Having gained a preliminary grasp of the Ryūchi Cave Sage Technique, Kaede felt reasonably satisfied.
The only downside was his appearance, it had become a bit strange, no longer fitting his usual bright and sunny image. After all, he was far from Orochimaru's dark and sinister look.
But the enhanced sensory perception mattered more. Once he mastered the Sage Arts of Mount Myoboku and the Sekkotsu Forest, and tried to balance them out, those odd physical changes would likely disappear.
It was about time to leave.
Kaede murmured to himself. Having reached the basic stage of the Ryūchi Cave Sage Technique, he saw no need to linger. He only needed a foundational command of it.
Just as he was about to dispel the natural energy from his body and exit Sage Mode, a figure suddenly drifted in from outside the cave.
"It's you," Kaede said, looking up and giving a faint smile. "What's the matter? Or are you here for my chakra? I'm in a good mood, I can spare some."
As he spoke, he opened his palm, gathering a ball of chakra.
The gesture startled Ichikishimahime, making her tremble slightly.
"Stop!" she snapped, stepping back two paces. "I came to tell you something, White Snake Sage sensed your companion is in trouble outside the Ryūchi Cave, to the true north."
With those words, she vanished in an instant.
The chakra in Kaede's palm quietly dissipated. He rubbed his chin and muttered, "Do I look that scary?"
Shaking his head, Kaede's figure flickered, and he headed out of the Ryūchi Cave.
Inside the cave, the food mostly consisted of various fish and shrimp from the water, but both Rin and Kaede couldn't stomach it. So Rin frequently went outside the cave to hunt.
With Rin's current strength, ordinary Jōnin or even elite Jōnin couldn't touch her; only an Anbu or higher-ranked ninja could pose any real threat.
"Could it be Mist ninjas?" Kaede already guessed the trouble Rin had run into.
Konoha wouldn't dare attack Rin. As the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, Rin was invaluable. Kirigakure wouldn't want to lose control over the Three-Tails, since it was a tailed beast under their sway. They must have a way to track the Three-Tails, which led them here.
….
Outside, by a stream, Rin bathed in the Three-Tails' chakra, standing tensely in a defensive stance, not daring to move a muscle.
She was under attack.
If not for the Three-Tails instantly shielding her with chakra, she'd have been struck down on the spot.
Even so, despite relying on the Three-Tails' protection, she was in serious trouble, she couldn't pinpoint where the attackers were.
"This kind of assassination… it has to be Mist ninjas…"
"At least Jōnin level, probably more than one," Rin thought, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
A group flashed through her mind,
The feared Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, infamous for slaughtering countless Konoha shinobi on the Kirigakure Battlefield!
Though two of the Seven were slain by Namikaze Minato, their damage to Konoha was immense, innumerable shinobi had died by their hands!
She dared not move recklessly.
Any careless action might reveal a weakness for the enemy to exploit.
Even as the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, facing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was extremely dangerous, she could be controlled at any moment.
So, she remained on high alert, ready to unleash her chakra; the Ryūchi Cave should be able to sense it.
Suddenly, the stream's water splashed violently.
A massive figure dropped toward her.
Rin let out a low shout and dodged swiftly, thrusting her right hand upward.
The Three-Tails' chakra surged, forming a giant claw.
Buzz!
Fuguki Suikazanswung his greatsword, Samehada, striking the chakra claw.
The sword bit deep, swallowing the chakra in one gulp.
"Fuguki Suikazan!" Rin's heart sank at the sight.
He was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!
Having fought on the Mist Battlefield, she knew their appearance well, Suikazan was among the easiest to recognize.
"Impressive how you've mastered the Three-Tails' chakra so well. Looks like you've become a near-perfect Jinchuriki. But all the chakra you wield will only become food for my Samehada," Suikazan said with a twisted smile.
He swung Samehada fiercely toward Rin again.
"Samehada…"
Cold sweat dripped from Rin's brow as she leapt back to dodge.
Konoha had suffered heavy losses to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and their abilities were well documented, Samehada could consume chakra.
Rin was still mostly training to control her tailed beast chakra mode; she hadn't practiced other techniques, leaving her vulnerable to Samehada's counter.
Under Suikazan's relentless attacks, Rin retreated step by step.
Just as she neared collapse and was about to unleash her final trump card, complete tailed beast transformation, a figure appeared in the distance, moving at a blur.
Kaede had arrived!
Whoosh!
Kaede's form shot forward in an instant, swinging his Kusanagi sword.
The blade clashed with Suikazan's Samehada, sending silver light flickering like an afterimage.
Within moments, Kaede's sword strikes landed repeatedly on Suikazan's body, each producing a puchi puchi sound, though no blood flowed.
"He's here," Suikazan said with a twisted grin, then suddenly dissolved into flowing water.
Rin saw this and immediately shouted a warning, "Watch out! There's more than one!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
Almost as Rin's words left her mouth, two figures appeared suddenly on Kaede's left and right, launching a deadly ambush.
One wielded a massive decapitation blade, Jūzō Biwa; the other held dual chakra-wrapped knives, Hiramekarei, radiating waves of chakra.
"Decapitation Technique!"
"Hiramekarei Release!"
Cold killing intent surged toward Kaede.
This was a carefully laid deadly trap!
Kaede's expression remained calm as his body twisted with unnatural speed.
He swung the Kusanagi sword forward; a silver ribbon of light shot out, blocking the incoming blades from both sides.
His reaction speed far surpassed that of a normal human.
"So quick to respond, no wonder they call him the Silver Flash…" Jūzō Biwa gritted his teeth, suddenly stepping back.
Then his figure vanished without a trace.
The other attacker disappeared as well.
Looking closely, the entire area was suddenly shrouded in thick white mist, making it impossible to see a thing.
==========
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