On this day, faced with the death of Kushimaru Kuriarare and the suffocating pressure exerted by Yu Hyūga, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist did something unprecedented: they began to coordinate.
Moving in a 2-2-1-1 formation, they maintained a distance of thirty meters as they began a forced march toward Yu Hyūga's position!
Yu overheard every detail of Fuguki Suikazan's tactical deployment. While his expression remained stoic, his heart tightened. He was less than ten seconds away from fully manifesting the high-pressure vortex required for a third Wind Style: Heavenly Conquest. However, he didn't hesitate. Yu preemptively triggered the technique, slowly raising his palm with fingers splayed, locking onto the lead strategist, Fuguki Suikazan.
"Wind Style: Heavenly Conquest!"
A violent torrent of high-pressure wind erupted forward like a crashing river!
Suddenly, a cold, stoic man clad in a grey flak jacket appeared before the gale, hoisting a wide-bladed dual sword.
"Hiramekarei: Release!"
A massive blade of solid blue chakra slammed down, cleaving the oncoming river of wind in two. The diverted currents surged past, forcing Raiga Kurosuki and Jinpachi Munashi—who were positioned on the flanks—to raise their arms to shield their faces. At that moment, the Hōzuki clan shinobi wielding Hiramekarei barked a cold command:
"Jinin, you're up!"
"On it!"
A middle-aged ninja draped in a black cloak leaped from behind the Hōzuki swordsman. Carrying a hammer in one hand and an axe in the other, he swung the cord connecting the two weapons. With a grunt, he hurled the hammer directly at Yu's face!
Yu didn't even glance at the projectile. As the hammer neared him, the localized cyclone surrounding his body caught the weapon, dragging it off-course and nearly yanking Jinin Akebino off his feet along with it.
Seeing the Heavenly Conquest fail to break their line, Yu immediately raised his palm again. A massive surge of teal chakra gathered in his hand as his gaze locked onto Fuguki, who was nearing the completion of his final hand sign.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Blade!"
A kunai automatically flew from the pouch at his waist into his hand. Infused with the teal chakra, it elongated into a shimmering blade of wind. Yu swung his arm with calm precision, launching the vacuum blade.
Shing!
The high-speed, pressurized projectile transformed into a straight beam of teal light!
Suddenly, a figure lunged into the path of the attack. Jinpachi Munashi swung the Explosive Blade: Shibuki, triggering a blinding flash from the explosive tags to meet the teal beam head-on!
BOOM!
Amidst the violent explosion, the teal beam pierced straight through the Shibuki. Though its piercing power was halved, it continued its trajectory toward Fuguki.
Fuguki didn't flinch, continuing his hand signs. Suddenly, Samehada, which had been resting at his feet, sprouted countless jagged spikes and tore through its bandages. Like a living fish, it thrashed and leaped into the air, throwing itself in front of its master.
Puchi!
There was no sound of clashing steel—only the dull thud of something sinking into organic flesh.
"Hiss... Gaaah..."
Samehada lolled out a long, red, spiked tongue, letting out a cry of pain like a living creature. At that moment, Fuguki Suikazan looked up coldly. He finished the final 'Boar' sign, tilted his head back as his cheeks puffed out unnaturally, and then opened his mouth toward the ground.
"Water Style: Great Explosive Water Colliding Wave!"
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
An astronomical volume of water erupted from Fuguki's throat in an instant!
The very geography of the area transformed. Fuguki was lifted nearly ten meters into the air by the rising tide he created, looking as if a reservoir had just burst over their heads. The rushing water crashed in all directions, with five-meter-high waves slamming into the high-pressure cyclone surrounding Yu.
Wind and water collided and churned together. Vast amounts of water were sucked into the tornado, spinning higher and higher until they reached the apex, where they were scattered back down as a torrential downpour.
"Move out!" Fuguki shouted, gripping the hilt of Samehada.
The six remaining members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen transformed into blurs, scattering across the surface of the rising water.
Simultaneously, Raiga Kurosuki—carrying the Lightning Blades: Kiba—stepped in for the one-armed Jūzō Biwa. As he skated across the churning water, he exhaled a thick, cloying white mist.
"Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
The lake-sized body of water now completely submerged Yu's original position. On the surface, a water spout roughly three meters in diameter formed, with massive columns of water being sucked inward.
Feeling the wind around him lose its momentum against the weight of the water, Yu took a deep breath. The terrain was no longer suitable for maintaining his Byakugan: Wind Style Chakra Mode.
The "frictionless membrane" surrounding his body slowly began to dissipate into erratic gusts of wind, kicking up spray. In its place, a new power surged.
"Eight Inner Gates: Third Gate, the Gate of Life..."
"OPEN!"
A green aura of steam erupted from beneath Yu's feet. His long black hair drifted upward, fueled by the raw energy, giving him the appearance of a demon. He slowly looked up and drew the shinobi sword from his waist. With a grim expression, he watched as six ghoulish figures brandished their legendary blades and dove straight down at him.
Meanwhile, at the site of the purple smoke signal...
"Yu Hyūga!"
"Yu!"
Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu of Team 10 called out repeatedly, but there was no sign of their teammate. However, they soon ran into two figures that left them stunned.
"Huh? Dad? Why are you here?"
Guy looked at the man standing before him, Might Duy, with utter confusion. "Shouldn't you be back at the village?"
"Ah, well... it's a long story," Duy said, scratching his head and pointing toward the purple smoke hanging over the palms. "I saw the signal and came running."
Beside him, a handsome young man with dark hair, a Leaf headband, and a distinctive nose—wearing the Uchiha police force uniform—nodded. "Me as well."
Genma stared at the newcomer, his eyes widening in recognition. "That face... are you the 'Shisui of the Body Flicker,' Shisui Uchiha?"
Shisui nodded, his expression grave. "I was assigned to support the transport caravan. On the way, I encountered a Mist unit and fought a shinobi named Ao."
"From him, I obtained a piece of critical intelligence." Shisui looked at the trio, his tone turning sharp. "You three are Yu Hyūga's teammates, right? Please, tell me—"
"Where is Yu Hyūga right now?"
Before they could answer, a violent river of wind erupted three kilometers away, shaking the entire forest. All five of them looked up in unison toward the source of the disturbance.
Ebisu's face went pale as he realized something. "Wait... isn't that... isn't that where our original rally point was?"
"Don't tell me... Yu is over there?!"
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