Just as Araki and the others infiltrated Konoha, the situation on the eastern coast of the Land of Fire had also reached a critical point.
Originally, Suikazan Fuguki and the other four Ninja Swordsmen had relied on their proximity to the sea to lead Konoha's Anbu around by the nose. But that easygoing situation had completely reversed after Jiraiya arrived.
As one of Konoha's top three strongest fighters, even though he had not yet fully mastered Sage Mode, Jiraiya's strength was still beyond what these Ninja Swordsmen could compare to.
Thus, after receiving Jiraiya's support, Aburame Ryoma, Gekko Hoshino, and the others not only stabilized the situation, but also drove Suikazan Fuguki and his group into a miserable state.
They had nearly been forced back into the sea.
There was no helping it. They had already been at a disadvantage in numbers, and they had only held the upper hand before because they had more powerful fighters. Moreover, large-scale Water Release and Lightning Release techniques were both excellent for clearing out groups, preventing Konoha's numerical advantage from being put to use.
But once Jiraiya arrived, Konoha's shortage of powerful fighters was filled. The four of them also had to watch out for the ninjutsu and shuriken flying everywhere during battle, so they could only retreat again and again, using the sea as cover to wage guerrilla warfare against Konoha.
"Damn it!"
After using Samehada to heal a rather serious wound on his body, Suikazan Fuguki spat viciously.
"If those three don't come back soon, we won't be able to hold on!"
That was right. If one had to ask who had suffered the most on Mist Village's side during this time, it was undoubtedly him.
As the second-strongest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, wielder of Samehada, and the strongest member