Chapter 134: Glory and Backbone
Masahiko flew rapidly all the way back to the Uzumaki clan.
In his perception, the chakra of his three disciples was still strong, and it didn't feel like they were injured, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
"That's right. The current Uzumaki clan, even without me, shouldn't suffer too much against the Hidden Mist..." Masahiko muttered.
However, upon arrival, reality slapped him hard in the face.
Under the attack of the Hidden Mist ninjas, the Uzumaki clan was retreating steadily. If not for some special weapons, casualties would have been heavy long ago.
Masahiko looked up, his face darkening.
"That idiot!"
In the distance, several Yuki clan ninjas who had awakened their Kekkei Genkai had joined forces to create a massive Ice Crystal Labyrinth. Inside, Kento-kun was punching left and right but simply couldn't get out.
"No wonder we're at a disadvantage..." With Kento-kun missing, Izuko-kun was besieged by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, while Nanako-kun could barely hold off the Third Mizukage.
Masahiko descended rapidly. Several Hidden Mist ninjas who were sneaking up to destroy the Uzumaki clan's Chakra Diffusion Cannons were instantly blown away by repulsive force.
"Great Elder!"
"Thank goodness, the Great Elder is back!"
Amidst the cheers, Masahiko sighed slightly.
"The Uzumaki really do need tempering..."
Masahiko nodded slightly to his clansmen, saved a few who were in danger, and then flickered to Izuko-kun's side.
Scanning the area, these first-generation Seven Ninja Swordsmen looked familiar. Although Masahiko could only recall that the fat one was named Fuguki and was killed by Kisame, the other faces, though very young, were all familiar and should have appeared in the original series.
Izuko-kun breathed a sigh of relief. "Sensei, is it resolved?"
Masahiko nodded. "The Hidden Cloud is completely wiped out."
Without saying more, he looked at the seven people in front of him.
"Another one coming to die." The speaker wore a black eyepatch over his right eye; he was the wielder of the Blastsword: Shibuki.
Masahiko shook his head. "Izuko-kun, go help Nanako-kun! I'll handle this."
Izuko-kun left as instructed. Black Eyepatch spoke arrogantly again, "Did you hear that? He wants to deal with us alone, and you guys have no reaction?"
"Be cautious, Jinpachi. This old guy should be the Great Elder of the Uzumaki clan, an old relic who has lived from the Warring States Period until now."
Before Masahiko could speak, a shout resonated across the battlefield.
"Seventh Gate: Gate of Wonder — Open!"
"Daytime Tiger!"
A tiger-shaped air pressure bullet formed by the Taijutsu impact instantly shattered the massive Ice Crystal Labyrinth, killing several Yuki clansmen. Kento-kun, draped in blue steam, leaped out and arrived at Masahiko's side.
Masahiko's face went completely black. "What took you so long? You could have clearly broken out with strength, but you insisted on using your IQ. Don't you know you don't have that kind of thing?"
Kento-kun smiled sheepishly, revealing snow-white front teeth. "Sensei, I didn't expect it to be so complicated inside."
"Complicated my ass! The ice crystals shift positions; even I wouldn't be able to walk out! Hurry up and help the clansmen... Er, no. Since you've opened the Seventh Gate, you deal with these seven." Masahiko felt he was more suited to saving people, and Kento-kun's Seventh Gate state wouldn't last long anyway.
"Yes, Sensei!" Kento-kun responded.
"Old thing, we are the Seven Ninja Swordsmen..." Before Jinpachi could finish his sentence, Kento-kun flashed forward and punched him squarely in the chest. He spat blood and flew backward.
Masahiko nodded and flickered back. At this time, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were merely seven Elite Jonin. They had been in a stalemate with Izuko-kun earlier, so Kento-kun with the Seventh Gate open should be able to resolve it quickly.
"Sage Art: Storm Release — Laser Circus!" Returning to the main battlefield, Storm Release lasers shot from Masahiko's hands, weaving through the chaotic crowd and instantly killing dozens of Hidden Mist ninjas.
"Great Elder!" Several elite members of the Uzumaki Patrol arrived at his side, and Masahiko nodded.
"Go protect the clansmen. Follow Clan Leader Izuko's arrangements."
"Yes!"
Masahiko had less than forty percent of his chakra remaining, but with Izuko-kun and the others stalling most of the Hidden Mist's strong fighters, playing babysitter was more than manageable.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Although Masahiko didn't have much chakra, his forty percent was still three or four times more than an average S-rank powerhouse. So, simultaneously creating twenty-odd Shadow Clones and sending them to various corners of the battlefield was no problem.
The subsequent war became an overwhelming victory for the Uzumaki clan. Whenever a clansman was in danger, Masahiko's Shadow Clone would appear in time to rescue them.
It wasn't until casualties exceeded half that the various ninjas of the Hidden Mist realized what was happening. Since Masahiko arrived, the Uzumaki clan had suffered no further casualties, essentially treating them as practice targets for their ninjutsu.
Several Hidden Mist ninjas secretly groped their way toward Masahiko.
"That's the old guy. Kill him, wipe out the Uzumaki clan, and avenge our ancestors!"
Masahiko was startled upon hearing this, and his attack slowed by half a beat.
Looking at the familiar attire opposite him, Masahiko sensed slightly and sighed.
"Kaguya clan? Not a single clansman with awakened Shikotsumyaku. You've truly lost the glory of your ancestors."
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!" Masahiko formed seals with both hands and casually used a B-rank Wind Release, dispatching the few people opposite him.
The splendor of the great Kaguya clan from the Warring States Period was still vivid in Masahiko's memory. The Great Elder who sacrificed himself for the clan, and the invincible stance of Kaguya Masarai, one of the Four Great Powerhouses of the Warring States. Only forty-odd years had passed, yet they had completely degenerated into an ordinary clan.
While he was deep in thought, Kento-kun limped over, carrying three oddly shaped long swords on his back.
Masahiko frowned and looked at Kento-kun. "The other four ran away?"
Kento-kun nodded. "That spiky sword was a bit weird. It absorbed a lot of my chakra, and I'm a bit out of strength, Sensei."
"Samehada, is it? I understand..."
Masahiko had forgotten to tell Kento-kun about the abilities of the seven swords earlier. In fact, aside from Samehada, he couldn't recall much else.
"Kento, keep the three swords safe and go rest. The war should be ending soon."
"It's already over, Sensei." Izuko-kun and Nanako-kun walked over.
"The Third Mizukage..."
"He ran away, Sensei," Izuko-kun replied.
Masahiko nodded. "I see. Then, let's end this war."
On the battlefield, the ordinary ninjas of the Hidden Mist were still fighting, evidently unaware that the Mizukage had abandoned them and fled.
Izuko-kun and Nanako-kun joined the fray. The tempering of the clansmen ended here; showing no more mercy, they quickly brought the fighting to a halt.
Unexpectedly, the remaining hundred or so ninjas of the Hidden Mist actually surrendered. Perhaps the Mizukage's abandonment had disheartened them.
Among those who surrendered, Masahiko didn't find any members of the Kaguya clan, which made him breathe a slight sigh of relief.
"Good. Although you have lost the glory of your ancestors, at least you haven't forgotten their backbone..."
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