“Let’s go.”
“Get farther away. If you get caught up in this, you’ll die.”
For once, Spiral Zetsu spoke seriously to Yūhi Yūyū.
“Aren’t you his companion?”
“Why aren’t you going to help him?”
“Being surrounded by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist… even a Hokage could end up dead.”
Yūyū couldn’t understand.
Then she quickly added,
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m just asking because I don’t understand the situation. It’s not because I’m worried about him.”
“Unless he wants to die himself, I can’t imagine anyone being able to kill him.”
Spiral Zetsu’s tone was meaningful.
Yūyū took a deep look at Kai before retreating farther away with Spiral Zetsu to watch the battle.
“Kisame.”
“Your strength isn’t enough yet.”
“Keep an eye on those two over there.”
“The three of us are enough to deal with him.”
Fuguki Suikazan spoke to the young Kisame behind him.
“Understood, Mr. Suikazan.”
Kisame respectfully acknowledged him and retreated outside the battlefield.
Fuguki then walked over beside Ringo Ameyuri and drew Samehada.
“Newcomer.”
“If you get in my way, Samehada won’t show you any mercy.”
As an experienced member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Fuguki’s words carried an unmistakable arrogance.
“A piece of garbage who barely managed to crawl away alive from a Konoha genin shouldn’t be giving orders here!”
Ringo Ameyuri fired back without the slightest hesitation.
She crossed her arms and drew the Lightning Blade: Kiba, holding the twin swords at her sides.
Crackle!
Golden arcs of electricity wrapped around the blades.
She was known throughout the Hidden Mist as a genius of Lightning Release.
In her hands, Kiba’s power had been pushed to an extreme far beyond that of its previous wielder.
“You—!”
Fuguki was about to lose his temper.
“You two had better shut up.”
“Unless you want me to take your swords back.”
Mangetsu Hōzuki suddenly appeared between the two.
Whoosh!
He unfurled his scroll.
At this distance, Mangetsu could freely summon and dismiss the Ninja Swords stored within it—even though he wasn’t the original wielder of those weapons.
Fuguki and Ringo could only obediently shut their mouths.
The scroll contained seven sealing positions.
Each was labeled with a character corresponding to one of the Seven Ninja Swords:
“Broken.”
“Great.”
“Long.”
“Blunt.”
“Explosive.”
“Lightning.”
“Twin.”
The positions corresponding to Long, Blunt, Explosive, and Twin were glowing.
That meant the four weapons were currently stored within the scroll.
Mangetsu spread the scroll across the ground.
He bit his finger, letting a drop of blood fall onto the position marked “Broken.”
Then he formed a series of hand seals.
The sealing formation began to glow.
Mangetsu’s sharp gaze locked onto Kai.
“Return the Executioner’s Blade.”
Buzz!
Buzz!
Kai suddenly felt the Executioner’s Blade in his hand vibrate violently.
It seemed to be trying to tear itself free from his grip.
“Once something is in my hands…”
“There is no reason to return it.”
Whoosh!
Kai’s right eye activated Kamui.
The light on the sealing position of the scroll disappeared.
Mangetsu frowned.
The connection between the scroll and the sword has been severed.
As expected.
His ocular technique can transfer anything he touches into another dimension.
And Jūzō’s attacks passed straight through his body.
Physical attacks are useless.
Then what about ninjutsu?
Mangetsu raised his hand and formed his fingers like a gun.
He aimed at Kai from a distance.
Hōzuki Clan Secret Technique: Water Gun!
Biu!
Biu!
Highly compressed water bullets shot from his fingertips.
They passed straight through Kai’s body.
Then they pierced several massive trees behind him in the blink of an eye.
Finally, they slammed into a boulder, leaving several extremely deep holes.
Yūyū stared in shock at the holes that had appeared only a few steps away.
Spiral Zetsu spoke calmly.
“Looks like this place isn’t safe either.”
“Let’s move farther away.”
Mangetsu lowered his hand.
His expression became even more solemn.
“Even ninjutsu doesn’t work?”
“Then the only opening is the moment he launches an attack.”
“He has to become tangible then.”
“Your analysis isn’t bad.”
“But…”
Kai formed the Horse hand seal.
Dense Fire Release chakra gathered in his throat.
“Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!”
BOOOOM!
A raging sea of fire rolled across the ground toward the three shinobi.
Even the water pooled across the battlefield instantly evaporated beneath its heat.
The sheer scale of the Fire Release forced even these three highly accomplished Water Release users to take it seriously.
All three formed hand seals simultaneously.
“Water Release: Threefold Water Dragon Bullet!”
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Three enormous water dragons erupted from the ground and collided with the sea of flames.
Hissssss!
Steam filled the battlefield.
Kisame covered his face with one hand, amazed.
“So this is the Fire Release the Uchiha clan is so proud of…”
“It took three Water Release experts using Water Dragon Bullet simultaneously just to block it.”
“Elemental advantage doesn’t seem to mean anything at all.”
“Terrifying…”
Kai formed another series of hand seals.
He used a powerful Wind Release technique he had copied with his Sharingan during his battle with Danzō the previous night.
“Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!”
A massive compressed blast of wind swept forward, slicing through the steam.
“Ha!”
Fuguki swung Samehada with tremendous force.
BOOM!
The Wind Release attack was smashed aside.
Crackle!
Lightning flashed.
Ringo Ameyuri used the Body Flicker Technique to close the distance with Kai.
Her twin blades, wrapped in golden lightning, crossed as they slashed downward.
Kai pulled Madara’s Gunbai from his back and blocked the lightning-infused strike.
“This fan…”
“It absorbed my Lightning Release chakra?!”
Ringo stared in shock while suspended in midair.
Kai praised her.
“You concentrated Lightning Release chakra into your feet to enhance your Body Flicker.”
“You timed your attack precisely for the instant I became tangible.”
“Not bad.”
“Indeed, you’re worthy of the title of Lightning Release genius.”
“But…”
“Uchiha Reflection!”
CRACK!
The lightning Kai’s Gunbai had absorbed suddenly exploded outward.
The attack was reflected straight back at Ringo.
“Ah!”
Ringo was sent flying.
Her feet dragged across the ground as she finally stopped beside her two comrades.
Blood flowed from both of her shoulders.
She gritted her teeth.
“His fan…”
“It didn’t just block my Lightning Release.”
“It reflected it back at me!”
That Gunbai had once been Madara’s treasured weapon.
During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Madara had even used Uchiha Reflection through the Gunbai to repel Naruto’s miniature Tailed Beast Ball.
“I’ll engage him at close range and draw his attention.”
“Ringo, prepare your long-range attack!”
Mangetsu spoke as he summoned the twin blades Kōdaigetsu into his hands.
“Understood!”
Ringo rose to her feet.
“Lightning Release: Natural Lightning!”
She swung one of her Lightning Blades toward the sky.
BOOOOM!
Thunder roared.
Natural lightning was drawn down from the sky.
Mangetsu charged toward Kai across the water, Kōdaigetsu in hand.
“Water Release: Great Water Arm Technique!”
As he ran, both of his arms transformed into enormous, powerful limbs.
“Kōdaigetsu—Release!”
As chakra poured into the twin blades, the weapon expanded to a gigantic size.
It descended like a massive hammer from the heavens.
BOOOOM!
The enormous blade passed straight through Kai’s body and smashed into the ground.
A huge crater erupted beneath it.
Whoosh!
Kai turned around and reached toward Mangetsu’s shoulder.
“Now!”
“Hit me together with him!”
Mangetsu shouted.
Whoosh!
But Kai’s hand passed straight through Mangetsu’s body.
Mangetsu’s expression changed dramatically.
This bastard deliberately pretended to attack!
He’s using our own strategy against us!
He already saw through Ringo’s technique!
“Lightning Blade Technique: Lightning Gate!”
Far away, Ringo Ameyuri suddenly drove both Lightning Blades into the ground.
CRACKLE!
CRACKLE!
CRACKLE!
The natural lightning she had drawn down from the sky was guided through the blades.
A massive area of lightning descended upon the battlefield.
“AAAAAH!”
But the only person struck by the lightning—
Was Mangetsu Hōzuki.