Kirigakure's seven strongest Ninja Blades had always been entrusted to the heirs of the Hozuki Clan. When the village found someone suitable to inherit one, the blade's custodian would hand it over to them, and the shinobi who accepted it would become one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Of the seven Ninja Blades, all but the Twin Blades: Hiramekarei had now been entrusted to other shinobi from Kirigakure. Hiramekarei remained in the hands of Hozuki Mangetsu, heir to the Hozuki Clan. Only a handful of people knew that the exceptionally gifted Mangetsu had long been able to use all seven Ninja Blades to perfection, including Hiramekarei.
But the proud Mangetsu thought the title "Seven Ninja Swordsmen" was beneath him. To avoid becoming one of them, he rarely used Hiramekarei.
Uesugi Shinji hadn't paid much attention to the Hiramekarei in Mangetsu's hands. What surprised him was Mangetsu's ability to split into two.
Shinji was certain he'd struck Mangetsu's real body just moments ago. Yet Mangetsu hadn't suffered a fatal injury, and he could still split into two bodies that were impossible to tell apart and keep fighting. That was quite a technique.
Seeing the hint of surprise in Shinji's eyes brought Mangetsu a little comfort. At last, this powerful enemy, who had been calm as still water all along, was reacting to his strength.
Mangetsu grinned and both bodies attacked Shinji at close range. The one in midair flipped forward, then, just as it was about to pass over Shinji, swung Hiramekarei down at his head.
The body below crouched low and swept Hiramekarei at Shinji's legs.
Faced with the two bodies closing in on him, Shinji didn't back down. His body seemed to sway slightly. With a bang, the ground beneath his feet suddenly split open, forming a small crater.
Shinji had already pinned the Hiramekarei aimed at his legs beneath one foot, while the Wakizashi in his hand blocked the Hiramekarei swung at his head by the other Mangetsu.
Hiramekarei was large, with a round shape. Blocking it was like stopping a massive hammer. But Mangetsu wasn't strong enough to wield it with much force, and Shinji held the "hammer" firmly in place, preventing it from moving even an inch farther down.
Mangetsu's failed attack didn't discourage him. Instead, a sly glint flashed in his eyes.
"Hiramekarei: Impact!"
Suddenly, a dazzling blue light flared across the blade Shinji had blocked. It let out a sound like a train whistle.
Shinji felt Hiramekarei, which he'd been holding back with ease, suddenly grow as heavy as a thousand pounds. He couldn't block it with his physical strength alone.
The blue glow was one of the Ninja Blade's special abilities. By unleashing chakra, it produced a powerful burst of force in an instant, greatly increasing the strength and speed of its strike.
Shinji immediately used the Substitution Technique, leaving an Ice Release Clone in his place. With a deafening crash, Mangetsu's charged Hiramekarei came down hard from above and smashed the clone to pieces. Shards of ice flew wildly in every direction.
Realizing they hadn't hit Shinji, the two Mangetsus immediately began searching for him. But the ice shards flying all around them obstructed their vision, and neither body could find him right away.
"Something's wrong. An ordinary Ice Release Clone wouldn't produce this many ice shards when shattered. It's a trap!"
Just as Mangetsu realized he'd been tricked, Shinji, who had been waiting nearby to catch him in a trap, made his move.
"Ice Release: Ice Tornado!"
The scattered ice shards suddenly began swirling toward Mangetsu, gathering into a tornado mixed with chunks of ice.
The tornado's center exerted a powerful pull, while the ice shards inside clumped together and grew larger. The entire vortex solidified at astonishing speed.
Mangetsu strained to break free of the Ice Release Tornado's pull, but failed. In just four or five seconds, the tornado, which had been whipping up a gale as it spun, was completely frozen by the ice accumulating within it, turning into a tornado-shaped pillar of ice.
At its center, both of Mangetsu's bodies were completely immobilized, their panicked expressions frozen on their faces.
After glancing at Mangetsu, who could no longer fight back, Shinji brought his hands together before his chest. Cold chakra surged around him, as if he were about to perform another technique.
"Show him mercy."
Just then, a woman's voice rang out, and a tall, slender figure appeared beside Shinji in an instant.
The woman had striking, dark red hair. It was Terumi Mei, who had been watching the fight for some time. She gripped Shinji's joined hands tightly with her left hand, stopping him from attacking Mangetsu any further.
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