"Is this where Might Duy encounters the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
Kiyohara wondered.
Whatever the case, this was definitely one of the highest-tier battles of the Third Great Ninja War.
The final gate of the Eight Gates Formation—the Gate of Death—could multiply its user's power dozens of times over.
"What's going on over there?"
Even behind his black mask, Kakashi's face clearly looked grave.
Chakra that huge… could it be one of those monsters called "living weapons"?
He thought of the tailed beasts; Kumo's were particularly active in this war.
"Probably a major fight," Kiyohara said, shaking his head.
He glanced at Kakashi, expression oddly complicated.
If he remembered right, Might Guy considered Kakashi his lifelong rival.
There was even that ridiculous line: "That kick was for Kakashi."
"What?" Kakashi asked, touching his mask, wondering if something was stuck on it.
The way Kiyohara was looking at him felt… strange.
"It's nothing. Whatever that is, it's not a fight we can join."
Kiyohara shook his head and focused on following the main-branch escort unit.
Boom!
Just then, a violent shockwave rolled in from the distance.
Everything in its path—massive trees, hard rock, uneven ground—was pulverized, leaving a trench several meters deep gouged into the earth.
The raging air current, full of debris and splinters, slammed into them, whipping their clothes and making it hard to keep their eyes open.
Kiyohara's eyelid twitched.
Don't tell me it's spilled over here…
Sure enough, the next second, he saw a blue silhouette hurtling toward them.
"Not good! We've been caught in the spillover! Scatter! Find cover!"
The Hyūga were the first to react.
Through the Byakugan, they'd seen what was coming before Kiyohara could.
But even their warning was barely in time—
Or rather, against this kind of speed, any warning was almost meaningless.
A figure wrapped in blue vapor was flung from the center of the battlefield like a shooting star, hurtling straight toward their retreat route at insane speed.
In midair, the figure adjusted his stance; the rapid movement and friction turned the blue steam around him into a shrieking sonic boom.
Might Duy.
He was solo-chasing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—
Right into their area.
"Damn Konoha shinobi still won't give up!"
Jūzō Biwa swore.
They'd just run into three brats and were planning to interrogate them about the Hyūga's whereabouts.
But before they could get anything, a scruffy man in a green jumpsuit had appeared—
Spouting nonsense about "self-restraint" and "now is the time to burn my youth and protect what's important," before green steam started pouring off him.
The longer they fought, the more that green turned to blue—
And his speed and strength skyrocketed, like some one-time-use monster had been unleashed.
"Morning Peacock!"
Duy's punches grew so fast they ignited the air.
Fireballs burst from his fists, fanning out like the tail feathers of a peacock.
There was no sound at first.
Only when the fireballs slammed into their target did the shockwave roar outward.
Which meant the blow had exceeded the speed of sound.
"That's… Guy's father, Might Duy," Kakashi said, recognizing him.
On the ground, a man holding a needle-like weapon suddenly dropped.
His chest was blasted open into a deep crater, organs charred.
Kuriarare Kushimaru, wielder of the Needle Blade: Nuibari, died right in front of them.
"That's Kiyohara and Kakashi, isn't it?" Duy said when he noticed them, pausing his assault and not immediately finishing off the six surviving swordsmen.
He knew them both.
They were Guy's classmates, and among the few who never mocked his son.
"Guy's in your hands now. Don't come near here—fall back, quickly," Duy said, gritting his teeth through the pain of the opened Gate.
He sounded apologetic.
He'd already decided—
He wasn't dragging this out.
He was going to finish it in one go.
As long as these enemies lived, they'd be a threat to Konoha.
To shinobi like his son.
"I'll help you, Duy-senpai!" Kakashi said, starting forward.
"Don't. That's not a fight we can join," Kiyohara said, grabbing his shoulder.
What was he thinking?
Did he really think they could meddle in that?
Kiyohara could see it clearly—Duy was fighting all seven swordsmen at once and still had gas in the tank.
If they rushed in, they'd only drag him down.
He'd have to hold back to protect them.
"Duy-senpai, we'll take care of Guy," Kiyohara said with a nod.
He looked around but didn't see Guy anywhere—
He must have retreated with Ebisu's group along a different path.
Only after hearing that did Duy finally turn his back to them, entrusting it entirely to the retreating youths.
Kiyohara pulled Kakashi and Kurenai back in a swift retreat.
He saw that the escort formation had already scattered nearly a hundred meters away.
The Hyūga main-branch members were crouched behind large rocks with their guards, while a few branch youths watched the fight through their Byakugan, faces full of horror.
The "eternal genin" they'd always looked down on—how had he suddenly turned into such a beast?
Before anyone could say anything, Duy's aura flared again.
"Let Konoha's lotus bloom once more! Eighth Gate—"
Chakra erupted from his body.
The blue steam around him turned into blood-red flame, burning life itself.
"Gate of Death—open!"
Boom!
A chakra storm even more terrifying than before exploded outward.
His chakra had surpassed the limits of his meridians and flesh, carbonizing his skin so quickly that it looked like a stiff shell about to crumble into dust.
"Daytime Tiger!"
There was no hesitation.
Facing the remaining swordsmen, Duy formed a strange seal.
In an instant, the blood-red steam compressed with the air, shaping into a massive tiger's head dozens of meters across.
Then it detonated—
Devouring everything.
"What?!"
"Move!"
The six remaining swordsmen went pale, trying desperately to flee.
But "Daytime Tiger" in this state was unlike the usual Gate Seven version.
This one was several times larger—and blood-red.
Boom!
Three of them were hit head-on, as if a jet had slammed into them at full speed.
They spat blood and flew like broken kites, smashing into the distant cliffside—blood and bone everywhere.
Their weapons were embedded in the rock alongside them.
The other three had reacted faster, meeting the blow with their weapons and mitigating some of the damage.
Jūzō's executioner sword chipped along the edge, pieces of metal spraying outward; the impact nearly tore the hilt from his grip.
Coughing blood, he turned and ran without looking back, fleeing with the other two survivors.
What the hell kind of "genin" was this?
How did one punch wipe out most of the renowned Seven Ninja Swordsmen?
Something about this was seriously wrong.
~~~
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