Eight Gates Formation

"Oh my, there's a little chip in the blade..."

"Looks like I'll have to let it drink some blood to make the iron regenerate."

Juzo Biwa let out a deliberately eerie, chilling laugh. He gripped the massive Kubikiribocho in front of him, his eyes radiating killing intent.

They were the most elite assassins of Kirigakure. Facing Konoha ninjas—even if they were just five brats—the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would not show the slightest mercy.

Damn it...

Why did it have to be the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist...

Facing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen blocking their path, Yu couldn't help but clench his fists.

Ever since the Third Hokage assigned him to a mission yesterday alongside Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu, he had been plagued by a sense of foreboding.

He just hadn't expected that, just like in the original story, they would actually encounter all seven members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist at this very moment.

"If it were just one jonin, that would be one thing..."

"But now we have to face seven jonin at once, and they're the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist..."

Feeling the terrifying killing intent radiating from the seven murderous jonin, Yu's heart sank to the bottom of a well.

If he were alone, he might have a chance to escape, but with four other kids besides himself, the odds of survival were clearly even slimmer.

"Guy!!"

Just as Yu was desperately searching for a countermeasure, a voice from the distance suddenly drew everyone's attention.

"Dad?!"

Hearing that familiar voice, Might Guy, standing behind Yu, froze in place.

A figure wreathed in green chakra energy approached at incredible speed, arriving before the group of five in the blink of an eye and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Whew... finally made it..."

Might Duy?!

Seeing this man suddenly appear, Yu couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Recognizing the features that were nearly identical to Might Guy's, Yu instantly identified the man—Guy's father, the eternal genin of Konoha, Might Duy.

"Is this... the Eight Inner Gates?"

Watching the green chakra energy constantly erupting from Might Duy, a strange look flashed in Yu's eyes. He recognized this as the state achieved after opening the third gate, the Gate of Life.

"Dad, what are you doing here, you're just a genin?!"

Seeing his father, the eternal genin of Konoha, suddenly appear, Guy was bewildered; he clearly hadn't grasped the situation yet.

"Don't say another word, run... let me buy you some time!"

Before Guy could continue, Might Duy waved his hand and stepped directly in front of the five of them.

"Let us run? Dad, what are you talking about?!"

"They're all jonin! And they're the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!!"

Seeing his father standing in their way, Might Guy's expression grew agitated. "There's no way you can beat them all by yourself, Dad!!"

"But I still have the Gate of Death of the Eight Inner Gates..."

"This is the moment to protect what is most important to me, even if it costs me my life, isn't it?"

Sensing his son's agitation, Might Duy turned his head, gave Guy a thumbs-up, and flashed his signature white teeth.

The Gate of Death... is he going to open the Eight Inner Gates Formation?

Looking at Might Duy's foolish grin, Yu felt an unprecedented stir in his heart, though he couldn't say why.

"Hahahaha... a Konoha genin?!"

"A genin actually wants to stop us, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?!"

When the Seven Ninja Swordsmen saw Might Guy—a mere Konoha genin—claim he would stop seven jonin, they all burst into wild laughter.

But a second later, the laughter died in their throats.

"Eight Inner Gates Formation!!"

"Open!!"

With a roar from Might Duy, all the chakra in his body surged toward the Gate of Death.

"BOOM!!"

An unimaginably violent pressure erupted.

Yu and the four other youths were blown away by the terrifying gale before they could even react.

"Blood-red steam..."

"Is this... the Eight Inner Gates Formation?!"

Feeling the terrifying power erupting from Might Duy, Yu, who had been blown to the side, stared with wide eyes.

He raised his hand to shield his face from the swirling dust, never expecting that he would witness the Eight Inner Gates Formation with his own eyes.

"What on earth... what did that guy do?!"

Seeing the astonishing transformation of Might Duy and sensing the terrifying chakra before them, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were all stunned.

Under the shocked gazes of everyone, Might Duy's hair, eyebrows, and beard were all dyed red, the flow of his chakra reached its absolute limit in an instant, and blood-red steam continuously erupted from his entire body.

"It is not merely about withering..."

"I shall become the nutrients for the new green leaves, and when those leaves sprout and the new spring arrives..."

"That will be the climax of youth! The moment it burns the brightest red!"

With his entire body radiating terrifying blood-red steam and chakra energy, Might Duy, whose pupils were no longer visible, locked his gaze onto the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in the forest ahead.

As his voice faded, the ground of the entire forest exploded, and Might Duy instantly transformed into a streak of blood-red light, charging straight toward them.

"This kind of chakra?!"

"This kind of speed?! Are you kidding me!!"

Watching Might Duy charge at them like a red monster, the expressions of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist all shifted.

"Let's go, Guy!"

"We cannot let your father sacrifice himself in vain; our mission is not yet complete!"

Seeing Might Duy sacrifice himself to unleash the Eight Inner Gates Formation, Genma Shiranui and Ebisu grabbed Might Guy tightly, dragging him away from the scene.

"Let's go. Since the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist have appeared here..."

"It means our intelligence was flawed. It seems this mission will definitely not be as simple as we thought."

Looking back one last time at the man who had turned into a blood-red beast, a complex look flashed in Yu's eyes.

If Might Duy, a mere genin, could unleash such astonishing power after opening the Gate of Death—what level of power would Might Guy, a peak jonin in the original story, reach upon opening the Eight Inner Gates Formation?

Although he wanted to witness this battle between the Eight Inner Gates Formation and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, he chose to turn around and lead Kurenai Yuhi and the others out of the gloomy forest.

If things went as expected, after today's battle, Might Duy would exhaust his chakra and perish.

And of the famous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, only Juzo Biwa, Suikazan Fuguki, and Kurosuki Raiga would remain alive.

Feeling the violent battle continuously erupting in the forest behind them, Yu and his group of five finally escaped the woods and reached the vast, endless grassland outside.

"Everyone, watch out!"

But just as they stepped out of the forest, over a dozen shuriken and kunai attached with explosive tags flew toward them.