Eastern Battlefield, Southern Battlefield

The others saw Kushimaru Kuriarare blocking the way and felt a secret anxiety rising in their hearts.

The longer this dragged on, the more dangerous the situation became for Elder Keimei; they needed to go and provide reinforcements immediately.

Uzumaki Sasuke chose to break through from the east, but he was intercepted and failed to make any progress.

On the west side, Uzumaki Shiro advanced rapidly, only to be intercepted as well.

Biwa Juzo stood in his path, revealing his sharp teeth as he sized up Uzumaki Shiro.

"You cannot pass; the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure are not comparable to the Six Guards of the Land of Whirlpools."

Biwa Juzo had long since summoned the

"Kubikiribōchō"

He waited on the only path forward, anticipating his opponent's arrival.

Now that someone had finally come, he performed hand seals with one hand.

"Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique"

The air filled with thick smoke, and vision gradually blurred.

Reaching out to measure the distance, Uzumaki Shiro discovered that the limit of his naked eye was merely the length of his own arm; beyond that, he could only see the dense fog.

"Hidden Mist: Silent Killing Technique"

Concentrating chakra throughout his entire body, he generated a massive amount of mist, increasing his movement speed.

Biwa Juzo gestured with the Kubikiribōchō in his hand.

My vision is blurred, and my sensory abilities cannot penetrate this chakra-infused mist.

He picked up the kunai in his hand to defend himself.

He heard Biwa Juzo's voice drifting from within the thick fog.

"Kirigakure is famous for its assassinations, and those of us who wield the Kubikiribōchō are the best among them."

"Your head, neck, throat, spine, heart, kidneys—all your vital points are within my sight."

"Yet you cannot find me. When and where I launch my attack depends entirely on my whim. Is your body trembling involuntarily? Is your heart filled with uncontrollable fear?"

He tried to judge the opponent's direction based on the voice.

But the sound seemed to be coming from all directions at once.

Even though he knew the opponent was using psychological tactics to make his body numb and sluggish, he couldn't help but feel his heart tighten.

Suddenly, a stinging sensation struck him from behind, and he immediately turned, raising his kunai to parry.

However, when he turned, he found no sign of Biwa Juzo, and his heart filled with alarm.

"Not good." He performed hand seals with both hands.

"Earth Style: Hardening Technique"

He used chakra to harden his body, intending to withstand the physical attack.

Just as he released the ninjutsu, the Kubikiribōchō swung toward his waist, attempting to cleave him in two.

As the blade drew near, he sensed the attack target was his waist; unable to dodge, he hurriedly crouched.

Using chakra to reinforce the Hardening Technique on his arms, he took a silent breath, tensing his muscles to withstand the blow.

The Kubikiribōchō struck Uzumaki Shiro instantly, sending him flying.

He only stopped when he slammed into a rock, causing it to crack in a web-like pattern.

Uzumaki Shiro maintained his defensive posture, cold sweat breaking out on his body; a wound appeared on his arm, and he used chakra to force the muscles to close the gash.

He activated his sensory perception once more, guarding against Biwa Juzo.

With the thick mist shrouding the area, another battlefield had formed, and the others secretly pondered how to resolve the situation.

Uzumaki Ryusho, Uzumaki Jiro, and Uzumaki Muto acted together, launching an offensive from the south.

The south allowed them to cover both the western and eastern flanks, and by grouping together, they could also pivot to rescue their teammates.

On the only road leading to the Magic Cube Crystal in the east.

Discovering the three guard captains, Jinin Akebino, Munashi Jinpachi, and Raiga Kurosuki, who were still waiting in place, immediately moved to intercept them.

The three did not hesitate, "performing hand seals."

Jinin Akebino, wielder of the "Kabutowari," Munashi Jinpachi, wielder of the "Exploding Blade Shibuki," and Raiga Kurosuki, wielder of the "Thunder Blade Kiba."

Uzumaki Ryusho realized the path ahead was also blocked, and with his two teammates guarding his sides, he launched a probing attack, performing hand seals.

"Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spear"

He gathered chakra into the earth, forming sharp stone spikes that thrust toward Jinin Akebino.

Seeing the attack coming his way, Jinin Akebino leaped into the air, picking up the Kabutowari, which had a rope connecting the blade to a hammer.

The hammer smashed down from above, and the impact of the blow caused Uzumaki Ryusho's stone spikes to shatter inch by inch, rendering them completely ineffective.

Uzumaki Ryusho knew the blades of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were formidable, but he had not expected them to be this troublesome.

Even knowing it might be futile, Uzumaki Ryusho continued to release jutsu, his hands forming seals in rapid succession.

"Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spear!"

This time, rather than targeting a single point, he sent a barrage of earth spikes surging toward the three of them.

Facing the incoming spikes, Munashi Jinpachi did not leap into the air; instead, he swung his Exploding Blade Shibuki toward the ground, triggering a series of detonations.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The explosive power of the blade shattered the ground before the earth spikes could even fully emerge, obliterating them beneath the surface.

Raiga Kurosuki knew the opponent was merely testing his strength, but even if he were probed, so what? He would defeat them regardless. He formed seals with his hands.

"Lightning Style: Thunder Fang!"

As a pair of blades, the Thunder Blade Kiba carried lightning that enhanced the user's speed.

Furthermore, they possessed the ability to both absorb and generate electricity.

Accompanied by the Lightning Style, he crossed the blades to store a charge, and once sufficient power was gathered, he swung them outward.

The collected lightning was instantly unleashed in a massive surge, scorching and cracking the ground as it tore a path toward Uzumaki Ryusho.

Seeing such a wide-range ninjutsu attack, Uzumaki Ryusho immediately signaled his teammates before forming his own seals.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Chakra converged, causing the earth to rise into a wall to block the Lightning Style attack, though the power of Raiga Kurosuki's jutsu was immense.

The impact caused layer upon layer of cracks to spiderweb across the wall.

Suddenly, the wall shattered, the attack pushing through to the rear and kicking up a cloud of dust; Raiga Kurosuki watched the power of his Thunder Blade Kiba with satisfaction, believing he had finished one off.

When the dust settled, however, the figure was nowhere to be seen.

Uzumaki Sasuke was unable to break through, and relying solely on his own strength, the chances of him passing were slim.

If he went to provide support, even for a single moment, it would greatly increase the odds of success.

Uzumaki Shiro, trapped in the thick fog, was in a more precarious situation than Uzumaki Sasuke, making the rescue of Elder Uzumaki Keimei the top priority.

As the dust rose, Uzumaki Ryusho formed seals with his hands.

"Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage!"

His chakra transformed the earth into fine sand, turning it into a fluid medium like the sea.

This allowed Uzumaki Shiro to travel underground, rapidly heading toward Uzumaki Sasuke's battlefield.

Discovering that Uzumaki Shiro had escaped, Raiga Kurosuki gnashed his teeth in anger and formed seals.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Strike!"

He summoned lightning from the sky, attacking the earth frantically in an attempt to flush Uzumaki Shiro out from the ground.

Munashi Jinpachi, meanwhile, pondered where the opponent was heading, comparing the western battlefield to the eastern one.

Clearly sensing that the enemy intended to support the western front, he immediately set off toward it.

Uzumaki Muto watched Raiga Kurosuki's frantic outburst.

Just as he worried whether the enemy might luckily strike Uzumaki Shiro on his way to Uzumaki Sasuke's battlefield, he saw Munashi Jinpachi moving toward the west; he could not let him pass, so he formed seals.

"Earth Style: Earth Style Wall!"

Channeling a massive amount of chakra, he caused a colossal wall to rise from the ground beneath the caster, intercepting Munashi Jinpachi.