CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The sound of thousands of steel needles hitting iron filled the air. The Magnet Release puppet manipulated iron sand into a solid shield in front of Kenji and itself, blocking every projectile. Not a single hair needle penetrated the defense. They bounced off, leaving no marks on the iron sand surface.
Fuguki's expression darkened when he saw his technique fail completely.
He didn't hesitate. Samehada's handle suddenly extended, the wrappings around the blade exploding outward in torn strips. The sword's true form revealed itself. He swung the extended blade like a flail, bringing it crashing down on the iron sand shield.
BOOM!
The sturdy shield shattered on impact, exploding into a spray of iron particles that scattered in all directions.
Kenji's eyes narrowed. Samehada absorbed the chakra from the iron sand.
That was the sword's ability. It didn't just cut, it ate chakra, breaking down techniques by draining the energy that sustained them. A dangerous weapon against ninjas who relied heavily on jutsu.
He immediately retreated, avoiding the flying shards of former shield. At the same moment, the Swift Release puppet flickered like a ghost and appeared behind Fuguki, driving a kunai toward his back.
Fuguki's combat instincts were sharp. He threw himself backward, twisting in midair while simultaneously commanding Samehada to attack. The sword's mouth opened wide and lunged at the puppet.
Kenji had anticipated this. The puppet slipped sideways, the teeth snapping shut on empty air, and circled around Fuguki again to strike from a different angle.
Fuguki was forced to draw a kunai with his free hand to block while also controlling Samehada's movements to defend his blind spots. He was being pressed from multiple directions at once.
Just as he focused entirely on dealing with the Swift Release puppet, a figure materialized behind him.
Kenji's short blade pierced clean through Fuguki's chest, the point erupting from his sternum.
"Guh—!"
Fuguki grunted. Then his body dissolved into water, splashing across the ground.
The Magnet Release puppet didn't pause. It manipulated iron sand into a massive cylindrical battering ram and sent it smashing toward a large boulder about ten meters away.
CRASH!
The rock exploded into fragments. Fuguki's real body burst out from the debris where he'd been hiding, clearly having swapped with the clone at some point during the exchange.
He was airborne, with no way to maneuver.
"Mind Body Switch Technique!"
Kenji's consciousness shot out from his body. It crossed the distance in an instant and slammed into Fuguki's mind, overwhelming his mental defenses through sheer spiritual power.
Fuguki's body went rigid mid-air. His eyes glazed over as Kenji's consciousness took control. The body landed under Kenji's direction and began walking toward the Magnet Release puppet.
At the same moment, Kenji's figure on the battlefield burst into white smoke. It had been a shadow clone the entire time.
His real body emerged from behind the same boulder where Fuguki had been hiding, a faint smile on his lips. "Good. Capture successful."
His spiritual power had grown immensely over the years. Using the Mind Body Switch Technique no longer left his real body unconscious like it did for most Yamanaka clan members. His consciousness remained active, though his combat ability was still affected. It wasn't as flexible as the Mind Clone Switch, which let him operate at full capacity.
But for capturing Fuguki, the trade-off was worth it. As one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and a high-level Kiri operative, the intelligence this man carried was far more valuable than his death.
He walked over to where the possessed Fuguki stood motionless. He pressed his fingers against the man's abdomen and channeled chakra.
"Five Elements Seal!"
Seal markings spread outward from the point of contact, covering Fuguki's body in an intricate pattern. The seal locked away his chakra completely, cutting off access to his energy reserves. Once the seal was complete, he released the Mind Body Switch.
Fuguki's consciousness snapped back into his own body. His eyes cleared, focusing on Kenji.
"You're from the Yamanaka clan..."
"Surprise," Kenji said flatly.
He didn't give Fuguki time to say anything else. His hand moved to the man's head, fingers splaying across his skull. Spiritual power surged.
The seal slammed into Fuguki's mind. His consciousness was forcibly suppressed, sealed away where it couldn't interfere. His eyes rolled back and his body went limp.
The Swift Release puppet walked over and hoisted Fuguki's unconscious form over its shoulder. It reached down to grab Samehada's handle.
The instant the puppet's hand made contact, it jerked back.
Fine, needle-like barbs had sprouted from the handle, making it impossible to grip. The scales on Samehada's body rippled, and the sword shifted position slightly, angling away from the puppet.
"Your master's been captured and you're still acting up?" he said to the sword. "Should I commend your loyalty?"
He turned to the Magnet Release puppet. "Seems like I need to cook you and feed you to the Inuzuka's ninken. They probably need the protein."
Samehada went completely still.
Then every single scale on its body stood straight up like the fur of a terrified cat. The barbs on the handle retracted instantly, disappearing back into the grip. The sword even leaned slightly toward the Swift Release puppet, as if offering itself.
"Thought so," the Swift Release puppet said.
It grabbed Samehada without resistance. The sword didn't make any further attempts to avoid being carried. With Fuguki over one shoulder and the massive blade in hand, the puppet vanished.
Kenji and the Magnet Release puppet collected the bodies of Raiga and Jūzō, along with their respective swords. With everything secured, they activated Flying Thunder God and disappeared from the battlefield in a spatial distortion two seconds later.
When he reappeared, he was inside a tent at the Konoha encampment. He sealed the corpses and captured swords into storage scrolls, told the Magnet Release puppet to keep watch over Samehada, then laid Fuguki's unconscious body on the ground.
He placed his hand on the man's head and let his spiritual power dive into Fuguki's mind.
Kenji was curious where the rest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had gone. He flipped through Fuguki's memories rapidly, skipping over irrelevant personal details and childhood experiences, focusing on recent events and important intelligence.
Military deployments. Mission assignments. Strategic discussions with Kiri command.
"So they went to the Land of Lightning," he muttered, finally finding what he was looking for.
The other four members of the Seven Swordsmen had been dispatched to fight Kumo ninjas. That explained why only three had shown up in Konoha's territory. Kiri was fighting on multiple fronts just like Konoha was, spreading their forces thin.
Kenji pulled a blank scroll from his pouch and began recording. He copied several jutsu from Fuguki's memories, things the man had either learned or observed others using. Most were Water Release techniques that wouldn't be particularly useful for Kenji personally, but the intelligence value was significant.
One set of techniques stood out though. Hair manipulation jutsu, similar to what Jiraiya used. He made a note to seek out Jiraiya later and propose a technique exchange. The Sannin was usually open to that kind of thing.
After finishing his notes, he grabbed the unconscious Fuguki and hauled him out of the tent. Time to deliver this prize to command.
He found Shikaku in the command tent, buried under a mountain of intelligence reports. The Nara's face was creased, his fingers tracing lines on a map.
"I caught a big fish."
Kenji dropped Fuguki on the floor.
Shikaku looked up. His eyes widened the moment he registered the man's face, and he stood immediately.
"That's Suikazan Fuguki."
"The other two are dead," Kenji said, pulling out the scrolls containing the bodies and swords. He set them on the table. "Kurosuki Raiga, wielder of Kiba, and Biwa Jūzō, wielder of Kubikiribōchō. Their swords are in the scroll."
He nudged Fuguki's body with his foot. "This one's Samehada is with me. I want to study it for a couple days before handing it over to logistics."
Shikaku picked up one of the scrolls. "You encountered the Seven Swordsmen? When? Where?"
If the full complement of Seven Swordsmen was operating in their area, it represented a massive threat. They'd need to completely restructure their defensive positions.
"Only three of them," Kenji explained. "They tried to infiltrate the sector I was guarding. My sensory technique picked them up before they got too deep."
He gestured at Fuguki's prone form. "I used Yamanaka techniques to read his recent memories. The other four were sent by Kiri to fight Kumo ninjas. The interrogation squad will need to do a deeper dive, I only skimmed the essential intel."
Shikaku was relieved. He actually smiled, which was rare.
"This is excellent news. Kiri losing three elite fighters and us capturing their legendary swords... they won't be able to field the complete Seven Swordsmen again for a long time. That takes enormous pressure off our forces."
"We should expect retaliation though," Kenji cautioned. "If the remaining four come to recover the swords or get revenge, they're still extremely dangerous."
"I'll notify all patrol squads to heighten security," Shikaku said. "We'll need to establish protocols for responding to Swordsmen sightings."
"One more thing," Kenji added. "Kiri ninjas set summoning contracts on their swords to prevent loss. Make sure logistics seals them properly so they can't be summoned away."
"I'll inform them immediately. They're experienced with captured equipment, but I'll emphasize the urgency."
Shikaku stored the scrolls away carefully, treating them like the valuable assets they were.
"If there's nothing else," Kenji said, turning toward the tent exit, "I'll head back. I'll deliver Samehada in a couple of days once I've finished studying it."
"Take your time. Any insights you can gain from that sword could be valuable. And Kenji? Good work today. Really good work."
Kenji just nodded and left.
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