Juzo Biwa

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Explosions rang out one after another. Watching Liumu surrounded by Explosive Tags in their midst, the six Ninja Swordsmen gradually curled their lips into cold smiles.

The longsword could not hurt him.

Even the blunt sword could not break the boy's blade.

But...

Besides being a sword, Shibuki concealed countless Explosive Tags within its blade.

No one could escape a bombardment like this.

"It's... pretty warm."

Liumu's voice rang out again amid the explosions. They watched him stroll out of the Explosive Tags, even leisurely shaking the dust off himself.

"Sorry for troubling you to keep me warm in weather this cold."

"Kid! Take this!"

Raiga Kurosuki, the wielder of the lightning blades, Kiba, shouted coldly and scraped both blades straight across the ground. Immediately, two lightning serpents burst forth and shot straight toward Liumu's feet.

Lightning could counter ninjutsu. Although they did not understand what means Liumu was using, the lightning blades would surely render his ninjutsu ineffective by restraining him.

"A feint?"

Wrapped in lightning, Liumu watched Hiramekarei and the greatsword Samehada attack from either side. He immediately turned into motes of light and vanished from their midst.

"What?"

As Suikazan Fuguki saw Samehada swing through empty air, Raiga's startled cry immediately rang out behind him.

"Watch your back!"

But...

"Too late!"

Liumu's scattered light gathered again behind Suikazan. Once his human form solidified, a dazzling light shone from his right leg.

With a quiet shout, Liumu sent Suikazan Fuguki flying with a Light-Speed Kick. Tremendous force erupted, sending his figure streaking like lightning into the stone wall at Kirigakure's entrance.

His unparalleled speed and ghostlike abilities left the Six Ninja Blade Users exchanging looks.

Almost simultaneously, the same word appeared in all their minds!

"Run!"

"Run?" Watching his enemies scatter, Liumu shook his head helplessly. He brought his hands together before his chest, and a shining mirror immediately appeared between them.

"Yata Mirror!"

At Liumu's quiet shout, the Yata Mirror in his hands suddenly fired a brilliant beam, leaving a constantly zigzagging path of light in the air.

The path of light hemmed in the Ninja Swordsmen. While they were still bewildered, Liumu, who had been hundreds of meters away, suddenly appeared before them and delivered an airborne kick squarely to the face.

With a boom, Kushimaru Kuriarare's body also slammed down beside Suikazan.

As for the others...

A short while later.

Liumu strolled over to the Six Ninja Blade Users, now piled together in a heap. He crouched down and reached out to pat each of them on the cheek.

"Hey, wake up. Time to get up. You haven't answered my question yet."

Looking at the men feigning unconsciousness, Liumu summoned Ame no Murakumo and pressed its blade hard against Kushimaru Kuriarare's forehead.

"Hey, don't, don't!"

Seeing that he could no longer keep up the act, Kushimaru Kuriarare hurriedly sat up on the ground and immediately said, "Whatever it is, we can talk it over. We can talk it over."

"I'll say this one last time," Liumu asked. "Tell me everything about Han."

As Liumu spoke, the Ame no Murakumo in his hand pressed tighter.

"She... she..."

At Han's name, hesitation appeared on Kushimaru Kuriarare's face.

After careful consideration, Kushimaru Kuriarare replied, "Though I know you might not be satisfied with what I'm about to say, the person who knows the most about Han should be Juzo."

"Juzo?" Liumu frowned slightly at his words.

"That's right," Kushimaru Kuriarare affirmed, explaining, "Juzo Biwa, one of our Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who wields the broken blade, Kubikiribōchō-the Executioner's Blade."

"Where is he?"

Faced with the question, Kushimaru Kuriarare lowered his head and looked around at his unconscious teammates beneath him before saying, "Juzo is locked in a cell beneath the Third's office."

"Oh?" Liumu glanced sideways.

Juzo Biwa was one of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and the wielder of Kubikiribōchō. His status could be said to be second only to one, so why was he imprisoned now?

Seeing Liumu's thoughtful expression, Kushimaru Kuriarare hurriedly explained the entire story to prove he was not deceiving him.

Juzo Biwa was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, but apart from carrying out the Third's missions, he took no part whatsoever in cultivating Kekkei Genkai.

Moreover, a few months earlier, a child Juzo Biwa knew had been confirmed to possess a Kekkei Genkai bloodline. To keep the child from ending up in the underground prison, he had secretly let the child escape under cover of night.

When the Third Mizukage learned of this, he flew into a rage and had kept him imprisoned ever since.

As for the child he had released, Kirigakure's ANBU had already gone in pursuit.

The original story had said little about Kirigakure's Third. All that was known was that he had once been the Second's personal bodyguard. Throughout Naruto: Shippuden, he had not even had a name-the only Kage-level figure without one, and the one with the least presence.

Liumu had no time to think about all that. After knocking Kushimaru Kuriarare unconscious with the flat of Ame no Murakumo, he turned into motes of light and headed straight into Kirigakure.

Inside the Mist Shadow's office.

Watching Liumu abruptly condense into human form before him, the Third immediately unleashed a staggering murderous intent through his gaze.

"If you can appear here, that means they've already been defeated by you."

Faced with the question concealing a blade behind a smile, Liumu smiled faintly, pulled out the chair in front of him, and sat directly across from the Third.

"So... even now, you have no intention of telling me who you are?"

Liumu shook his head, staring straight at him.

"Or... did they send you?"

The Mist Shadow's words immediately puzzled Liumu. Judging by his sharp gaze, there were probably other secrets involved.

But Liumu had only one purpose on this visit: to investigate Han's origins.

He had no interest in Kirigakure's scheming, nor did he care about it.

"I want to see Juzo Biwa!"

Liumu stated his purpose directly.

At this, the Mist Shadow frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on Liumu as though trying to discern something from his expression.

"There's no need to look at me like that. I came here only to learn about Han's origins. As for anything else... you don't need to be nervous. No one sent me." As Liumu spoke, a cluster of light gathered in his palm. He looked up at the Mist Shadow and continued, "I know he's down below. I'll leave once I've finished asking my questions. Kirigakure will still be your Kirigakure. That's all."

Defeating the Six Ninja Blade Users would have been extremely difficult even for the Mist Shadow. Facing Liumu, who possessed such abilities, the Mist Shadow knew he was no match for him.

Besides, a truly powerful person had no need to conceal his purpose before the weak. After all, under the suppression of overwhelming strength, all scheming was merely a waste of time.

Juzo Biwa had been imprisoned on the Mist Shadow's orders, which was why Liumu had come here.

"Very well, but I'm going with you..."