Subduing Hozuki Mangetsu

The seven strongest ninja swords of Kirigakure have always been held by the heirs of the Hozuki Clan. Whenever a suitable candidate for a blade appears in the village, the current wielder passes one of the swords to them, and the ninja who accepts the blade becomes a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

Currently, six of the seven blades have been passed on to other ninja in Kirigakure, while the Twin Blades: Hiramekarei remains in the hands of Hozuki Mangetsu, the heir to the Hozuki Clan. At this moment, only a handful of people know that the incredibly gifted Hozuki Mangetsu has long been able to perfectly wield all seven ninja swords, including the Twin Blades: Hiramekarei.

However, the proud and arrogant Hozuki Mangetsu feels that the title of "Seven Ninja Swordsmen" is rather beneath him. Consequently, to avoid becoming a member of that group himself, he rarely resorts to using the Twin Blades: Hiramekarei.

Uesugi Shinji does not pay much mind to the Hiramekarei in Hozuki Mangetsu's hands, though he is somewhat surprised by the opponent's ability to split into two.

He was certain just a moment ago that he had struck Hozuki Mangetsu's true body. Not only did the opponent avoid a fatal wound, but he was also able to transform into two bodies—both indistinguishable from the real one—to continue the fight. Such a ninjutsu is truly clever.

Seeing the flicker of surprise in Uesugi Shinji's eyes, Hozuki Mangetsu feels a slight sense of comfort; this powerful enemy, who has remained as calm as still water, has finally reacted to his strength.

Hozuki Mangetsu grins, and both bodies launch an attack on Uesugi Shinji at close range simultaneously. The body in the air performs a mid-air somersault, and as it passes over Uesugi Shinji, it swings the Hiramekarei downward, aiming directly for his skull.

The body on the ground lowers its center of gravity, sweeping its Hiramekarei toward Uesugi Shinji's legs.

Facing the pincer attack from both of Hozuki Mangetsu's bodies, Uesugi Shinji does not retreat in the slightest. His body seems to sway slightly, and with a loud bang, a small crater suddenly cracks open in the ground beneath his feet.

At this moment, Uesugi Shinji has already pinned the Hiramekarei aimed at his legs into the ground with one foot, while the wakizashi in his hand parries the other Hiramekarei aimed at his head.

The blade of the Hiramekarei is massive and circular, making it feel like Uesugi Shinji is blocking a giant hammer. However, Hozuki Mangetsu's own physical strength is not sufficient; this "giant hammer" is held firmly in place by Uesugi Shinji, unable to move even a fraction of an inch further downward.

Hozuki Mangetsu, having failed his first strike, is not discouraged; instead, a flash of cunning crosses his eyes.

"Hiramekarei: Impact!"

Suddenly, the blade of the Hiramekarei blocked by Uesugi Shinji lights up with a dazzling blue glow, emitting a sound like a train whistle.

Uesugi Shinji feels the Hiramekarei, which he had been parrying with ease, suddenly become heavier than a thousand pounds, far too much for his physical strength to withstand.

The blue light that suddenly appeared on the Hiramekarei is one of the blade's special abilities: it uses a burst of chakra to generate immense impact force in an instant, drastically increasing the power and speed of the strike.

Uesugi Shinji immediately performs the Substitution Technique, and an Ice Release substitute instantly takes his place. A loud crash echoes as the Hiramekarei in Hozuki Mangetsu's hands strikes down with brutal force, shattering the ice substitute into pieces and sending a spray of ice shards flying in all directions.

Realizing he failed to hit Uesugi Shinji, both Hozuki Mangetsu bodies immediately begin searching for his trail. However, because the surrounding cloud of flying ice shards obscures their vision, neither body manages to locate Uesugi Shinji immediately.

This isn't right. A normal Ice Release clone wouldn't produce this many shards when shattered. This is a trap!

The moment Hozuki Mangetsu realizes he has been tricked, Uesugi Shinji, who has been waiting nearby to catch his prey, makes his move.

"Ice Release: Ice Tornado!"

The scattered ice shards suddenly begin to swirl, converging toward Hozuki Mangetsu's position to form a tornado mixed with a massive amount of ice.

The center of this tornado possesses a powerful suction force, and the ice shards within it continuously accumulate and grow larger, causing the entire tornado to solidify at an extremely rapid pace.

Hozuki Mangetsu exerts all his strength trying to break through the suction of the Ice Tornado, but unfortunately, he fails. In just four or five seconds, the rapidly spinning tornado is completely frozen solid by the growing ice within it, transforming into a tornado-shaped pillar of ice.

Inside the pillar, both of Hozuki Mangetsu's bodies are completely immobilized, their expressions of panic frozen on their faces.

Glancing at the now-defenseless Hozuki Mangetsu, Uesugi Shinji brings his hands together in front of his chest, cold chakra surging from his body as he prepares to unleash another ninjutsu.

"Show mercy."

Just then, a woman's voice rings out, and a slender figure appears instantly beside Uesugi Shinji.

The owner of this figure has striking long, crimson hair; it is Terumi Mei, who has been watching the battle from the sidelines for quite some time. Her left hand firmly grips Uesugi Shinji's joined hands, preventing him from launching any further attacks against Hozuki Mangetsu.