Boom~
An explosion rang out, and Might Duy, wrapped in green steam, was sent flying.
"Tch~" Seeing that Might Duy didn't seem badly hurt, Munashi Jinpachi unhappily slung the Exploding Blade Shibuki back over his shoulder.
The Exploding Blade Shibuki was a Ninja Blade perfectly designed for explosions. It was devastating against taijutsu specialists.
Munashi Jinpachi had thought he could use the blade's explosive properties to land a "first-sight kill" on Might Duy.
But Might Duy's reflexes were far better than he'd expected.
He might have looked like some rare beast, but his strength was nothing to scoff at.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Might Duy's forehead. The situation just now had been perilous. If he hadn't reacted in the final moment, he would have at least been seriously injured.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Uchiha Akira being besieged by Biwa Juzo, Raiga Kurosuki, Suikazan Fuguki, and Momotaro Hayato. Akira was in grave danger.
It was like walking a tightrope. One careless move, and the four infamous Ninja Blades would tear him to pieces.
The fighters had moved as they battled, and they were now far from the lake Suikazan Fuguki had created, heading deeper into the forest.
The next moment, a thick white mist engulfed the battlefield where Uchiha Akira was fighting.
Biwa Juzo seized an opening and formed Hand Seals, using the Hidden Mist Technique.
Uchiha Akira was indeed in a perilous situation. Even with his Sharingan, he was struggling.
Especially after Biwa Juzo used the Hidden Mist Technique, Akira was forced entirely onto the defensive.
Biwa Juzo, wielder of the Kubikiribōchō; Raiga Kurosuki, wielder of Lightning Blade Kiba; Suikazan Fuguki, wielder of the Great Blade Samehada; and Momotaro Hayato, wielder of the Twin Blades Hiramekarei.
All four were highly skilled taijutsu fighters. Even with his Sharingan and his mastery of Lightning Style to stimulate his body and increase his speed, Uchiha Akira was gradually reaching his limit.
In the dense mist, he was at a severe disadvantage.
Raiga Kurosuki was also a Lightning Style expert, and he was just as fast. With Raiga constantly harassing him, Uchiha Akira's speed was greatly hampered, preventing him from making full use of it.
Meanwhile, Biwa Juzo wielded the Kubikiribōchō, and Suikazan Fuguki wielded the Great Blade Samehada. Their attacks were broad and powerful.
Against these two, Uchiha Akira always struck and retreated, never letting the fight become a contest of endurance.
Because Momotaro Hayato, wielder of the Twin Blades Hiramekarei, could unleash their power at any moment.
Uchiha Akira considered the Twin Blades Hiramekarei one of the Ninja Blades that posed the greatest threat to him, second only to the Great Blade Samehada.
Once released, the Twin Blades Hiramekarei were extremely dangerous. Without Susanoo to defend him, Uchiha Akira didn't dare block them head-on.
The Hidden Mist Technique had rendered most of his Sharingan's abilities useless.
"This won't do. I have to find a way to break out of this. These four may be cold-blooded, but they work together surprisingly well."
A flash of crimson glinted in Uchiha Akira's eyes. The Ninja Blade in his hand seemed to be forged from a river of lightning.
The next moment, he plunged the lightning-wreathed blade into the ground. Lightning branched out from it in every direction like the limbs of a tree.
Seizing the opportunity, Uchiha Akira formed Hand Seals. "Wind Style: Vortex Storm!"
He thrust both hands forward, unleashing a vast amount of chakra that turned into a pale, swirling gale and swept outward.
In an instant, the dense mist covering several hundred meters, along with the trees scattered throughout it, was sucked into the pale tornado.
"Twin Blades Hiramekarei: Release!"
A low shout rang out.
A burst of blue chakra flared. With a boom, a beam of blue chakra tore across the forest, shattering Uchiha Akira's Wind Release Ninjutsu.
The next moment, Biwa Juzo burst through the still-dissipating gale, the Kubikiribōchō in his hands gleaming with a chilling light.
But Uchiha Akira seemed to have anticipated this. Lightning flashed in his hand, and the blade embedded in the ground was instantly coated in blue lightning before reappearing in his grasp.
With a clang, the existing notch in Biwa Juzo's Kubikiribōchō broke apart under the slash.
If they had been fighting one-on-one, Biwa Juzo would have been in grave danger. The lightning on Uchiha Akira's blade would have paralyzed him already.
But Biwa Juzo had three allies.
"Twin Blades Hiramekarei: Release!"
Momotaro Hayato swung the Twin Blades Hiramekarei. A pillar of blue chakra blasted toward Uchiha Akira, bearing down on him.
"Thunderball!"
Raiga Kurosuki crossed the Lightning Blade Kiba in his hands and hurled it forward. A giant ball of lightning, several meters across, shot toward Uchiha Akira.
"Water Style: Water Whip!"
Suikazan Fuguki finished forming Hand Seals and lashed a dark blue whip toward Uchiha Akira.
The instant the two blades clashed, the other three attacks arrived!
In that split second, while Biwa Juzo was paralyzed, Uchiha Akira completed his Hand Seals. A terrifying surge of chakra erupted from his body.
"Lightning Style: Thunderstorm!"
Boom~
A blinding blue light illuminated the entire forest.
Centered on Uchiha Akira, massive bolts of chakra lightning transformed into razor-sharp lightning swords that spread in every direction.
A tremendous boom rang out. Within dozens of meters, the forest was reduced to nothing beneath the blinding lightning. Clouds of dust surged everywhere, blotting out the sky.
Within the dust, three figures and one lightning-wreathed figure clashed again and again.
In the midst of the fierce battle, the lightning-wreathed figure burst out of the dust first, his expression grave.
Uchiha Akira was scorched black in places. He hadn't escaped unscathed from the clash between his Lightning Style and the other three.
The Twin Blades Hiramekarei had been even more powerful once released than he'd imagined.
He had managed to take Biwa Juzo out of the fight, but he had also sustained some injuries himself.
Just then, Might Duy let out a low shout. "Eight Inner Gates: Seventh Gate: Gate of Wonder, open!"
A blue wave of air swept across like a gale, scattering the clouds of dust in an instant.
When the dust settled, Biwa Juzo lay motionless on the ground, his body scorched black. No one could tell if he was alive or dead.
The remaining three—Raiga Kurosuki, Momotaro Hayato, and Suikazan Fuguki—stood at different points around him.
Their faces were grim. Three members of Kirigakure's infamous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had fallen to a Uchiha kid not even twenty years old.
It was an utter humiliation. The seven had come to make a name for themselves on the battlefield, and even hoped to crush Konoha's defensive line in one fell swoop.
Now, they were so humiliated and furious that they wanted to tear the Uchiha kid before them limb from limb.
If word got out, the so-called Seven Ninja Swordsmen would become a laughingstock.
At that very moment, Might Duy launched an attack on Munashi Jinpachi.
Whoosh~
Munashi Jinpachi's vision blurred. Might Duy, who had been right in front of him, vanished.
With no time to think, he raised the Exploding Blade Shibuki to block, as its explosive scroll unfurled automatically.
Might Duy answered with a low shout:
"Steel Fist: Dragon Strike!"
The next moment, Might Duy's figure shifted from a blur into clear view, appearing dozens of meters from Munashi Jinpachi. He clenched both fists and unleashed hundreds, even thousands, of punches in an instant.
His fists tore through the air. A colossal blue dragon's head rose with a roar, and in the blink of an eye, it swallowed Munashi Jinpachi whole.
Boom~
As the others watched in shock, the blue dragon's head swallowed Munashi Jinpachi, then transformed into a blue shockwave that swept across the vast forest ahead.
The shockwave hurled endless clouds of dust into the distance.
In an instant, it carved out a fan-shaped crater, dozens of meters across at its widest point.
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