Chapter 171: Chapter 171: Slaughter
The dust had not yet settled.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen came to a brief halt.
Juzo Biwa, resting the Executioner’s Blade on his shoulder, looked at the green figure that had suddenly crashed into the battlefield, a smirk spreading across his face.
"Where did this one come from?"
Kushimaru Kuriarare let out a soft, mocking chuckle.
"Coming in here without a clue... do the people of Konoha just love throwing their lives away?"
Munashi Jinpachi shook Shibuki, his tone annoyed.
"Another nuisance."
Fuguki Suikazan slid Samehada off his shoulder, his massive hand gripping the hilt.
"Enough talk. Break their limbs first, squeeze out the intel, and then we keep moving."
Guy stared at the back of the figure, his voice tight.
"Dad..."
Might Duy did not look back.
He stood before the three of them, fists clenched, his stance sinking slightly into the ground.
"Guy, Genma, Kaede... go."
"Leave this to me."
Guy’s expression shifted.
"Dad, they’re too dangerous!"
Duy’s voice was lower than usual.
"Don’t worry, Guy. Youth always has a moment where it must burn."
"And that moment is now."
Kitahara Kaede looked at Duy’s back, his mind quickly analyzing the situation.
Originally, it had been just him, Guy, and Genma. To tear an opening in the enemy’s line, he would have had to reveal far more of his trump cards.
But now that Duy was here, things wouldn’t be nearly as troublesome—provided they were coordinated correctly.
Kaede took a step forward, landing beside Might Duy.
Duy tilted his head to look at him.
"Kaede?"
Kaede lowered his voice.
"Senior, listen to me first."
He raised his hand in a signal. Guy and Genma exchanged a glance and immediately crowded in.
Kaede didn’t waste a second.
"Guy, Genma, the two of you keep the Kiba wielder occupied."
Genma glanced at the massive blade and twitched his lips.
"Occupied? That sounds like a tall order."
"I know."
Kaede looked at him, then at Guy.
"I’m not asking you to win. Just hold your ground; I’ll support you."
Guy nodded firmly.
"Understood!"
Kaede then turned to Might Duy.
"Senior, I’ll have to ask you to hold off the main force."
Duy looked at him. "And you?"
Kaede’s gaze landed on the twin blades in Raiga Kurosuki’s hands.
"I’m going to handle the most troublesome one."
Genma almost thought he had misheard.
"Handle? Are you for real?"
Kaede nodded. "Trust me."
The tactic sounded insane. A Chunin, leading two peers and a lifelong Genin, intending to go head-to-head with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Yet Guy didn’t hesitate. Genma remained silent for a moment before tightening his grip on his kunai and nodding.
Once Kaede was sure they all understood, he looked directly into Duy’s eyes and whispered each word with deliberate intensity.
"Senior, no matter what happens, absolutely do not open the Eighth Gate."
Guy blinked in confusion. Genma didn’t even understand the meaning behind the words.
Duy’s expression froze as he stared at Kaede.
This secret was something he had told no one. Not even Guy knew that he had reached that level.
Duy didn’t ask how he knew. Now was not the time for questions.
After a heartbeat, he nodded.
"Alright. I promise you."
As the group finalized their strategy, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen lost their patience.
Seven figures moved simultaneously.
Guy and Genma lunged toward the Kiba wielder. Genma threw a barrage of kunai to seal off the opponent’s right side, while Guy swept low across the ground.
"Leaf Hurricane!"
The Kiba wielder sneered, swinging the massive blade in a horizontal arc. The impact sent Guy reeling backward. Genma immediately stepped in, bracing the blade with his kunai, his arms numbing under the pressure.
On the other side, Might Duy clenched his fists.
"Sixth Gate: Gate of View, Open!"
Green steam erupted from his body.
Duy launched himself forward in a single burst. Just as Juzo Biwa raised the Executioner’s Blade, Duy’s fist slammed into the flat of the sword.
*Boom!*
Juzo was forced back several steps.
"What?"
Fuguki’s expression darkened. "Something is off about this man."
Duy didn’t stop. He pivoted to dodge the Sewing Needle and launched a kick at Kushimaru Kuriarare.
Kushimaru retreated, pulling his steel wires taut.
"Interesting. I’ll just sew you up first, then."
Meanwhile, Raiga Kurosuki had locked onto Kitahara Kaede. The lightning on his twin blades grew increasingly brilliant.
"Kid, you’ve got guts, coming at me alone."
Kaede didn’t bother responding; he simply charged.
Raiga sneered, crossing his blades for a downward strike.
"Looking for death? I’ll be happy to oblige."
The lightning crashed down.
Kaede pivoted, dodging the first strike. His left hand clamped onto Raiga’s wrist while his right knee slammed upward into the man’s ribs.
The smile froze on Raiga’s face. *How is this brat so fast?!*
In the next instant, Kaede’s right hand gripped Raiga’s jaw.
*Crack.*
Raiga Kurosuki’s neck was snapped.
The electrical sparks on the lightning blades vanished. The corpse slid off a tree trunk and crashed into the fallen leaves.
The battlefield fell silent for a beat.
The smile vanished from Juzo Biwa’s face. "Raiga?"
Fuguki Suikazan gripped Samehada tightly. "Is this some kind of joke?"
Genma, who was being forced back by the Kiba wielder, saw the scene from the corner of his eye, his mouth hanging open.
’The captain actually did it?’
Guy was stunned as well, but the blade of the Kiba wielder was already descending.
"Guy!"
Genma lunged forward to block the blade with his kunai, his arm going numb instantly.
The Kiba wielder looked at them coldly. "Still have time to watch others?"
The blade erupted with a blinding light. A massive chakra blade swung down.
Guy had just regained his footing and couldn’t dodge in time. Genma tried to push him away, but he was too slow.
At that moment, Kaede looked over at them. Without hesitation, he raised his right hand.
Blue lightning condensed in his palm.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
The lightning stretched into a thin line, piercing across dozens of meters.
The Kiba wielder’s attention was entirely on Guy and Genma. By the time he sensed something was wrong, his chest had already been skewered.
He looked down at the hole in his chest.
"Lightning Style... how..."
Before he could finish, he collapsed. The Kiba blade slipped from his hand, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
Guy stood frozen, his breath hitching. Genma looked at the lingering lightning in Kaede’s palm, his throat feeling dry.
"Are you kidding me?"
No one answered him.
The expressions of the remaining five Seven Ninja Swordsmen shifted drastically. Two of their comrades were gone in a single exchange.
This kid was not normal.
A low shout erupted from Duy’s side.
"Seventh Gate: Gate of Wonder, Open!"
Blue steam surged. Duy’s muscles tightened and bulged.
Steel wires had already carved bloody gashes into his arms and shoulders, but his speed only increased.
Guy looked over, shocked. "This is..."
Duy charged straight into the web of wires set by Kushimaru, using his sheer physical force to snap two of the lines. Blood dripped down his green jumpsuit.
Kushimaru frowned and flicked his wrist, sending the Sewing Needle stabbing straight toward Duy’s throat.
Duy tilted his head to avoid it, and his fist slammed directly into Kushimaru’s chest.
*Boom!*
Kushimaru was hammered into the ground, his chest caved in. He didn’t move again.
Guy’s fists trembled. He had always known his father worked hard. He had always believed his father was strong.
But he had never seen his father like this.
The man whom the villagers mocked as an "eternal Genin" stood before them, drenched in blood, radiating an overwhelming power.
Genma stared in a daze.
’Who the hell are these people?’
Juzo Biwa gripped the Executioner’s Blade, a look of doubt and surprise crossing his face for the first time.
Fuguki Suikazan scanned the battlefield, his voice low and heavy.
"Steady. That man won’t last much longer. Kill him first, then deal with the brat."
From the shadows, Ebizo lunged, swinging his blunt blade toward Duy’s exposed back.
Having just killed Kushimaru Kuriarare, Duy’s body suffered a momentary lag, unable to keep up with the sudden shift.
Guy’s expression shifted in panic.
"Dad, behind you!"
But Kitahara Kaede had already arrived.
A streak of lightning blurred across the ground.
The moment Ebizo turned his head, a hand wreathed in lightning punched straight through his chest.
Ebizo looked down at the gaping hole in his torso, his lips trembling.
"You..."
Kitahara Kaede withdrew his hand, and the body slumped to the ground.
Jinpachi’s expression darkened as he violently unfurled Shibuki.
"You pests!"
He began unrolling a scroll of Explosive Tags.
Kitahara Kaede shouted immediately, "Duy-senpai!"
Gritting his teeth, Duy charged forward.
Kaede moved simultaneously. The two of them clamped down on Jinpachi from opposite sides.
Just as Jinpachi attempted to swing his blade, Duy delivered a brutal kick that snapped his arm.
In the same breath, Kitahara Kaede blurred past him, sliding a kunai across his throat.
Blood sprayed across the clearing.
Shibuki crashed to the earth, the Explosive Tags failing to detonate in time.
Fuguki Suikazan glanced at the corpses on the ground, then looked back at Kitahara Kaede and Might Duy.
Something was wrong.
If the fight continued, there was no guarantee they could escape.
Griping Samehada tightly, he spun around and bolted into the forest.
"Juzo, retreat!"
Juzo Biwa looked grim, but he didn’t hesitate. The Executioner’s Blade cleaved through the obstructing tree trunks as he followed Fuguki into the depths of the woods.
As their enemies vanished into the distance, the blue steam surrounding Duy began to dissipate.
His knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed.
Guy rushed forward to catch him.
"Dad! Are you okay?!"
Duy gasped for air, attempting to give his signature thumbs-up.
"Guy... I’m... fine..."
Before he could finish, he coughed up a spray of blood.
Guy’s grip tightened instinctively.
Kitahara Kaede stepped forward quickly, placing a hand on Duy’s shoulder.
"Senpai, stop talking. You opened the Seventh Gate; the damage to your body is severe."
Duy looked at him and gave a faint, slow nod.
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