While Ringo Ameyuri and Ranmaru were talking, the surrounding Konoha shinobi closed in on them once more.
Wave after wave of barely concealed killing intent locked firmly onto Ringo Ameyuri and Ranmaru.
"You think Kirigakure can break through the valley's defensive line? You're dreaming!"
A jounin commander stared hard at the two of them, his voice ice-cold as he spoke.
Even as the words left his mouth, this jounin commander raised a hand and pointed forward, gesturing toward the direction Ringo Ameyuri and Ranmaru had come from along the valley's edge.
"We absolutely cannot let Kirigakure establish a supply route through the valley. Stop those Hidden Mist ninja!"
The jounin commander wore a grave expression, his low voice reaching the ears of the other Konoha shinobi around him.
The appearance of Ringo Ameyuri and Ranmaru here was clearly intended to buy time for Kirigakure's forces.
There was no way they would give Kirigakure that chance!
The moment the jounin commander gave the order, several Konoha shinobi sprang into action, rushing past Ringo Ameyuri and Ranmaru toward the edge of their defensive position.
But before they had gone far, a figure radiating a vile killing intent had already blocked their path.
"Hehehe... did you really think I'd let you pass so easily?"
Momochi Zabuza rested the Executioner's Blade on his shoulder, speaking with a cold, mocking laugh.
At the sight of yet another member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist appearing, the jounin commander's face tightened with a hint of grim seriousness.
"They've actually sent three of the Seven Swordsmen!"
The jounin commander felt instinctively that something was off. From the look of things, Kirigakure was not planning some minor skirmish.
The defensive line formed along the valley was quite long, naturally divided into several units stationed at various key points along the pass.
And this battlefield was merely one section of it.
Yet for this single section alone, Kirigakure had deployed three members of the Seven Swordsmen!
The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were no ordinary Kirigakure ninja. In many ways, they represented the very face of Kirigakure itself!
That alone was enough to demonstrate just how seriously Kirigakure was taking this operation.
Right at that moment, more footsteps sounded slowly from behind Momochi Zabuza.
Four figures of varying builds, their steps unhurried, emerged from behind Zabuza.
Hozuki Suigetsu held the blunt sword Kubikiribocho, glancing toward Zabuza with a note of excitement in his voice.
"Zabuza-senpai, you were way too fast. You didn't even wait for us."
"He just didn't want to share the prey with you," Hoshigaki Kisame interjected, his tone laced with provocation.
"Um, everyone... let's not argue. Our enemies are Konoha ninja, after all," Chojuro said quietly, glancing between them with a nervous look.
Hyuga Neji did not say a word, maintaining his usual silence. But the long sword Kabutowari in his hands radiated a chilling, razor-sharp edge.
As these four walked forward, the auras radiating from their bodies converged into a single overwhelming wave of pressure that swept toward the Konoha forces.
For a moment, the entire battlefield fell dead silent.
Gulp.
The sound of someone swallowing cut sharply through the stillness.
"All seven of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist... they're all here!"
One Konoha chunin's voice trembled under the crushing pressure that bore down on them.
"Kirigakure... this is... this is..."
Another Konoha ninja swallowed hard as well, his voice quavering.
"Everyone, prepare for combat!!!"
"Kirigakure is launching a full assault!!"
"Notify all other units for backup!"
The jounin commander let out a sharp cry, a rare note of panic creeping into his voice.
"Your backup had better hurry. Otherwise, things won't be much fun."
Ringo Ameyuri's voice carried a cold laugh as crackling lightning surged from the Thunder Blades in her hands.
"So, have you decided how you want to die?"
Momochi Zabuza stepped forward, his tone flat and indifferent.
Even as he spoke, Zabuza's hands were already flying through a series of hand seals.
"Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
Dense fog erupted outward from Zabuza as its center, spreading rapidly in all directions at an incredible pace.
"Tch, this guy always has to make the first move."
Seeing Zabuza's actions, Ringo Ameyuri frowned slightly, her voice carrying an unmistakable note of irritation.
In mere moments, the thick fog had enveloped the entire battlefield.
At first, the combatants could still vaguely make out shapes one or two meters away. But as time passed, the fog grew denser and denser.
Soon, everything before them was a wall of white. Beyond the mist, nothing was visible.
"The head, the neck, the heart, the arms, or the legs — have you decided which part of you I'm going to attack?"
Zabuza's unhurried voice drifted through the fog, shifting from left to right, making it impossible to pinpoint his location.
The jounin commander's face was ashen. He shouted again, "Hyuga clan ninja, locate the Seven Swordsmen's positions!"
Even as he spoke, every muscle in his body was coiled tight, his ears straining.
He knew full well that speaking would give away his position. But faced with this situation, he had no choice but to make himself the bait.
And sure enough!
The moment his words faded, a whistling sound came from his left side.
The jounin commander twisted to the side, raising a kunai to intercept.
A sharp clang of metal rang out!
Wrong!
It wasn't Zabuza himself — the opponent had thrown a projectile at him!
The jounin commander's expression shifted as Chakra erupted beneath his feet, propelling him away from his original position.
But Zabuza was faster. The instant the jounin commander moved, Zabuza was right behind him, closing the distance as if teleporting, appearing directly before the jounin commander.
"The first one!"
A cold grin spread across Zabuza's face as he brought the Executioner's Blade down in a vicious slash toward the jounin commander.
Seeing this, the jounin commander felt despair rising within him. Zabuza's speed was simply too fast — there had been no time to form hand seals or dodge.
But just as the Executioner's Blade was about to cleave into his chest, Zabuza's arm halted abruptly, stopping mere centimeters away.
Then, in a fluid motion, Zabuza shifted from a one-handed grip to a two-handed grip, spinning his body and swinging the massive blade backward.
Where there had been nothing but empty air, the Executioner's Blade carved through space, and a spray of blood erupted.
A figure materialized from what had appeared to be empty air behind the jounin commander. Staring at the massive gash across his own chest, blood pouring from his mouth, the jounin commander looked at Zabuza with disbelief.
"How... how did you find me?"
His voice was faint, the words coming in broken gasps, laced with incredulity.
This jutsu was his signature technique. Using the nature transformation of Water Release, he projected an image of himself from his actual position to a spot nearby.
He had killed countless enemies with this technique in the past. And yet, he had been seen through instantly!
"A cheap trick like that might have worked on me once upon a time. But not anymore."
Zabuza curled his lip dismissively. He had no intention of explaining himself to a dead man.
The jounin commander's eyes burned with defiance, but moments later, he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Having dealt with one opponent, Zabuza paused only briefly before charging back into the fog.
And it wasn't just Zabuza — the rest of the Seven Swordsmen all moved at once.
The Hidden Mist Jutsu was extremely debilitating for most ninja.
But for the Swordsmen who had fought alongside Zabuza countless times, they had long since adapted to fighting within its shroud.
One after another, the Swordsmen plunged into the Konoha ranks like wolves among sheep. Everywhere, the screams of Konoha ninja rang out.
The Hyuga clan ninja activated their Byakugan, desperately scanning the battlefield for the precise locations of the Seven Swordsmen.
But it was completely useless!
The enemies the Byakugan detected were all decoys. Every time the Konoha forces lunged at what they saw, they found nothing — and were instead surrounded and cut down by the actual Swordsmen.
"Hehe, the Byakugan is useless against me."
Ranmaru's eyes had turned a deep crimson. Before those eyes, the Byakugan's perception was rendered entirely moot.
Spurt! Spurt!
Blood sprayed through the air as Hozuki Suigetsu's entire body dissolved into a pool of water, gliding silently past the Konoha ninja.
Many of them didn't even have time to react before their vision went dark, their lives extinguished on the spot.
Hoshigaki Kisame's approach was brutally straightforward. Encountering a lone Konoha ninja, he would simply raise Samehada and bring it crashing down.
There were few on this battlefield who could withstand even a few swings from Kisame's blade.
When faced with groups, Kisame would simply unleash his jutsu and overwhelm them with raw destructive force.
BOOM!
Massive explosions thundered across the battlefield, each one accompanied by screams of agony.
Chojuro swung the dual blades Hiramekarei, unleashing one Chakra cannon after another, each blast packing as much destructive power as an explosive tag.
Hyuga Neji, meanwhile, used the razor wire attached to Kabutowari to devastating effect. Combined with his precise Chakra control and the obscuring fog, he reaped life after life with surgical efficiency.
An entire Konoha field unit, under the combined assault of the Seven Swordsmen, collapsed rapidly. Konoha ninja fell one after another.
In less than ten minutes, the entire Konoha force had been nearly wiped out.
As time passed, the thick fog gradually began to dissipate.
Corpses littered the battlefield. The ground was soaked crimson, and a sickening stench of blood hung heavy in the air.
With the last Konoha ninja cut down by Ringo Ameyuri, the Seven Swordsmen regrouped.
"That was barely a warm-up, and it's already over. They really couldn't take a hit."
Kisame rolled his shoulders, sounding distinctly unsatisfied.
Suigetsu wore an excited grin, nodding emphatically in agreement.
"Shall we push deeper?"
Ringo Ameyuri licked her lips, lightning dancing across her fingers, her eyes bright with interest.
This was the first time all Seven Swordsmen had deployed together. Merely wiping out a single Konoha unit was not nearly enough to satisfy them.
At Ringo Ameyuri's words, everyone's eyes lit up with interest.
Just as they were about to nod in agreement—
"Wait!" Chojuro suddenly spoke up.
Human Bullet Tank!
A massive hand materialized directly above Ringo Ameyuri and the others, descending like a small mountain, slamming down toward them with devastating force.
Shoo! Shoo!
Ringo Ameyuri, Zabuza, and the others vanished as afterimages, instantly fleeing their original positions.
The enormous palm slammed into the ground where they had been standing, carving out a massive crater with a deafening roar.
The giant hand began to shrink rapidly.
A man in a red outfit with armor — Akimichi Choza — appeared at the spot where the Seven Swordsmen had just stood.
"Damn it... we were too late."
Choza gazed at the Konoha corpses scattered across the ground, his eyes reddening, and let out a low, furious roar.
Two more whistling sounds rang through the air.
The figures of Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku appeared at Choza's side simultaneously.
"Choza, don't blame yourself. We did everything we could."
Shikaku placed a hand on Choza's shoulder and sighed softly.
The main body of Konoha's forces was still en route, moving slower. The three of them had pushed ahead to arrive first.
But looking at the scene now, they had been too late.
Even Shikaku, normally so composed and level-headed, could not suppress the fury and killing intent that surfaced at the sight of so many fallen comrades.
"Oh? The old generation's Ino-Shika-Cho. Looks like things are about to get interesting."
Zabuza drove the Executioner's Blade into the ground before him, his voice dripping with provocation.
Fang Over Fang!
An enraged roar erupted from another direction.
A white, tornado-like vortex of spinning fangs, carrying terrifying tearing force, came hurtling toward Zabuza.
"Water Release — Water Wall!"
Zabuza's expression shifted as he spun around, slamming his palms against the ground.
A surge of water erupted upward, forming a liquid barrier between him and the incoming attack.
The white tornado slammed into the water wall with a thunderous crash. The barrier held for only moments before being torn apart by the spinning fangs.
But those brief moments of resistance were enough. Zabuza had already moved clear of the blast zone.
With its target gone, the white tornado spun a few more times in the air before dissipating.
A woman with an explosive hairstyle descended from above, landing beside Shikaku and the others after a few agile leaps.
"Inuzuka Tsume, jounin," Inoichi said quietly, eyeing the fierce-looking woman.
[
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