Chapter 97: The Seven Ninja Swordsmen Vs. Menma
On the battlefield shrouded in thick mist, Suigetsu Hozuki, Jūzō Biwa, and Mangetsu Hozuki suddenly launched an attack using silent assassination techniques, their three ninja swords thrusting straight toward the target with killing intent!
However, when the three ninja swords approached within ten centimeters of the target, they encountered a massive resistance, as if an invisible iron wall protected the opponent, preventing any further advance!
“What’s going on?” Suigetsu Hozuki’s small eyes had their pupils contract sharply.
Mangetsu Hozuki reacted extremely quickly, forming his left hand into the shape of a gun and aiming at the mysterious person’s mask.
“Water Style: Water Iron Cannon Technique!”
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
Three water bullets shot through the air, racing toward the opponent like bullets.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The three water bullets still could not approach the mysterious person and were blocked at a distance of about ten centimeters, with water droplets splashing everywhere!
“It’s a barrier!” Mangetsu Hozuki analyzed.
At this moment, the three who had failed in their strike quickly withdrew, hiding in the mist, holding their ninja swords and surrounding Menma in a triangular formation.
“A guy we’ve never seen before, ninjutsu we’ve never seen.” Jūzō Biwa slung the Kubikiribocho over his shoulder, the red stripes on his jaw and the cross-shaped scar on his right cheek adding a touch of mystery and ferocity to him.
“Be careful, this guy is Shura.” Suigetsu Hozuki gripped Samehada tightly, his voice low.
Just moments ago, they had been cleaning up the battlefield when they suddenly received a command from the Mizukage to pursue a mysterious person who was taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble inside Kirigakure.
They had originally discovered some anomalies here and were investigating when the mysterious person arrived.
Thus, the three set up the Mist Clone Technique, concealing themselves in the thick mist and seeking an opportunity for a fatal strike!
They three were all top-strength ninja among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, yet their surprise attack was easily blocked by the enemy.
After clearly seeing the mask the enemy wore, Suigetsu Hozuki, as the Anbu Captain of Kirigakure, realized that the person they were to intercept was the mysterious ninja—Shura—who had attacked Konohagakure and Cloud Village last year!
“Tsk tsk, this is a bit troublesome.” Jūzō Biwa sensed something was off.
Ever since the first generation Seven Ninja Swordsmen were kicked into the “Lucky Three Treasures” by Might Duy who opened the Eight Gates during the Third Great Ninja War, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had never been complete again.
And the enemy before them was a mysterious strong practitioner who had caused a commotion in Konohagakure and Cloud Village and still escaped safely, forcing Jūzō Biwa to be cautious.
After all, that genin from Konoha had left too deep an impression on him.
“Shura, huh?” Mangetsu Hozuki, hailed as the genius ghost child, burned with battle intent toward this mysterious enemy.
Under Menma’s white three-eyed fox mask, the Sharingan was also activated, piercing through the thick mist to clearly see the three hidden within it.
The Sharingan’s dynamic capture and the Byakugan’s perspective abilities both effectively countered Kirigakure’s Mist Clone Technique, having caused Kirigakure much suffering in the previous Ninja Wars.
“Seven Ninja Swordsmen, how many came?” Menma flicked his right hand, sending several kunai casually piercing into the thick mist to probe the situation.
It seemed Orochimaru had probably sensed these guys and fled in a hurry.
Taking advantage of the Kaguya Clan rebellion, various ninja clans had sent ninja to participate in the suppression, and Orochimaru had stolen quite a few children with bloodline limits from the various ninja clans of Kirigakure.
Menma looked down on these ordinary bloodline limits and hadn’t found Suigetsu Hōzuki of the Hozuki Clan, so he only asked Orochimaru to share research achievements.
In exchange, Menma would help Orochimaru evacuate those children from the Land of Water.
He just hadn’t expected the pursuers to arrive so quickly.
It was probably Obito, that guy, controlling Kagura Yagura to send the pursuers.
He used the Mind’s Eye of Kagura to sense and found only three people: Suigetsu Hozuki, Jūzō Biwa, and Mangetsu Hozuki.
All three of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen who could currently be mobilized had been sent out by Kagura Yagura.
‘Does Obito think these few can stop me?’ As Menma pondered, the three launched their second wave of attack.
Suigetsu Hozuki took the lead and used Needle-Hair Senbon, his head of thick orange long hair standing up and launching countless thin needles toward Shura, seemingly trying to find the enemy’s weakness with a covering attack.
Jūzō Biwa swung the Kubikiribocho and closed in for close combat, directly engaging in battle.
Mangetsu Hozuki took advantage of the gap where his two teammates held the enemy and quickly moved, seeking an opportunity.
Clang clang clang—
Menma held a kunai and blocked Jūzō Biwa’s swinging Kubikiribocho, while forming hand seals with one hand.
“Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!”
A surge of fire release chakra gathered under his mask, then flames erupted, forming a wall of fire that suddenly surged toward the direction where Suigetsu Hozuki was hiding, while the massive fire wall also blocked the countless Needle-Hair Senbon in the air.
The blazing fire wall rapidly evaporated the surrounding moisture, and wherever the fire wall passed, the thick mist completely dispersed!
“Now!” Amid the steaming mist, Mangetsu Hozuki, who found his opportunity, gathered chakra into the blade of Hiramekarei and suddenly struck from the side and rear.
Hiramekarei was merged horizontally, with the two holes at the rear spraying chakra streams that propelled it forward, while the two holes at the front also sprayed a large number of chakra light orbs!
“Hiramekarei Liberation!”
Boom!
Mangetsu Hozuki swung Hiramekarei like a tennis racket, slamming the side loaded with chakra light orbs fiercely into Shura!
Bang!
However, the anticipated scene of Shura being smashed away did not occur, because the Shura struck by the chakra light orbs suddenly turned into a puff of smoke and dispersed!
Mangetsu Hozuki’s purple pupils grew solemn; this was merely one of the enemy’s shadow clones!
“Careful!” Mangetsu Hozuki issued a warning.
Chirp chirp chirp—
Before the warning finished, a noisy bird cry suddenly came from behind Jūzō Biwa!
Jūzō Biwa felt a chill on his spine, and without time to think, he crossed his ninja sword behind him!
But it was already too late!
A right hand infused with lightning release chakra pierced through Jūzō Biwa’s heart!
“What?!” With eyes full of shock and unwillingness, he looked at the palm piercing through his chest and the dark purple lightning release chakra, slowly collapsing to the ground.
The Kubikiribocho also clanged to the ground.
Menma kicked the Kubikiribocho into the air with his right foot, caught it with his left hand and slung it over his shoulder, while the lightning release ninjutsu on his right hand still emitted a hissing sound, with a pool of blood flowing on the ground.
“Damn it!” Suigetsu Hozuki used Body Flicker Technique to reach Mangetsu Hozuki’s side, looking in horror at Jūzō Biwa lying under Shura’s feet.
“So fast!” Mangetsu Hozuki was shocked by the opponent’s casting speed.
“Body Flicker Technique? No… more like space-time ninjutsu…” Mangetsu Hozuki saw how the opponent easily killed Jūzō Biwa and took the Kubikiribocho with just a few simple movements, also shocked by the opponent’s strength.
Suigetsu Hozuki slowly unwrapped the cloth strip around the great sword Samehada, his expression heavy.
The opponent’s strength reminded him of the Konoha genin he had encountered a few years ago.
That guy in the green tights with thick eyebrows clearly had such terrifying strength, yet was only a genin!
Back then, if they hadn’t scattered and fled, they might have all been kicked to death one by one!
This incident had become an eternal fear in the hearts of these survivors.
“So that’s Samehada?” Seeing Suigetsu Hozuki release Samehada and it starting to smack its lips, Menma suddenly wanted to see how much chakra this guy could eat.
