Chapter 175: All Wiped Out
Kushimaru Kuriare attacked with renewed fury.
Hoshikawa met him with the Thunderfire Blade, but he quickly noticed a problem.
Kushimaru had changed his strategy.
His Sewing Needle was longer, and it had extendable steel wire attached to the hilt.
He had opted for long-range combat.
Leveraging the reach advantage, the Sewing Needle could strike Hoshikawa , but the Thunderfire Blade was an inch too short to retaliate.
Hoshikawa frowned slightly.
After a brief exchange, he was at a disadvantage, as Kushimaru constantly remained just outside his attack range.
The slightest mistake and the Sewing Needle could wound him.
Body Flicker Technique!
Hoshikawa retreated, instantly putting distance between himself and Kushimaru Kuriare.
"What's wrong? Trying to run?"
Seeing this, Kushimaru sneered, "It seems Tsunade's student is nothing special."
Hoshikawa casually sheathed the Thunderfire Blade.
His swordsmanship was decent, but it was nowhere near as effective as his jutsu.
If Kushimaru wanted to play at long range, Hoshikawa would show him what long-range combat truly meant.
He didn't reply, simply forming hand signs.
"Trying to use a jutsu?"
Kushimaru read his intention, scoffed, and said, "Too slow!"
His body blurred into an afterimage, and the Sewing Needle instantly filled Hoshikawa 's vision.
As a Jōnin specialized in blade techniques, his speed far surpassed the hand-sign speed of most ninja.
Many Jōnin couldn't even cast a jutsu before him.
As for Hoshikawa , a brat of his age, how fast could his hand signs possibly be?
Kushimaru Kuriare's face suddenly changed.
His Sewing Needle was milliseconds away from piercing Hoshikawa 's forehead, but the ground beneath his feet turned into a muddy current.
The earth flowed, sweeping him away from Hoshikawa .
This was Earth Release: Great Earth River.
Its power could be scaled depending on the opponent's size.
"You know Earth Release, too?"
Kushimaru Kuriare quickly got out of the mud river's range, his voice laced with astonishment.
Hoshikawa formed another set of hand signs.
"Not so easy!"
Kushimaru Kuriare immediately used the Body Flicker Technique.
A wall of water rose up instantly in front of Hoshikawa .
Kushimaru couldn't react in time, and his Sewing Needle plunged directly into the water wall.
"So fast!"
Kushimaru Kuriare sensed danger.
The water wall suddenly collapsed, falling downward, then transforming into a water dragon.
Boom!
Kushimaru Kuriare instinctively raised the Sewing Needle to block, but the Water Dragon struck him, sending his body sliding several meters across the ground.
He had just started to stand when he saw Hoshikawa spit out a three-meter-high Great Fireball.
A scorching heat permeated the air.
Kushimaru Kuriare felt sweat pouring down his back.
He rolled clumsily on the ground, barely dodging the massive fireball.
"Damn it!"
Kushimaru Kuriare stood up, feeling utterly humiliated.
As one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, this was the first time he had been so completely outmatched by a jutsu-using ninja.
Hoshikawa ignored him, rapidly forming hand signs, sending a dragon-shaped flame hurtling toward Kushimaru Kuriare.
"Get lost!"
Kushimaru Kuriare's face darkened. He thrust the Sewing Needle forward, incredibly managing to shatter the flame into pieces.
But before he could celebrate, he heard a sound slicing through the air overhead.
He looked up, and a large pile of clay was falling from the sky.
He couldn't shatter this with the Sewing Needle.
Kushimaru Kuriare quickly used the Body Flicker Technique, escaping the range of the falling clay.
The sound of water rushing echoed.
He looked around and saw countless jets of water assaulting him from all directions.
"Damn it!"
Kushimaru Kuriare pushed off with his feet, leaping into the air.
Just as he prepared to escape, he heard a rush of wind by his ear.
Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!
Hoshikawa 's exhale transformed into bullet-like wind chakra waves.
And it wasn't just one—there were five.
Kushimaru Kuriare, suspended in mid-air, had no leverage.
Though he tried his best to dodge, he was still hit.
One of the Wind Release spheres struck his left shoulder, tearing the skin and muscle apart as blood gushed out.
"I'll kill you!"
The intense pain drove Kushimaru Kuriare into a complete rage, and a terrifying murderous intent radiated from him.
But it was useless. As soon as he took two steps, three massive, terrifying fire dragons came roaring at him.
The firelight illuminated the surroundings, and the heat of the burning flames bore down on him.
"He has the Yin Seal! He simply won't run out of chakra!"
The realization of the danger instantly sobered Kushimaru Kuriare.
He blinked to the left, then rolled again, forming hand signs.
He spat out a massive water sphere that collided with the pursuing fire dragon.
The clash of water and fire created a dense mist.
Kushimaru Kuriare breathed a sigh of relief in the fog.
As a Kirigakure ninja, he naturally mastered the Hiding in Mist Jutsu and Silent Killing.
This gave him an idea. Kushimaru Kuriare formed hand signs and used the Hiding in Mist Jutsu.
But in the next second, a gale of wind blew through, instantly dissipating the fog.
"+!?"
Kushimaru Kuriare couldn't help but curse out loud.
He had never encountered a ninja who could use all five basic nature transformations before—at most, he'd seen three.
Now, he finally understood how utterly disgusting a pent-element ninja was.
No, it was different!
Hoshikawa was even more repulsive than a regular pent-element ninja, because his hand sign speed was fast, he had excessive chakra, and he was proficient in all five elements.
Many Jōnin knew multiple elements, but that didn't mean they were proficient in all of them; they usually specialized in one. Kushimaru Kuriare suddenly grasped the problem.
He might not be able to defeat Hoshikawa .
Because he simply couldn't get close enough.
He had run around the area multiple times, yet Hoshikawa remained stationary.
Is this supposed to be a medical ninja?!
Kushimaru Kuriare felt regret wash over him. He should never have picked a fight with this kid.
But now, it was too late to run.
Kushimaru Kuriare suddenly felt a change beneath his feet.
The ground bulged, and several rock spears thrust upward at him.
His reaction was swift. He deflected and broke the rock spears with a few rapid slashes of the Sewing Needle.
A gust of fierce wind rushed toward him.
Kushimaru Kuriare immediately formed hand signs, and a water wall rose in front of him.
The space above his head twisted.
A pile of clay descended from the sky.
His water wall could only block one direction, not the descending clay.
Kushimaru Kuriare pondered his options while desperately dodging Hoshikawa 's barrage of jutsu.
After all the deliberation, only one option remained: get close.
Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!
Kushimaru Kuriare formed hand signs again, blocking a massive fireball.
Smoke billowed, and he suddenly froze.
Hoshikawa , who had been stationary, was gone.
Bad!
Kushimaru Kuriare's face paled, and he frantically scanned his surroundings.
Hoshikawa held the advantage; he wouldn't run. The only explanation was a sneak attack.
But from which direction?
Kushimaru Kuriare's scalp prickled.
Given Hoshikawa 's mastery of the five elements, an attack could come from anywhere. There was no way to defend against all of them.
Just then, he felt a disturbance in the ground.
Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!
Hoshikawa 's arm shot out from beneath the ground, grabbing Kushimaru Kuriare's legs.
"Die!"
Seeing this, Kushimaru Kuriare plunged the Sewing Needle straight into the ground.
His legs were dragged into the earth, but the Sewing Needle also pierced Hoshikawa .
Bang!
No blood flowed out.
It was a Shadow Clone.
Kushimaru Kuriare's heart hammered in his chest. He immediately tried to escape the earth.
Just then, a buried explosive tag detonated instantly, fire soaring into the sky and bringing with it an intense heat.
The ninja engaged in battle nearby instinctively looked toward Kushimaru Kuriare.
The commotion was too massive to ignore.
When the explosion subsided, Kushimaru Kuriare's ragged body appeared before everyone.
His legs were shredded by the explosion; only half of his torso remained somewhat intact.
Hoshikawa 's real body appeared. He picked up the Sewing Needle from the ground and plunged it into Kushimaru Kuriare's heart.
Kushimaru's body twitched twice before falling completely silent.
"Lord Kushimaru is dead? How is that possible?!"
The nearby Kirigakure ninja were shocked.
Dying at the hands of Tsunade was understandable, but being killed by her student—a mere teenager—was completely baffling.
"Hoshikawa actually killed Kushimaru Kuriare?"
The Konoha Jōnin also found it unbelievable.
In their minds, Hoshikawa was a genius, but a genius often meant they hadn't fully matured yet.
Only after the Chūnin Exams and his recent performance did they acknowledge him as having Jōnin-level strength.
But only that of a standard Jōnin, not an elite among Jōnin.
Kushimaru Kuriare, as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, was undoubtedly an elite Jōnin.
If such a powerful figure died at Hoshikawa 's hands, didn't that mean his strength was already on par with theirs—or even greater?
"That brat is full of surprises."
Tsunade's lips curled into a slight smile as she turned her attention back to Fuguki Suikazan before her.
He was no longer as smug as before and had sustained serious injuries.
Though Samehada was desperately pumping chakra into him, it was still of no use.
"As the Sensei, I can't let my student outpace me."
Tsunade's eyes sharpened, and her body instantly vanished.
Fuguki Suikazan, panting heavily, struggled to get up, but what greeted him was a fist the size of a sandbag.
Boom!
A violent shockwave erupted from Fuguki Suikazan's center, followed by a ground-shaking tremor.
The ground cracked, spiderweb-like fissures spreading wildly as debris flew and a gale of wind roared.
The surrounding ninja instinctively looked over, seeing Tsunade standing in the wind, her blonde hair whipping around her.
In front of her lay a completely unconscious Fuguki Suikazan.
Samehada, seeing its owner incapacitated, writhed restlessly on the ground.
Tsunade walked up and delivered a swift kick, rendering it utterly motionless.
"A-A-AHHH! Daytime Tiger! (Hirudora!)"
Suddenly, Might Duy's roar rang out.
He leaped high, and the wind pressure condensed into a massive white tiger that engulfed Tōrō Tenkai before him.
Rumble!
Explosions followed one after another.
Countless shockwaves spread outward, forcing all nearby ninja to involuntarily retreat.
The ninja witnessing the Daytime Tiger for the first time, released from the Eight Gates, were struck with awe.
This sheer destructive power was excessive, seemingly even more powerful than Tsunade's display of Monster Strength just moments before.
"Hoshikawa !"
Tsunade, who had seen it before, was completely unfazed.
Her body flashed, and she appeared before a youth whose head was wrapped in bandages.
This was Jinpachi Munashi, another of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
His ninja sword was the Blastsword: Splash, which was covered in explosive tags.
When he saw Tsunade, his face changed. He raised the Shibuki and swung it at her.
The explosive tags detonated.
Fire and shrapnel rushed toward Tsunade.
She quickly retreated.
Just then, the ground behind Jinpachi Munashi surged upward, and Hoshikawa leaped out.
When he heard Tsunade call his name, he instantly understood what she wanted.
After living and working together for so long, they shared an implicit understanding.
Chidori Nagashi! (One Thousand Birds Stream!)
Lightning Release Body!
Monster Strength!
Hoshikawa used his full power, swinging a punch.
Jinpachi Munashi heard the air being torn, snapped his wrist, and swung the Shibuki back at him.
Body Flicker Technique!
Monster Strength!
Tsunade clenched her fist, surged forward, and struck Jinpachi directly in the heart.
Hoshikawa drew his rarely used Zangetsu—the short katana forged by Cat Granny.
Zangetsu blocked the Shibuki, while his right fist slammed into Jinpachi's back.
Tsunade and Hoshikawa struck almost simultaneously, a terrifying force exploding from both sides.
In an instant, blood spattered.
Jinpachi Munashi let out a cry of pain before completely losing consciousness.
The Sensei and student retreated simultaneously, avoiding the spray of blood.
Hoshikawa casually sealed the Blastsword Shibuki into a storage scroll.
He hadn't forgotten the Longsword Sewing Needle from Kushimaru Kuriare earlier, either.
Seeing this, Tsunade couldn't help but laugh.
Who on earth taught this brat such habits?
Hoshikawa inwardly defended himself: it was simply the player's instinct—you picked up all the loot, even the trash. And these swords were anything but trash.
"Run—! Everyone, run!"
A Kirigakure Jōnin screamed, turning to flee.
With his lead, the remaining Kirigakure ninja stopped resisting, turning to escape en masse.
The reason was simple.
With Kushimaru Kuriare's death, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were completely annihilated.
As for the wielder of the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei, he had been defeated by Maki and Hyūga Saku.
With their commanders wiped out, what was the point of staying? It was better to flee and perhaps preserve a few sparks of their force.
"Pursue!"
Tsunade retracted her gaze and quickly gave the command.
The many Jōnin immediately gave chase, and a new wave of slaughter began.
But the Kirigakure ninja's morale was shattered, and their combat effectiveness was significantly lower than before. The battle was a complete rout.
"Lady Tsunade."
Half an hour later, Hyūga Saku returned, reporting with some shame, "A small portion of the Kirigakure ninja managed to escape."
"It's fine."
Tsunade said without concern. "They won't be able to cause any trouble now."
In her view, killing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen constituted a phase victory.
If Kirigakure did not send further reinforcements, it meant they had lost this battle to Konoha and Sunagakure.
Even if they did send reinforcements, the deaths of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen plus this large batch of ninja were enough to cause devastating losses to Kirigakure.
"The four of you return to the camp and bring the rest of the ninja over."
Tsunade looked at Hyūga Saku and the two Konoha Jōnin beside him and instructed.
This island was strategically located and served as the center of Kirigakure's front lines. Occupying it would put Kirigakure in a difficult position.
"Yes, ma'am!"
The four immediately turned and left.
"Half of the remaining Kirigakure ninja are still spread across other islands. Be wary of their sneak attacks."
Tsunade said, her tone serious.
"Yes, ma'am!"
The rest of the assembled ninja responded in unison.
Tsunade nodded slightly, but as she turned, she realized Hoshikawa was gone.
She scanned the area, and the corner of her mouth twitched.
Hoshikawa had run to Fuguki Suikazan's body and was fiddling with the Samehada.
Why is he acting like a thief?
Tsunade felt a bit helpless but didn't stop him.
Hoshikawa examined Samehada. He remembered this thing was somehow related to the Three-Tails, Isobu.
But it was notoriously disloyal.
In the original story, Samehada even betrayed its owner, Kisame, and became Killer B's sword because it was infatuated with the Eight-Tails' chakra.
In short, it was a backstabber.
It was a shame he couldn't reforge it like the Thunder Swords: Kiba, as it was fundamentally a special living organism, not a true ninja blade.
Hoshikawa thought about it and decided he could only seal it for now.
.......
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