Hearing Hokuto's coded warning, the thickheaded Might Guy still hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation, but nearby, Ebisu and Shiranui Genma's faces had already turned grim.
Ebisu was already readying his hand on his ninja tool pouch. If the enemy turned out to be so powerful that even Uncle Hokushin couldn't handle them, he wouldn't hesitate to pull a flare and call for help.
Hokushin's Sharingan quietly scanned the surroundings; the more he looked, the more alarmed he became.
There were at least five people lurking around them, hidden within his observation and sensory range. He dared not be complacent. He gave Ebisu a sharp look and tightened every muscle in his body, bracing for a brutal fight.
Ebisu went pale at Hokushin's glance, but he still had the basic professionalism of a shinobi and fumbled for his ninja tool pouch as fast as he could.
Just as the flare was nearly in his hand, a thin, needle-like weapon appeared out of nowhere — with no sound — and pierced straight through Ebisu's palm.
Ebisu screamed from the sudden pain as the flare fell from his numb fingers and tumbled to the ground.
Hokushin was startled: there was another attacker just outside his sensing range.
There was no time to waste. He had to get a distress signal out.
Without checking on Ebisu's wound, Hokushin drew his ninja blade from his back, deflecting the silent, needle-weapon out of the air, while simultaneously doing a forward roll to snatch up the signal flare and give it a firm, hard pull.
The flare shot skyward with a piercing shriek. Watching the fiery contrail ascend, Hokushin finally let out a breath of relief. All he had to do now was buy time.
He stopped pretending to be calm and barked toward where the strange weapon had come from:
"Stop hiding! Come out now!"
Then he turned to the stunned Guy and the others and shouted:
"Run — head for the village! Reinforcements should be on the way!"
Guy, still a beat slow to comprehend, blurted out, "Uncle Hokushin! You're not running with us?"
Hokushin looked at the seven figures who had now revealed themselves and didn't answer Guy's question. He had already recognized their identities. Today, he feared, he might follow in his big brother's footsteps.
———
On the other side, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen watched the signal flare shoot into the sky and scowled. Hearing Hokuto's shout, they stopped hiding and stepped out from behind the trees.
Despite his outwardly bold demeanor, Fuguki Suikazan was the most self-preserving among them. Seeing the flare rise, he immediately barked, "Don't waste time. Kill them quick and then relocate!"
Jinpachi Munashi spat onto the ground, looking at Hokushin's Sharingan. "Damn it, Jūzō and Kushimaru, what the hell did you scout? You didn't even figure out the enemy had a Sharingan!"
Jūzō Biwa, equally frustrated and enraged, charged forward to engage Hokushin. "It's already happened! What good is talking about it now? Just deal with him first!"
Chijin Hōzuki added: "Don't let those three brats escape, either."
But before Chijin could act, Hokushin slammed a Great Fireball Technique toward him, forcing him to scramble away. Hokushin used his ninja blade to block Jūzō's Kubikiribōchō and declared:
"As long as I'm alive, don't even think about laying a finger on them."
The words had barely left Hokushin's mouth when Jinin Akebino pressed forward. Seizing the moment as Hokushin parried Jūzō Biwa's attack, Jinin brought his massive Kabutowari crashing down with brutal force.
Jini 's plan was simple: wait for Hokushin to block the axe with his ninja blade, then use the hammer on the other end to smash Hokushin—sword and all—into pieces.
But Hokushin wasn't about to fall for such a trick. He was no reckless fool; he was a veteran jōnin, and he knew full well the fearsome reputation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Guided by the insight of his Sharingan, Hokushin read the trajectory of the swing long before it landed. His body flickered aside, evading the crushing blow.
Jinin hadn't expected such speed. His massive hammer still carried him down with its own momentum. Hokushin wasn't about to waste the opportunity—his blade shot forward, aiming straight for Jinin's head.
But at the last instant, a nearly invisible wire looped around Jinin's waist, yanking him just far enough aside. The thrust that should have pierced his eye instead only grazed his ear.
Hokushin cursed inwardly at the near miss, but his hands showed no hesitation. His blade slashed sideways, severing Jinin's ear in one stroke.
Roaring in pain, Jinin swung Kabutowari wildly, his face twisted in rage:
"Bastard! I'll smash you into paste!"
Seeing that Jinin , had lost his composure,, Hokushin considered finishing him off quickly, but at that moment, Raiga Kurosuki rushed forward. With a sweep of his Kiba blades, he unleashed a crackling ball of lightning.
Hokushin dodged desperately, but the lightning still grazed him. Even that brief contact left his shoulder blackened and charred — proof of Kiba's terrifying power.
After creating distance, Hokushin glanced at his burned shoulder and couldn't help but grit his teeth. Damn it, I still got hit.
A small movement sent a jolt of stabbing pain through him, but he endured it, forcing his hands into seals:
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
He inhaled deeply and exhaled hard—dozens of small fireballs erupted from his mouth, whistling through the air and filling the battlefield with blazing light, obscuring the enemies' vision.
At the same time, Hokushin's figure blurred backward, retreating quickly to break their line of sight and plan his counterattack.
But suddenly, a noise came from behind. His heart clenched—he spun around just in time to see Samehada's blade slicing toward him like a shark fin cutting through the sea.
He tried to use the Body Flicker to escape, but Samehada erupted from the ground itself. Its hilt had elongated over ten meters, and as its bandages shredded away, the sword's grotesque mouth snapped open.
The gaping maw just barely missed Hokushin's vital point, but its fangs shredded his shoulder into a bloody mess.
Landing awkwardly, Hokushin felt a flash of relief that the wound wasn't fatal—but then, darkness swam before his eyes. A sudden wave of dizziness nearly toppled him.
At that moment, Kushimaru Kuriarare appeared with his bizarre Nuibari (Needle Sword). The needle-like tip of the sword ruthlessly plunged into Hokushin's thigh, nailing him alive to the spot.