"Watch above you!"
Jūzō shouted loudly, warning Fuguki — who was surrounded by thick water vapor and couldn't see a thing.
At that very moment, a dark purple fireball radiating with terrifying heat appeared in midair. It was like a burning meteor, carrying immense force and speed, plummeting straight toward Fuguki's head. The searing flames distorted the very air around it.
He didn't even need Jūzō's warning. The moment he had the Samehada absorb the Rasenshuriken, Fuguki had already sensed an intense wave of heat surging from above. Of course he wanted to swing Samehada again to defend, but it was already too late. He could only activate a secret technique that made his hair rapidly grow upward, forming countless sharp spikes in an attempt to block the rasengan.
But this was a Kekkei Genkai-level technique—his hair technique didn't stand a chance. The chakra-hardened spikes, sharp enough to pierce through solid rock, were reduced to ashes the instant they touched the rasengan, like ordinary weeds consumed by fire.
Fuguki twisted his massive body with every ounce of strength he had. Every muscle flexed, every vein bulged, as he tried desperately to move his vital points out of the way.His sheer size, usually a disadvantage, became his last means of survival. His will to live burned at its peak.
But Mitsuki wasn't about to give him that chance.Under her remote control, the rasengan exploded right above Fuguki's head, its dark-purple flames engulfing him completely. The Flame Release chakra within instantly raised the surrounding temperature to an unimaginable degree.
His skin and flesh began to melt under the unbearable heat. The agony forced a scream from his throat.Yet even through the torment, his instinct to live hadn't died. With his remaining strength, he pressed Samehada against his chest and shouted desperately:
"Samehada, hurry!"
But the sword didn't obey. Instead, it turned and bit off half of Fuguki's right arm before diving into the water to escape on its own.
"Samehada, you—?!"He couldn't believe it. Samehada, his partner through countless battles, had betrayed him in his final moments!
Without Samehada's help, Fuguki was consumed completely by the fire and burned to death.
Honestly, the scene was almost theatrical. Mitsuki had already prepared to launch another Rasengan orb to finish him off—but who would've thought Fuguki would be done in by his own blade?
"Haha!" Mitsuki burst into laughter.
"Kirigakure's blades even betray their wielders! What else in that village is real? A place built on lies lasting this long—it's almost funny."
Of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, three were already dead. The remaining four all looked grim after hearing Mitsuki's mockery. Even Mangetsu, who had been fuming with rage moments before, now looked shaken.
Before the battle, they had studied every bit of intel on Konoha's Gale. The most troublesome abilities were said to be his Space–Time Ninjutsu, Flame Release Kekkei Genkai, and the Wind Release technique that earned him his title.
Their original plan was straightforward: Mangetsu would create a water domain to suppress Mitsuki's Space–Time Ninjutsu, Fuguki would hold the front line against her techniques, and the others would flank from multiple directions to close in.
From a tactical standpoint, they had executed everything perfectly. Even being one man short before the battle, their formation and coordination were exactly as planned.
'Then why… why has it turned out like this?'
That question ran through the minds of the remaining Swordsmen.
To be fair, it wasn't really their fault. Mitsuki's true combat data on the Mist battlefield had been scarce.In fact, the fact that they managed to force her to use Rasengan Orb at all already placed them far above any other Mist squad so far.
The technique's weakness was actually easy to notice: its limited number.
Jūzō fixed his eyes on the glowing blue chakra spheres floating behind Mitsuki. He swallowed nervously before analyzing calmly:
"Those orbs vanish after each transformation. She's got only five left now."
The others — Raiga, Jinin, and Mangetsu — had also noticed.
Logically, they should all attack at once to force her to expend the remaining orbs. But after seeing Fuguki's horrific death, none of them dared to rush forward.Even Fuguki, their tank, had been obliterated by just three orbs. They wouldn't last a second.
"Raiga, why didn't you move earlier?"
Mangetsu suddenly turned on Raiga, accusingly.
Raiga glared back in disbelief. "Move earlier? Are you insane? My job isn't close combat. If I used a large-scale lightning strike against a technique that rebounds chakra, I'd just kill all of you instead!"
"So you're just going to stand there and watch?!"
"What?! You four rushed in and got one of us killed in seconds—what the hell was I supposed to do?!"
Jūzō's expression darkened. His eyes widened, his face twisted with disbelief.
"Are these idiots seriously arguing right now?"
Meanwhile, Jinin furrowed his brows and quietly stepped back. He had no intention of continuing this fight. All he wanted was for Mangetsu and the others to draw Mitsuki's attention long enough for him to break through the barrier and slip away.
His weapon, Kabutowari, was a combination of hammer and axe. Though lacking the speed or versatility of the other swords, its power to break defenses was unmatched among the Seven Blades.
He didn't know exactly how strong this crimson barrier was, but he was confident Kabutowari could shatter it.The only problem was… how to escape under the gaze of that monster.