Confronting the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist

Might Guy muttered in a daze, "Is this the power of a genius from the Uchiha Clan? Even though they look only a few years older than us..."

In front of the sea of fire, Suikazan Fuguki let out a roar: "Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

Hiss, hiss, hiss~

As water met fire, endless scorching steam filled the air, instantly shrouding the surrounding hundreds of meters.

The steam appeared as quickly as it vanished; under the continuous assault of Uchiha Akira's Wind Style, the massive vapor was blown high into the sky, forming thick layers of clouds.

"Hiramekarei: Release!"

With a loud shout, a giant blue blade of light tore through the hazy gale, threatening to split the forest in two.

Though the blade of light was fast, Uchiha Akira was faster.

Blinding electric arcs flickered as Uchiha Akira's figure vanished, instantly reappearing a hundred meters away.

With a deafening boom, the giant blue blade of light flashed past and extended to the edge of the horizon; the entire primeval forest looked as if it had been cleaved in half.

Raiga Kurosuki's chilling voice drifted from the smoke: "Thunder Burial: Thunder Banquet!"

The next moment, dense lightning, resembling tree branches, surged from the sky-filling dust, striking directly at the maneuvering Uchiha Akira.

The Sharingan in Uchiha Akira's eyes spun, electric arcs crackled over his body, and his hands shimmered with blinding blue lightning.

As he waved his hands, lightning-attribute chakra crackled, neutralizing Raiga Kurosuki's Lightning Style.

The next moment, a giant blade wrapped in ropes burst through the smoke, emitting a wailing sound as it descended from above.

This was a part of Jinin Akebino's Kabutowari.

Clang~

A crisp sound rang out in every direction; Uchiha Akira had no choice but to draw the ninja sword from his back to block the strike.

Jinin Akebino had timed it perfectly, striking just as Uchiha Akira's old force was spent and his new force had yet to arise.

The next moment, Jinin Akebino grinned hideously as he swung the hammer part of the Kabutowari, slamming it violently against the back of the blade part.

Ding~

A crisp sound echoed, and the gleaming ninja sword Uchiha Akira used to block the giant blade snapped in two.

Squelch. The giant blade, struck by the heavy hammer, sliced directly into Uchiha Akira's torso, tearing through half his body.

Then, the next instant, the hideous grin on Jinin Akebino's face froze; Uchiha Akira, whose body had been severed by the blade, sizzled and transformed into a mass of blinding lightning that instantly engulfed Jinin Akebino.

This was clearly Uchiha Akira's Lightning Clone!

Squelch~

Accompanied by the sound of a blade piercing flesh, Uchiha Akira burst from the ground, wielding a Kunai wrapped in invisible wind-attribute chakra, driving it from Jinin Akebino's chin straight through to his brain.

Uchiha Akira gave a light flick, and blood and brain matter erupted from the wound along with the sharp Kunai.

Thud~

Jinin Akebino hit the ground with a dull sound.

In the distance, Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu were already staring in shock.

"So strong! No wonder Sunagakure says that if you encounter a ninja from the Uchiha Clan on the battlefield, you must run if it's one-on-one!" The senbon hanging from Genma Shiranui's mouth fell to the ground as he stared blankly at the battlefield.

They had only been fighting for a short while, and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had already lost two members.

If the initial loss of Kushimaru Kuriarare was due to carelessness, then this Jinin Akebino was simply outclassed and crushed by pure strength.

The fact that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had earned such a reputation meant that these seven were certainly no pushovers.

This only served to further highlight the strength of Uchiha Akira.

Ebisu's sunglasses were crooked as he muttered, "Incredible! Are all members of the Uchiha Clan such monsters?"

Might Guy clenched his fists, his expression exceptionally firm: "One day, I will also become someone this strong to protect everyone."

At this moment, Uchiha Akira moved, completing his hand seals in the blink of an eye.

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

In an instant, four lifelike fire dragons, each over ten meters long, bared their fangs and claws as they charged toward Raiga Kurosuki.

The remaining Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had long since scattered; perhaps out of arrogance, they hadn't attacked Uchiha Akira immediately.

But now, seeing Jinin Akebino taken down by Uchiha Akira in a single strike, they finally abandoned their pride and converged from all directions.

Suikazan Fuguki and Biwa Juzo attacked simultaneously.

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Biwa Juzo spat out a massive sphere of water that, upon hitting the ground, transformed into a surging river rushing toward the clawing fire dragons.

"Water Style: Water Formation Pillar!"

As the wielder of the Great Blade Samehada, Suikazan Fuguki possessed chakra reserves far exceeding an ordinary person; he spat out a torrent that erupted like a bursting dam.

Hiss, hiss, hiss~

As steam billowed into the sky, the forest was transformed into a lake.

Water Style holds an inherent advantage over Fire Style, and that is doubly true when the Water Style is wielded by two experts.

In an instant, his Fire Style was extinguished.

Standing upon the surging lake, Uchiha Akira's scarlet Sharingan spun, refusing to give them even the slightest opportunity for a sneak attack.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Fang!"

At that moment, Raiga Kurosuki's attack arrived, opting for a direct, forceful assault.

Blinding blue lightning erupted from the Lightning Blade Kiba. As he spread the twin blades, two bolts of thunder, like roaming dragons, tore through the air.

Just then, a flash of green light flickered and vanished within the forest.

A figure, moving too fast for the naked eye to track, charged into the battlefield.

As the green light streaked past, the Lightning Style unleashed by the lightning blades was shattered, dissipating into specks of blue electric sparks.

Might Guy and his two companions felt a gale of wind howl past them. Their vision blurred for a moment, and then they saw a familiar figure standing in the middle of the battlefield.

The newcomer was none other than Might Duy, who had opened the Eight Inner Gates up to the sixth, the Gate of View.

At this moment, Might Duy was enveloped in a shroud of green light. A powerful current of air radiated from his body in all directions, whipping the lake beneath his feet into layers of spray.

"Dad!" Might Guy's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Might Duy, who stood before Uchiha Akira with his fist still extended in a striking posture.

"Young man of the Uchiha, sorry to keep you waiting!" Might Duy turned back to look at Uchiha Akira, grinning to reveal his sparkling teeth as he gave him a thumbs-up.

"Young man, leave this to me. You've worked hard, and as Guy's father, I want to thank you."

With that, Might Duy turned his body, looking solemnly at the remaining five members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

"The Eight Inner Gates formation, and you've already opened the sixth, the Gate of View? Are you planning to use the eighth gate?" Uchiha Akira's scarlet Sharingan spun, instantly perceiving Might Duy's current state.

The Sharingan is an eye capable of seeing chakra, so the flow of chakra within Might Duy's body was perfectly clear to him.

At this moment, Might Duy's voice reached him: "There's no other way. As a perennial Genin, this is the only move I have. Now is the time for me to burn my youth."

"I happen to think that if we join forces, you won't need to open the eighth gate, and your youth could continue to burn on," Uchiha Akira suggested.

Judging by the current situation, Might Duy opening the seventh gate would be more than enough; after all, the remaining Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist did not include an outlier on the level of the future Kisame Hoshigaki.

"Young man of the Uchiha, they are no ordinary people. If I only used the Gate of Wonder, I wouldn't be able to crush them; I'd likely only be able to handle two of them," came Might Duy's solemn reply.

"That's enough!"

During their brief exchange, the remaining Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had closed in. Might Duy's performance moments ago had made them realize they could not afford to underestimate him.

For a time, green streaks of light and blue flashes of electricity crisscrossed the battlefield, and even with five of them surrounding him, they could not gain the upper hand.