While Raiga Kurosuki was trapped by the Ice Block—Time Capsule,
Chiba surged forward, ice blade flashing as he cut toward the vital point at his throat.
An ordinary man would have died instantly.
But Raiga Kurosuki was no ordinary shinobi.
He was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—
An elite jōnin forged through countless battles.
His combat instincts and will were terrifyingly resilient.
Even in that state, he roared and lashed out with his free arm.
"Lightning Release—Lightning Strike!!!"
From the tip of the Thunder Blade, brilliant lightning erupted.
Violent Lightning Release chakra burst forth, crackling with destructive force—
Power capable of shattering massive boulders in an instant.
At this distance, Chiba appeared unable to evade.
BOOM!!!
The lightning tore straight through Chiba's body.
"Chiba!!!"
Yuki Yuki screamed, her voice breaking.
Shock and despair swept through the Yuki Clan.
Just when hope had appeared—
Just when a hidden powerhouse had revealed himself—
He had been struck down.
Was the Yuki Clan truly destined to be wiped out today?
Raiga Kurosuki stared at the body he had pierced.
A cruel smile spread across his face.
"Hmph. You've got some skill, brat…"
"But you're still too green."
"Hiding your strength… trying to play the hero?"
"Men like you die the fastest."
He forced his chakra outward, trying to shatter the ice imprisoning half his body—
But it didn't budge.
"…What?"
"What kind of Ice Release is this?!"
"How can it be this powerful?!"
Raiga shouted hoarsely,
"Jūzō Biwa! Help me!"
He needed the Executioner's Blade to smash the ice apart.
But Jūzō Biwa's opponent—Yuki Yoru—was no weakling either.
Defeating him would take time.
Raiga cursed under his breath.
Hatred burned in his eyes as he raised the Thunder Blade once more and staggered toward Chiba.
He lifted the blade—
Ready to pierce him again.
Then—
Something happened.
Something that made Raiga Kurosuki's blood run cold.
The boy whose body had been pierced—
Smiled.
Just faintly.
"…You—"
Raiga froze, terror flashing across his face.
And Chiba did not hesitate.
The ice blade in his hand flashed forward.
A ruthless thrust—
Straight through Raiga Kurosuki's throat.
Gurgle.
Raiga clutched his neck, but it was useless.
Blood poured between his fingers.
He staggered backward, staring at Chiba in disbelief.
"Y–You… cough… how…?"
Chiba smiled calmly.
The body that had been pierced moments earlier—
Had already transformed into ice in advance.
Elementalization.
The lightning had passed through harmlessly, though the numbness still lingered.
And that numbness—
Had been used as bait.
"Want to know my secret?"
"Ask the Shinigami in the Pure Land."
Chiba stepped forward once more.
The ice blade plunged down—
Piercing Raiga Kurosuki's heart.
This time, there was no mistaking it.
He was dead.
Thud.
One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—
The wielder of the Thunder Blade,
Elite jōnin Raiga Kurosuki—
Fell dead at Chiba's feet.
The council hall fell into absolute silence.
Whether it was the Kirigakure envoy corps—Biwa Jūzō and the others—or the members of the Yuki Clan, all of them stared at Chiba in utter disbelief.
This nameless, overlooked boy… had just slain an elite jōnin.
Yuki Setsuna covered her mouth in shock.
Yet more than astonishment, what filled her chest was relief—pure, overwhelming relief.
"Chiba… thank goodness. Thank goodness…"
Chiba did not pause.
He reached down, seized the Lightning Fang—Kiba—that had fallen from Raiga Kurosuki's lifeless hand.
Ice Blade in one hand.
Lightning Fang in the other.
Then he surged back into the battlefield.
The Yuki Clan reacted instantly. Their morale exploded, and they launched a furious counterattack.
By contrast, Jūzō Biwa and the remaining Kirigakure envoys fell into chaos. Their fighting spirit collapsed.
As momentum shifted, the Yuki Clan began to suppress the Kirigakure forces outright.
Chiba moved like a storm of death, ice and lightning flashing as he cut down ordinary shinobi without mercy.
Jūzō realized the battle was turning against him.
If this continued, he would die here.
With a furious swing of the Executioner's Blade—Kubikiribōchō—he forced Yuki Yoru to retreat, then immediately formed seals.
"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"
Dense fog erupted, swallowing the entire hall.
Using the mist as cover, Jūzō abandoned his subordinates without hesitation and fled.
But the moment he burst out of the council chamber—
He froze.
Ahead of him stood Chiba.
Silent. Waiting.
Like death itself.
His escape had been seen through from the very beginning.
"Where do you think you're going, Jūzō Biwa?"
Cold sweat poured down Jūzō's back.
The boy before him looked no more than fourteen or fifteen—handsome, composed, almost gentle.
And yet… he felt like a demon.
Still, Jūzō knew this was the moment.
Fight—or die.
With a roar, he swung the Executioner's Blade with all his strength.
BOOM!
The sheer force shattered the air itself.
But Chiba merely turned his palm.
"Ice Ball."
The power of ice erupted.
From his fingers shot five massive streams of freezing energy, roaring forward in an instant.
In the blink of an eye—
Jūzō's body was sealed inside solid ice.
A gigantic frozen sphere.
Only the Executioner's Blade remained exposed.
His body couldn't move. Not even an inch.
"T-this… what is this…?!"
Chiba calmly stepped forward, took the Executioner's Blade from the ice—
And then…
"Shatter together with the ice."
BOOM!!!
The Executioner's Blade crashed down.
The frozen sphere detonated in an explosion of ice shards—
—and flesh.
Jūzō Biwa's body was torn apart along with the ice, reduced to broken limbs and blood-smeared fragments that scattered across the stone floor.