Do Your Fingertips Hold a Sea of Stars?

"Don't let your guard down. This kid isn't ordinary, but he's still just a kid. Take him out!"

"Got you, kid! Repent in Hell for playing the hero! Exploding Blade Ninjutsu: Blast Art: Hair-Breaking Binding Death!"

Munashi Jinpachi emerged from the thick fog, swinging the Exploding Blade: Shibuki at waist height. The sight drew gasps from the three others.

"Look out!"

"Too late?"

"Was it too much to hope for?"

The blade swept through, but the explosion they expected never came. The explosive tags on the blade passed through empty air without causing so much as a ripple.

"A clone?"

"No, it's an illusionary body. What's going on?"

Jinpachi was secretly alarmed. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, on guard all around him, had unusually formed a defensive circle back-to-back. Figures dressed in black robes and wearing Three-Eyed Demon Fox Masks now surrounded them.

"Is it false or real? Like a flower blooming in a mirror, or the waning moon reflected in water. How can you know unless you experience it for yourself?"

Ninja Blades, ninjutsu, Water Release, Kunai...

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen tried every kind of attack they could imagine against the dozen or so illusionary bodies, but no matter how hard they tried, none of their attacks had any effect.

"Damn it, what's with this kid? Genjutsu? Even if it is, it's far too realistic. This strange feeling..."

"It's over."

Raiga Kurosuki's pupils shrank. A cold touch grazed his throat, and he collapsed into a pool of blood, unable to move.

His pupils trembled. Before his eyes lay the comrades he had once fought alongside, strewn across the ground. He couldn't tell if they were alive or dead.

"Flying Thunder God Slash."

The rain poured down, its icy drops stealing the last warmth from his body. The final thing he saw was a bead of blood falling from the edge of a kunai.

"A-amazing. What kind of ninjutsu is that?"

Might Guy stared at the Seven Ninja Swordsmen lying on the ground, unable to tell if they were alive or dead. For the moment, he had even forgotten about Might Duy's injuries.

"So that's the strength that can turn the tide of a battlefield? Flash Illusion Moon—a Body Flicker genjutsu that makes it impossible to tell illusion from reality."

Clenching his teeth, Shiranui Genma recalled what he had seen that day.

No wonder he could complete an S-rank support mission by himself. Can a human really do that?

"Hanazuki, were you just trying to comfort me that day? Is the gap between us really only that tiny?"

"Of course. The gap between us is only this tiny, isn't it?"

Hanazuki raised his right hand again. Ebisu looked at the gap between his thumb and forefinger and asked without thinking,

"Do your fingertips hold a sea of stars?"

"If that makes you feel better, you can think of it that way. That's enough chatter. We're heading back to Konoha now. Let's go."

Not long after they left, several Kirigakure Ninja hurried over. Seeing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen sprawled on the ground, their fates uncertain, they were chilled to the bone.

"What happened? Lord Biwa Juzo, Lord Suikazan Fuguki—even the other Seven Ninja Swordsmen..."

Cough, cough, cough!

A fit of violent coughing rang out. Suikazan Fuguki struggled to his feet, his wound gushing blood in a gruesome sight.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! That accursed Flash Illusion Moon! That brat dared to steal my Samehada! That brat... I'll kill him!"

"Shut up! You're nothing but a barking dog. If you could really kill him, you wouldn't be lying here shouting. Cough, cough, cough..."

The corpse at the farthest end spoke weakly, blood still pouring from his wounds. Two Kirigakure Ninja hurried to treat them, stopping the bleeding before quietly asking,

"Was the enemy Flash Illusion Moon?"

"That terrifying brat, that Body Flicker that's like genjutsu—ordinary attacks are useless. If the kunai that slashed at my throat hadn't been stopped by my teeth, there might not be any Seven Ninja Swordsmen left in this world."

Biwa Juzo opened his mouth. His sharp shark teeth had been neatly snapped, and jagged wounds lined the inside of his mouth. Only the terrifying amount of blood he had lost had let him fool the enemy.

"Tch, you're still alive, Biwa Juzo. That brat must've underestimated how much injury I can take. That Body Flicker Technique was definitely just a trick of the eye. How could anything in this world let an attack pass right through its body..."

Suikazan Fuguki's expression darkened. Their blades had been taken, and only two of the Seven Swordsmen remained. Without their blades, what were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen but a name?

"Just surviving is lucky enough. Before that brat left, I saw the crest on his back. It was a Flame Fan. He really is a prodigy of the Uchiha Clan."

"I never want to run into him again. If there's no way to counter that level of Body Flicker Technique, getting killed is inevitable. It's only a matter of time..."

The two exchanged a glance, then fell silent. The Kirigakure Ninja who had arrived to deliver a message finally remembered why he was there and hurriedly spoke up.

"Lord Biwa Juzo, Lord Suikazan Fuguki, Lord Ao has successfully seized the Hyuga Clan's Kekkei Genkai and is now heading back to Mist Village..."

"So we're supposed to cover his retreat? Given our current state, it's anyone's guess whether we can get out safely. The outcome of this war may count as a defeat, but it wasn't a complete loss, was it?"

The two struggled to their feet and disappeared into the forest. Several ninja gathered up the bodies and withdrew from the Land of Fire's border at full speed.

A little later, in Konoha Village, Land of Fire, inside Konoha Hospital.

Outside the operating room, Might Guy was restless. Ebisu and Shiranui Genma remained silent as they waited for the operation's outcome.

"Trust the Medical Team. Duy didn't use the final move of that forbidden technique. Some of his Gate of Death chakra burned away, but I sealed it in time. He won't die, but..."

The warning light outside the operating room went out. Nonō came out, removed her mask, and gave a slight nod.

"The operation was a success. The patient is out of danger, but his chakra network and body have been put under enormous strain. There's a good chance he'll never be able to work as a ninja again."

"I-is that so? Thank you. Thank you so much. Dad's alive. Thank goodness."

Might Guy finally let out a breath and sat heavily on the floor. He was about to thank Uchiha Hanazuki when he realized Hanazuki had already disappeared down the hall.

In a corner of Konoha Hospital, Hanazuki raised an eyebrow and smiled as he sized up the Anbu Ninja before him.

"Is something the matter?"

"Uchiha Hanazuki, Lord Hokage requests your presence. I should congratulate you in advance. Even during wartime, there's never been an achievement of this magnitude..."

Realizing he had said too much, the Anbu wearing the Ox-Head Mask fell silent and merely gestured for him to come along.

"Congratulate me?"