The Land of Water was surrounded on all sides by the sea, and its unique terrain was filled with countless mountain ranges.
Because it was far from the mainland and separated by the ocean, the Land of Water rarely became involved in the great shinobi wars.
Among the Five Great Nations, it was one of the countries least affected by the flames of war.
Hidden Mist Village was located deep within the mountains of the Land of Water.
Its territory was constantly shrouded in thick fog, making it a shinobi village almost completely isolated from the other nations.
And the road to the Land of Lightning inevitably passed through the territory of the Hidden Mist…
Kai, Spiral Zetsu, and Yūhi Yūyū had already spent three days traveling through the Land of Water.
They hadn’t encountered any Hidden Mist shinobi along the way.
After all, compared to ordinary civilians, shinobi were still a minority.
But the closer they got to the Hidden Mist Village, the greater the chance of encountering shinobi became.
The three were speeding through the forest across a stretch of marshland, their footsteps splashing through the water.
Kai glanced at Yūyū from the corner of his eye.
Her breathing had already become somewhat ragged.
“Tired?”
“Then let’s rest for a while.”
“Don’t underestimate me!”
Yūyū gritted her teeth and pushed herself ahead of Kai.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Just then, several kunai flew toward them from ahead.
“Hm?”
Yūyū quickly drew her sword and knocked the kunai away one after another.
Clang!
Clang!
But then she suddenly noticed the explosive tags attached to the kunai lying at her feet.
Her stamina was already depleted, and she had no time to dodge.
Damn it!
Just as the thought crossed her mind, an arm wrapped around her waist.
Kai pulled her rapidly to the side.
BOOM!
The explosive tags detonated, sending water spraying into the air.
Yūyū came back to her senses and realized she was being held in Kai’s arms.
“I told you not to push yourself.”
She gritted her teeth and broke free of Kai’s hold, then warily stared into the mist ahead.
A large group of Hidden Mist shinobi emerged from the fog.
At the front was a man with short black hair.
He had no eyebrows, sharp teeth, and a large cross-shaped scar on the right side of his face.
His ears and neck were wrapped in bandages, while red stripes were painted across the lower half of his face.
And on his back was a familiar weapon—
The Executioner’s Blade, Kubikiribōchō!
“That outfit…”
“And that weapon…”
“Could he be one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—Jūzō Biwa?”
Yūyū’s expression became solemn.
There were many Naruto fans who might not be familiar with Jūzō Biwa.
But Kai certainly was.
He was the previous wielder of the Executioner’s Blade before Zabuza Momochi.
One of the first members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
In the original story, Jūzō eventually became dissatisfied with the rule of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, and defected from the Hidden Mist.
He later joined the Akatsuki and became the partner of Uchiha Itachi.
During an Akatsuki mission in the Land of Water, he was ultimately killed by the Mizukage.
He was thirty-one years old at the time of his death.
But that time had not yet come.
Jūzō was only in his early twenties now.
He had yet to defect from the Hidden Mist.
Furthermore, he was one of the three members of the first generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen who had survived Might Duy’s Eight Gates assault.
“You aren’t shinobi from this village.”
Jūzō stepped forward and questioned them coldly.
“Aiyaaa, what terrible luck!”
“We ran into the famous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist right away!”
“I really want to go home!”
Spiral Zetsu spoke in an exaggerated, carefree tone.
Jūzō frowned.
His gaze shifted to the forehead protector worn by Yūyū.
“A missing-nin from Konoha…”
He muttered to himself.
Then he drew the Executioner’s Blade from his back and raised it.
“Speak!”
“What are you doing here?”
“If you tell me honestly, I can at least leave your bodies intact.”
“Of course…”
“First, I’ll have to learn everything about your techniques.”
“That is the rule of the Bloody Mist.”
“Ohhhh~”
“How terrifying~~~~!”
Spiral Zetsu exaggerated his fear.
“Stand back.”
“Go over there with Spiral Zetsu.”
Kai spoke to Yūyū. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Although she was reluctant, Yūyū could only obey.
“Even if it’s him…”
“Taking on the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and all these Hidden Mist shinobi by himself…”
“Isn’t that a little reckless?”
She asked.
“Who knows?”
“By the way…”
“What does the urge to poop feel like?”
Spiral Zetsu was still completely obsessed with his favorite subject.
“…”
Yūyū shook her head.
Talking to Spiral Zetsu was a complete waste of time.
“You’re not going to let those two escape?”
Jūzō asked Kai.
“No need.”
Kai’s answer was indifferent.
“You’re right.”
“There really is no need.”
“Because soon, the three of you will be reunited underground!”
Jūzō formed a hand seal in front of his chest.
“Ninjutsu: Hidden Mist Jutsu!”
Whoosh!
Dense mist rapidly spread throughout the area.
Within this fog, only Hidden Mist shinobi could clearly sense the presence of their enemies.
“Oh…”
“Blocking the line of sight.”
“That is indeed unfavorable for the Sharingan.”
“But the moment you attack, you’ll inevitably create some kind of disturbance.”
Kai murmured.
Lightning Release chakra wrapped around his right hand.
He thrust forward from behind.
Crackle!
Lightning pierced through Jūzō’s body, electric arcs raging through him.
But—
Splash!
Jūzō’s body suddenly dissolved into water.
“A Water Clone…”
Gurgle!
A large amount of water surged up beneath Kai’s feet.
It formed a prison of water around him, trapping him inside.
Oh?
This isn’t an ordinary Water Clone.
When it’s destroyed, it releases the Water Prison Jutsu?
Kai thought from within the prison.
Whoosh!
Jūzō’s real body descended from above.
Both hands gripped the Executioner’s Blade.
He swung it down with tremendous force.
“It’s over!”
BOOM!
The Water Prison was smashed apart.
The Executioner’s Blade plunged deeply into the ground.
But something felt wrong to Jūzō.
He had clearly struck his opponent.
Yet there was no sensation of flesh and bone being cleaved apart.
“What just happened?”
“No!”
Jūzō was shocked and immediately tried to pull his sword free.
“Too late…”
Clang!
Kai stepped on the back of the Executioner’s Blade, pinning it to the ground.
His right hand rested on Jūzō’s shoulder.
His voice was cold.
“Also…”
“It’s over.”
“Sharingan…”
Jūzō’s expression changed.
Whoosh!
A Kamui vortex erupted from Kai’s right eye.
“AAAAAH!”
In an instant, Jūzō was sucked into the Kamui dimension.
That was the terrifying nature of Kamui.
Anyone who didn’t understand its mechanics could be killed instantly by it.
Even a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was no exception.
But even knowing how it worked…
What could they do?
With the caster removed from the battlefield, the Hidden Mist Jutsu dissipated.
The surrounding Hidden Mist shinobi stood frozen in shock.
“Captain Jūzō…”
“He was defeated in an instant?”
“What kind of technique was that?!”
Kai bent down and picked up the Executioner’s Blade.
His Sharingan rotated.
In an instant, he locked onto the positions of every Hidden Mist shinobi around him.
Whoosh!
His figure vanished.
Uchiha Style Swordsmanship!
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
Blades flashed through the mist.
One Hidden Mist shinobi after another fell beneath the edge of the Executioner’s Blade.
“This can’t be real…”
Yūyū’s pupils trembled.
One minute later, the blood of the Hidden Mist shinobi had dyed the ground red.
Clang!
Kai drove the Executioner’s Blade into the ground.
His cold gaze swept toward the shadows of the forest.
“Stop hiding.”
“Come out.”
Rustle…
Rustle…
Silence lasted for a moment.
Then movement finally came from the darkness.
“Jūzō was useless.”
“Just like his Executioner’s Blade.”
“Completely worthless.”
From the west, a female shinobi stepped forward.
She had reddish-brown hair tied into a vertical braid, sharp teeth, and a thick bandage wrapped around her neck.
Two spiked blades were strapped to her back.
She was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—
Ringo Ameyuri, the second wielder of the Lightning Blade, Kiba.
“Konoha again?”
“Just seeing you brings back unpleasant memories.”
“But the Uchiha clan shouldn’t be capable of such exaggerated physical strength…”
From the north came a bulky male shinobi.
His orange hair extended all the way down to his waist.
He had sharp teeth and a thick bandage wrapped around his neck.
Green stripes were painted across his cheeks.
A large sword wrapped in bandages was strapped to his back.
He was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—
Fuguki Suikazan, the first wielder of Samehada.
Behind him walked a young shinobi.
It was none other than the young—
Kisame Hoshigaki.
“But the Uchiha’s ocular techniques are famous throughout the shinobi world.”
“Jūzō used his life to obtain some useful information for us.”
From the south came a young shinobi with white hair tied into a vertical braid.
He had sharp teeth and a thick bandage wrapped around his neck.
He carried no sword.
Instead, he carried only a scroll.
It was said that after the Seven Ninja Swordsmen suffered heavy losses at the hands of Might Duy, a young prodigy emerged from the Hidden Mist.
A boy who possessed blood from the Hōzuki clan.
He inherited the twin blades Kōdaigetsu—
And most terrifying of all, he could freely summon and wield all of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen’s weapons.
The Explosive Blade: Shibuki.
The Long Sword: Nuibari.
The Blunt Sword: Kabutowari.
After the previous wielders of these three swords died, the weapons were left without owners and were inherited by this young shinobi.
Along with his own Kōdaigetsu, all four blades were stored within his scroll.
One man alone represented what could be called the Four Swordsmen.
That young man now stood before them.
His name was—
Mangetsu Hōzuki.
Kai looked up.
“So this is how the Bloody Mist operates.”
“You watched your comrade walk to his death without lifting a finger.”
He paused.
“Now…”
“Everyone’s here, right?”