The fourth surge of chakra came from Kurosuki Raiga's back. It was undoubtedly Ranmaru.
Because of his special eyes, Ranmaru was used by Raiga as a second pair of eyes. Their partnership reminded Kitazawa of Zabuza and Haku.
Moreover, both Ranmaru and Haku were often mistaken for females because of their delicate, beautiful looks. It was quite subtle.
Kitazawa stroked his chin.
From what his Byakugan revealed, Biwa Jūzō and Kurosuki Raiga were fighting.
As former fellow Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, why were they battling each other? And Akatsuki's "Angel" Konan was even standing by, watching?
Everyone knew Konan as the Akatsuki Organization's caretaker — practically its human resources head.
In the original work, it was she who recruited Sunagakure's rogue ninja Sasori into Akatsuki. So, the cause and effect behind this clash were easy to guess:
Konan first found Jūzō and persuaded him to join Akatsuki.
Jūzō then brought her to Raiga. But Raiga refused, and so a fight broke out between the two swordsmen.
Kitazawa fell into contemplation. In the original timeline, Kurosuki Raiga never joined Akatsuki. Kitazawa believed Raiga had been frightened witless by Might Duy, lost his ambition, and only wanted to lord over Grass Mountain in the Land of Rivers.
But then, how had he escaped both Konan and Jūzō? Was it because of Ranmaru?
Regardless, Kitazawa decided to investigate. After all, Raiga was also his mission target.
As the distance shortened, Kitazawa could already hear the clash of blades and the piercing crackle of thunder. A moment later, he saw lightning and thunder in the distance, bolts raining from the sky.
The title 'Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist' would make uninformed shinobi believe all seven were elite jōnin equally skilled in taijutsu and kenjutsu. In reality, that wasn't always the case.
For example, Kurosuki Raiga was a pure Lightning Release shinobi. His Lightning Blades: Kiba— one of the seven ninja blades — were designed primarily to draw lightning.
Jūzō, however, focused on kenjutsu, wielding the massive Broken Blade: Kubikiribōchō, dodging lightning as he tried to close in on Raiga.
But each of Jūzō's attacks was in vain. With Ranmaru on his back, Raiga anticipated every move in advance.
"Hahaha!" Raiga laughed loudly. "Jūzō, you're no longer my opponent!"
Jūzō's face darkened at the taunt. Although displeased, he couldn't refute it.
With Ranmaru's help, Raiga's strength had surged considerably. Ranmaru's ability worked much like the Byakugan — a full map hack.
"Are you still unwilling to join the Akatsuki Organization?" Konan finally spoke from behind Jūzō.
"What Akatsuki Organization? I've never even heard of it!" Raiga raised an eyebrow and snorted. "I defected from Hidden Mist Village because I didn't want to be ordered around by anyone ever again!"
"Is that so?" Konan raised her hand. Akatsuki didn't need loyalty, only strength, so she still intended to use force.
A flurry of paper sheets rose into the sky like petals. A second later, a pair of paper wings unfolded from her back. With a flap, Konan soared upward.
"She can fly?" Raiga's expression involuntarily turned serious.
In the ninja world, only a handful of shinobi could fly freely — and every one of them was powerful.
Ninjutsu had a limited range; flying high enough meant ground-bound enemies couldn't strike back, while you could rain attacks on them.
This was evident in Deidara's battle against Gaara in the original work. Sunagakure had many strong ninja, but because Deidara could fly, even large crossbows did little. In the end, they could only watch helplessly as their Kazekage was taken.
Raiga unhesitatingly raised his twin swords. A dazzling bolt of lightning shot skyward toward Konan. But with a flap of her wings, she suddenly accelerated higher.
Raiga frowned, crossing his swords as a massive lightning orb shot upward — but it fell to the ground midway, having reached its maximum range.
"Let's go!" Raiga ordered without hesitation. "Ranmaru, guide me. We're shaking them off."
He turned and ran.
"Trying to run?" Jūzō's muscles bulged as he hurled the Kubikiribōchō like a helicopter rotor.
"Left," Ranmaru's tender voice called out.
Without even looking, Raiga easily dodged the spinning blade. The air was filled with the sound of rushing wind. Konan waved her hand, unleashing a rain of paper shuriken from the sky.
"Attack," Ranmaru instructed as they entered range.
Raiga immediately crossed and then separated his swords. Brilliant lightning surged forth, completely engulfing the incoming paper shuriken.
"Ahead is complex terrain," Ranmaru warned again.
Each small nation had its own distinct characteristics. The Land of Rain had perpetual rainfall. The Land of Rivers retained many natural landscapes — its terrain is extremely complex.
"Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique!"
Raiga immediately put away his swords and formed hand seals. In an instant, a massive amount of mist erupted around him, and his body vanished into it.
"Oh no!" Jūzō quickly gave chase.
Konan frowned. Water Release: Hiding in Mist was a jutsu every Hidden Mist shinobi had to master.
The pervasive mist perfectly obscured the enemy's vision, and combined with the Silent Killing Technique they trained from childhood, it became lethally effective — a signature tactic of Hidden Mist Village.
Everyone knew not to fight Mist shinobi inside their own mist.
Konan waved her hands.
A massive flurry of paper shuriken vanished into the mist, but this undirected bombardment was destined to be in vain. She lowered her hands; her hopes now rested on Biwa Jūzō.
From the earlier exchange, Raiga's strength was clearly superior. But as long as Jūzō drove him out of the mist, everything would be fine.
Konan hovered in the sky, looking down. Once Raiga emerged, she would launch a thunderous assault.
But just then, the mist abruptly dispersed.
Konan raised her hand, eyes narrowing, yet she did not strike—because besides Jūzō, Raiga was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn it! He got away!" Jūzō muttered, extremely unwilling.
He had only just joined the Akatsuki Organization and was eager to make achievements, yet he couldn't take down Kurosuki Raiga.
Just half a month ago, their strengths had been evenly matched. But now, Raiga fought as though he had grown an extra pair of eyes, rendering all of Jūzō's attacks ineffective.
"What a pity," Konan said expressionlessly.
Raiga's strength was impressive; had he joined Akatsuki, he would have been a rare asset. And she had already sensed Ranmaru's presence—like a buy-one-get-two-free deal. But it was a pity Raiga ultimately escaped.
"Let's go." Konan quickly regained her composure.
For Akatsuki, one less Raiga would change nothing. Since he was so difficult to catch, there was no need to waste any more time. After all, she had other targets.
Jūzō hefted the Broken Blade: Kubikiribōchō and followed her into the night.
"Ranmaru, well done!" Raiga said triumphantly. "Adopting you was indeed the right choice!"
Ranmaru had been born in an ordinary small village and ostracized by the villagers because of his innate Byakugan.
Raiga had happened to pass through that village and discovered him. After learning of his abilities, he adopted him without hesitation.
"It's what I should do," Ranmaru replied.
Because of Raiga's kindness in adopting him, he, like Haku, regarded himself as a combat tool. He would spare no effort to help.
"Wait!" Ranmaru's face suddenly shifted. "Someone is following us!"
"Who?" Raiga was stunned for a moment. "Did Jūzō and the others catch up?"
"It's not their chakra." Ranmaru shook his head.
"Not them?" Raiga stopped abruptly and barked, "Come out!"
He was one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and with Ranmaru as his eyes, most jōnin were no match for him.
Therefore, he provocatively challenged whoever was trailing them.
"The Red Eyes truly is impressive—you sensed me from so far away?"
Seeing that he had been discovered, Kitazawa no longer hid and stepped into view.
After Raiga and Ranmaru fled, he had unhesitatingly given chase. As for Konan and Jūzō, there was no need to get acquainted now. Although in his previous life he had been a fan of Konan, their positions were different now, and the mission came first.
"A Konoha ninja?" Raiga noticed Kitazawa's Konoha headband.
But after a glance or two, he seemed unimpressed. He was very familiar with Konoha's strong shinobi, and in his memory, there was no impression of Kitazawa.
"It seems you'll be the first friend I bury after leaving Hidden Mist Village," Raiga said with a sinister smile.
He had a habit of holding funerals for others—crying very sadly at them, too.
"Indeed, you ninja have poor mental states," Kitazawa replied with a faint smile. "Do you need me to find you a psychological medical ninja?"
"Psychological medical ninja? What's that?" Raiga's face showed confusion.
"It means you're crazy," Kitazawa said bluntly, blinking. "It seems your head was kicked badly by Uncle Duy."
"You know, Might Duy?!" Raiga immediately became furious.
A terrifying aura surged out, whistling around him. Being beaten by Might Duy and fleeing like a dog was an eternal disgrace in his heart.
"His son is my friend," Kitazawa said calmly.
"Good, good, good!" Raiga's expression twisted before he began laughing again. "You are worthy of me holding a funeral for you!"
He immediately drew his Lightning Blades: Kiba, spinning the twin swords and plunging them into the ground.
"Lightning Burial: Banquet of Lightning!"
Chakra poured into the swords, and in an instant, four branch-like bolts of lightning raced along the ground toward Kitazawa.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!" Kitazawa stood his ground as an earthen wall surged upward.
Seeing this, Raiga gripped his twin swords; his chakra surged again, becoming violent. With a thunderous crack, the four lightning bolts struck the earth wall, shattering it instantly.
But once the wall crumbled, Kitazawa's figure was nowhere to be seen.
"Ranmaru, where is he?" Raiga asked, scanning the area warily.
"In the sky!" Ranmaru answered at once.
Raiga instinctively looked up and saw Kitazawa. He had used the Konoha-Style Body Flicker Technique to vault into the air.
Whoosh! Kitazawa hurled a shuriken.
"A mere shuriken? How ridiculous!" Raiga shook his head in disdain.
"Raiga, be careful!" Ranmaru suddenly warned.
Raiga reflexively raised his twin swords. The next second, the single shuriken trembled and multiplied, countless blades appearing out of thin air.
In a flash, they poured down on Raiga like a rainstorm.
"What?!" Raiga's face changed drastically, sensing an unprecedented crisis.
"Lightning Strike Armour!"
In the nick of time, he merged his twin swords; a torrent of lightning surged forth, forming an armor of electricity over his body.
Even so, the hail of shuriken striking the armor made him feel pain all over. But he no longer had time to think about the shuriken.
"Raiga, he's coming!" Ranmaru said quickly, his tone urgent.
Behind the rain-like shuriken was Kitazawa, who held a ninja blade and swung it fiercely. Raiga reacted instantly, raising his twin swords to block.
Clang! The immense force made Raiga's face flush red.
"Be careful!" Ranmaru's voice rang out again.
Chakra Enhanced Strength! Kitazawa clenched his left fist and smashed it straight at Kurosuki Raiga.
Even with the layer of lightning armor, Raiga was sent flying backward, spitting blood in mid-air.
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. He had clearly aimed at Raiga's heart just now, yet the strike landed slightly off. Was it Ranmaru's Red Eye interfering?
As Kitazawa pondered, he once again used the Konoha-Style Body Flicker Technique, suddenly accelerating to catch up to Raiga.
Just then, a dazzling bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, forcing Kitazawa to retreat.
"Who exactly are you?!" Raiga wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, gripping his twin blades. With Kitazawa's strength, he shouldn't be unknown—yet Raiga had no memory of him.
"You wouldn't know even if I told you," Kitazawa replied casually.
His power had grown so fast that his reputation hadn't caught up. Outside Konoha, almost no one even knew his name. Of course, if Tsunade publicly acknowledged him as her student, he'd become famous overnight.
"Die!" Raiga's expression twisted as he roared.
One of the proud Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, suppressed by an unknown? Intolerable.
And this man was also a friend of Might Duy's son. Old grudges and new anger surged together, pushing Raiga to unleash his full power.
Lightning Dragon Tornado!
A loud roar erupted; countless bolts of lightning shot skyward, spinning into the shape of a dragon—a tornado scorching everything it passed.
Kitazawa's expression didn't change. Forming hand seals, he countered: Compound Ninjutsu: Lightning Water Dragon!
An electrified water dragon roared forth.
The two dragons collided, generating a violent chakra turbulence. After a brief stalemate, the water dragon crashed through the lightning dragon.
"How is that possible?!" Raiga's eyes widened.
"Raiga!" Ranmaru cried anxiously.
"I see it!" Raiga crossed his twin blades, summoning a bolt of lightning from the sky to shatter the remaining water dragon.
"Not that!" Ranmaru warned again.
Body Flicker Technique! Like an arrow from a bow, Kitazawa appeared before Raiga in an instant.
Chakra Enhanced Strength! He punched out with his right hand.
Raiga had just used Lightning Release, so he could only block with his twin blades. Ranmaru activated his Red Eye to interfere with Kitazawa's chakra.
Bang! Raiga flew backward. Though injured, the wounds weren't serious.
"Hahaha!" Raiga got up and said, "With Ranmaru, you're doomed!"
With Ranmaru present, even at a disadvantage, he had countermeasures. If he seized the right moment, he might still turn the tide.
"Is that so?" Kitazawa chuckled softly, forming hand seals.
Genjutsu: Infinite Darkness Jutsu! In an instant, all light vanished.
"Ranmaru, where is he?" Raiga looked around, finding only pitch blackness.
"I—I can't see!" Ranmaru's voice was full of fear. Since awakening his Red Eye, this had never happened.
"Wh-what?" Raiga's body stiffened, panic rising.
He wasn't Kitazawa's match to begin with; without Ranmaru, death was inevitable.
Grinding his teeth, Raiga turned and ran. He had no intention of fighting to the death.
When he'd faced Might Duy, he was also the first to run. If there was no hope of victory, he never hesitated.
"He's coming!" Ranmaru suddenly glimpsed a blurry shadow.
"Where?" Raiga asked instinctively.
"I—I don't know!" Ranmaru strained to widen his eyes, but the shadow disappeared.
"Damn it!" In desperation, Raiga plunged his twin blades into the ground.
Lightning surged, and his vision cleared slightly—but what followed was the gleam of a blade.
"You—" Raiga looked down to see Kitazawa's ninja blade piercing his heart.
This time, with Ranmaru unable to see, the Red Eye failed to divert the fatal strike.
Without hesitation, Kitazawa withdrew his blade and severed Raiga's head. He remembered Raiga's suicidal Lightning Release technique and wouldn't give him the chance to use it.
"No!" Ranmaru's eyes went bloodshot as he cried, "Raiga!"
Kitazawa struck him on the neck, knocking him out.
Ranmaru possessed an incredibly overpowered ability: resurrection. But, as the original work showed, the cost was tremendous—consuming all his power and leaving him an ordinary person forever.
It was an ability that could only be used once in a lifetime.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin.
Ranmaru was utterly devoted to Raiga, willing to follow him even to the underworld. But to die like this would waste the Red Eye.
He decided to take Ranmaru back and hand him over to Yakumo Kurama. After clearing his memories of Raiga, he would send him to the Konoha orphanage.
Kitazawa's gaze suddenly sharpened. He looked up and saw Konan, angelic with wings, fluttering in mid-air.
In front of him stood Biwa Jūzō, looking horrified. He held the broken Kubikiribōchō, unwilling to advance.
After all, he could not defeat Kurosuki Raiga, who had just died by Kitazawa's hand. If not for Konan, he would have undoubtedly turned and fled. Facing a ninja stronger than himself, lingering was foolhardy.
"We mean no harm," Konan descended gracefully from the sky. "We are merely a ninja organization that works for money."
At this time, the Akatsuki Organization lacked both members and startup capital, so they disguised themselves as a mercenary group.
Moreover, in the underground black market, their reputation was impeccable, as the Akatsuki had no recorded failures.
"You use Chakra Enhanced Strength?" Konan asked again.
"You have keen eyesight," Kitazawa raised an eyebrow, sensing the goodwill in her tone—but he also understood her reason.
Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko were Jiraiya's students, and they had met Tsunade during the Second Ninja World War. Kitazawa's use of Chakra Enhanced Strength indicated a connection to Tsunade.
Before the Akatsuki Organization's Eye of the Moon Plan unfolded, they had no reason to be hostile toward the Five Great Villages.
Konan had not completely hardened like Nagato; she still retained emotions and reason. In any case, there was no reason to fight Kitazawa now.
"The reputation of Konoha's Sannin is known throughout the ninja world," Konan explained. "Our original goal was to recruit Kurosuki Raiga, but since he is already dead, this matter ends here."
"My name is Kitazawa," he introduced himself. "I am considered a student of Lady Tsunade."
"I see." A subtle feeling stirred in Konan's heart. In terms of connections, they were linked as she's a disciple of Jiraiya.
Biwa Jūzō, hearing this, was puzzled. Why wasn't Tsunade's student a medical ninja? Still, he knew that after this battle, Kitazawa would undoubtedly rise to fame.
"I am Konan of the Akatsuki Organization, codename Angel." Konan paused, then added, "The Akatsuki Organization accepts any high-difficulty requests. If you have any, you can find us at the Exchange Office."
The Exchange Office was part of the underground black market. Its function resembled Konoha's Mission Hall, providing missions for ninja—especially rogue ninja.
These missions often ignored the rules of the Five Great Villages and included high-stakes bounty jobs. For instance, Asuma Sarutobi had a bounty of thirty-five million ryo in the underground black market.
Who established the Exchange Office was not mentioned in the original work, but the Akatsuki's early funding came from it. Kakuzu, a member of the Akatsuki, was known to frequent the Exchange Office.
"I will find you if I have needs," Kitazawa said with a wry smile.
"Until next time," Konan said, turning and leaving. Biwa Jūzō secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed.
Kitazawa watched them depart. He then turned, took out a summoning storage scroll, and placed Kurosuki Raiga's body inside.
Next, he picked up the Lightning Blades: Kiba, examined it briefly, and put it away.
The blades were highly valuable, particularly for their lightning-attracting function—ideal for Lightning Release ninja and efficient for conserving chakra.
Although Kitazawa was not a Lightning Release ninja, he could wield Lightning Release, making the blade usable for him. Furthermore, the Lightning Blades: Kiba complemented Lightning Release: Kirin perfectly.
With it, he no longer needed to artificially summon suitable lightning with Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique, as Uchiha Sasuke did. In battle, this would save time and provide a decisive advantage.
However, the Lightning Blades: Kiba carried risks. Hidden Mist Village had a summoning scroll for the Seven Ninja Swords, guarded by the Hōzuki Clan.
The surviving Hōzuki, Suigetsu Hōzuki, had likely been captured by Orochimaru. For the moment, there was no immediate danger of the blade disappearing, but Kitazawa had a plan.
He intended to reforge the Lightning Blade: Kiba and apply a Sealing Technique to sever its summoning connection. The Uzumaki Clan possessed such a Sealing Technique, called the Contract Seal—a core ability of their clan.
Its effect was to sever the connection between caster and summoned beast or object. In the original work, Minato Namikaze used the Contract Seal to sever Uchiha Obito's control over the Nine-Tails.
[Current Mission: Eliminate Kurosuki Raiga, one of the Former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.]
[Mission Reward: Compound Ninjutsu: Hurricane Vortex Jutsu.]
[Host has completed the mission, reward issued.]
Kitazawa breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.
He had been worried that killing Kurosuki Raiga alone wouldn't trigger the reward. Fortunately, the mission did not specify that the ninja squad had to act together.
Kitazawa's reasons for eliminating Kurosuki Raiga here were twofold. First, he was concerned that Raiga might escape, and he had no way of knowing when the target would head to Katabami Gold Mine —there was no need to wait idly and waste time.
Second, Kurenai and Kabuto still had a gap in strength when facing Raiga. If they wanted to train, they could wait until Kurenai mastered Chakra Enhanced Strength and Kabuto and the others further improved their abilities.
After all, the ninja world was vast, and opportunities for training were abundant.
Kitazawa stood in place, digesting the Compound Ninjutsu: Hurricane Vortex Jutsu granted by the system.
He already knew Wind Release: Rasengan, so the system also provided Water Release: Tearing Torrent for free. In the end, he learned two new Ninjutsu.
Glancing at the sky, Kitazawa noted that although he had been out for a long time, it hadn't yet been three hours.
After a moment's thought, he decided to head to the capital of the Land of Rivers. Before leaving, however, he had a Shadow Clone take Ranmaru back. After all, the living Reverse Summoning Technique could only summon himself.
Their current B-rank mission target was located there, and Kitazawa wasn't going to handle it alone this time.
Kurenai and Kabuto had finally emerged from the village, so they needed to feel involved. If Kitazawa had resolved everything himself, the others' journey would have been wasted.
After confirming the target ninja's location, Kitazawa felt a mysterious summons. He gave up resisting, and the next second, he returned to the temporary tent of their ninja squad.
"How was it?" Kurenai immediately grabbed his hand, checking his condition, and only relaxed after confirming he was unharmed.
"I have confirmed the location of our target ninja, and we can execute the mission tomorrow," Kitazawa said. He paused, then added, "I also encountered Kurosuki Raiga on the way—and killed him."
"Ah?" Kurenai's eyes widened in shock. "What did you say?"
"Is it Kurosuki Raiga, one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?" Kabuto asked, astonished.
"He's dead?" Uchiha Izumi felt as if she were under a Genjutsu.
"Yes," Kitazawa replied with a slight smile. "It was too good an opportunity to miss, so I took care of him."
Kurenai hesitated. This sounded too casual to be believable—but she also knew Kitazawa would never joke about such a thing.
"Teacher Kitazawa is truly amazing," Kabuto exclaimed.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were renowned powerhouses, each a master among Jonin. Yet one had been killed so easily by Kitazawa-sensei. His strength was simply terrifying.