"Cough, cough…"
His mask shattered, blood gushed from his mouth, and Kuriarare Kushimaru's chakra rapidly declined—but his gaze still turned toward Yoru.
"Yoru… I didn't expect to see you here too. That intense chakra clash from the east earlier—was that you?"
[B-Rank allied target Kuriarare Kushimaru detected. Side Mission Triggered.]
Mission (1): Rescue Kuriarare Kushimaru and return him to Kirigakure. Reward: 5,000 Points!
"I was ambushed earlier by your assassination target and nearly killed, Lord Kushimaru."
At the system's prompt, a healing glow of Reiryoku appeared in Yoru's hand and spread over the gaping wound in Kushimaru's abdomen left by Nuibari.
Yet his chakra continued to drop rapidly. Within a few breaths, his face had gone deathly pale.
"Your eyes… are they injured? I'm sorry you encountered such a powerful enemy. There was a major flaw in the intel. I didn't expect Konoha to have a trump card like… Might Duy…"
"This level of medical ninjutsu won't help. Don't waste your chakra. Besides, your distraction mission was a complete success. But now—I have a new task for you."
Kushimaru grabbed Yoru's hand, halting the healing. Instead, he placed Yoru's palm over the hilt of Nuibari.
"Take the sword… and return it to Kirigakure!"
"Lord Kushimaru…"
Yoru frowned.
"Not just Nuibari. You must also recover Jūzō's Kubikiribōchō and any of the others' blades."
"That guy's a monster, but you… you know I've always believed in you. This mission's difficult, but if it's you… you'll pull it off."
"No matter what… the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist must not fall into Konoha's hands…"
Before he could finish, Kushimaru's chakra completely faded. Yet even in death, his hand still clutched Yoru's—still clutching Nuibari.
Staring at Kushimaru's lifeless body, then at the approaching battlefield now swirling with streams of water, Yoru was left speechless.
"How the hell am I supposed to fight that guy?! That's the Youth Dad himself!"
The rescue mission failed. Yoru pulled Nuibari from Kushimaru's corpse, retrieved a sealing scroll from his waist, and sealed both the weapon and Kushimaru's body.
He was just about to retreat when—BOOM!
The underbrush ahead exploded violently, a massive wave of chakra bursting forth like a hurricane.
Though the blast didn't directly hit Yoru, it obliterated every tree in his line of sight—leaving him completely exposed.
Right in front of the remaining Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
And Might Duy.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Frozen on the spot, Yoru felt a thousand metaphorical horses stampeding through his brain.
"You're seriously throwing me into this?!"
Looking at the battlefield, he touched his barely-mended chest—his ribs still cracked.
First I ambushed Uchiha Shisui and Sarutobi Shinnosuke at Futada Town. Then I ran into Jiraiya and a squad of Konoha jōnin. And now… Might Duy?!
What am I, a frontline general?! This isn't 'Hell 24 Hours'—this is 'Hell 48 Hours'!!
No wonder I wasn't in the original story. No wonder Kirigakure ended up the weakest of the Five Great Villages. Besides Terumī Mei, everyone else is useless!
Who could survive this intensity?!
A few minutes earlier—
On the nearby battlefield, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were already locked in a fierce and explosive fight with Might Duy.
What used to be dense forest had been reduced to a massive lake.
Slicing chakra and continuous explosions made the water surge violently. But even more terrifying was the figure who emerged from the heart of a water dragon.
"Gate of Wonder" — Open!!
With a deafening roar from beneath the water, a man clad in a dark green jumpsuit burst forth.
His thick eyebrows and intense presence made his identity unmistakable.
Chakra roared from his body, so dense the very air hissed.
In a flash, he vanished in front of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—kicking Kuriarare Kushimaru away with a single blow—and then swung a punch at Jinpachi Munashi, wielder of the Shibuki (Blast Sword).
The man didn't even get to shout a last word.
He died instantly on the spot.
"You bastard!!"
Kurosaki Raiga grabbed her Kiba (Thunder Swords) and slashed at Might Duy, but he sidestepped with ease.
Kurikara Kushimaru and Jinin Akebino also joined the fray—but Might Duy's speed defied comprehension.
One moment he was beneath Jinin Akebino's blunt blade; the next, he appeared right before Jūzō Biwa.
Jūzō immediately swung the Kubikiribōchō (Executioner's Blade), aiming to cleave Duy in two—but his attack struck nothing.
"A… afterimage?!"
Before he could process the shock, Might Duy appeared at his flank—delivering a brutal roundhouse kick.
Jūzō barely managed to raise the Executioner's Blade to block—but both he and the blade were sent flying.
"Urgh!"
A mouthful of blood—mixed with viscera—spilled from Jūzō's lips, and the Executioner's Blade shattered into pieces.
Lightning Release: Thunder Dragon Tornado
Taking advantage of Duy's attack on Jūzō, Raiga Kurosuki reacted at last. Crossing his Thunder Swords, he unleashed a vortex of pure lightning that engulfed Duy.
"BOOM!!"
Blinding light and crashing thunder filled the air as the Thunder Dragon devoured Duy whole.
But just as Raiga sighed in relief, Fuguki Suikazan—the hulking shinobi wielding Samehada—shouted in panic.
"Raiga, dodge!!"
Even as he yelled, Fuguki's hands blurred through hand signs—so fast they left afterimages.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave"
His cheeks bulged with chakra, then released a massive wave like a collapsing dam, crashing directly toward the thunderstorm around Duy.
"RUMBLE!!!"
Lightning flashed above, torrential waves below. The entire world shook with fury.
As the wielder of Samehada, Fuguki had immense chakra reserves. This technique alone was enough to flood a small region!
Teamed with Raiga's Lightning Dragon, the two unleashed a perfect combined assault.
But something was wrong.
Might Duy, standing at the center of it all—emerged completely unharmed.
As if the massive combination jutsu hadn't touched him at all.
And in truth—that was exactly the case.
The moment the attacks struck, blue steam rose from Duy's body.
His terrifying chakra had neutralized the entire Thunder-Water combo.
Then—
He charged forward through the surge.
And punched.
His punch, rubbing violently against the air, generated flames—combining with his raw aura to form a peacock-like blaze spreading across the water's surface.
"Morning Peacock!!!"