Chapter 55: Chapter 55
"Hahahaha! I thought it was something serious."
Jiraiya planted his hands on his hips and laughed.
"I’m Jiraiya of the Sannin! Kid, my strength isn’t on the same level as anyone you’ve met before."
"That’s the spirit!"
Kiriya raised his thumb, then let out a long breath as if he had truly set down some kind of burden.
"Then I can go all out."
"That’s right. Come at me with everything you’ve got!"
Jiraiya was calm and confident, every inch the master.
"Good."
Kiriya spread his feet apart and clenched both fists and blue veins began bulging on his forehead.
"Eight Gates, First Gate: Gate of Opening—open!"
"Hm?"
Jiraiya blinked.
Something about this scene felt wrong.
He had meant to test the boy’s Wood Release, right?
"Second Gate: Gate of Healing—open!"
"Third Gate: Gate of Life—open!"
’Hey, hey, hey. What is this kid doing?’
Cold sweat began to form on Jiraiya’s forehead.
The smartest thing to do right now would be to interrupt Kiriya before he finished powering up.
But Jiraiya was a senior ninja, and a highly respected member of the Sannin besides.
Doing something that shameless was honestly beneath him.
Because of that one hesitation, he lost his chance to attack him while Kiriya’s powering up.
"Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain—open!"
"Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit—open!"
When the violent chakra erupted and sent waves of wind roaring outward, Jiraiya’s eyes nearly popped out.
"Good grief, what kind of creature is this kid?!"
"My name is Senju Kiriya! Please guide me!"
Kiriya’s voice had become rough and deep, carrying an intense pressure.
"Wait—"
Jiraiya had just raised his hand, intending to stop the match, but Kiriya had already charged toward him wrapped in roaring wind and surging air pressure.
"Holy shit! Young man, you have no respect for your elders!"
...
Meanwhile, Might Duy and the others ran into a little trouble while submitting their mission report.
"Wait, wait, wait. I think my ears might be bad. What did you just say?"
A jōnin in charge of evaluating mission completion—let us call him Jōnin A for now—dug at his ear and stared at Might Duy in disbelief.
"I said we encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist," Might Duy honestly repeated.
"All seven of them?"
"Yes, all seven. Is there a problem?"
Might Duy looked genuinely confused.
"There’s a huge problem!"
Jōnin A slapped the table, furious.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, all gathered together, are strong enough to overthrow a small nation. And you’re telling me four genin escaped from them unharmed? Who would believe that?"
The other ninja present also showed mocking smiles.
"An eternal genin like you is willing to throw away your dignity just to get promoted to chūnin?"
"Actually... we didn’t exactly escape..."
Might Duy was startled by Jōnin A’s reaction, and even his words became a little halting.
"To be accurate, they were wiped out."
Jōnin A had just lifted a cup of tea to his mouth.
The moment he heard that, he sprayed the entire mouthful straight onto Might Duy’s face.
Before Duy could even wipe the tea from his face, Jōnin A grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.
"Might Duy, this is a military camp, and we are at war! Do you understand what happens when someone lies about military intelligence?"
"Hey! My dad isn’t lying!"
Might Guy could not listen any longer and immediately stood up to defend his father.
"That’s right. We have proof," Genma Shiranui and Ebisu said at the same time.
Then, under everyone’s suspicious gazes, they took out the sealing scroll containing the seven ninja swords.
Clang, clang, clang!
When all seven ninja swords appeared in the command tent, the entire place fell into dead silence.
Information about the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was hardly secret, especially their iconic weapons.
Those blades were famous!
Samehada in particular, is a living weapon and could not possibly be faked.
If the swords were real, then the claim that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had been annihilated was probably real as well.
Gulp.
The ninja present swallowed in unison, shaken beyond words.
The way they looked at Might Duy and the others was like they were staring at some indescribable monsters.
Ebisu and Genma were extremely pleased by that reaction.
Hmph. That’s what they got for speaking badly about Uncle Duy.
"How... how did you do it?"
After finally calming his wildly beating heart, Jōnin A asked.
"Actually, it was because Uncle Duy—"
Genma Shiranui had just started to speak when Might Duy cut him off.
"It was because of a young man. A genius named Senju Kiriya!"
Might Duy spoke with admiration all over his face.
"He alone killed several of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen in just a few breaths. His combat power is among the strongest I’ve ever seen."
"Senju Kiriya? Who’s that?"
Many people looked blank, but some recognized the name, and their faces became even more disbelieving.
"That dead last who disgraced the Senju name?"
The words immediately stirred many people’s memories.
"No way! Since when did he become that strong?"
"He couldn’t even take one move from me, and now you’re saying he killed the Seven Ninja Swordsmen? Does that mean I’m stronger than all seven of them combined?"
The tent erupted into argument, everyone insisting on their own opinion.
They would rather believe Might Duy had killed those powerful enemies than believe that brat had done it.
"It’s true. Kiriya-san is seriously amazing," Genma Shiranui, Ebisu, and Guy all said, trying to defend Kiriya’s name.
Unfortunately, no one believed them.
And then—
Boom, boom, boom!
Violent explosions and powerful tremors shook the camp, throwing the Konoha base into slight chaos.
"What’s going on? Are we under attack?"
The ninja hurried out of the tent and into the open, only to find that no enemy had invaded.
"No. The tremors are coming from that hill."
A Hyūga ninja used his Byakugan to sense the source and pointed toward the hill where Jiraiya and Kiriya were.
"Who’s there?" a jōnin asked loudly.
"It seems to be Lord Jiraiya, along with the boy Might Duy’s group brought in. The one called Senju Kiriya."
One of the guards at the camp entrance answered.
The moment he finished, every ninja’s gaze turned toward Might Duy and the others, their eyes full of disbelief.
"Don’t tell me the one fighting Lord Jiraiya is that boy?"
The thought flashed through their minds for only an instant before everyone forcibly pushed it down.
They would rather believe Jiraiya had encountered a powerful enemy than believe that the brat from the Senju clan could cause this much destruction.
And so, after a quick discussion, the genin were left behind to watch the camp while the others rushed over to provide support.
...
But by the time they arrived, the battle had already ended.
Everywhere they looked, the ground was devastated.
It looked as if the hill had been bombarded by dense artillery fire.
Deep, long trenches cut across the terrain, making their hearts jump just from looking at them.
But there was no sign of an enemy.
Jiraiya stood with his back to them, chest lifted and head held high, his presence extraordinary.
Seeing that Jiraiya was fine, the group finally felt as if they had found their anchor and let out a breath of relief.
"Lord Jiraiya, just now..."
Jōnin A gathered his courage and asked.
"It’s nothing, nothing. I was just sparring with this boy!"
Jiraiya’s voice came over, carrying his usual bright and hearty laugh.
"You all head back first. I’ll return shortly."
For some reason, though, Jōnin A felt that Jiraiya’s voice sounded a little strange today.
A little... muffled.
The ninja exchanged glances, but none of them said anything. They accepted the order and withdrew.
At the same time, their hearts filled with unprecedented awe toward Kiriya.
That smug brat really had gotten stronger.
Only after everyone left did Jiraiya reach up and touch his face, which had swollen by a full circle!
He sucked in a sharp breath.
"That brat... He really doesn’t hold back."
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