Chapter 43: Gathering All Seven Ninja Blades
Kimimaro still followed behind Yuto with an expressionless face, though compared to before, the confusion in his eyes had lessened somewhat.
Suigetsu Hozuki looked curiously at Yuto's back. He had naturally overheard the earlier conversation between Yuto and Kimimaro.
The Taketori Clan had long been annihilated, something Suigetsu was well aware of.
As a former friend of the Taketori Clan, Suigetsu's eyes revealed a trace of thought. Judging from Yuto's words just now, it didn't seem like he was lying.
"Who exactly are you?"
Unable to hold back, Suigetsu asked Yuto softly.
"You'll know soon enough who I am. By the way, the summoning scroll for the Seven Ninja Blades is with you, isn't it?"
Yuto glanced at Suigetsu and spoke calmly.
Suigetsu placed his hands behind his head, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes.
"Of course. This is the summoning scroll passed down through generations of the Hozuki Clan. Our clan has always been the leaders managing the Seven Ninja Blades, responsible for safeguarding the scroll."
"However, the scroll currently contains only three blades — the Long Blade: Sewing Needle, the Blunt Blade: Helmet Splitter, and the Explosive Blade: Splash. As for the others, each should already have their respective wielders, and thus the summoning scroll doesn't include them."
Suigetsu shrugged casually as he spoke. Since this information wasn't really a secret, there was no need to hide it.
Yuto nodded slightly. If things went smoothly on Ringo Ameyuri's end, then with the three blades Suigetsu mentioned, Kirigakure would now have five of the Seven Ninja Blades gathered.
That left only two still scattered outside — the Great Blade: Samehada and the Broken Blade: Executioner's Blade.
The current wielder of the Executioner's Blade, Momochi Zabuza, didn't concern Yuto much. The troublesome one was the wielder of Samehada — Hoshigaki Kisame.
"The Akatsuki, huh…"
A faint glimmer flashed in Yuto's eyes as he thought silently to himself.
Suigetsu looked at Yuto with suspicion. "Don't tell me your purpose in finding me was just for those three blades."
"Not entirely. After all, you're also one of the candidates for the new Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
Yuto spoke flatly without turning his head.
"The new Seven Ninja Swordsmen?!"
Suigetsu was momentarily stunned, then his face lit up with excitement as he hurriedly spoke.
"You mean Kirigakure is going to reestablish the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
Yuto glanced at the excited Suigetsu and gave a light nod.
Seeing Yuto nod, the joy in Suigetsu's eyes could no longer be concealed.
The reason he had left Kirigakure in the first place was because the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had either died or defected. As someone who had sworn to revive the name of the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen," Suigetsu couldn't accept such an end.
Moreover, Kirigakure at that time had shown no intention of rebuilding the group, which was why Suigetsu left secretly.
If not for the fact that the Hozuki Clan was a major clan of Kirigakure, and because Suigetsu hadn't caused any real harm to the village, he would have long been branded a rogue ninja and put on the wanted list.
"Heh, finally, it's time for me to show my power! I'll make the name of the 'Seven Ninja Swordsmen' resound throughout the ninja world!"
Suigetsu let out an arrogant laugh.
"Confidence is good, but have you decided which of the seven blades you want?"
Yuto looked at Suigetsu as if watching an idiot, speaking indifferently.
"The Hozuki Clan is skilled with all seven blades. Besides, I'm a genius — any blade in my hands…"
Suigetsu began proudly, but halfway through his sentence, he met Yuto's cold gaze.
A shiver ran through him. His tone quickly softened as he forced a smile, revealing his sharp teeth, and said cautiously,
"I… I still prefer the word 'sever.' The Broken Blade: Executioner's Blade suits me well. Of course, the Blunt Blade: Helmet Splitter, which can crush through all defenses, isn't bad either."
Hearing Suigetsu Hozuki's words, Yuto turned his head slightly and spoke calmly.
"If you can defeat Zabuza, then the Executioner's Blade will be yours. And that opportunity will come very soon."
Suigetsu's eyes lit up as he muttered under his breath, "Senior Zabuza, huh?"
He held a trace of respect toward Momochi Zabuza, but respect was one thing—when it came to the Ninja Blades, he would never yield.
...
Amid a field of ruins, arcs of lightning crisscrossed the air, turning the already broken landscape into an even greater mess.
Two figures moved at blinding speed, their silhouettes flashing through the wreckage.
The clashing sound of weapons rang out repeatedly.
Utakata glanced at Ringo Ameyuri, who was fighting against Kurosuki Raiga in the distance, and finally felt a little relieved.
The battle was nearly over.
"What an impressive Kekkei Genkai. Thankfully, the intel warned us about it. Otherwise, things would have gotten troublesome."
Utakata spoke softly as he looked at a large bubble floating beside him.
Inside it lay a small figure blinking its eyes, watching the battle ahead.
This child, named Ranmaru, was the boy mentioned in the intelligence as Raiga's companion.
At first, neither Utakata nor Ringo Ameyuri had paid any attention to the boy, but who would have thought that the two of them almost suffered defeat at his hands.
This Ranmaru possessed a Kekkei Genkai known as the Crimson Eye, which not only allowed him to see through objects but also to sense danger itself.
Because of that, the two of them had nearly fallen into Kurosuki Raiga's trap.
Fortunately, both of them were highly skilled. Utakata had even managed to separate Ranmaru from Raiga during the fight.
Ranmaru wasn't lying inside the bubble due to injury, but because his body was extremely frail—so weak that he couldn't even walk normally.
For safety's sake, Utakata had simply placed him inside one of his protective bubbles.
"Will Lord Kurosuki Raiga die?"
Ranmaru suddenly spoke, his voice faint.
"He will."
After a brief silence, Utakata replied in a calm tone.
"You're not killing me… so where are you taking me?"
After a moment of quiet, Ranmaru asked again.
"To Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. There's someone there who wishes to meet you."
Utakata answered softly, though his eyes remained fixed on the battle ahead.
Boom!
A dull explosion echoed, and the sounds of combat abruptly ceased.
"Cough…"
A faint cough rang out. Ringo Ameyuri walked forward, her body covered in cuts and bruises, but her face shone with undisguised excitement.
Holding the Thunder Blades: Kiba in both hands, she grinned at Utakata.
"I won!"
Utakata quickly glanced over her injuries and, seeing nothing fatal, let out a small sigh of relief.
"If I had taken action, it would have ended sooner," he said flatly.
Hearing that, Ringo Ameyuri pouted in mild annoyance.
(End of Chapter)
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