At that critical moment, Mangetsu and Raiga both launched ranged attacks.
"Lightning Attack!"
"Hiramekarei—Release!"
Both Kiba and Hiramekarei allowed their wielders to fire off ninjutsu without hand seals—attacks that would overwhelm most shinobi, leaving them no time or space to react.
But Mitsuki was far from an ordinary shinobi. No-hand-seal jutsu? He'd mastered that long ago.
Instead of using Full Counter to block, he vanished with the Flying Thunder God, reappearing at a kunai he had thrown farther away.
The instant his teleport completed, Mitsuki raised two fingers.
"Explode."
That's right—he hadn't teleported the Rasenshuriken with him. He'd left it right where he'd been standing.
The massive blue chakra shuriken swelled in size, spinning with a violent hum. Countless microscopic wind blades within it glinted with lethal light—each sharp enough to flay the air itself.
Jūzō and Kushimaru both froze in horror, their scalps prickling. Kushimaru desperately hurled his Nuibari, embedding it in a nearby tree and yanking the wire to pull himself away from the Rasenshuriken's growing vortex of death.
But Mitsuki's response was immediate—he clapped his hand to the ground, lightning surging through the wet earth to form a hunting beast of pure energy.
"Lightning Hound!"
In the blink of an eye, the lightning hound pounced, sinking its fangs into Kushimaru's leg—cutting off his last chance to flee.
The storm of wind blades consumed him utterly. The man who'd long fought alongside Jinpachi as one half of the "Heartless Duo" died beneath another's heartless onslaught.
Unfortunately, the Rasenshuriken only claimed Kushimaru — it wasn't a double kill.
Jūzō, a veteran swordsman, quickly recovered from the paralysis caused by Chidori. Using the chakra blast fired earlier by Mangetsu, he positioned his Kubikiribōchō in front of him and launched himself backward, letting the shockwave propel him out of the Rasenshuriken's range.
It was an unorthodox method of evasion—but one that cost him dearly. A third of the Kubikiribōchō snapped clean off, and the internal damage from the blast left him gasping, struggling to stay upright.
From the moment Mitsuki entered the battlefield and killed Jinpachi, less than three exchanges had passed—and already, two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were dead.
The speed of it left the remaining members, including Fuguki, momentarily stunned.
This Konoha's Gale… really lives up to his name.
Outside the Four Crimson Ray Formation, Might Guy, his father Duy, and the two young genin could only watch in awe.
They'd all heard the stories—how Mitsuki had ended the war on the River Country front… slain users of Magnet Release, Scorch Release, even taken down a Jinchūriki. But witnessing it in person was another matter entirely.
"S-so strong…"
"He's fighting seven-on-one, and it still feels like he's the one in control!"
Hearing his teammates praise Mitsuki's power, Guy couldn't help but beam with pride. After all, that same genius once told him — Might Guy, you will become an exceptional ninja one day. He'd never forgotten those words — and had been training ever since to prove Mitsuki right.
While the young ones were dazzled, Might Duy remained wary, refusing to relax despite their apparent advantage.
Inside the barrier—
Fuguki shot Mangetsu a sharp glance. Mangetsu immediately understood and began forming hand seals.
The moment Mitsuki saw his hand movements, he realized their intent. Knowing the Hōzuki Clan's Hydrification Technique, he abandoned the idea of using Wind Style: Rasenshuriken. Instead, he channeled lightning chakra into a condensed Rasengan, transforming it into a slender, drill-like projectile.
No hesitation. Mitsuki raised his hand in a gun-like gesture and fired.
"Lightning Style: Finger Gun Rasengan!"
But the others weren't about to stand by and let the attack hit. Raiga raised Kiba, channeling chakra to unleash a bolt of pure lightning that intercepted Mitsuki's projectile mid-flight.
That delay was enough—Mangetsu completed his seals. His chest expanded as he took a deep breath—then unleashed a torrent of water.
"Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
That had been their original plan all along: Mangetsu would flood the battlefield, submerging Mitsuki's specially marked Flying Thuder God kunai beneath the surface, cutting off his teleportation routes.
They hadn't expected to lose two members so quickly, but as long as Mangetsu lived, the plan could still work.
Thanks to the Four Crimson Ray Formation sealing the area, Mangetsu didn't need to create an ocean—just enough to blanket the terrain. Within moments, the battlefield was knee-deep in water, the surface glinting under the red glow of the barrier.
Fuguki smirked, eyes narrowing on Mitsuki standing calmly atop the rippling surface.
"Let's see you use that space-time jutsu now."
Jūzō had regained his footing by then, and the five remaining Swordsmen spread out, encircling Mitsuki.
Feeling confident, Jinin, with his topknot bouncing, jeered,
"I'll admit, killing that annoying bastard was impressive. But the way you talk pisses me off. So I'm taking your head, no hard feelings!"
Fuguki didn't bother with speeches."All at once—don't give him a chance to weave a single sign!"
With that, he bent his massive legs and shot forward at blinding speed, his enormous frame belying his agility. The Samehada in his hands gleamed, every scale-like spike reflecting deadly light.
The remaining Swordsmen attacked from all sides — except Raiga, who stayed back. Unlike Hiramekarei, Kiba excelled at mid-range combat, and Raiga preferred to strike from a distance, his lightning lancing across the flooded terrain.
Surrounded on all sides, Mitsuki didn't flinch. He simply brought his hands together.
Threads of blue chakra shimmered into existence, swirling around him.They coalesced into nine glowing orbs, each the size of a fist, circling him like miniature moons before aligning behind his back.
It was his super–S-rank jutsu—
"Rasengan Orbs!"