Chapter 91: Minato Namikaze VS The Six Ninja Swordsmen
"Lord Genichi!"
"A group of ninja are fighting the Mist ninja!"
Genichi was in his study researching the Kuji-kiri hand seals when Ina leaped down from Torao's back and rushed in in a flurry. She had been the one wandering outside for the past few days.
"Ninja?"
"From Konoha?" Genichi slowly looked up and asked.
Ina said, "I'm not sure if they're from Konoha. They're wearing masks."
Genichi understood. "They should be Konoha's Anbu."
He stood up. "I'm going to take a look. You stay here."
Ina quickly said, "Lord Genichi, let me go too!"
"I'm already very proficient with the Golden Chain Seal (Kin sa Fūin), and I've mastered three genjutsu. I can help now."
Genichi looked at the expectant Ina, smiled, and then nodded. "Then let's go together!"
Ina was instantly overjoyed. "Thank you, Lord Genichi!"
Reaching out and pinching Ina's cheek, Genichi walked out the door. "Let's go!"
After grabbing their things, the two of them mounted Torao, shot into the sky, and headed straight for the location of the battle.
"Hmm?"
Before they had even arrived, Genichi's perception shot out, and he sensed something different.
"That's..." Genichi turned his head slightly, thought for a moment, and then patted Torao beneath him.
Torao let out a long cry and then changed direction.
Ina was puzzled. "Lord Genichi, is there a problem in that direction?"
Genichi smiled. "I ran into some acquaintances. And there are Mist ninja over there, too."
...
In a dense forest, Minato Namikaze was leading Kakashi and his other two team members, and they had a squad of Mist ninja cornered.
But looking at the people opposite them, Minato's expression was slightly grave. He noticed that among the eight people opposite them, two were carrying distinctive ninja blades on their backs.
Two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?
This is a bit troublesome. I didn't expect even these people to be dispatched. The intelligence was wrong!
But even so, Minato had no intention of retreating. He shouted, "Everyone, this is the Land of Fire! Please withdraw immediately!"
The two men leading the group opposite them were Jūzō Biwa, who held the Executioner's Blade (Kubikiribōchō), and Jinin Akebino, who held the bluntsword Kabutowari.
Jūzō leaned on his sword and said, "Sorry, but I'm afraid that's not possible. We are looking for something very important."
"And until we find it, no one can stop us." Jūzō's gaze fell on Kakashi's group of three, and a smile appeared on his face. "Bringing a few kids along must be rather inconvenient, right?"
Obito was so frightened by his cold gaze that he swallowed and unconsciously took two steps back. Kakashi instinctively drew his blade. Rin was also extremely nervous.
Minato immediately spoke up. "You must be one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, correct?"
He reached out and took out a Flying Thunder God Kunai (Hiraishin Kunai). With a flick of his arm, the kunai scattered through the air. "I've heard of the reputation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. You two might be able to leave, but as for the others, I'm afraid they'll have to stay here permanently."
A threat? Two could play at that game.
Jūzō stared at Minato, who looked to be about the same age as him. His intuition told him that this man was no simple character.
At this moment, Jinin Akebino stepped forward, swinging the giant axe in his hand. "Then let's get to it! Let me see how good your defense is!"
Minato's body sank slightly. "Kakashi, Obito, protect Rin!"
Kakashi and Obito immediately nodded, then flashed to the left and right, protecting Rin. The three of them stood in a triangle formation.
"Let's go!" Jinin shouted, charging forward.
Jūzō, behind him, did not move, but the other six Mist ninja all vanished from their spots, charging from the flanks.
Minato stared at the charging Jinin and did not move. It wasn't until the giant axe was about to chop down and split him in two that he tossed the kunai in his hand into the air, and his body also vanished in that instant.
A Mist ninja who was charging towards Kakashi's group suddenly screamed, and blood spurted from his neck. Minato had appeared in a flash.
Jinin's body twisted, about to charge to the side. However, Minato vanished again, appearing almost simultaneously behind him. With one hand, he caught the kunai he had just thrown, and with the other, a Rasengan materialized.
Boom!
The ground sank, and Jinin's body was slammed face-down into the earth. The clothes on his back were shredded, and a spiral-shaped burn mark appeared on his skin.
"So fast!" Jūzō was shocked. He had a view of the whole battlefield and had seen clearly how Minato had taken down Jinin in a single move, but he had no time to provide any backup at all.
"This guy can instantly move between those kunai that have jutsu formulas on them..." Jūzō quickly shouted, "Stay away from those kunai!"
But Minato vanished again. And then, before Jūzō's eyes could even follow, two of his subordinates were sent flying backward, then crashed to the ground, their status unknown.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The three remaining Mist ninja retreated to Jūzō's side. As for the other three, one had his throat slit by Minato, and two were kicked and seriously injured, unable to get up. Of these three, two were forced back by Obito's fire jutsu, and one was intercepted by Kakashi.
"This guy... he really is something else!" Cold sweat appeared on Jūzō's forehead. It was a good thing he hadn't charged in at the beginning, otherwise... Jūzō glanced at Jinin, who was lying face down on the ground. He wasn't dead, but it was probably impossible to save him now.
At that moment, Jūzō had the thought of retreating.
Just then, the sound of something cutting through the air was heard. Immediately after, figures landed on either side of him.
Minato saw this and immediately felt that something was wrong. He looked over, and Mist ninja also appeared on his left and right. More than a dozen enemy reinforcements had arrived in an instant.
"You guys look pretty pathetic!"
"To think that guy Jinin was taken down, hehe..." Kurosuki Raiga said with a laugh. He wasn't the only one from the Seven Swordsmen who had arrived. There was also Munashi Jinpachi, who held the blastsword Shibuki; Kushimaru Kuriarare, who held the longsword Nuibari and wore a mask; and Hōzuki Chigetsu, who held the twin swords Hiramekarei.
At that moment, with the exception of the wielder of Samehada who had been killed by Genichi, the remaining six had all gathered.
"Raiga, don't be careless, or you'll be the next to die!" Jūzō's face was serious. "This guy can instantly move between those kunai with jutsu formulas. His speed is extremely fast. You have to be very careful."
Raiga's gaze swept over the kunai. He smiled. "So that's how it is! In that case, as long as we aim our attacks at these kunai, we have nothing to fear, right?"
His voice had just fallen when more people arrived. It was a group of four wearing masks, who appeared at Minato's side.
"Senpai!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke said in greeting.
Minato secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Shinnosuke, be careful of these guys. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are all here!"
Shinnosuke looked at the people opposite them and nodded solemnly.
Minato then said to the three behind him, "Kakashi, Obito, protect Rin and retreat."
Obito quickly said, "Minato-sensei, we can help too."
Minato raised his hand to stop him from speaking further. "No, this is not a battle you can participate in." Even Kakashi, whose strength was already quite good, would be in extreme danger if he faced the elites of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
And Kakashi's group of three retreating didn't mean they were completely out of the fight. Some Mist ninja would surely chase after them, which would also be very dangerous. But it was still better than facing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. In a battle like this, Minato couldn't be distracted by looking after the three of them.
"Obito, Rin, retreat!" Kakashi said. He understood Minato's intentions.
The three of them retreated, and three Mist ninja immediately followed. Minato's group did not stop them. They couldn't possibly block all of them.
And the moment Kakashi's group moved, Hōzuki Chigetsu also moved. He did not use his twin swords, Hiramekarei. Instead, he formed hand seals, then opened his mouth and spat out a rolling torrent of water that then swept towards Minato's group.
Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave (Suiton: Bakusui Shōha)!
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall (Doton: Doryūheki)!
Shinnosuke pressed his hands to the ground, and a thick wall of earth immediately shot up in front of them. Minato and the other three Anbu, however, all leaped up, landing in the trees.
Just then, Raiga plunged his twin swords into the ground. Lightning shot forward like the branches of a tree, merging with the surging water and sending electricity throughout its surface. Shinnosuke immediately leaped onto the top of the earth wall. But the next moment, a black shadow shot out from under the water. Shinnosuke tilted his head slightly. The black shadow grazed his mask as it whistled past his head, then pierced through the tree branch behind him.
The longsword Nuibari! The steel wire, dotted with water droplets, reflected the light of the sun. Shinnosuke had a lingering fear. He immediately drew his blade, and with a hum, it was covered in wind chakra. But his downward slash hit empty air. Kushimaru gave a slight tug, and the Nuibari flew back to him.
Munashi Jinpachi and Jūzō Biwa charged out from the left and right. In the middle, two masked Mist ninja grabbed Jinin Akebino and his sword from under the water and quickly retreated.
Kurosuki Raiga, who hadn't moved, crossed his twin swords and raised them high. With a clap of thunder, a massive amount of lightning descended from the sky, crashing down on the four in the trees.
Swish!
Minato's figure vanished, reappearing on the surface of the water to the left.
Munashi Jinpachi immediately swung his sword. A scroll of explosive tags unrolled and swept out, enveloping Minato. Immediately after, fire shot into the sky, and a deafening roar exploded, sending water splashing everywhere and steam rolling and billowing.
On the other side, Jūzō's eyes were locked on the positions of the kunai. Kurosuki Raiga's twin swords gathered lightning, forming a ball of thunder, also locking onto a portion of the kunai, ready to strike. Hōzuki Chigetsu had a stream of water condensed in each hand, like water whips. He also had a portion of the kunai locked down.
The four of them worked together to take out all of the Flying Thunder God Kunai Minato had previously laid out. And Kushimaru was engaged with Shinnosuke. The three Anbu were facing the assault of the other Mist ninja.
However, Minato did not appear where Chigetsu and the others were looking.
Screams came from behind them.
Minato appeared in a flash, a Rasengan in each hand, and simultaneously slammed them into the backs of the two Mist ninja who were carrying Jinin Akebino away.
"What?!" Chigetsu and the others were all shocked.
Kurosuki Raiga turned and swung his swords, and a ball of thunder shot out.
Boom!
A charred black crater was blasted into the ground, and lightning shot out in all directions. Minato had vanished. Instead, the two still-living Mist ninja and Jinin were hit by the lightning and convulsed.
Swish! Swish!
Appearing in a flash on the right, Minato threw two kunai one after another at Jūzō. Jūzō immediately swung his Executioner's Blade and deflected the first one. But he had no time to deflect the second with his blade. Now, he could either let the kunai hit him or twist his body to dodge. But even if he dodged, Jūzō knew that Minato would appear in a flash and finish him off.
"Not good!" Jūzō twisted his body to dodge. The kunai grazed his ear as it flew past. He gathered chakra under his feet, but before he could burst away, Minato had already appeared behind him.
"Too fast..." Jūzō was horrified.
Rumble!
Lightning descended from the sky. In that instant, Minato vanished again, letting the lightning hit empty air. But Jūzō, who was about to use the Body Flicker Technique, was hit by it and was electrocuted, his whole body numb and unable to move.
"Raiga, you bastard!" Jūzō couldn't help but curse.
Raiga laughed. "Jūzō, you should thank me for saving your life!"
Minato appeared in a tree, and immediately, streams of water like ropes came sweeping towards him. His figure vanished again. Minato appeared at Shinnosuke's side and kicked Kushimaru away.
"These people are very well coordinated!" Minato said.
Just then, Chigetsu's ninjutsu was complete. A surging water dragon materialized and then plunged down, charging towards the two of them.
Minato threw a kunai at Chigetsu and at the same time, formed a seal.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique (Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu)!
The kunai in the air immediately appeared as a dense mass of clones, which then shot out, enveloping even Raiga and the others.
Water Release: Water Formation Pillar (Suiton: Suijinchū)!
Chigetsu clapped his hands together. Thick pillars of water shot up from the ground, forming a wall that blocked the dense mass of kunai. At the same time, the water dragon plunged down, and the trees were immediately broken. But Minato and Shinnosuke, who had been in the trees, had already vanished.
The water of the Water Formation Pillar in front of Chigetsu and the others fell, and Minato and Shinnosuke appeared in a flash.
Splash!
The water beneath their feet exploded. Minato and Shinnosuke burst out at the same time.
Minato instantly reached Raiga. He had a Wind Release: Rasengan (Fūton: Rasengan) in each hand, glowing with a brilliant white light from within, and he slammed them down. Raiga's lightning-wreathed twin swords collided with the Wind Release: Rasengans.
The two forces impacted. A brilliant light, mixed with electric currents, bloomed outwards like an expanding ball of light, quickly enveloping the two of them. A world-shaking roar also spread out.
When the ball of light rapidly contracted, Raiga's figure was sent flying backward, and then he crashed heavily onto the ground. Minato, on the other hand, had vanished without a trace. The Nuibari that shot out from underground missed him.
And on the other side, Shinnosuke had also instantly reached Chigetsu. His ninja blade swept out, cutting Chigetsu's body in two at the waist. However, the cut part turned into splashing water.
Chigetsu had a water droplet condensed at the tip of each index finger, which he then shot at Shinnosuke.
Minato appeared in a flash at Shinnosuke's side, and then the two of them vanished at the same time, letting Chigetsu's Water Gun (Mizudeppō) shots hit empty air.
High in the sky, Genichi, who had just arrived, happened to see this final exchange.
(End of Chapter)
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 400 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you!