"I heard you're leaving soon?" Shizune sat on a wooden beam, her legs hanging down and swaying gently.
"Yeah, we're heading out first thing tomorrow morning. The plan's already set—we'll carry it through no matter what."
Saitama twirled his sword with his fingers, yet his eyes never left Shizune, watching her swing her short legs in boredom.
"The border of Bear Country isn't far… but when will you be back?"
Shizune lifted her head, staring directly at Saitama with clear eyes—the first time in two days she had looked at him like that.
"That's hard to say. You, as support personnel, won't move and will stay here behind, but we who are responsible for the assault won't have such peace."
"The intel also shows that since we uncovered Mist's plan last time, they've given up on landing directly in the Land of Fire. Most of their ninja forces have quietly gathered in Bear Country—they should almost be ready now."
Saitama gazed at the starry sky, his mind drifting toward the upcoming battle.
"Oh." Shizune murmured and fell silent again.
"Let's call it a night. I think I'll turn in early."
Saitama stood up, looking at Shizune.
"Alright then, get some rest—and watch yourself out there."
Shizune nodded, bidding him off.
"See you later." Saitama nodded slightly before turning and walking off.
Soft moonlight spilled over his back, leaving behind a lonely, quiet silhouette.
"You should go back too, Shizune."
Shizune whispered softly to herself, watching until Saitama disappeared from view, then hopped down from the beam and headed off.
...
[Whoosh!][Whoosh!]
Many figures dashed through the trees, all wearing green ninja vests and forehead protectors engraved with Konoha's emblem.
"Captain, how much longer? We've been traveling half the day already!"
Uchiha Huo grumbled, following closely behind Saitama.
"We've already crossed into Bear Country's border—don't rush!"
Saitama pushed forward calmly with a step, smoothly replying.
Several hours ago, as the vanguard, Saitama and his team had already eliminated the watchtowers along Bear Country's border, officially entering the country.
"These guys are so slow—still no sign of reinforcements even now!"
Uchiha Huo pouted, clearly showing his disdain for the enemy ninja forces.
Frowning slightly, Saitama didn't respond. Uchiha Huo always looked down on the enemy like this—it came from having things too easy for too long.
Their mission this time was simple: confront the Mist ninja directly and finally ignite full-scale war, forcing them out of their delay tactics.
Invading Bear Country was also part of the assignment. Only by inflicting real pain—beating them badly until bloodied and broken—would they truly become enraged and enter the war state.
[Zip!]
A sharp sound cut through the air, signaling the arrival of scout ninja who had detected something.
[Zip!]
Upon hearing the signal, nearby ninjas immediately halted, waiting for the report.
"A large enemy force is approaching. At their speed, we'll engage within five minutes."
A ninja from the Aburame clan stood on a high branch, speaking just loudly enough for the surrounding ninjas to hear.
Elsewhere, other ninjas were also passing along the information.
Saitama's unit belonged to the Second Division, and he served as the captain of the First Regiment under it, commanding nearly eighty ninjas.
"Understood! Prepare for battle!" Saitama nodded and signaled his regiment with a wave.
Ninjas from other regiments also assumed combat stances. Their primary mission during this invasion into Bear Country was first to fight, then to retreat.
"Shing!"
Saitama slowly drew his blade. The Konoha ninjas around him simultaneously remained motionless, waiting for the enemy to approach.
A great battle was about to begin!
"Shua!"
"Sha sha!"
The leaves rustled softly as bodies brushed past them. The wind howled as well. In the blink of an eye, the enemy forces had arrived.
"Shing!"
Saitama looked ahead and saw the Mist ninja squad stop some dozens of meters in front of them. They were numerous—clearly more than the number of ninjas on the Konoha side. But every Leaf ninja present for this operation was at least a chunin or higher-level ninja, something the Mist could not match.
As far as the eye could see, Saitama spotted some junior-level soldiers gripping their weapons hesitantly, clearly likely experiencing such large-scale confrontation for the first time.
"Hey there! Ninja of Konoha!"
A ninja wearing a vest with sharp teeth showed off a massive ninja sword in his hand.
"Tch!" Glancing at the opponent's white hair and signature dental features, Saitama easily figured out who he was.
From the Hozuki clan. [Water Body Transformation], a secret technique that makes him immune to almost all physical attacks.
The Mist ninjas all looked strange-looking, and now they stared toward the Konoha side, making various unsettling sounds.
"Let's welcome our guests from Konoha!"
At this moment, a ninja whose left eye was covered shouted loudly while wielding an oddly-shaped weapon. His tone was cold-blooded, as if the Konoha ninjas weren't even worth consideration.
Beside him stood another thin, masked ninja carrying a long slender blade on his back.
"Wahahaha!"
The atmosphere among the Mist ninjas immediately heated up, many of them clenching fists eagerly, visibly excited.
"That's Jinpa Muri and Kuma Rokkaku. Members of the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist, they're said to possess the strength of elite jonins. These two are known outside their ranks as The Unforgiving Duo. Every enemy they've slain ends up reduced to nothing but mangled flesh."
Beside Saitama, a member of the Uchiha clan offered the introduction. He already knew these details and feared that Saitama might not be familiar.
"Mm." Saitama nodded.
"You Mist scum can all drop dead! Ha ha!"
Among the Konoha ninjas too, there were hotheaded guys who couldn't contain themselves when hearing the taunts from the Mist side. He shouted right at the enemy.
"Kill them!"
With a wave of his hand, Jinpa led the charge, ordering his subordinates forward.
"Attack!"
Konoha wasn't backing down either. Their mission this time was straightforward—combat. Plus, everyone here had been handpicked from various units, confident in their ability to handle these seemingly disorganized Mist ninja.
[Whoosh!] Saitama set his sights on the Mist's Seven Ninja Swords. Perhaps only they could offer a decent challenge on this battlefield.
[Swoosh!]
Uchiha burst forth as well, charging forward side by side with Saitama. As the captain of the Second Platoon, this was his duty.
"One on one?" Uchiha Mori's eyes were gleaming too. As an experienced Jonin, handling a single Ninja Sword user shouldn't be a problem.
"Sounds good!" Saitama nodded, instantly accelerating toward Jinpa Muri.
"Die already!"
Jinpa Muri watched coldly as a young Konoha ninja leaped straight at him. He glared with murderous intent.
The two sides clashed instantly, each ninja locking onto their designated opponent. It was only natural that Saitama faced Jinpa Muri, since he represented the peak strength of Konoha's side.
[Whoosh!] The blade sliced through the air and crashed violently against Jinpa Muri's weapon.
[Shshsh!] Seeing the enemy's blade spewing Explosive Tags like a printing press, Saitama narrowed his eyes. His Three-Tomoe spun rapidly as he pushed off the ground.
"Kid, die within this explosion!"
Jinpa Muri wore a smug expression, his murderous intent toward Saitama undeniable. He swung his blade toward Saitama.
[Whoosh!]
Rows of Explosive Tags rained down like a curtain, enveloping Saitama.
[Poom!] Explosions followed closely behind Saitama, continuously echoing.
"Ahh!"
Jinpa Muri's assault disregarded everything, causing indiscriminate damage. Both Konoha and Mist shinobi around the battlefield were caught in the crossfire.
"Heh! Keep dodging, kid!"
Jinpa Muri spoke in a grim tone, watching Saitama constantly evade, not even sparing a glance at fellow Mist ninja who'd been injured by his own attacks.
"This is getting troublesome," Saitama muttered while looking at the craters left by explosions. Though the blast power didn't match real Explosive Tags, there sure were way too many of them!
His eyes locked onto Jinpa Muri, the Tomoe spinning ceaselessly as if searching for an opening.
[Zzzt!]
Blue lightning surged across his hands. Saitama dashed forward, shifting his footing unpredictably to dodge the blasts narrowly grazing past him.
"Hmm?"
Noticing Saitama maneuvering skillfully, Jinpa Muri frowned briefly before grinning cruelly. Showing no fear whatsoever, he abandoned ranged attacks entirely, pushed off the ground, and charged straight at Saitama wielding his sword with his right hand.
"Haha, hurry up and die!" Jinpa Muri cackled strangely, shouting mindless taunts.
[Poom!]
[Poom!]
As he rushed toward Saitama, every step caused loud blasts that sent earth flying into the air. Nearby shinobi instinctively moved away, leaving ample space for the fierce clash between Saitama and Jinpa Muri.
[Zzzt!]
Lightning surged along the blade, solidifying into a crackling arc of energy that extended Saitama's weapon by several centimeters.
"Swish!"
"Swish! Swish!"
The two weapons slashed toward each other at the same time. Saitama's eyes locked onto his opponent's movements.
"Boom!" The twin blades clashed together. A flicker of focus lit Saitama's eyes when he spotted something forming beyond his enemy's blade—small objects like explosive tags winding their way around the sword, inching toward him.
"Crackle! Crack!"
The surge of electricity grew wild before erupting in blinding flashes. Jinpa Muri narrowed his eyes—the vibrations running through his weapon made his grip tremble, nearly slipping from his grasp.
"Thud!"
Jinpa Muri kicked out, forcing Saitama back, and chose to disengage himself, retreating to gain some distance.
"Tsk!"
Saitama smirked. In his eyes, this ninja sword was only slightly dangerous—but the challenge lay in finishing off his enemy amidst all these explosions.
"Time to wrap this up!" Saitama saw that Uchiha Mori had been pushed back repeatedly by his opponent. Clearly, the shinobi named Kuma Rokkaku was more than he could handle alone.
"Zap! Zap!"
Once again, it was electricity—but this time its color was especially dark. Traveling along the blade, the current fully enveloped the sword, making it appear even more monstrous.
This was an enhanced version of Chidori Current—one that compressed the energy of Chidori Current directly onto the blade, giving the lightning the same cutting power as *Chidori*. Its power was undeniably strong.
Jinpa Muri eyed Saitama's transformed blade, a chill crawling up his spine. Even his weapon-holding hand still tingled with numbness.
"Kuma Rokkaku, finish your fight quickly and come help me—I've got my hands full here!"
"Heh heh… So you can't even handle him?" Kuma Rokkaku let out a dark chuckle, yanking his weapon backward. Another wound formed on Uchiha Mori's body.
His weapon was slender and needle-like, with a reinforced steel wire extending from its tip. It could strike from unexpected angles—both through direct slashes and wire-guided movements. A truly bizarre fighting style.
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