"So this bastard sent even more people to their deaths? They're real weaklings if they didn't notice me," the young man with a huge sword on his back said irritably.
"After dealing with them, I need to change residence... If only I could kill that bastard too, but he's holed up deep in the Land of Fire..." he sighed, then turned his gaze to the teenage girl in a traditional kimono, stroked her hair, and said, "Wait here and hide like always."
The girl nodded silently, nimbly climbing the nearest tree and hiding so well that even a Jonin would struggle to spot her.
The young man himself moved twenty meters in one motion and continued rushing forward until he reached the enemies. He jumped onto a tall tree, formed hand seals, and whispered quietly, "Suiton: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Ichiro and his brothers easily dodged the enemy technique, as they were always on guard. Having survived many battles, they had all hardened and were ready for a sudden attack.
The second group hired for this mission, on the other hand, wasn't prepared for the sudden attack, and of the five, only two survived the "water dragon" technique—the commander and that stocky man. They immediately tried to flee but were effortlessly cleaved in two by the pursuing enemy. He really didn't like the idea of any of them escaping alive.
Those few seconds gave Ichiro and his brothers enough time to mentally discuss a counter-strategy. Ichiro instantly recognized the enemy as Momochi Zabuza. Kenshin had implanted all known information about the strongest shinobi into each son's mind so they would avoid them.
"Everyone, stay alert—this is Momochi Zabuza, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Take battle formation, but don't attack!" Ichiro commanded, while trying to start a dialogue himself.
"Sir, there's been a misunderstanding. Let us go, and the Nakayama Family will be in your debt," Ichiro said amiably, but Zabuza just laughed with booming laughter.
"Ha-ha-ha! Nakayama Family? First time hearing it. Be that as it may, I can't let you go. Nothing personal," Zabuza said, and charged. His speed was so great that even with two tomoe, Ichiro barely reacted in time and blocked with his sword.
Their strengths were incomparable, so Ichiro flew off, smashing through several trees with his back. His brothers instantly charged, ignoring everything else. They knew escaping alive would be incredibly hard.
Zabuza admired their coordination but easily dodged or parried every strike. It reminded him of the time he was assigned to train a shinobi team, and the little pups tried to kill him just like that.
The Fourth followed his older brother, unsuccessfully taking Zabuza's strike on block, but midway through the flight was caught by the hurrying-back Ichiro and returned to the fight.
"Rotation Technique!" the Twenty Second's voice rang out, and it seemed Zabuza's strongest strike was easily repelled by the Hyuga Clan's incredible technique.
"Shadow Imitation Jutsu!" the Eighteenth whispered, and shadow tendrils raced toward the recoiling Zabuza.
Zabuza barely landed on his feet when a whisper sounded: "Shadow Needle Jutsu!" The shadow tendrils rose from the ground, aiming for his vital organs.
He was greatly surprised to encounter such a motley team, but even the flying shadow needles didn't make his heart falter. He calmly whispered, "Suiton: Suijinheki." The water membrane appearing in the air easily held back the enemy shadows, allowing him to retreat calmly.
The Eighteenth barely noticed Zabuza charging and swinging his sword toward him. He was very weak in close combat and couldn't react, but at the last moment, Ichiro appeared before him and took the strike on his sword block.
A loud clash rang out, and the ground under Ichiro's feet trembled within a ten-meter radius. His arms barely withstood the immense load, and he got away with only a ligament tear in his right forearm.
Then came another horizontal strike from Zabuza, aiming to cleave Ichiro in half. But he concentrated and barely managed a block, then flew off again.
At that very moment, the Eighteenth retreated, and the Seventh got close enough for a devastating attack. Unfortunately, a strong Jonin's reaction speed couldn't be underestimated, so Zabuza calmly met the enemy sword strike with the sturdy bracer with steel plates on his left arm.
A loud clang rang out, and Zabuza winced painfully for himself, stepping back and instinctively swinging his huge sword at the enemy. The Jonin's strike speed was so high that the Seventh couldn't set a proper block and took it first on an invisible barrier, then on his chest.
While Zabuza fended off the Seventh and checked his arm for injury, discovering a muscle cut, the Fourth formed hand seals and shouted:
"Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction!" He poured in a huge amount of chakra and barely blew out a five-meter wall of fire.
The Twenty Second was nearby and immediately supported his brother, forming seals and shouting, "Wind Release: Breakthrough!" A huge stream of air hit the fire wall, making it expand to fifteen meters.
Seeing the combined Katon and Fuuton technique, Zabuza felt danger for the first time in the battle. He couldn't dodge, so he formed hand seals and poured a huge amount of chakra into the technique.
"Suiton: Suijinheki!" he growled, and a thick, five-meter water wall appeared right before him, barely absorbing the enemy technique.
While the steam from the mutually annihilated techniques hadn't cleared, all the brothers gathered together, sensing each other telepathically. The Seventh was barely conscious but couldn't move. The Twenty Second, being an iryonin, hurried to him and checked his condition.