Munashi Jinpachi

"What is this?!"

A Kirigakure ninja who had been attacking Might Guy hadn't even realized what was happening.

In an instant, the Super Whip Line Yu unleashed from his hand sliced the man in half. A pungent mist of blood sprayed into the air, making for a gruesome sight.

"What happened?!"

Seeing Yu's horrifying technique, the remaining Kirigakure ninja panicked and scattered in every direction.

"Trying to run now? Don't you think it's a little too late?"

Watching the Kirigakure ninja flee, Yu sneered in disdain and abruptly raised his arm.

The terrifying strands, each more than a hundred meters long, danced nimbly through the air, unleashing their immense power. Several Kirigakure ninja who couldn't dodge in time were sliced to pieces.

"Wh-what a brutal technique..."

Might Guy and the other two, who had stopped fighting, stared wide-eyed as Yu used the Overheat Whip to reap the Kirigakure ninja like livestock. Their voices came out as if in a daze.

"So that's Yu's Kekkei Genkai?"

Super Whip Line was the most powerful technique Yu could currently perform with the String-String Fruit.

It couldn't attack targets several kilometers away like the Super Impact Whip Thread, which stretched for more than a thousand meters. But this smaller version could be swung nimbly, cutting and striking from multiple directions at once.

"You little brats from Konoha!"

Staring at the white-haired boy before him, who looked like a Demon, the last Kirigakure ninja on the grass spat out a venomous curse. "The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist will never let you get away with this!"

BANG!

A spray of blood burst into the air. Before he could finish speaking, the razor-sharp Super Whip Line sliced him in half at the waist.

Blood seeped into the lush green grass.

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, huh..."

"Hmph. I doubt they're even able to save themselves right now..."

Hearing the dying Kirigakure ninja's last words, Yu's lips curled into a disdainful smile.

The power of the Eight Inner Gates was no joke. Against a force that surpassed Kage Level, it was anyone's guess how many of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen would survive.

At last.

Thanks to Yu's astonishing strength and the combined efforts of Might Guy and the others, the five young Konoha Ninja had wiped out the entire elite Kirigakure unit.

"We won..."

"We're finally alive..."

When the last enemy fell, Genma Shiranui collapsed onto the ground, utterly drained.

For boys of only eleven or twelve, today's real battle between ninja had been a trial like something out of hell.

"That was so close..."

"Thank goodness Yu was there. Otherwise, we'd all have been finished."

Might Guy dropped onto the ground as well.

What had started as a simple reconnaissance mission had led them to encounter the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, then be surrounded by an elite Kirigakure unit.

If Yu hadn't unleashed such unbelievable strength, they would probably all have been wiped out by now.

But as he gazed at the nearly destroyed forest and the silence that had settled over it, the young Guy remembered his father's sacrifice and couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"I still have a little chakra left... I'll treat everyone, then we should leave quickly."

"We don't know if Kirigakure has any more reinforcements..."

After using Medical Ninjutsu to treat himself, Yu felt how little chakra and strength he had left and urged the others to hurry.

"Yu's right. We should get out of here, or else..."

At Yu's words, Ebisu braced himself and struggled to his feet.

Then, disaster struck.

Before Ebisu could finish speaking, Yu, who was walking toward him, suddenly felt a warning stir in his heart.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of powerful explosions erupted. Caught completely off guard, everyone—including Yu—was blasted through the air.

Damn it... There were still enemies?!

I was too careless...

The sudden explosions sent Yu flying several meters. He landed on the grass, unable to check his severe injuries, and lifted his head to stare at the figure emerging from the dust and smoke.

"Explosive Tags? It hurts... I can't move."

Might Guy and Kurenai Yuhi were in even worse shape. They lay face-down on the grass, unable to get up, as the situation once again plunged them into despair.

"Madman..."

"What a madman! That kind of Taijutsu..."

"That stupid Genin... He didn't even care if he got himself killed!"

As unfamiliar voices rang out, the figure in the dust finally came into view.

He wore a Kirigakure Forehead Protector, with white bandages wrapped around his head and a black eyepatch over his left eye. In his hand was a strange, massive sword that looked like a giant scroll, covered in rows of Explosive Tag seals.

Munashi Jinpachi!!

Yu recognized the man at once, and his heart sank.

This man was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist they had encountered in the forest: Munashi Jinpachi!

The Exploding Blade Shibuki in his hand was a Ninja Blade perfectly combined with explosives. Its scrolls could produce an endless supply of explosions. With the Blastsword Technique, he could hurl the explosive scrolls around his enemies and unleash a massive blast they couldn't escape.

In the original story, another of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Kushimaru Kuriarare, had said that if Munashi Jinpachi used his ultimate explosive technique to destroy the blade, the resulting blast could even kill a ninja with an immortal body.

Just when they thought they were about to escape, Munashi Jinpachi had emerged from the forest.

Yu and the other four lay helpless on the grass, their faces full of unwillingness.

"Dead... So many of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were killed..."

"That red steam... That guy's a monster!"

Muttering in disbelief, Munashi Jinpachi looked to be in poor shape himself. His body was covered in wounds, large and small, and he looked utterly battered.

Clearly, he had witnessed the most terrifying side of the Eight Inner Gates in the forest.

Damn it... Wasn't this guy supposed to be killed by Might Duy in the original story?!

Staring at Munashi Jinpachi, who had suddenly appeared, Yu anxiously searched for a way out, calculating how little chakra and strength he had left.

"What are all these corpses?"

Munashi Jinpachi's thoughts had been absorbed by the terrifying battle moments ago, but at last his attention returned to the present.

He looked around at Yu and the other four boys lying on the ground, and at the corpses of dozens of elite Kirigakure ninja scattered nearby. Surprise crossed his face.

"You five little brats... You actually wiped out the entire elite Kirigakure unit led by Suikyo?!"