The others watched Kushimaru Kuriarare hold them back, their hearts secretly filled with worry.
The longer this dragged on, the more danger Elder Keimei was in. They needed to go help him at once.
Uzumaki Sasuke chose to break through in the east, but he was intercepted and made no progress.
In the west, Uzumaki Shiro hurried forward, only to be intercepted as well.
Biwa Juzo stood in his way, baring his sharp teeth as he sized up Uzumaki Shiro.
"You won't get past me. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure are in a league of their own. The Six Guards of the Land of Whirlpools can't compare."
Biwa Juzo had long since summoned
"Kubikiribōchō"
and taken up position along the only route through, waiting for an opponent to appear.
Now, someone had finally arrived. He formed Hand Seals with one hand.
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique"
Thick fog filled the air, and their vision gradually blurred.
Uzumaki Shiro held out a hand to gauge the distance. He found that his arm's length was the limit of what he could see; beyond that lay nothing but dense fog.
"Hidden Mist: Silent Killing Technique"
He focused chakra throughout his body, producing a thick mist and increasing his speed.
Biwa Juzo hefted Kubikiribōchō.
His vision was blurry, and his sensory abilities couldn't pierce the chakra-filled mist.
He raised the kunai in his hand to defend himself.
Biwa Juzo's voice came from within the thick fog.
"Kirigakure is famous for assassination. And those who wield Kubikiribōchō are among the best of the best."
"Your head, neck, throat, spine, heart, kidneys—every vital point on your body is in my sights."
"But you can't find me. When and where I attack you is entirely up to me. Is your body trembling without you realizing it? Is fear welling up inside you?"
He tried to pinpoint his opponent's direction from the man's voice.
But it seemed to come from all around him.
He knew his opponent was using psychological tactics to make his body numb and sluggish.
Even so, he couldn't stop his heart from tightening with fear.
Suddenly, a stabbing pain came from behind him. He spun around at once, swinging his kunai to block.
But when he turned, Biwa Juzo was nowhere to be seen. His heart leaped in alarm.
"Not good!" He formed Hand Seals.
"Earth Style: Hardening Technique"
He used chakra to harden his body, hoping to withstand physical attacks.
As soon as he released the technique, Kubikiribōchō swung toward his waist, aiming to cut him in half.
Just as the blade drew near, he sensed the attack. It was aimed at his waist, and there was no time to dodge, so he hurriedly crouched.
He reinforced the Hardening Technique on his arms with chakra, drew a quiet breath, tensed his muscles, and braced himself against the blow.
Kubikiribōchō struck Uzumaki Shiro in an instant, sending him flying.
He came to a stop only after crashing into a boulder, which split with a web of cracks.
Uzumaki Shiro held his arms in a defensive position, drenched in cold sweat. A wound had opened on his arm, and he used chakra to contract the muscles around it and close it.
He activated his sensory abilities again, wary of Biwa Juzo.
The thick fog shrouded the battlefield, creating another battlefield within it. The others quietly considered how to solve the problem.
Uzumaki Longchang, Uzumaki Jiro, and Uzumaki Muto moved together, attacking from the south.
From the south, they could cover both the western and eastern routes. By attacking together, they could also turn back to help their teammates.
Along the only route east toward the Magic Cube Crystal,
the three Guard captains—Jinin Akebino, Munashi Jinpachi, and Raiga Kurosuki—had been waiting in place. They immediately went to intercept the newcomers.
Without hesitation, the three formed Hand Seals.
Jinin Akebino, wielder of "Kabutowari"; Munashi Jinpachi, wielder of "Exploding Blade Shibuki"; and Raiga Kurosuki, wielder of "Thunder Blade Kiba."
Uzumaki Longchang saw that their path was blocked too. With two teammates at his side, he launched a probing attack and formed Hand Seals.
"Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spear"
He gathered chakra beneath the ground, forming sharp spikes that thrust toward Jinin Akebino.
Seeing the attack coming at him, Jinin Akebino leaped up and took hold of Kabutowari. One end of its cord was attached to a blade, the other to a hammer.
He brought the hammer down from above. The impact shattered Uzumaki Longchang's earthen spikes piece by piece, rendering the attack completely ineffective.
Uzumaki Longchang knew the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's weapons were formidable, but he hadn't expected them to be this troublesome.
He knew it was useless, but he kept attacking, forming Hand Seals.
"Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spear"
This time, he wasn't targeting just one opponent. The spikes surged toward all three.
As the spikes rushed toward him, Munashi Jinpachi didn't leap away. Instead, he swept Exploding Blade Shibuki across the ground, and explosions rang out.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The explosive force of the blade blasted the ground apart before the spikes could even emerge. The spikes were instantly destroyed underground.
Raiga Kurosuki knew his opponent was testing his strength. But what difference would that make? He'd still defeat him. He formed Hand Seals.
"Lightning Style: Thunder Fang"
As a pair of blades, Thunder Blade Kiba carried lightning, increasing his speed.
It could also absorb and generate lightning.
With Lightning Release, he crossed the twin blades to charge them, storing up electricity. Once they'd gathered enough, he spread the blades apart.
The collected lightning surged forward in a massive discharge. The ground blackened and cracked under its scorching force as the attack raced toward Uzumaki Longchang.
Seeing the opponent's wide-range technique, Uzumaki Longchang immediately signaled his teammates, then formed Hand Seals.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall"
Chakra gathered in the earth, raising a wall to block the Lightning Release. Raiga Kurosuki's lightning was immensely powerful.
It slammed into the wall, splitting it with layer upon layer of cracks.
The wall shattered, and the attack struck the area behind it, raising a cloud of dust. Raiga Kurosuki looked at the power of Thunder Blade Kiba with satisfaction. One down.
When the dust settled, his opponent had vanished.
Uzumaki Sasuke couldn't get through. With his own strength alone, his chances were slim.
If I go help him, even for a moment, his chances of breaking through will increase greatly.
Uzumaki Shiro, trapped in the thick fog, was more troublesome than Uzumaki Sasuke. Helping Elder Uzumaki Keimei had to come first.
As the dust rose, Uzumaki Longchang formed Hand Seals.
"Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage"
Chakra transformed the earth into tiny grains of sand, giving it the fluidity of an ocean.
Uzumaki Shiro traveled beneath the ground, quickly heading for the battlefield where Uzumaki Sasuke was fighting.
Realizing that Uzumaki Shiro had escaped underground, Raiga Kurosuki ground his teeth in fury and formed Hand Seals.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Strike"
He summoned lightning from the sky and rained it furiously onto the earth, trying to find Uzumaki Shiro underground.
Munashi Jinpachi wondered where their opponent was headed. He weighed the western battlefield against the eastern one.
It was obvious to him that their opponent was going to support the western battlefield. He immediately set off for the west.
Uzumaki Muto watched Raiga Kurosuki vent his fury.
He worried that Raiga might get lucky and hit Uzumaki Shiro while he was heading to the battlefield where Uzumaki Sasuke was fighting.
Then he saw Munashi Jinpachi heading for the western battlefield. He couldn't let the man get through, so he formed Hand Seals.
"Earth Style: Earth Style Wall"
He poured a vast amount of chakra into the ground, raising a massive wall in front of himself to block Munashi Jinpachi.