Mifune marched forward alone, determined to die and prove his conviction.
Before the Konoha Ninja Clan Coalition Force—numbering in the thousands, including many elite Jonin—individual combat ability had practically no chance at all.
Mifune understood this very well.
Though he had clearly instructed his trusted aides Rikaku and Okisuke to preserve the samurai bloodline and delegate battlefield command authority, as supreme leader of the Land of Iron's samurai lineage, he could not survive through cowardice—it was a basic dignity and honor every great general must uphold.
Amidst the rising clamor from the samurai ranks, some warriors charged recklessly, eager to follow their commander's footsteps.
Glancing sideways briefly, Mifune saw that Rikaku and Okisuke had not acted impulsively, easing his worries slightly.
Both were entrusted guardians of the future, carrying the destiny of the samurai legacy—they were far too important to act rashly. Moreover, Mifune himself felt somewhat guilty about handing over command at such a critical moment; if they ultimately chose surrender at the last second, they would forever bear the shame of the entire samurai community.
Therefore, all Mifune could do was use his lone bravery to show the lofty ninja clans that the samurai still possessed pride and dignity. As for how much he could truly accomplish—only the Sage of Six Paths would know.
Yet facing the towering presence of the ninja coalition forces, Mifune still felt immense pressure.
At the front line of the coalition, Hyuga Soushu continued discussing with various Jonin, struggling to finalize who would take on the one-on-one challenge.
After all, Mifune had once fought against Sanshouo Hanzo, the so-called semi-god, and though he lost, he survived—a testament to his formidable strength, not to be underestimated.
In the end, who won or lost mattered less than preserving the coalition's reputation.
So even though several Jonin eagerly volunteered, it was finally Fugaku Uchiha whom Soushu selected.
The Jonin raised no objections.
Because in truth, their enthusiasm was nothing more than an act to display courage; deep down, they all knew that while the Land of Iron was weak in numbers, its military leader Mifune was no easy opponent.
Chosen to break the spirit of the samurai once and for all, Fugaku Uchiha slowly stepped out from the ranks, holding a dramatically oversized field sword—its visual intimidation alone already surpassing Mifune's presence.
Arriving mid-field, Mifune halted his steps.
The warriors around him scattered swiftly to either side, making room for the duel.
Fugaku Uchiha calmly approached until he stood roughly five meters away from Mifune, fixing his merciless gaze upon him. His [Sharingan] eyes scrutinized every inch of Mifune without restraint—a master of [Iai Beheading], whose swordsmanship ranked only below Sanshouo Hanzo.
"It's indeed rare courage from the young leader of the Uchiha Clan!"
Mifune slightly bowed his head, deliberately avoiding the piercing stare of Fugaku Uchiha's blood-red [Sharingan].
Even strong individuals at the level of a Kage could easily become disoriented or even secretly controlled when directly staring into the Tomoe Sharingan of the Uchiha. Mifune wasn't willing to take such a big risk just to show off his defiance.
After all, when it came to breaking free from genjutsu, even compared with ordinary Jonin, Mifune's abilities weren't significantly better.
"The Land of Iron was once part of the operational territory of the Uchiha Clan."
Fugaku Uchiha slung his massive katana over one shoulder, then took a stance with his left leg forward and right leg back, crouching slightly to lower his center of gravity until his eyes met Mifune's lowered gaze, as he slowly spoke: "Now, I'd like to see just how much ability remains among these so-called samurai who have usurped our ancestors' land—whether they still retain even a fraction of their power from the Warring States Period!"
"The neutrality of the Land of Iron has been jointly recognized by Lord Hashirama and Lord Madara!"
Mifune casually responded while sheathing his sword, which had previously dragged on the ground, positioning it on his left side. His left hand hovered over the hilt, thumb resting lightly on the tsuba, body slightly leaning forward—poised to strike at a moment's notice.
As the general of the samurai, Mifune's specialty lay in [Iai Beheading]—a lightning-fast draw-and-slash technique revered by samurai.
He'd earned recognition from the Half-God during the war against the Rain ninjas, especially in his duel with Sanshouo Hanzo. Despite his loss, it was considered an honorable one.
Though the Uchiha Clan's Uchiha Style swordsmanship was also renowned within the Ninja World as one of the distinguished schools of swordplay, those ninja skilled in countless jutsu often did not overly focus on refining their swordsmanship, pursuing instead sufficient yet efficient application in actual combat. Considering this, based on intelligence analysis combined with a deep understanding of ninja combat habits, Mifune wisely chose the fastest-attacking Iai Beheading as his opening move against Fugaku Uchiha.
Yet despite full confidence in his martial prowess, Mifune unfortunately had to lower his gaze at the outset to avoid meeting Fugaku Uchiha's crimson Sharingan head-on. This subtle evasion caused just a slight hesitation in his initiation of the attack.
[Uchiha Style: Gale Slash!]
Fugaku Uchiha struck first.
The oversized blade swung around as he twisted his waist, sweeping out a human-height arc blazing with flames—a veritable flaming wheel—slashing horizontally toward Mifune's waist!
To a true sword master, this so-called Gale Slash might look full of openings—but Mifune dared not let his guard down for even a second!
Because the sword techniques of ninja were nearly entirely different from those of samurai. In the hands of ninja, what appeared to be vulnerabilities might very well be deliberate traps, especially for members of the Uchiha Clan, whose mastery of genjutsu was legendary!
Therefore, Mifune stepped back, his body shifting sideways in an instant, dodging the lethal slash completely.
To Mifune, a ninja's swordplay resembled weaponized Taijutsu more than true swordsmanship. He needed not only to guard against the no-dachi's dangerously long cutting edge but also against the Fire Release chakra accompanying each slash.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
As expected, as Mifune kept stepping backward, the Fire Release chakra unleashed by the massive blade scattered outward with splashing sparks and successive explosions.
At this moment, Mifune's battle sense became fully evident.
The spot where he stopped retreating was exactly one meter outside the maximum range of [Gale Slash].
This distance was neither excessive nor insufficient—it was precisely within the optimal killing range for an Iai Beheading strike.
If Fugaku Uchiha planned to launch a surprise thrust under the cover of the explosion and smoke, he would directly expose himself beneath Mifune's waiting blade.
"Coming!"
Suddenly, Mifune's left ear twitched slightly as he detected movement inside the smoke.
A figure darted out like an arrow from his left flank. The massive sword aimed straight at Danzo's heart!
"Playing sword tricks in front of me—how foolish."
Mifune let out a cold scoff, utterly contemptuous of such pitiful swordplay.
But just as Mifune prepared to counter by drawing his short blade in reverse grip to block, his right ear suddenly twitched too!
"Danger!"
Sure enough, two more figures emerged simultaneously from his right, launching downward and horizontal slashes respectively!
Though their steps weren't perfectly synchronized, three shadow clones attacking simultaneously would definitely throw most opponents into chaos and panic.
Mifune clenched his teeth, using his left hand to draw his short blade and parry the left attack, while abandoning the Iai Beheading altogether—his right hand drew the sword and slashed outward, releasing two Blade Energies that intercepted the upper and lower attacks from the right!
However, this also left Mifune's central gate wide open!
"Shadow Clones..."
Though successfully blocking the first wave of attacks, the sensation and force behind the strikes allowed Mifune to instantly identify their true nature.
Immediately, he swung his blades repeatedly toward the three shadow clones on both sides, sending multiple sword beams to slow their assault, while stomping down with his right foot and retreating again like a drifting dead leaf.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Dance Jutsu!"
From within the lingering smoke, Fugaku Uchiha's voice rang out, followed by four giant fire dragons swaying their crimson bodies toward Mifune!
"You mock the honor of the sword!"
With a furious roar, Mifune landed and began wildly swinging both blades, unleashing layers of sword beams that sliced through the rampaging fire dragons midair, blowing them apart entirely!
This mastery of cutting through ninja techniques with sword energy was already considered absolute perfection!
Yet behind such breathtaking swordsmanship came a severe toll on Mifune's stamina—each strike seemed to drain the last bit of strength from his body.
Once the four fire dragons were completely annihilated, Fugaku Uchiha slowly emerged from the flames and smoke.
Although his breath had quickened slightly, there wasn't a single mark on Fugaku's body—he looked as if he had merely done some light exercise.
As for Mifune, who had previously displayed such incredible prowess, he was now panting hard for breath.
"The way of the sword?"
Fugaku casually slung his oversized blade over his shoulder and stood firmly, facing the trembling Mifune with both hands. "Didn't you forget—I am a ninja after all!"
"Hmph! Tskh... spit!"
Mifune let out a cold snort, spitting out a wad of bloody saliva as a sign of contempt.
This kind of provocation tactic has little effect on a ninja.
Fugaku Uchiha's breathing had completely returned to normal as he spoke in a rather indifferent tone: "If you drop your swords and kneel in surrender, Commander SOUSHU will let you live."
A samurai's backbone doesn't bend!
Mifune roared furiously. He returned his right katana to its sheath while keeping his left-hand wakizashi held reversed before his chest. Stomping his back leg into the ground, he rushed straight at Fugaku Uchiha with killing intent!
"Foolish!"
Fugaku didn't retreat either, instantly swinging his blade downward in a head-chopping strike toward Mifune, who was closing in at Shunshin (Body Flicker) speed!
As they say, longer reach brings greater strength. The blade of his nodachi extended far beyond ordinary katanas, effectively locking down Mifune's entire attack path.
If Mifune couldn't dodge in time, he would undoubtedly end up split in two.
"Hah!"
Surprisingly, instead of stopping to evade, Mifune used his reversed wakizashi to block the nodachi from the side. His body crouched and slid sideways along the descending blade, moving extremely close to Fugaku Uchiha with an incredibly daring maneuver.
The consequence of blocking a nodachi with a wakizashi resulted in Mifune's left elbow receiving a deep, bone-exposing wound from the razor-sharp edge, combined with Fire Release chakra clinging to the blade. This fiery chakra seeped into Mifune's arm through the injury, delivering constant, unbearable torment to this resolute warrior.
"Now we decide both superiority and fate!"
Though his left arm was nearly crippled, Mifune's expression remained unchanged. After successfully closing into attacking range, his right hand that had originally been resting loosely on the sword hilt gripped it tightly.
[Iai Beheading!]
Mifune roared furiously as a blinding arc of steel—sharp enough to cleave lightning—flashed across from waist level beside Fugaku Uchiha.
Still holding his Iai stance mid-step, Mifune emerged behind the stunned Fugaku Uchiha.
"This..."
The Coalition Force of Ninja Clans and samurai ranks broke into shocked commotion.
But as soon as Mifune realized what had happened, a sense of dread gripped him—he knew something was off!
His swordsmanship could be described as peerless; even in total darkness, he could crack open a raw eggshell without piercing the membrane beneath. Judging the material or texture of whatever he cut through, sensing his opponent's wounds and injuries purely by the feedback from his blade—to him, it was all second nature.
Yet here lay the problem—he'd clearly cleaved Fugaku in half at the waist, but as he completed the cutting motion and analyzed the feedback sensation, the object he slashed probably wasn't flesh and blood.
Unable to help himself, Mifune stole a glance at the shining blade still raised diagonally above him, immediately causing him to inhale sharply in horror.
There wasn't even a trace of blood or flesh staining the blade!
This alone explained everything.
"Boom!"
Right after, a faint popping sound echoed behind Mifune.
The sound signaled that a shadow clone had been destroyed.
"Over..."
A wave of despair crashed over Mifune.
Then suddenly, upon staring at the bright steel reflecting sunlight, a crimson glow began shimmering upon its surface.
"This is truly the end."
A bitter taste rose in Mifune's mouth.
If he hadn't miscalculated, Fugaku Uchiha had used the reflective surface of the blade to project the power of his Sharingan, using it as a medium to directly cast Genjutsu on Mifune, who was staring straight at the blade.
[Genjutsu: Makyou Kaou Technique!]
Mifune felt a sharp pop in his ears, as if glass had shattered right in front of his eyes. Before he could even react, the famed samurai general—renowned across the Ninja World for his swordsmanship—lost control of his body.
From beside the paralyzed Mifune, Fugaku Uchiha slowly stepped forward, coming face to face with the warrior who still clung to his last shred of samurai pride.
"This is the Uchiha Clan's Kinfu (Golden Binding Illusion), one of our binding illusions. Even if you know you're caught in it, you can't escape on your own."
Calmly, Fugaku drew a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and held it horizontally against Mifune's neck.
"Capture him!"
At that moment, Hyuga Soushu's chakra-based sound transmission reached Fugaku Uchiha's ear.
"You're lucky this time."
Fugaku frowned slightly but ultimately followed orders, pulling back the kunai he'd been about to use to behead his enemy.
Mifune's once-clear gaze instantly clouded over.
The samurai, a relic of a bygone era, had just witnessed the extinguishing of their final glory.
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