Juzo Biwa gritted his teeth and swung his blade, shattering two of the water sharks.
But the other three were already on him.
He barely twisted aside in time to avoid a direct hit to his vitals, but his left arm, right leg, and side still had three large chunks of flesh ripped away.
Blood gushed out like a waterfall.
"Urgh!"
Juzo dropped to one knee on the water, using the Executioner's Blade to support himself as he gasped for breath.
Kiyohara walked toward him slowly, his left hand still pressed to the water's surface.
The five water sharks, though slashed apart, reformed under the pull of chakra and charged again.
"As long as my hand stays on the water, they won't truly disappear," Kiyohara said calmly.
These Water Release techniques really were pretty interesting.
"They'll keep coming… until they bite you to death."
The five sharks attacked in turns.
Juzo looked like a trapped beast surrounded by wolves, scrambling desperately. More and more wounds opened across his body, and the blood loss only grew worse.
The Executioner's Blade frantically absorbed the blood, but it couldn't heal him nearly as fast as he was being torn apart.
A short while later, Juzo was completely drenched in blood.
Bracing himself on his sword, he knelt on one knee, his vision starting to blur.
The surrounding Kirigakure ninja had already scattered. None of them dared come near this battlefield.
Mei wanted to rush in to help, but Hyuga Ginka, Kakashi, and Might Guy had already surrounded her.
Rin and Kurenai, meanwhile, were cleaning up the remaining Kirigakure fodder.
Kiyohara looked at the dying Juzo, and a trace of… boredom flashed through his eyes.
"That's it?"
he muttered softly.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are weaker than I expected."
Those words were like the last straw that broke Juzo's will.
He roared and threw himself forward with his last bit of strength, blade raised.
But he moved as slowly as a snail.
Kiyohara couldn't even be bothered to strike him directly anymore.
He lifted his left hand from the water and looked at Juzo, who was still dodging, now over a hundred meters away.
The gold dust gourd on his back quivered slightly.
Five golden spindle-shaped bullets condensed in the air, each only about the size of a fist, but the electromagnetic glow running across them made it obvious how terrifying they were.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Bullets."
Kiyohara tapped a finger lightly.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Five streaks of gold tore through the air, trailing long white shockwaves behind them.
Sonic booms.
Juzo didn't even see their paths. He only felt searing pain explode through his chest, abdomen, and limbs at the same time.
He lowered his head.
There were five blood holes in his body, each the size of a bowl, punched clean through.
Blood sprayed out like fountains.
His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but only blood foam came out.
Splash.
The Executioner's Blade slipped from his grasp and fell into the water.
Juzo fell onto his back, staring blankly up at the sky as his eyes slowly lost focus.
That made two.
Another one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was gone.
Silence.
This time, even the sound of the waves seemed to disappear.
Every Kirigakure ninja present, including Mei, stared blankly at what had just happened.
Two.
Within ten minutes, two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were dead.
Killed by a ninja who looked no more than a teenager.
How could that be possible?
It shouldn't have been.
"Why… why…"
Mei muttered, her emerald-green eyes reflecting Kiyohara's figure.
Kiyohara landed lightly on the water, sending ripples outward beneath his feet.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are kind of overrated," he said, shaking his head.
Fuguki Suikazan and Juzo Biwa were probably both weaker than their successors—Kisame Hoshigaki and Zabuza Momochi.
Hearing Kiyohara's open provocation, Mei's eyes widened, and she immediately began forming hand seals again.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
"Water Release: Water—"
She went nearly mad with it, throwing one Water Release jutsu after another at Kiyohara.
But Kiyohara only moved casually, slipping aside, dodging, occasionally blocking with Samehada or gold dust. Not even the hem of his clothes got wet.
The gap between them was just too great.
It was like a child trying to bring down a giant with pebbles.
At last, Mei ran out of chakra and dropped to one knee on the water, gasping for breath.
Kiyohara walked up to her and looked down from above.
Mei lifted her head, eyes still burning with stubborn defiance.
"Kiyohara, you killed my comrades again…"
Kiyohara suddenly raised his hand.
Mei kicked toward him instinctively.
Kiyohara caught her pale silk-wrapped foot in his hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Hasn't Kirigakure killed plenty too?" he said flatly.
Mei's brows drew tight.
Kiyohara wasn't wrong.
The two villages had fought each other long enough that countless people on both sides had died.
At this point, blame and grievance were impossible to untangle.
"They wanted to kill me, so I killed them. That's normal, isn't it? If I'd been weaker, then I'd be the one dead."
Kiyohara shook his head.
When people were killed, they died.
Weakness was the original sin.
If you wanted to kill others, you had to be ready to be killed yourself.
At the end of the day, the ninja world ran on whoever had the stronger fist. The same rule applied to entire villages.
If word got out that Hashirama Senju had returned to life, the Third Shinobi World War would probably end on its own the very next day without him even needing to lift a finger.
"Everything that happened is just the result of the people involved not being strong enough," Kiyohara added.
Mei bit her lower lip.
That pervert was squeezing her foot.
She tried to pull it back, but she couldn't budge it at all.
Kiyohara was simply too strong.
The harder she struggled, the tighter his hand closed around it.
He was right. This really was the result of her own lack of ability.
With that thought, Mei suddenly spat out a stream of corrosive fluid.
"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!"
Kiyohara didn't take it head-on. He immediately used Body Flicker and vanished, leaving only an afterimage behind.
"Kiyohara-kun, it looks like Kirigakure reinforcements are coming from the far side."
At that moment, Ginka called out.
Her Byakugan could see far into the distance, and she had spotted a fleet approaching.
The ships were packed with ninja—Kirigakure reinforcements.
Though the islands in this area were scattered, in reality each one was guarded by Kirigakure personnel.
"Let's go. We've taken enough advantage from this strike already."
Kiyohara nodded.
This time, he'd seized two of the Seven Ninja Swords.
They needed to be sealed away quickly—or have the summoning formulas removed.
Otherwise, the Hozuki clan might just summon the weapons back.
"Destroy their boat!"
one of the Kirigakure ninja shouted.
A scar-faced Mist ninja pulled out three explosive tags and threw them at the boat Kiyohara's group had used to land.
"Explode!"
Boom!
Orange-red fire tore through the air, blasting wood splinters and seawater high into the sky.
The small boat was blown into two halves and its wreckage was quickly swallowed by the sea.
"Oh no!"
Rin instinctively started forming hand seals, trying to save it, but she was too late.
Kurenai clenched her teeth and scanned the area. The island was being steadily flooded, and the few remaining high points were all crowded with Kirigakure ninja.
Without a boat, they would be trapped on this island.
Sure, ninja could run across the water, but that would constantly drain chakra.
If enemy ships pursued them while they did, the situation would be terrible.
"What are you panicking for?"
Kiyohara didn't even bother looking back.
The boat had been government property anyway, not his, so if it got blown up, it got blown up.
He casually slung Samehada over one shoulder. The great blade was still trembling slightly.
Then he picked up the Executioner's Blade too and stacked it together with Samehada.
"Kiyohara-kun…"
Ginka spoke softly, the veins around her Byakugan pulsing.
"They're getting closer."
She relayed the movements of the incoming Mist reinforcements.
By now, they were close enough for even Might Guy to see.
Kakashi and Guy had ended their fight with Kaguya Dairo and returned to Kiyohara's side.
Guy's green training suit was torn in several places, and wounds along his arm and side were still bleeding, but his breathing remained steady. He was suppressing the strain from the Eight Gates with sheer willpower.
Kakashi was in slightly better condition. His Sharingan was still tracking enemy movements.
"Kiyohara, what now?"
Kakashi asked.
"The boat's gone. We need a way to cross the sea and get back. Or…"
He glanced into the island's interior.
"Or we drag this out and wait for Tsunade-sama to send reinforcements, but the enemy numbers are getting a bit too high."
"There's no need to make it that complicated."
As he said this, Kiyohara looked toward Mei.
The Mist prodigy's reddish-brown hair was plastered wetly against her face.
Seeing that Kiyohara's group was trying to leave, Mei immediately started forming hand seals.
"Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique!"
Whoosh!
Dense white mist spread rapidly, covering a hundred-meter radius in the blink of an eye.
Visibility dropped to less than three meters.
Kurenai tried to blow the mist away with Wind Release, but after she dispersed one portion, other Kirigakure ninja immediately added their own Hidden Mist Techniques.
Ginka's Byakugan remained effective inside the mist, but she was the only one whose vision was unaffected.
"Kiyohara-kun, there are Mist ninja approaching from the eleven o'clock direction."
"I know."
Kiyohara answered calmly.
The next second, he vanished into the dense mist.
A moment later, muffled groans and the sound of bodies splashing into water came from deep within it.
Mei hid in the thickest part of the mist, holding her hand seals to maintain it.
Keeping such a large Hidden Mist active in her current condition was an enormous burden, but she had no choice.
Only with the cover of the mist could she organize the remaining Mist ninja for a counterattack—or at the very least stall until the reinforcements landed.
"Stupid Konoha ninja…"
she muttered under her breath, emerald eyes flickering in the mist.
"With no boat, where can you possibly run? Once the Hozuki reinforcements arrive, you're dead…"
Before she could finish—
A warm hand rested lightly on her rear.
Mei's whole body froze.
The hand didn't just rest there. It patted twice, as if evaluating something.
Smack. Smack.
In the stillness of the mist, the sound was absurdly clear.
"You…!"
Mei's face turned bright red in an instant, a mix of outrage and humiliation.
She spun around, hand seals already starting, ready to spit acid mist into his face—
And froze halfway through.
Because Kiyohara was standing right in front of her, close enough that she could see the curve of his eyelashes and feel the faint movement of his breath.
His crimson Sharingan looked almost demonic in the mist, the three tomoe turning slowly, as if they could see through everything about her.
"Fast reaction," Kiyohara said, voice tinged with amusement.
"But…"
He leaned in, his lips almost brushing her ear.
Mei could smell his scent on him.
"I'll let you off this once."
Every word landed like a strike against her eardrum.
"Stupid Mei Terumi."
"Live on in your ugliness."
"When you've gotten strong enough to make me take you seriously, come back and try to avenge yourself."
As he spoke, Kiyohara used genjutsu on Mei, freezing her in place so she could no longer maintain the mist.
Mei stood stiffly, cheeks burning, heart hammering in her chest.
Humiliation.
This was pure humiliation.
He'd grabbed her there… and then said all that to her face.
"Kiyohara…!!"
she screamed inwardly.
But she couldn't even force the words out of her mouth.
Because she couldn't move at all now.
"Sage Art: Wind Release: Air Current Wild Dance!"
A violent stream of air burst from Kiyohara's mouth.
The thick white mist split down the middle like a curtain being torn apart by an invisible hand, opening a massive gap.
Kiyohara returned to the others and held out his right hand.
The gold dust gourd at his waist trembled violently, golden grains pouring out like they were alive and gathering in the air.
"This is…"
Ginka's eyes widened, the Byakugan reflecting the incredible scene.
The gold dust was assembling.
Hull. Deck. Mast…
In no time at all, a golden sand boat had formed, floating on the surface of the sea.
"Get on."
Kiyohara stepped aboard first.
The vessel, though made entirely of gold dust, didn't sink at all. It floated steadily on the water.
He was using Magnet Release to adjust the density of the gold dust against the buoyancy of the sea, creating a delicate equilibrium.
Kakashi boarded second, his Sharingan carefully examining the structure of the ship, a trace of amazement in his eyes.
That level of precision in chakra control was ridiculous.
Guy, Rin, Kurenai, and Ginka boarded one after another.
A few Mist ninja tried to rush in and stop them, but Kiyohara casually flicked a hand and a long whip of gold dust smacked them away into the sea, where they vanished without a sound.
"Brace yourselves."
Kiyohara moved to the stern and formed hand seals with both hands.
Cursed seal chakra surged through his body, natural energy and his own chakra merging perfectly.
He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.
Boom!
The seawater behind the stern suddenly caved inward, generating a massive forward thrust.
The golden sand boat shot forward like an arrow from a bow, trailing a long white wake behind it.
The speed was so extreme that everyone on deck had to lower their center of gravity and grab onto the rails Kiyohara had already formed out of condensed gold dust.
"So fast!"
Rin cried out, her brown hair whipping wildly in the wind.
Kurenai narrowed her eyes and looked behind them. The island was already shrinking rapidly, and the Kirigakure ninja trying to chase them couldn't even keep up with the spray kicked up by the boat.
Mei stood at the edge of the island, staring fixedly at the retreating golden vessel.
Her fists were clenched so hard her knuckles had turned white, and she bit down on her red lips.
The Executioner's Blade… Samehada…
Two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen dead…
How was she supposed to explain a defeat like this to the village?
"Kiyohara…"
After the golden sand boat departed, three Kirigakure warships arrived in the waters around the island.
At the bow of the lead ship stood a woman.
She looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with pale blue short hair tied into a neat short ponytail behind her head. Her skin was the sort of pale that came from seeing little sunlight, and her features were sharp and elegant.
Most striking of all were her eyes. Their irises were a rare pale violet, and the slight upward tilt at the corners made it seem like she was always evaluating whoever she looked at.
Hozuki Akatsuki.
An elite jonin of the Hozuki clan and commander of this Kirigakure reinforcement force.
She leapt from the bow and landed lightly on the water, her chakra control so perfect that not even a ripple spread beneath her feet.
"Mei."
She walked up to Mei, voice cool.
"Report."
Mei took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
"A Konoha strike team attacked. Kiyohara was leading them. We… suffered heavy losses."
She paused, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion.
"Fuguki-sama and Juzo-sama… were killed."
Akatsuki's pupils contracted slightly.
"Where are the bodies?"
"Over there."
Mei pointed toward the shore.
Akatsuki hurried over and swept her violet eyes over the two corpses.
Fuguki's arm had been cut off, his neck twisted grotesquely, his death brutal.
Juzo was riddled with bloody holes, lying on his back with vacant eyes.
"One-hit kills."
Akatsuki crouched down and examined the wounds.
"No. Multiple attacks caused the fatal injuries. But the key point is… they barely had any room to resist."
She looked up at Mei.
"What techniques did Kiyohara use?"
"Fire Release, Water Release, Lightning Release…"
Mei said through clenched teeth.
"His chakra reserves are huge, almost like an Uzumaki's, and the power of his techniques far exceeds normal standards. Fuguki-sama's Thousand Feeding Sharks were crushed head-on by the same Water Release technique."
Akatsuki was silent for a moment.
"Where are the Executioner's Blade and Samehada?"
"Kiyohara took them."
Mei's voice dropped.
That was the gravest failure of all. The swords of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were symbols of Kirigakure. They could not be allowed to remain in enemy hands.
Akatsuki stood up, her face dark.
"Send word to the clan immediately. Prepare a summoning ritual. We have to call the swords back before Konoha seals them."
"Yes!"
One Mist ninja immediately set off to carry the message.
Akatsuki stared out at the sea, where the golden sand boat had already vanished beyond the horizon.
"Kiyohara…"
She repeated the name, cold light flickering in her pale violet eyes.
"Konoha's Uchiha prodigy… It seems your threat level needs to be reevaluated."
Meanwhile—
The golden sand boat raced over the sea at astonishing speed.
Kiyohara stood at the bow, maintaining chakra output with one hand while toying with Samehada in the other.
The living blade was unusually docile now, all its barbs folded down. It even trembled slightly, making a sound almost like a pleased whine.
It was enjoying the Fire Release chakra Kiyohara was feeding it, like soaking in a hot spring.
"You really are easy to bribe."
Kiyohara said flatly.
That was hardly surprising. In the original story, Samehada looked loyal, but once its master died, it immediately accepted a new wielder.
Kisame Hoshigaki had only gotten Samehada after killing Fuguki, after all.
And the thing was picky too—it only attached itself to people it liked.
Samehada had even grown fond of Killer B because it fell in love with the Eight-Tails' chakra.
Kiyohara's chakra was drawing it in the same way.
He guessed it might be because his chakra now contained all seven elemental attributes.
Or maybe it was because some natural energy was mixed in.
Either way, Samehada didn't seem uncomfortable at all.
That made Kiyohara even more interested in studying it once they got back.
This time, he had no intention of turning it in.
When you were weak, you handed things over.
If you were strong and still handed them over, then what was the point of becoming strong in the first place?
After all, he was now the vice-captain of a thousand-man force.
In this whole area, only Tsunade ranked above him.
~~~
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