Those seven figures radiated such a heavy stench of blood that anyone could tell at a glance they were monsters.
Their shapes and weapons were all different, but there was no mistaking them:
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
"Tsk, isn't this our village's famous prodigy, Terumi Mei? Why so miserable?"
Kurotsuchi Raiga, with the twin blades of the Thunder Swords: Kiba strapped to his back, looked at the newly arrived, exhausted Mei and sneered without restraint.
"I hear you led three squads out and still got beaten back by some no-name Konoha brat? Even that bone rack Kaguya Masaru died. Truly… you've shamed Kirigakure."
Mei was already in a foul mood. At his words, a flash of frost glinted in her green eyes.
"That Kiyohara isn't some simple Konoha ninja."
"Hmph. Excuses," Raiga snorted, turning his head away.
"Being a commoner doesn't mean being weak," another voice cut in.
Samehada-bearing Suikazan Fuguki rested the huge sword across his shoulder.
"Isn't Namikaze Minato the best example? Before he made a name for himself, who would've thought some civilian kid would become the 'Yellow Flash'?"
At the mention of Minato's name, the atmosphere among the Seven visibly dipped. Even Raiga's arrogance shrank a notch.
That man's speed was a nightmare hanging over every enemy shinobi's heart.
"Fastest in the world" wasn't an empty boast.
"Now that Terumi and her teams have been spotted, Konoha's vigilance will only increase," Fuguki said, voice low and heavy.
"But they won't expect us to go all out this soon. My suggestion is we rest for two days, and at dawn the day after tomorrow—when the sea fog is thickest—we punch straight through their weaker eastern coastal defenses and go right for Orochimaru's main camp."
"Agreed."
"Sounds good."
"Dawn it is."
Munashi Jinpachi, Kushimaru, and the others voiced their assent.
"Then it's settled," said Jūzō Biwa, closing the discussion.
...
Land of Fire coastline.
The salty tang in the air annoyed Kiyohara; it wasn't a smell he liked.
He was creeping forward slowly, cautious.
From Uzushio's ruins, the boat ride here had taken only a matter of minutes.
As soon as he landed, he started scouting.
He'd expected to spend some time searching, but before he even sent Magnet Kiyohara out to recon, he heard fighting ahead.
Soon, he reached the edge of a patch of forest near the shore.
Looking through a crack in the brush, he saw a fierce melee playing out in a clearing.
On one side were two shinobi in standard Suna Anbu gear with animal masks, backed by four regular Sand ninja.
They were clearly in trouble—one was already wounded and moving sluggishly.
Their opponents were two Konoha Anbu wearing the signature fox masks.
In both Konoha and Suna, you have to at least be chūnin to be Anbu, Kiyohara thought.
The range inside Anbu was huge—some had elite-jōnin power; others were just a bit stronger than average chūnin.
Itachi and Sai, for example, were both chūnin-ranked within Anbu.
Looks like our side's at a disadvantage, Kiyohara noted.
The Sand side had two Anbu plus four regular ninja.
Just then, the battle shifted.
One slim Konoha Anbu—Uzuki Yugao—fell behind. A Suna Anbu's kunai lunged for her exposed flank.
"Yugao!"
Nearby, Gekko Hayate coughed and cried out, eyes splitting with panic.
He tried to break away and rush to help, but the Suna Anbu and another Sand ninja locked him down, giving him no room to move.
He could only watch his teammate fall into mortal danger, helpless rage and desperation pounding in his chest.
At that exact moment, Kiyohara moved.
He vaulted from his hiding place, hand brushing his pouch—one of his Fūma shuriken spun into the air and hurled toward the Suna Anbu.
"Watch out!" the other Suna Anbu shouted.
The one about to land the killing blow reacted instantly, abandoning his attack to block.
Clang!
The short sword knocked the Fūma shuriken aside.
But Kiyohara wasn't done.
The moment it was deflected, he hooked his fingers.
The nearly invisible wire attached to the Fūma shuriken snapped tight, pulling it into a wide arc—swinging it straight toward the back of the Suna Anbu.
"What?!"
He hadn't expected that. In his haste, he barely managed a clumsy dodge.
And Kiyohara, using the opening he'd created, shot into the melee like an arrow.
His target was clear:
Score a kill and fulfill the wish.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Stream!"
He flashed through seals, lightning flaring along his blade.
A single flash of steel.
The Suna ninja hadn't even finished his hand seal. His throat went cold, his vision dark, and he hit the ground without a word.
It all happened in an instant.
From the moment Kiyohara threw the Fūma shuriken to the strike landing, only two or three seconds had passed.
Wish complete.
After the kill, Kiyohara didn't swing again.
He held his position and waited for his inheritance from Magnet Kiyohara.
Both the Suna Anbu and Konoha Anbu were stunned by the sudden change and the ruthless efficiency of the newcomer.
The clearing went quiet.
Only the wind and sea remained.
The Sand shinobi tried to figure out who Kiyohara was.
So did Yugao and Hayate.
Kiyohara didn't care what they were thinking.
He stayed wary—but inwardly readied himself to receive the legacy.
That Anbu he'd just killed had been one of the weaker ones; taking him down had been easy.
Regardless, Kiyohara now had jōnin-level strength.
With several stacked futures—even if he hadn't inherited 100%—it wasn't something others could casually "test."
Otherwise, what had all that stacking been for?
"I'd say that counts," Kiyohara said inwardly.
Magnet Kiyohara nodded. It soothed some of his bitterness toward Suna.
The next moment, a sphere of light welled up from his chest.
It flowed into Kiyohara's body, and he felt himself changing again.
His spiritual energy grew noticeably sharper and stronger.
At the same time, a deepened understanding and affinity for both Earth and Wind chakra seeped into him.
If he used Subterranean Voyage now, he was sure the clumsiness would be gone.
But that still wasn't the most important part.
He tentatively blended Earth and Wind.
This time, something gave way—like a door opening.
A new chakra nature emerged.
Magnet Release.
Magnet Release.
He'd finally inherited the bloodline.
From now on, even his descendants would have a chance of awakening it.
~~~
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