After the Mechanical Bird and Mechanical Fang, the two autonomous puppets, departed in different directions, the brilliance of Fire Release and Lightning Release techniques erupted through the haze. Within the thick fog, Kirigakure's streets and alleys were strewn with scattered limbs and blood.
Rashōmon, left behind, had its massive body burning with blue-black cursed flame rapidly shrinking. The silhouette of the nearly twenty-meter-tall giant collapsed inward within a few breaths, returning to a normal human size.
The humanoid form it took was seven or eight similar parts to Hii Kōri, except its face remained a chaotic mass, with only two patches of crimson flame where eyes should be.
Rashōmon's gaze swept over the street that had been ground into ruins by the Mechanical Bird's Scorch Release Incineration Cannon. Annihilating a large number of Kirigakure's Sealing Team elites in one blow was indeed an excellent achievement, but Kirigakure's response to such an attack wasn't slow either.
As one of the dominant powers of the ninja world, Kirigakure's status as one of the five great villages relied on more than just the geographical advantage of the Land of Water.
Arriving far faster than Kirigakure's ninjas themselves was a dense barrage of Water Release techniques.
When facing Rashōmon, which had shrunk back to human size, Kirigakure's reinforcement forces naturally returned to a rhythm they were more accustomed to.
Though somewhat abrupt, this is an appropriate moment to introduce the concept of "physical disparity."
"Physique" refers to the morphological structure of the body—an indicator encompassing height, weight, the development of various limbs, bodily tissue data, and many other elements. However, if one insists on the most intuitive indicator, there is one.
That's right: "body size."
In the field of combat sports, differences in physique have a considerable impact on the outcome of a fight, which is why weight classes and similar rules exist.
Although the destructive power of ninjutsu might seem to infinitely shrink the influence of physical disparity, generally speaking, larger size also equates to greater "defensive capability."
This is also why the Uchiha clan's Susano'o, numerous large summoning animals, and the large puppets developed by Hii Kōri became decisive factors on the battlefield.
Moreover, shrinking to human size would unconsciously create a perception among observers: that the black mud giant's previous state of ignoring ninjutsu and ninja tools, as if invincible, was probably just a special technique this guy had used.
This was likely why the Kirigakure forces, attacking again, continued to lead with Water Release.
"'Incorporating hope into tactics is a pitiful thing' so this is what that means. I see. I understand—"
Muttering thus, Rashōmon casually raised its "coat hem," transforming it into a barrier around itself to block the Water Release techniques pouring down like a torrential rain.
Seeing him defend by obscuring his own "vision" in this manner, two Kirigakure ninjas used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind him, drawing their blades to pierce through him and his defense together.
But how could Rashōmon, a being of shadow, need to rely on eyes to see? Those blood-streak-like "eyes" were merely a means for him to express emotion and, of course, to mislead others like now.
"Rashōmon: Higanbana—"
The shadow barrier suddenly collapsed at Rashōmon's cold words, transforming into two "coat hems" covered with countless spikes that swirled around the two overeager Kirigakure ninjas. With a roll of the "fabric," the two were reduced to two piles of shredded flesh.
And in the eyes of the Kirigakure ninjas who could see Rashōmon again, he now held two new items in his hands.
A shield with the maximum effect of neutralizing physical impact one of the Ten Sacred Treasures: Okitsu Kagami.
A pseudo-divine sword to which six abilities had already been granted—another of the Ten Sacred Treasures: Yatsuka no Tsurugi.
Although the shield was essentially unnecessary for Rashōmon, he never questioned Hii Kōri's habits.
As long as it didn't hinder himself, maximizing the misdirection of opponents—that, too, was one of those habits.
The pitch-black figure, holding sword and shield, instantly transformed into a fierce storm, plunging into the battlefield.
In an instant, several Kirigakure ninjas fell in spurting blood blossoms. Their legs were severed, their robust bodies then sliced into pieces, becoming meaningless chunks of meat before they even hit the ground.
Not being able to use conventional ninjutsu had no impact on Rashōmon. His body was the purest weapon. Against ninjas who did not possess abilities specifically countering his form, there was no pressure at all.
In the past, the only thing limiting his performance was the difficulty of operating far from Hii Kōri or another host.
Screams, roars, the sound of breaking weapons, the roar of ninjutsu—all manner of sounds filled the air.
The black shadow shuttle
through Kirigakure. Wherever it passed, severed limbs flew, and blood splattered across scorched earth and ruins. Those blood-streak-like eyes trailed a haunting, bloody path through the regrouping mist, like ominous incense smoke.
After decapitating the last Kirigakure ninja in his field of vision with a single sword stroke, Rashōmon paused, then turned his gaze toward one direction.
There, two rather condensed chakra signatures could be felt.
Rashōmon had initially thought they would take the opportunity to sneak attack while the other Kirigakure ninjas were tying him down, but they had only now shown signs of moving.
"Kirigakure's customs are truly strange."
Utterly bored, he complained inwardly. Rashōmon raised his hand and waved Yatsuka no Tsurugi, flicking off the blood clinging to it.
The next moment, two figures landed on the ruins not far from him.
The one on the left was not particularly tall, with bandages wrapped around his head and neck, a black eyepatch over his left eye. His exposed long black hair and beard were tied into several braids and long strands with dark beads, showing personal taste.
He had a large, extravagantly shaped broad-bladed sword slung over his shoulder. The hilt was quite long, sufficient for two-handed grip. The blade itself was also very wide and thick, with a scroll mounted on its central axis, the extended portions adhering to the blade and densely covered with explosive tags.
Just looking at it, one could feel the destructive power contained within the weapon.
That was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist: the Blast Sword: Hibashiri, wielder: Jinin Akebino.
The one on the right had a cold expression, wearing the standard Kirigakure jōnin attire—a sleeveless dark blue vest neatly buttoned, his short blue hair styled in a shape that looked very "seafood-like."
On his back was a pair of twin swords bound together with bandages, shaped somewhat like a flatfish. He appeared to be the first wielder of those twin swords—Hiramekarei, whatever they were called.
"Oh? So you're the pitch-black bastard who's been turning the village upside down?"
Jinin Akebino grinned, showing sharp teeth, and kicked aside the head of a Kirigakure ninja that had rolled to his feet, his smile growing even more ferocious. "Seeing those puppets flying around, I thought it was that famous 'Crimson of Agony'!"
Among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, this man and Kushimaru Kuriarare were collectively known as the "Heartless Duo." That said, their cooperation could hardly be called sophisticated.
They were mentioned together simply because both enjoyed executing enemies by cruel means, making them notorious even within the "Bloody Mist" Village.
But the two considered this a source of pleasure and honor.
As the ninjas in Kirigakure who most enjoyed the "Bloody Mist" policy, these two could also be counted among the Third Mizukage's most loyal supporters.
Thus, even though the wielder of Hiramekarei disapproved of Jinin Akebino's treatment of the fallen ninjas' remains, he merely silently averted his gaze without a word.
It wouldn't do any good to speak anyway. Jinin would only mock him for being hypocritical and weak, saying that since he had been hiding alongside him observing the situation, why bother ruining his own mood.
What he needed to focus on now was only this enemy of unknown depth before him.
Rashōmon likewise remained silent, his crimson eyes sizing up the newcomers.
Although the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's first appearance in the original timeline was during the Third Shinobi World War, it was obvious that This elite jōnin group, directly subordinate to the Mizukage, could not have been formed only at that time.
Blast Sword: Hibashiri capable of summoning and controlling a nearly unlimited quantity of explosive tags, highly flexible in terms of explosive applications: saturation bombing, fixed-point blasting, even using the adhesive properties of explosive tags to set up booby traps.
Twin Swords: Hiramekarei a growable weapon that could absorb and store the chakra of slain enemies, converting it into high-density chakra light spheres or blades for medium-to-long-range attacks.
"Both are unconventional attack methods, distinct from conventional ninjutsu and taijutsu... Because of my form transformation, they judged the property of ignoring ninjutsu and projectile weapons as a special technique's effect, so they chose to test me with other means..."
"Ha! Is he mute? Or scared stupid by me?" Seeing Rashōmon completely unresponsive, Jinin scoffed but did not truly relax.
He was a pervert who enjoyed blowing enemies to pieces and savoring their grand lamentations, not an idiot. Having observed from the sidelines earlier was simply using those "cannon fodder" to probe the enemy's methods.
An enemy capable of performing such ninjutsu and causing such destruction could not possibly be simple.
"Be careful, Jinin." The Hiramekarei wielder warned in a low voice. "His weapons and body are both strange."
"Shut up! Watch me blow him to pieces!" Jinin thought to himself, "You think I need you to state the obvious?" But now that it had come to this, if he didn't go test the waters, could he just turn and run?
Moreover, he wanted to see the ridiculous sight of this pretentious black bastard shattering in flames.
The Blast Sword wielder let out a wild roar, swung the Hibashiri on his shoulder backward, detonated the explosive tags on the blade, and used the explosion's recoil to accelerate toward Rashōmon.
As he charged with a roar, Jinin used multi-stage explosions to adjust his sword's trajectory and conceal his tracks, appearing at Rashōmon's side.
"Blast Sword Technique: Shikihiki!"
Then, Jinin gripped the massive hilt of the Blast Sword with both hands, furiously pouring chakra into it. In an instant, even more dense explosive tags appeared on the blade.
"EXPLODE FOR ME!!!"
The Blast Sword: Hibashiri, wrapped in countless explosive tags, swung down toward Rashōmon's waist with the force to split mountains and crack stones. Jinin could already see in his mind's eye the pitch-black figure, disfigured in the violent explosion, flying through the air and blossoming into beautiful crimson—the scent of blood?
In a daze, Jinin suddenly realized something.
His field of vision gradually stretched, growing slower and slower, as if in time-lapse photography.
He could see his beloved Blast Sword slowly sinking into Rashōmon's body, yet without delivering the familiar sensation.
The hands gripping the sword hilt gradually lost strength, as if something had drained all the power from his body.
Then, he saw the bandages wrapped around his neck stained red, breaking inch by inch. He saw a shadow-blade dripping with blood emerge from his neck, rising before his eyes.
"Hrrk—hrrk—"
Jinin Akebino, his throat torn open from the inside with a huge gaping wound, let out a faint, blood-bubbling wheeze, finally unable to maintain his grip on the Blast Sword's hilt. The now-unrestrained explosive blade passed unimpeded through Rashōmon's right arm and waist, finally sliding out from the base of his left leg and crashing heavily onto the ground beneath his feet.
BOOM!!!!!!
An ear-splitting explosion burst, and along with the flames from the explosive tags, Jinin Akebino—his chest pierced by the shadow-blade, then torn into a sky-filling blood mist by the vortex of blades rising from within his body—also burst apart.
"Hiramekarei Release—?"
The Kirigakure jōnin, who had already unsheathed the twin swords Hiramekarei and was just releasing the chakra stored in the swords to follow Jinin in a coordinated attack, had his calling voice become utterly comical in pitch at the sight before him.
The chakra aggregate wrapped around the twin swords was instantly reshaped by him into a shield in front of his body.
The next moment, gravel, dirt, hot flames, and shockwaves sputtered wildly outward. The surrounding building debris was sent flying again, the ground violently trembling.
But in the next instant, Rashōmon—at the very center of the explosion—emerged unharmed from the flames, charging straight ahead.
"So this is how it's used."
Having reabsorbed Yatsuka no Tsurugi and Okitsu Kagami into his body, Rashōmon now wielded the Blast Sword: Hibashiri, which he had picked up Shun Hand. He leaped above the Hiramekarei wielder, unfurled several meters of explosive tags in the other's horrified gaze, and detonated them all.
Then he swung down with force!
An impact even greater than the previous explosion completely leveled this area of ruins. The Hiramekarei wielder also vanished in that single blow.
"Kōri doesn't like the name 'Crimson of Agony.' If there's a next life, remember not to run your mouth."
Having thus cold admonished the two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, who had already been ground to dust and scattered to the winds, Rashōmon stuffed both the Blast Sword: Hibashiri and the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei into his body.
Hii Kōri was a master craftsman of cursed tools; he would definitely like these strangely shaped weapons. As for the two wielders... with that level of ability, their flesh and blood weren't worth preserving for Impure World Reincarnation.
Having made that judgment based on his own strength, Rashōmon walked deeper into Kirigakure without looking back.
Next, he still needed to find those special blood ninjas for his master, who had other things to attend to.
***
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