Does Your Fingertip Hold the Stars and the Sea?

"Don't be careless. This brat is no ordinary person, but at most, he's still just a brat. Finish him off directly!"

"Got you, brat. Repent for playing the hero in hell! Blast Sword Art: Severing Explosion."

Kuri Kushimaru revealed his figure amidst the thick fog. The Blast Sword: Splash in his hands swung horizontally, drawing gasps from the three of them.

"Watch out!"

"Is it too late?"

"Was it really too much to handle after all?"

The blade swept through, but the expected explosion never occurred. The explosive tags on the blast sword passed through empty air as if it were nothing, failing to stir even the slightest ripple.

"A clone?"

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

Kuri Kushimaru felt a jolt of alarm in his heart. The surrounding Seven Ninja Swordsmen, who had been on high alert, uncharacteristically stood back-to-back, guarding against their surroundings. Dozens of figures in black robes, wearing Three-Eyed Demon Fox Masks, were currently surrounding them.

"Is it false or real? Just like flowers blooming in a mirror or the moon reflected in the water—how can you know if it's true or false without experiencing it for yourself?"

Ninja swords, ninjutsu, Water Style, kunai...

Every method of attack the Seven Ninja Swordsmen could imagine was unleashed upon the dozen or so illusionary bodies, yet no matter how hard they tried, all their efforts were completely ineffective.

"Damn it, what is up with this brat? Genjutsu? Even if it is genjutsu, this is too realistic, isn't it? This strange feeling..."

"It's over."

Kurosuki Raiga's pupils constricted. A cold sensation lightly brushed across his throat, and he collapsed into a pool of blood, unable to move.

His pupils trembled. The figures entering his vision were the comrades who had fought alongside him just moments ago, now lying scattered on the ground, their fates unknown.

"Flying Thunder God Slash."

The torrential rain poured down, the cold water washing away the remaining warmth of their bodies. The final scene reflected in his eyes was merely a drop of blood falling from the tip of a kunai.

"So... so strong. What kind of ninjutsu is that?"

Might Guy looked toward the Seven Ninja Swordsmen lying on the ground, their lives hanging in the balance. For a moment, even Might Duy's injuries were cast to the back of his mind.

"Is that the power to suppress a battlefield? Flash Illusion Moon—a flash-step genjutsu that makes it impossible to distinguish between illusion and reality."

Clenching his teeth, Shiranui Genma recalled the scene he had witnessed that day.

No wonder this guy can complete S-rank support missions solo. Is this really something a human can use?

"Hua Yue-san, was what you said to me that day just comfort? Is the gap between us really only that tiny bit?"

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

Hua Yue raised her right hand again. Ebisu looked at the gap between her thumb and forefinger and asked subconsciously.

"Do your fingertips contain a sea of stars?"

"If that makes you feel better, you can understand it that way. Enough idle talk; we need to return to Konoha now. Let's go."

Not long after they left, several Mist Village ninja hurried over. Seeing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen lying on the ground, neither dead nor alive, they were struck with cold terror.

"What happened here? Biwa Juzo-sama, Suikazan Fuguki-sama, even the other members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen..."

Cough, cough, cough!

A series of violent coughs erupted. Suikazan Fuguki struggled to crawl up from the ground, his wounds dripping with blood, a sight too gruesome to behold.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! That damn Flash Illusion Moon, that wretched brat, he actually dared to steal my Samehada! That brat... I will absolutely kill him!"

"Shut up! You barking bastard. If you really had the ability to kill him, you wouldn't be lying here shouting. Cough, cough, cough..."

The corpse furthest away spoke in a weak tone, blood still continuously spilling out. Seeing this, the two Mist ninja hurriedly performed emergency treatment, stopping the bleeding for both men before asking in low voices.

"Was the enemy Flash Illusion Moon?"

"That terrifying brat... that flash-step technique that acts like a genjutsu—ordinary attacks are completely useless against it. If the kunai that slashed my throat hadn't been blocked by my teeth, I'm afraid the Seven Ninja Swordsmen would no longer exist in this world."

Biwa Juzo opened his mouth, revealing a row of sharp shark teeth cleanly broken, creating gruesome wounds inside his mouth. It was precisely because of this terrifying amount of bleeding that he had managed to fool the enemy.

"Tch, so you're still alive, Biwa Juzo. That brat seemed to underestimate my tolerance for pain. That flash-step technique must be a trick of the eye; how could there be something in this world that allows attacks to pass through a body..."

Suikazan Fuguki's expression was dark and uncertain. His ninja sword had been stolen, and now only two of the Seven remained. Without their swords and without their members, what kind of "Seven Ninja Swordsmen" were they?

"It's lucky enough to have survived. Before that brat left, the family crest on his back was a Flame Fan. As expected, he's a genius brat from the Uchiha clan."

"I don't want to run into him again. With that level of flash-step technique, if there's no way to break it, the result of being killed is inevitable. It's only a matter of time..."

The two exchanged a glance and fell into silence. It was then that the Mist ninja who had arrived to deliver the message remembered his mission and hurriedly spoke.

"Biwa Juzo-sama, Suikazan Fuguki-sama, Ao-sama has successfully seized the Hyuga clan's bloodline limit and is currently rushing back to the Mist Village..."

"Are we to provide cover? In our current state, it's uncertain if we can even retreat safely. Although this war can be considered a failure, it wasn't entirely without gain, was it?"

The two men struggled to their feet and vanished into the dense forest. The corpses on the ground were collected by the other ninja, and they retreated from the border of the Land of Fire at full speed.

Time shifted slightly forward, at Konoha Village in the Land of Fire, inside the Konoha Hospital.

Outside the operating room, Might Guy looked anxious, while Ebisu and Shiranui Genma remained silent, waiting for the results of the surgery.

"Trust in the Medical Team's skill. Duy didn't use the final move of that forbidden technique. Although the chakra of the Gate of Death burned a little, I sealed it in time. He won't die, but..."

The warning light of the operating room flickered out. Nonou stepped out, removed her mask, and gave a gentle nod.

"The surgery was a success. The patient is no longer in critical condition, but his chakra meridians and body have suffered an immense burden. It is highly likely he will never be able to serve as a ninja again."

"Is... is that so? Thank you, thank you so much! Dad survived—that's all that matters."

Might Guy finally let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the floor. Just as he turned to thank Uchiha Hanazuki, he realized the man had already vanished from the corridor.

In a secluded corner of Konoha Hospital, Hanazuki raised an eyebrow, smiling as he scrutinized the several Anbu ninjas standing before him.

"Is there something you need?"

"Uchiha Hanazuki, the Hokage requests your presence. I suppose I should offer my congratulations in advance; even in times of war, we have never seen this level of—"

Realizing he had spoken out of turn, the Anbu wearing the Ox-Head Mask fell silent, merely gesturing for him to follow.

"Congratulations?"