"Heh, I really got underestimated!" Seiki thought with amusement. If his opponents were the Sannin of Konoha, he would have turned and fled immediately. But against the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist? This wasn't a completely hopeless situation.
Especially... under the watchful eyes of a certain doting father!
"Tch! Glad I made it in time!"
A low shout rang out as a green lightning bolt came sprinting from the distance. With one powerful leap, the figure landed right in front of Seiki and the others.
"Master Might Duy!"
"Dad!"
"Seiki, Guy, you two quickly escape! I'll buy you some time!" Might Duy stepped forward, placing himself protectively between them and the Seven Swords, his gaze unwavering.
When Seiki addressed the man as "master," and saw him standing firm without showing the slightest fear, the previously lazy and indifferent seven finally took this seriously.
Could it be that this guy was actually one of Konoha's hidden powerhouses?
Guy hesitated for a moment before shouting, "Dad, what are you talking about? You're just a Genin!"
Although Seiki had mentioned that his father possessed strength rivaling the Sannin, even the Sannin would struggle in a situation like this, right?
The big problem was — despite his supposed power, his father hadn't fought seriously in years, stuck at the Genin level.
Even if he possessed great power, he wouldn't know how to use it properly — being able to unleash just ten percent of his true potential would already be impressive!
Hearing Guy's shout, the Seven Swords members laughed so hard tears streamed from their eyes.
"Hahaha, a Genin? Are you guys here for comedy?"
"A Konoha Genin? Oh wow, I'm so scared!"
If it had been some fresh-faced Genin, they might've worried about facing someone like the monster Seiki. But this guy looked thirty or forty — still a Genin at that age meant he was clearly a total failure!
Might Duy didn't get angry. He had experienced far too much mockery and humiliation in his life. If he got angry every time, he would've died from rage long ago.
"Don't worry," he said firmly, "I can open the Death Gate of the Eight Gates Formation. Now, it's time for me to fulfill my Ninja Way..."
Guy fought hard to hold back his tears. Having also trained in the Eight Gates Technique himself, he naturally understood his father's intentions, and knew exactly what consequences followed when surpassing one's limits.
At this moment, Seiki suddenly interrupted, "Master Duy, please wait. The current situation hasn't deteriorated to the point where we must fully open all Eight Gates!"
Might Duy paused, then honestly replied, "If I only open seven gates, I won't be their match."
Shaking his head gently, Seiki urged, "Please, just hold on a moment longer."
[Genjutsu Bringer-of-Darkness Technique]!
Seiki's hand seals were too fast. Even if they had seen him beginning the technique in advance, the seven couldn't stop it in time.
Their reflexes were just as sharp — the instant darkness clouded their vision, they synchronized their chakra disruptions and shattered the illusion in unison.
"This guy is definitely a monster! He managed to hit us all with a group genjutsu!"
"If it were one-on-one, none of us might stand a chance against him!"
As their fear receded, they suddenly noticed the Konoha ninja had disappeared.
"Curses! Did they already escape using the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
"
"Based on the information we obtained from Cloud Village, the more people the Flying Thunder God Technique transfers, the more chakra it consumes. Seiki Shimaseki used that chakra-storing ninja technique only yesterday—he shouldn't be able to move all of them away."
"He probably set up a nearby barrier and went into hiding."
"It seems he's trying to buy time for Minato Namikaze to come help us. We must hurry too!"
At this moment, inside a cave hastily dug out by Seiki using Earth Release: Earth Dome.
A sensor-blocking barrier was deployed.
"In the canon story, Guy managed to defeat Kisame Hoshigaki after opening the seven gates. Although Might Duy isn't as strong as Guy, these Seven Ninja aren't anywhere near Kisame's level either."
"Might Duy should handle one of The Seven Ninja, and Asuma's group is fairly strong. Working together, they might be able to take down another. So that leaves me with five to handle on my own?"
Seiki couldn't help feeling helpless. These seven were indeed powerful—using their unique ninja blades made them even stronger than they actually were. Even he would struggle to defeat them without revealing too many of his own secrets.
As Seiki pondered how to find a way out of this predicament, the atmosphere inside the cave gradually grew strange.
No one would object if Seiki pulled away—they all understood his importance.
But knowing Seiki could also take a few others along, no one wanted to stay behind.
In this silent tension, Asuma suddenly recalled a story his old man had once told him.
It happened in a similar situation—The Second Hokage and his students were surrounded by Cloud shinobi, and someone had to act as bait. At that time, it was none other than his father, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who immediately volunteered.
"Sacrificing yourself is just part of being a ninja, huh?" Thinking this, Asuma chuckled nervously. "Let me stay behind. As the Hokage's son, maybe they'll see me as valuable and spare my life!"
Everyone looked at him in disbelief. As both the Hokage's son and Seiki's best friend, Asuma was clearly the one with the strongest reason to survive.
Only by turning retreat into glory could Seiki's reputation remain intact... Mizuki glanced at Asuma, then coldly said, "I'll stay behind."
As if inspired, the others began voicing themselves.
"I'll stay too—my clan's Ninja Hounds can track the enemy's scent!"
"No, I'll stay. I'm the weakest among us—there's no need to waste my chance."
"Me too..."
One after another, they insisted on staying until an argument broke out.
"Enough! It's still not time to give up yet!"
Everyone fell quiet at Seiki's words, turning their attention toward him.
Seiki scanned the faces around him. "First off, let me make this clear—I won't abandon you and run..."
Before he finished, everyone became anxious.
"What? Absolutely not!"
"You're the village's future hope—you're destined to become the Hokage!"
"
Seiki shook his head slightly. "If I could rationalize escaping my duties just to become Hokage, then under that excuse, I could betray my own beliefs even further and eventually become someone I don't even recognize anymore! Some things, once you give up on them, you can never turn back!"
"But... are you really sure about this?"
"Don't waste your energy; you know once I've made a decision, it's final. Instead of trying to persuade me, why don't you help me rewrite this ending together?"
Asuma drew a deep breath. "Seiki, tell me what we need to do!"
Seiki snapped back into focus. "To put it simply, you use the Four-Corner Sealing Barrier to create a one-on-one battlefield for me and Master Duy."
"So this time, it's not only me saving you, but also you saving me!"
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