Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Chōza led a company of ninja onto the shores of the Land of Water.
Shikaku had accepted a mission—the Hunt for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. He was responsible for eliminating Kirigakure's strongest combat unit, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
His gaze lingered slightly longer on the last member of the group, the only one without a flak jacket, still technically a genin—Might Duy.
Since Lord Fox valued Might Duy so highly, there had to be a reason.
Not long after landing, two reconnaissance ninja returned from ahead.
"Jōnin Shikaku! The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are retreating eastward! They encountered a Konoha genin squad. The three genin are Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, and Ebisu!"
Before Shikaku could speak, Might Duy suddenly rushed forward.
"What?! Guy's team ran into the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?!"
Shikaku hurriedly shouted:
"Might Duy! Don't act recklessly, we—"
Before he could finish speaking, Might Duy had already disappeared into the distance.
Yamanaka Inoichi stepped forward.
"Shikaku, why have you been insisting on bringing this genin around?"
Among ninja, obedience was everything. One had to follow the commander's orders unconditionally.
The Nara Clan, famed for strategy, valued discipline in subordinates even more than most.
They especially hated ninja who acted on their own initiative because such behavior could disrupt carefully planned operations.
This mission to hunt the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was extremely dangerous, yet Shikaku had insisted on bringing along the genin Might Duy, leaving everyone confused.
The weakest among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was still an elite jōnin. A genin wouldn't even be capable of buying time.
Yet Shikaku simply said:
"Move! Follow him!"
Clearly, he had no intention of punishing Might Duy for acting independently.
Though he was worried about his son, the battlefield was full of fathers and brothers.
If everyone acted like Might Duy and abandoned formation to save family members, how could any war continue?
After chasing for a while, Yamanaka Inoichi suddenly said:
"Something's wrong… Why is Might Duy so fast?"
Their hunting company consisted entirely of elites. Aside from Might Duy, every member was at least a Tokubetsu Jōnin.
Yet they were actually struggling to catch up to him.
Could they have gone the wrong direction?
Inoichi turned toward Hyūga Hizashi within the team.
Hizashi had his Byakugan activated the entire time.
"Might Duy's chakra is increasing in stages. Every short interval, his chakra surges explosively!"
Shikaku thought to himself:
Excellent.
A mystery was finally about to be solved.
Why did Lord Fox value Might Duy so much?
Perhaps the answer would soon reveal itself.
Far ahead, Might Guy's group was frozen in terror before the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
On distant rocks and tree trunks stood—or lounged—seven horrifying Mist ninja.
Each carried a bizarre and monstrous blade.
Kushimaru Kuriarare, wielder of the long blade Nuibari, already possessed terrifying legends of his own throughout the coastal regions.
Yet among the seven, he couldn't even rank in the top three.
Every blade filled the three Konoha genin with fear.
Every single member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen made their hearts tremble.
Might Guy gripped his knees tightly, trying desperately to force himself to move.
"Move… Move already…"
But the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had locked onto every weakness in his body.
It felt as though the moment he moved, seven blades would instantly cut him apart.
Ebisu said despairingly:
"Konoha keeps winning battle after battle…
Yet the three of us are going to die here…"
At that moment, a green figure descended from the sky, landing directly in front of the three boys.
The moment they looked up, they saw it was Might Guy's father—Might Duy.
Shiranui Genma and Ebisu exchanged looks, both utterly stunned.
Why would the village send a genin with absolutely no talent in ninjutsu deep into the front lines?
Might Duy turned around and said:
"Hurry and run! I'll buy time. Jōnin Shikaku's elite company is right behind us!"
Might Guy hurriedly shouted:
"Father! Those aren't ordinary Mist ninja! They're the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!"
Might Duy looked at the seven bizarre blades and said:
"Even though I rarely leave the village, I still recognize the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Guy, stop talking. I'm going to use the Eight Gates Formation."
"But Father, that technique…"
Might Duy turned back and gave a thumbs-up.
"Now is precisely the time to break our limits.
Recently, the village has valued me greatly.
First, I joined Princess Kushina's escort company. Now I've been assigned to the hunting unit targeting the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
I've been overwhelmed by such treatment.
Now it's finally my turn to protect the things I treasure!"
Blue vapor began pouring from Might Duy's body.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen immediately abandoned their relaxed stances and became serious.
Fuguki Suikazan jumped down from the rock, staring cautiously at Might Duy.
Another Konoha ANBU suddenly appeared with Body Flicker Technique.
"Wait!" Monkey said. "Might Duy, Lord Fox has ordered that you may only open the Seventh Gate. You are forbidden from opening the Eighth Gate!"
Might Duy froze.
He had already prepared himself to die here.
Yet an ANBU had specifically come just to warn him not to open the Eighth Gate.
Thinking about how Shikaku's company was already close behind—and with ANBU support arriving as well—Might Duy realized there was no longer any need to sacrifice himself.
Unlike the original timeline where Might Duy fought the Seven Ninja Swordsmen alone before dying, here he stood backed by a powerful Konoha force.
"The Seventh Gate of Shock… OPEN!"
With the Seventh Gate activated, Might Duy charged forward recklessly.
Jinin Akebino, wielding the axe and hammer combination, was the first to leap out.
He swung the axe downward at Might Duy.
But to the shock of both Jinin and the others, Might Duy actually dodged the strike.
Jinin immediately swung the massive hammer toward him.
The next scene left everyone staring in disbelief.
Might Duy's fist collided head-on with the hammer.
The blunt sword's hammer was blasted away by a single punch, sending even Jinin himself flying backward. He crashed into a giant boulder, shattering it apart.
Ebisu felt the entire scene was absurd.
Wasn't Uncle Duy supposed to be the Eternal Genin?
How could he send the physically strongest member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen flying with one punch?
If Uncle Duy counted as a genin…
Then what exactly were they?
Fuguki Suikazan frowned deeply, his fish-like eyes filled with seriousness.
"Everyone attack together! Kill this monster quickly!"
In Fuguki's eyes, a Konoha ninja capable of overpowering the Blunt Sword user in raw strength was an absolute freak of nature.
All seven blades struck at once from different directions.
Jinin Akebino, who had just been blown away, shoved a medicinal herb into his mouth, held his breath, and rejoined the battle.
The humiliation was unbearable.
He had been sent flying by a single punch from a Konoha shinobi who didn't even wear a flak jacket.
Forced onto the defensive, Might Duy struggled desperately.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were simply too powerful.
Especially Samehada and Hiramekarei.
Samehada absorbed chakra.
Hiramekarei materialized chakra into solid force.
Might Duy quickly fell into disadvantage.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen knew Nara Shikaku was pursuing them, so they fought with absolute desperation, trying to eliminate this Konoha nuisance as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, Kushimaru Kuriarare, wielder of the long blade Nuibari, slipped around Might Duy and sinisterly moved toward the weaker trio of Might Guy, Genma, and Ebisu.
Panic filled Might Duy's heart.
Ignoring the ANBU's warning—
Ignoring Lord Fox's order to stop at the Seventh Gate—
"Eight Gates… The Eighth Gate… Gate of Death—"
Before he could say the word open, a hand suddenly pressed down onto his shoulder.
"Not necessary, not necessary. Do me a favor, there's no need to open the Eighth Gate."
Might Duy instantly felt the chakra within his meridians freeze, no longer responding to his control.
Turning around, Might Duy saw a fox mask.
Lord Fox had personally entered the Land of Water as well?!