It could be said that a technique so crude yet so precise did indeed produce respectable power—
but unfortunately… that was all it had.
"Huh?"
Facing Jinin Akebino's confident expression, Shiki smiled faintly, a playful glint flashing through his eyes.
Click.
With a casual twist of his arm, a thin crack suddenly spread across Kabutowari.
"…How is that possible?!"
Disbelief flooded Jinin's face but that expression didn't last even a heartbeat.
Shiki had already flipped the blade in his hand and brought it crashing down.
"Go die, Jin—ah, whatever your name was!"
BOOM!
"Nani?!"
"How—how is this possible?!"
"Jinin!!"
By the time the other members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist reacted, Jinin had already been smashed away—his body broken, lifeless beyond any doubt.
Shiki's power was no joke.
Even a casual blow was more than enough to obliterate someone of their level.
"Everyone—attack together!"
As their leader, Fuguki Suikazan reacted instantly. The man in front of them was nothing like their previous opponents.
With his command, the remaining swordsmen moved at once, abandoning pride and switching to numbers.
"Now this is more like it," Shiki said lightly.
One by one was boring anyway.
The first to rush forward was Jinpachi Munashi, wielder of Shibuki, the explosive blade.
A sword that detonated with every strike—interesting in theory.
Unfortunately…
Zssst.
Shiki narrowed his eyes and swung his sword casually.
The golden sword aura appeared for the first time on the battlefield of Kirigakure.
And with that single slash, a life vanished.
"What… what is that?!"
There wasn't even time to react.
The wielder of the explosive blade was gone.
"…This gap… it's too big…"
Shiki didn't bother finding out who had said it.
He raised his blade once more.
Lion Might — Severance!
"Ugh—!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Golden sword energy flooded the battlefield, completely engulfing the path of the charging swordsmen.
BOOM! RUMBLE!
Explosions echoed endlessly.
Even with their unique weapons, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen couldn't withstand it.
Jūzō Biwa, lifting the Executioner's Blade, didn't last even a second.
His sword was cleaved clean in half.
The next thing cut—
was his face.
The golden slash passed straight through his head, leaving him frozen in horror as life drained away.
Why…
Why did he ever believe that someone who could terrify two entire villages would be weaker than them?
Some of the swordsmen barely managed to survive by sacrificing their blades, creating a fleeting opening to escape.
Samehada reacted even faster.
Sensing the danger, it abandoned Fuguki outright.
No matter how Fuguki tried to command it, the living blade refused to move—allowing him to barely escape death.
"Run—RUN!"
"Monster! This is a monster!!"
Arrogance shattered instantly.
One by one, the members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen fell.
The survivors no longer dared to even look back at Shiki, abandoning their mission and fleeing in panic.
"Oh? Running already?" Shiki sighed. "That's boring."
With a lazy wave, two more golden slashes flew out.
The swordsmen who hadn't made it far—along with another unlucky member—were cut down instantly.
Fuguki's eyelids twitched violently as he felt the pressure behind him.
He pushed his legs harder.
For all his bulk, his escape speed was genuinely impressive.
"…Tch. Forget it."
Shiki shrugged and sheathed his swords.
He could kill him but there was no need.
If Fuguki didn't escape, how would Kirigakure learn what had happened?
That was exactly what Shiki wanted.
Through Fuguki Suikazan, he would deliver a message to the entire Mist Village:
I—the Golden Lion, Shiki—have arrived on Kirigakure's battlefield.
As for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?
Reduced to a joke.
Only Fuguki remained.
And yet—wouldn't that make the legend even more terrifying?
…
Shiki retracted his thoughts and stood calmly with his hands behind his back.
"That's… incredible…"
Might Guy and the others stared at him, awe impossible to hide.
Too strong.
Overwhelmingly strong.
Terrifyingly strong.
They could almost imagine it—
with someone like this leading them, the battlefield of the Mist wouldn't last much longer.
"You—"
Shiki turned, about to speak.
Might Guy was someone who, in the future, could kick Six Paths Madara into the grave.
Once Tsunade became Hokage, he would be an indispensable pillar of Konoha.
But before Shiki could finish...
a man with the same thick eyebrows, wearing the same green jumpsuit—
a walking green beast—
charged forward.
Ugly. Painfully ugly. (PS: Not really.)
Shiki raised an eyebrow.
…Might Duy.
"Guy!! You died so miserably!"
Before Shiki could react, the man suddenly roared and charged.
"My son! I will avenge you—with all my strength!!"
"Aaaaaaah!!"
Might Duy rushed at Shiki like a madman.
"…As expected. No brain at all."
Truly inherited through the bloodline.
Bang!
Shiki casually backhanded the kick aside, sending Might Duy flying.
"So strong…!"
Even at full power, he had been swatted away effortlessly.
Might Duy stared at Shiki in shock, then clenched his fists.
"…Then I'll use the Leaf's Ultimate—!"
He assumed the stance for the Eight Gates.
Just then...
"Uh… Dad?"
Might Guy's weak voice came from behind Shiki.
"What are you doing? Why are you attacking Lord Shiki?"
"…Huh?"
Might Duy froze.
The Eight Gates stance collapsed instantly.
After a hurried explanation from Might Guy, the misunderstanding finally cleared.
"S-sorry! Lord Shiki! I'm so sorry!"
"I didn't see Guy, and everything here looked like a battlefield, so I thought—"
"I'm a shinobi of Konoha—yet I raised my hand against the village's hero! Please forgive me!"
Might Duy bowed repeatedly, completely flustered.
The surroundings did look like the aftermath of a brutal war.
And from his angle, Shiki had completely blocked Might Guy from view.
Panic, fear, and misplaced rage had overwhelmed him.
Now that he understood—
he finally calmed down.
"It's fine," Shiki said casually, waving a hand.
He knew it was unintentional.
There was nothing worth holding against him.
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