the Ninja Sword in that kid's hand looks pretty good. How about we kill him and take it?" Kushimaru Kuriarare's sinister voice came through his mask, sending chills down one's spine.

"Sure. Let's end today's killing game here. There are plenty of these trash rogue ninjas around, so let's deal with that kid first. That sword looks pretty good." Munashi Jinpachi licked his lips, revealing a bloodthirsty smile.

The surviving rogue ninjas saw that the two executioners' attention had shifted elsewhere and began fleeing in all directions. Being inexplicably hunted by two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had scared them witless. If they had been able to escape earlier, they would have done so long ago.

"Longsword and Exploding Blade. Interesting. I happen to have a chance to test my edge on the two of you today." Beichen Haotian raised his Tang Saber and pointed it at the two men. A faint bloody glow emanated from the blade, while overwhelming killing intent radiated from Beichen Haotian.

Munashi Jinpachi and Kushimaru Kuriarare's expressions turned solemn as they each put away their contempt. This killing intent showed that its owner had killed no fewer people than they had. He clearly was not a pushover. However, neither of them showed the slightest fear. As Elite Jonin, the two of them would have no trouble escaping from a Kage-level expert together, and they still had the strength to fight.

"Nice to meet you. Let me give you both a great gift." Beichen Haotian grinned, revealing rows of chillingly white teeth.

Forward Without Retreat!

Four years had passed since Beichen Haotian last used this ultimate move. Its power was now incomparable to before. This time, he did not even use Chakra.

A bloody blade light ten meters long and four or five meters wide tore through the air toward the two men. It was a blade of pure air. After reaching the realm of Unity of Man and Blade and gaining a physique far beyond his former one, compressing the air with his blade had become extremely simple.

Water Style: Water Colliding Wave.

Exploding Blade Technique: Flying Sparks Flowing Fire.

Kushimaru Kuriarare swiftly used Water Style. Seven water pillars as thick as thighs erupted from the sea and shot straight toward Beichen Haotian's blade light.

Munashi Jinpachi swung the scroll of the Exploding Blade in his hand. Hundreds of Explosive Tags flew out, their surfaces flickering with sparks. From a distance, they looked like countless points of fire.

Boom! The three attacks collided. A violent explosion rang out as water splashed everywhere and steam billowed into the air. The shock wave stirred ripples across the sea within a hundred-meter radius.

"Hahaha, let me see how the two of you wield the weapons of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!" Beichen Haotian let out a wild laugh and charged toward them.

"Arrogant!" the two men cursed angrily. No one had ever dared to say they would test the swordsmanship of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

Beichen Haotian first slashed at Munashi Jinpachi, who stood in front. Munashi Jinpachi raised his blade to block. A strange, sinister grin appeared on his face as countless Explosive Tags burst out, yellow light beginning to bloom.

"Such a cheap trick. You're a worthless fool who only knows how to rely on your blade's abilities!" Beichen Haotian sneered as the force in his hand suddenly increased.

Monstrous Strength!

Monstrous Strength demanded extremely precise Chakra control and consumed a great deal of energy. It was difficult to use it constantly, as doing so would exhaust too much Chakra and stamina.

Boom! The sudden increase in power drove Munashi Jinpachi straight into the water. The Explosive Tags detonated, blasting a towering column of water into the sky.

Shave.

Beichen Haotian's figure flashed, dodging the column of water created by the explosion. At the same time, he avoided the long blade lurking underwater and thrusting straight toward his heart.

Munashi Jinpachi emerged from the seabed, drenched from head to toe, his clothes in tatters. His eyes blazed with fury, as if they were about to spit fire.

Longsword Ninjutsu: Spider Silk.

Kushimaru Kuriarare flashed forward and caught the long blade. He pulled on the wire at its end, and a dense web of steel wires swept across the sea toward Beichen Haotian. Trapped within the wire formation, Beichen Haotian had nowhere to put his feet.

"I told you it was a cheap trick, but you refused to believe me?" Beichen Haotian taunted again as he stepped through the air, effortlessly avoiding the cutting wires.

The two men stared at Beichen Haotian in shock as he walked through the air. Walking on water was commonplace, but stepping on empty air was going too far.

"You dare get distracted while fighting me? The two of you really don't know how to write the word 'death.'"

Lightning Style: False Darkness.

Beichen Haotian returned his blade to the sheath on his back. He opened his mouth, and a brilliant, ever-changing lightning spear tore across the sky toward the two men at incredible speed. An ordinary Jonin might be turned into charcoal before he even had time to react.

However, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist truly were the cream of Kirigakure. Their hand-seal speed and reaction speed were both astonishingly fast, and they used ninjutsu at the critical moment.

Water Style: Water Body Technique.

The two figures vanished from their original positions and appeared three hundred meters away. Cold sweat appeared on Munashi Jinpachi's forehead. If he had reacted even a moment slower, he would have been dead. Kushimaru Kuriarare's expression could not be seen behind his Anbu mask, but he was likely not faring any better.

The powerful lightning struck the surface of the sea, instantly evaporating and electrolyzing the water into water vapor, oxygen, and other substances.

Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.

Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.

Two blue water dragons, each several dozen meters long, rose into the sky and dove down toward Beichen Haotian from above, one on each side. Their might was extraordinary.

Clang! The crisp sound of a blade leaving its sheath rang out. Massive bolts of lightning coiled around the blade as Beichen Haotian slashed. A huge bloody blade light wrapped in dense, high-voltage currents swept horizontally through the air with a rumble of thunder. It was sharp and domineering.

Heavenly Thunder Slash.

Over the years, Beichen Haotian had learned quite a few Water Style and Lightning Style techniques, as well as other secret and forbidden techniques. However, he had only learned them and was not particularly proficient in any of them. He had spent most of his time figuring out how to combine ninjutsu with his swordsmanship and create Ninja Sword techniques unique to himself. Four years of work had yielded some results.

Pfft! The blade light from Heavenly Thunder Slash cleaved through the two water dragons as easily as cutting tofu, severing their heads. Lightning wildly electrolyzed and evaporated the water, destroying the Chakra within it. The two water dragons immediately collapsed and crashed into the sea.

"What's given should be returned. Take another one of my gifts!" Beichen Haotian shouted excitedly.

Nine Heavens Wave Roll.

The Chakra within his body surged forth. Beichen Haotian's aura merged with his blade as he swung it, leaving nine bloody afterimages in the air.

Nine consecutive bloody blade lights shot out. At first, they were roughly the same size, but later, the blade lights began to twist and change unpredictably. They flew toward the two men amid the sound of crashing waves. Each blade light was stronger than the one before it. Though their size and appearance seemed similar, the final blade light was three times as powerful as the first.

The two men's expressions changed. Most of the seven or eight weapons among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were suited for close- or mid-range combat. Perhaps only Lightning Blade: Fang was capable of long-range attacks. Thus, the two men did not use their Ninja Swords. Instead, they formed hand seals again and used ninjutsu to defend.

Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique.

Water Release Secret Technique: Spiral Water Formation Wall.

Using Water Style in the sea was simply too convenient. The power of the techniques was enhanced by roughly thirty percent. A massive amount of seawater roared upward, raising wave after wave as it surged toward Beichen Haotian's blade lights like a small tsunami.

At the same time, a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree wall of water rose around the two men. The wall was two meters thick and constantly rotating, greatly increasing its defensive power.

Beichen Haotian's nine twisting, unpredictable bloody blade lights hacked into the seawater. There was no massive explosion. The nine blade lights shifted unpredictably as they advanced like fish swimming upstream.

The first three blade lights quickly vanished under the immense resistance, but they also provided momentum for the blades behind them. By the time the massive volume of seawater was broken through, only the final two bloody blade lights remained, slamming into the constantly rotating water wall.

The two sides struggled fiercely. In the end, ninety percent of the blade light vanished completely. Only the last trace broke through the water wall and struck just below Munashi Jinpachi's shoulder. Blood dripped from beneath his clothes into the sea.

"Yo, not bad. You only suffered a minor injury." Beichen Haotian mocked him. His lofty tone and youthful appearance were a tremendous humiliation to the two nearly thirty-year-old members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

Munashi Jinpachi, who had been injured, was especially furious. He flew into a rage and wanted to reveal his trump cards, even contemplating risking his life to take Beichen Haotian down with him. Kushimaru Kuriarare was calmer and held Munashi Jinpachi back, bringing him to his senses.

"Young man, you possess such strength at your age. May I ask which great ninja village you come from? One day, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen will surely seek your guidance." Kushimaru Kuriarare's sinister voice carried a hint of solemnity.

"What? Trying to trick me into revealing my identity so you can find reinforcements? But telling two pieces of trash like you doesn't matter. I'm a ninja from Konoha. Remember this: next time you come, bring Lightning Blade: Fang and Kubikiribōchō for me to enjoy. Of the seven Ninja Swords, those two are the only ones I'm somewhat interested in. As for the rest, forgive me for being blunt, but they're all trash." Beichen Haotian shouted arrogantly.

Beichen Haotian's words made the two men tremble with rage, their teeth grinding audibly. Fortunately, they still retained their reason. They had been suppressed throughout the battle, and continuing the fight would most likely lead nowhere. They might even suffer further injuries.

The two men snorted coldly, gave Beichen Haotian a deep look, and left. Beichen Haotian did not stop them. He could probably kill one person, but dealing with two would be much more difficult. Elite Jonin were not made of clay, especially not the cream of the crop. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were absolutely among the best of the Elite Jonin in the various ninja villages.

I need to leave this island as soon as possible. I sounded arrogant just now, but if all seven of them really came at me, I truly wouldn't be enough. I'll first train my Armament Haki, then come out and make waves again. By then, my ability to protect my life will have greatly increased. Even if I can't win, I can still run.

Seeing those two really gave me a reminder. Aren't Kubikiribōchō and Lightning Blade: Fang excellent materials for forging a blade? If I can obtain them, along with the materials collected by Root, perhaps I really can forge an unparalleled divine weapon.

It would be wonderful if I could find the genuine Kusanagi Sword. With the Kusanagi Sword added to the mix, who knows how terrifying my new blade might become.

But I heard that the Kusanagi Sword is made of the hardest metal in this world. Is there any way to melt it? Beichen Haotian stroked his chin, muttering to himself as he walked toward the shore.

"Perhaps, maybe, possibly Amaterasu's black flames could melt it..."

Thanks to Old Wang Living on the Fifth Floor, Hao at Leisure, "Why Give Up When You're Tired?" i LXW, Zhuhán Wàndāndàn, Pretending to Have a Profile Picture, 1HK Motorcycle, Ouyang Yingjie, O-Bookooo Bug, and the many, many readers who voted for me. Thank you! Finally, special thanks to the reader 151 and that great brother for the tip. I'm so excited! Although it wasn't many Qidian coins, it was my first time, brother! You took my first time... Ahem... Don't misunderstand, everyone. I'm not gay. My orientation is perfectly normal.