The Seven Ninja Swordsmen

"C-corpses!"

Gekko Hayate nearly popped his eyes out of their sockets as he stared at the Konoha Ninja right in front of him. They were face-to-face, and the man was well and truly dead.

His legs trembled, and a strange warmth spread beneath him, soaking his pants.

The smell of urine put the surrounding Konoha Ninja on high alert. They looked at Gekko Hayate with a touch of disgust.

Of course, you couldn't really blame Gekko Hayate.

It was his first time on a battlefield. He'd already been through a pursuit by the Anbu and Qin Yu's intimidation and mockery, and now he was staring a corpse in the face.

The fact that he hadn't been scared to death was impressive enough.

Figures darted in every direction.

After learning that the Cloud Ninja had failed to seize the pass, Kirigakure immediately mobilized its forces, preparing to launch a second assault.

In their eyes, Konoha Ninja could have held off the first attack for only two possible reasons.

One: they had paid a heavy price.

Two: they had a powerful ninja holding the line.

When they saw Minato Namikaze, the Konoha ninja known as the Yellow Flash, leave,

the supposedly vital pass was left with barely a dozen Konoha Ninja.

To the Mist Ninja, that was practically an open invitation.

So from the start, they had used a diversionary tactic.

They'd used ordinary ninja as bait to lure Minato Namikaze away.

Then they'd gathered their elite forces to launch a surprise attack on the pass.

They had considered that Minato Namikaze might not be lured away so easily.

But the outcome before them had exceeded their expectations.

Once they broke through this pass, the Mist Ninja could advance straight into Konoha's rear.

With Konoha attacked from both front and back, its defenses would surely fall into disarray, and the balance across the three fronts would be the first to break.

Most importantly, the Mist Ninja had not sent out a force as formidable as the Cloud Ninja's AB Duo to ensure the mission went smoothly.

But leading them were two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, a pair feared throughout the Ninja World.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were products of the Blood Mist Realm, ruthless elites who had fought their way through a sea of blood.

Against a pass defended by barely twelve or thirteen people, taking it would be child's play.

"Stay alert! Everyone, be on your guard! We've got some formidable opponents here." Uzuki Cangwu's face paled as he watched the two ninja in front descend.

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen—Suikazan Fuguki, wielder of Samehada."

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen—Raiga Kurosuki."

At the sound of those two names, all the Konoha Ninja sucked in a sharp breath.

Fifty elite Mist Ninja followed behind them.

Suikazan stood over two meters tall, with a heavyset build and an apparently mild-mannered face.

But in Kirigakure, not a single ninja who had come through the Blood Mist era had escaped its corrupting influence.

They were ruthless enough to betray even their comrades for profit.

As for Raiga Kurosuki, he was lean, with black hair and a black cloak. Lightning flickered along the two blades he held.

Crimson blood dripped from their edges.

He had clearly killed the sentry just now.

"Heh. Nothing but weaklings. Especially that kid over there—he's even wet himself." Raiga laughed mockingly.

Against opponents like these, they, with their habitual bloodlust, wouldn't find even the slightest challenge.

"All right. Don't forget we've still got that troublesome Minato Namikaze to worry about. Let's destroy this pass as quickly as possible. Even if he comes back afterward, it'll be too late to matter." Suikazan swept a cold gaze around them.