Eight Gates: Gate of Surprise

BOOM!

With a thunderous explosion, Might Duy, shrouded in green steam, was sent flying backward.

"Tch." Seeing that Might Duy was largely unharmed, Munashi Jinpachi irritably slung his Exploding Blade Shibuki back over his shoulder.

The Exploding Blade Shibuki was a ninja blade perfectly fused with explosive power, proving invincible against taijutsu-based ninja.

Munashi Jinpachi had originally thought he could use the unique properties of his blade to land a "first-strike kill" on Might Duy.

However, Might Duy's reaction speed was far greater than he had imagined.

Though he looked like a rare beast, his strength was not to be underestimated.

A bead of cold sweat rolled down Might Duy's forehead; the situation just now had been incredibly perilous. Had he not reacted at the very last second, he would have been severely injured at the very least.

He cast a glance out of the corner of his eye and saw Uchiha Akira being besieged by Biwa Juzo, Raiga Kurosuki, Suikazan Fuguki, and Momotaro Hayato, appearing to be in dire straits.

It was as if he were walking a tightrope; one slight misstep and he would be shredded to pieces by the four infamous ninja blades.

The group fought as they moved, having long since left the lake created by Suikazan Fuguki and heading deep into the forest.

The next moment, a vast white mist shrouded the battlefield where Uchiha Akira stood.

Biwa Juzo seized the opportunity, forming hand seals to unleash the Hidden Mist Technique.

Uchiha Akira was indeed facing a precarious situation; even with his Sharingan, he felt himself struggling to hold on.

Especially after Biwa Juzo used the Hidden Mist Technique, he fell into a completely passive position.

Biwa Juzo, wielder of the Kubikiribōchō; Raiga Kurosuki, wielder of the Lightning Blade Kiba; Suikazan Fuguki, wielder of the Great Blade Samehada; and Momotaro Hayato, wielder of the Twin Blades Hiramekarei.

These four were all masters of taijutsu. Even with his Sharingan and his mastery of Lightning Style to stimulate his body and accelerate his speed, Uchiha Akira gradually felt his strength waning.

In the thick fog, he was at a severe disadvantage.

Raiga Kurosuki, also a master of Lightning Style, was equally fast. With his interference, Uchiha Akira's speed was greatly restricted, preventing him from performing at his best.

Meanwhile, Biwa Juzo with his Kubikiribōchō and Suikazan Fuguki with his Great Blade Samehada fought with wide, sweeping, and immensely powerful strikes.

Facing these two, Uchiha Akira would touch and retreat, never allowing himself to get bogged down.

This was because there was still the wielder of the Twin Blades Hiramekarei, Momotaro Hayato, who could release his weapon at any moment.

Uchiha Akira considered the Twin Blades Hiramekarei one of the most threatening ninja tools he faced, no less dangerous than the Great Blade Samehada.

Once released, the Twin Blades Hiramekarei were incredibly lethal. Without a Susanoo for defense, Uchiha Akira dared not take a hit from that thing head-on.

The Hidden Mist Technique had rendered more than half of his Sharingan's capabilities useless.

No, I must find a way to break this deadlock. Although these four are cold-blooded, their coordination is unexpectedly good.

A scarlet light flashed in Uchiha Akira's eyes, and the ninja blade in his hand seemed to condense into a pool of lightning.

The next moment, the lightning-wrapped blade was plunged into the ground, and lightning resembling tree branches spread out in all directions.

Taking advantage of this opening, Uchiha Akira completed his hand seals: "Wind Style: Vortex Storm!"

Uchiha Akira pushed his hands forward, and a massive amount of chakra erupted, transforming into a hazy white hurricane that swept outward.

In an instant, the thick fog covering hundreds of meters, along with the towering trees, were sucked into the white tornado.

"Twin Blades Hiramekarei: Release!"

A low shout rang out.

Then, a burst of blue chakra light exploded. With a roar, a beam of blue chakra cannon fire tore through the forest, shattering Uchiha Akira's Wind Style jutsu.

The next moment, Biwa Juzo broke through the hurricane that had yet to dissipate, the Kubikiribōchō in his hand gleaming with a chilling light.

However, Uchiha Akira seemed to have anticipated this. Lightning flickered on his hand, and the blade he had plunged into the ground instantly coated itself in blue lightning and appeared in his grip.

With a sharp clang, the existing notch on Biwa Juzo's Kubikiribōchō was shattered completely.

If they were fighting one-on-one, Biwa Juzo would have been in grave danger, as the lightning on the blade would have already paralyzed him.

However, Biwa Juzo had three accomplices.

"Twin Blades Hiramekarei: Release!"

Momotaro Hayato swung the Twin Blades Hiramekarei, and a blue pillar of chakra blasted out, rushing straight toward Uchiha Akira.

"Thunderball!"

Raiga Kurosuki, holding the Lightning Blade Kiba, crossed his blades and swung them violently, sending a lightning sphere several meters wide hurtling toward Uchiha Akira.

"Water Style: Water Whip!"

Suikazan Fuguki finished his hand seals and lashed out with a ghostly blue whip toward Uchiha Akira.

The moment their weapons clashed, the attacks of the other three arrived!

In a split second, Uchiha Akira took advantage of Biwa Juzo's paralysis to complete his hand seals, and then a terrifying surge of chakra erupted from his body:

"Lightning Style: Thunderstorm!"

BOOM!

The entire forest was illuminated in a ghostly blue by a blinding flash of lightning.

With Uchiha Akira at the center, thick bolts of lightning chakra transformed into razor-sharp thunder swords, spreading out in every direction.

Instantly, a massive roar erupted, and the forest within a radius of several dozen meters was reduced to nothingness amidst the blinding lightning, with thick dust and smoke raging to obscure the sky.

Within the dust, three figures and one figure flickering with lightning were locked in constant collision.

Amidst the fierce battle, the figure flickering with lightning was the first to charge out of the smoke, his expression grave.

Uchiha Akira's body was charred in places; he had not emerged from the clash between his Lightning Style and the three opponents unscathed.

The power of the Twin Blades Hiramekarei after its release was far greater than he had imagined.

Although he had successfully incapacitated Biwa Juzo, he had sustained some injuries himself.

At this moment, a low roar from Might Duy echoed: "Eight Inner Gates Formation: Seventh Gate, Gate of Wonder, open!"

A wave of blue energy swept across like a gale, instantly dispersing the vast expanse of smoke and dust.

As the dust cleared, it revealed Biwa Juzo, his body charred and limp on the ground, his life or death unknown.

The remaining three, Raiga Kurosuki, Momotaro Hayato, and Suikazan Fuguki, stood at different positions.

Their expressions were grim; the notorious Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had actually lost three members to a Uchiha brat not even twenty years old.

This was a profound humiliation. The seven of them had come with the intention of making a name for themselves on the battlefield and even crushing the Konoha defensive line in one fell swoop.

The current situation left them both shamed and enraged, wishing they could tear the Uchiha Clan brat before them limb from limb.

If this were to spread, their so-called Seven Ninja Swordsmen would become a laughingstock.

It was at this moment that Might Duy launched his attack on Munashi Jinpachi.

Swish.

Munashi Jinpachi felt a blur before his eyes, and Might Duy, who had been in his line of sight just a moment ago, vanished.

In his haste, he could only raise the Exploding Blade Shibuki to intercept in front of him, while the Exploding Blade Shibuki automatically unfurled, its explosive scrolls deploying.

His response was Might Duy's low roar:

"Steel Fist: Dragon Strike!"

The next moment, Might Duy's figure shifted from blurred to clear, appearing several dozen meters away from Munashi Jinpachi. His fists clenched, he struck out hundreds, even thousands of times in an instant.

The friction of his fists against the air created a massive blue dragon head that roared toward the sky, swallowing Munashi Jinpachi in the blink of an eye.

Boom.

Under the shocked gazes of everyone, the blue dragon head consumed Munashi Jinpachi and transformed into a blue shockwave, instantly submerging a vast stretch of the forest ahead.

The endless dust was blown far away by the shockwave.

In an instant, a giant fan-shaped crater, reaching several dozen meters at its widest point, was carved into the earth.