"Hey! Mori!"
Saitama signaled to Uchiha Mori, dashing toward him.
"Kid! Your opponent is me! Where do you think you're going?"
Jinpa Muri growled, instantly swinging Higachi at Saitama, blocking his path forward.
"Smack!"
The blade struck Higachi. Saitama used the momentum to push off the ground, a flash of lightning coursing over his body.
"Hmph!" Jinpa Muri grunted as he was wounded by Saitama's Chidori Current; his blade was immediately knocked away.
In that instant, several explosive tags slid along the blade and landed at Saitama's feet. Jinpa quickly retreated backward, forming a hand seal with one hand.
"Katsu!" The explosive tags exploded immediately.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Did I get him?" Jinpa Muri's right arm was charred black, but he still stared intently at the spot where the explosion occurred, trying to confirm Saitama's condition.
With so many explosive tags detonating all at once, anyone should be dead by now!
Jinpa thought to himself, yet his body remained in a defensive stance, staying alert for combat.
"Saitama!"
Uchiha Mori saw the explosive tags detonate beneath Saitama. His eyes widened in alarm, but his opponent, Kuma Rokkaku, kept pressing down on him, giving him no chance to intervene.
"Swoosh!"
Just as Jinpa was thinking that, a figure suddenly burst from the smoke of the explosion, instantly appearing before Jinpa Muri.
"What?!"
Jinpa was somewhat surprised—Saitama had no injuries whatsoever, though his clothes were torn and scorched, leaving him dirtier than before.
"Clang!" Although shocked, Jinpa reacted quickly, bringing Higachi up across his chest to block Saitama's attack!
[Lightning Release - Chidori Blade] was the simple but direct name Saitama gave to this technique—a sword charged with Chidori.
"Shing!"
The ninja blade immediately radiated an even brighter glow, its electrical current surging explosively.
"Agh!" Jinpa Muri's pupils constricted. He let go of Higachi instantly—but it was already too late. Saitama's blade bypassed the cleaver, directly slashing toward his chest.
"Back off!"
A cold voice came from Saitama's side-rear. It was Kuma Rokkaku wielding his signature longsword—Shibari Needle!
"Swish!"
His ears also picked up the sound of something slicing through air. Saitama knew enemy attacks were incoming, so he quickly turned sideways—but his sword still slashed downward.
Thanks to Kuma Rokkaku's intervention, Jinpa finally had more reaction time. He twisted his stance and barely dodged Saitama's slash.
But Saitama's attack speed was just that fast—dodging was easier said than done. Accompanied by lightning, the blade cut across Jinpa's shoulder, leaving a deep wound. Blood spurted out fiercely.
"Ahh!"
Jinpa let out a cry and hastily distanced himself from Saitama at greater speed. His weapon—Higachi—fell near Saitama's feet!
"Ding!"
The sword scraped across the enemy's shoulder. Saitama frowned slightly, but immediately swung his blade in a half-circle, bringing it before him to block Kuma Rokkaku's strike.
Saitama deflected the slender blade with a swift parry of his own. Just as Saitama prepared to counterattack, Kuma yanked the long sword back, swiftly returning it into his possession.
"Boom!"
"Uchiha Mori finally managed to break free from Kuma Rokkaku's attack range and landed beside Saitama.
"You okay, ha?" He was heavily exhausted, panting hard with multiple injuries all over his body. Luckily, these were just minor wounds without serious danger.
"I'm fine!" Saitama replied, nodding toward Uchiha Mori while watching the two enemies gathering together again.
"This guy using the Shibari Needle has very strange attack patterns. Pay special attention to those thin, long threads."
Uchiha Mori shared his battle experience with Saitama about his opponent.
"Understood."
Arcs of electricity crackled around Saitama as he watched the two enemies exchange words.
"How embarrassing! You've even lost your weapon. Maybe I should just kill you instead. What a complete waste!" Kuma Rokkaku mocked Jinpa Muri, who was clutching his shoulder and looked roughed up.
"Don't talk nonsense. Just help me finish off this Konoha ninja. He uses Lightning Release and sword techniques — only an Uchiha could be that infamous Konoha Shinigami. As expected, his reputation is well-deserved. His strength is indeed formidable."
Jinpa Muri knew his companion's character well and wasn't particularly bothered, speaking in a sharp, irritated tone.
"Fine, leave him to me!"
Kuma Rokkaku nodded and slowly raised the Shibari Needle high in his hand.
"You handle this one. Go help others." Saitama signaled Uchiha Mori to leave since he wouldn't be much help here and might easily distract him.
"Alright, be careful!" Uchiha understood that there was still some gap between his strength and these enemy shinobi. This battle was best left to Saitama alone, who could not only match but probably dominate them.
"Whoosh!"
Without another word, Saitama planted his foot and launched himself at the enemy like a bolt of lightning, leaving behind a long trail of electricity through the air while spreading a burnt smell everywhere.
"He's coming!" Kuma Rokkaku focused, immediately raising his alertness.
Even though he'd lost the use of one arm from a shoulder wound, Jinpa Muri still gripped a kunai in the other, standing side-by-side with Kuma Rokkaku.
[Lightning Release - Chidori Blade]
His footsteps kept a steady rhythm as he closed in on both enemies.
"Hmm?"
Just as he was about to reach them, his Sharingan instantly detected something unusual — the ground before his enemies looked abnormal.
"Shwa!" Without losing speed, Saitama changed direction and charged at the enemy from another angle.
"Did you notice?" Kuma Rokkaku's mask hid his expression, but his voice was clearly audible to Jinpa Muri.
"Sha!"
"Shwa!"
What seemed like solid ground suddenly tore apart as multiple thin threads snapped back onto Kuma Rokkaku's weapon.
Jinpa Muri blocked Saitama's sword with his kunai, taking continuous electric shocks through his body, but he gritted his teeth and didn't budge an inch.
"Swoosh!" A slender blade quickly approached the back of Saitama's head at tremendous speed!
"Boom!" Saitama kicked Jinpa Muri's thigh hard and dodged sideways.
"Clang!"
Saitama's blade cleaved the kunai in half. Jinpa Muri swiftly discarded his weapon and kept retreating.
Kuma Rokkaku's attack missed again, but he didn't give up. He kept launching attacks.
"Whoosh!"
A bright flash appeared beneath his feet. Saitama felt a tight sensation wrapping around his left calf, and his expression shifted.
"Got it!" Under his mask, Kuma Rokkaku revealed a sinister grin as his left hand yanked forward.
"Not so fast—this ends now!"
"Boom!" As Kuma Rokkaku kept pulling, Saitama's calf exploded into fragments, and his entire body turned into white smoke.
"What?" The moment the white smoke rose, Kuma Rokkaku immediately leaped sideways.
Yet at the instant he left the ground, Saitama appeared on his left side, his sword shining with lightning!
[Lightning Release - Chidori Blade!] Saitama's voice rang out like a death knell. Cold sweat burst from behind Kuma Rokkaku.
"Crap!"
The blade drew closer. It struck true, carving a clean wound across the enemy's chest.
"Zzzrrp!" A clean slash appeared on the left side of Kuma Rokkaku's chest. He flipped backward several times and retreated to a distance.
"Heh... heh..." Standing beside Kuma Rokkaku, Jinpa Muri no longer wore that smug grin—just cold, grim determination.
"This brat's seriously tough to handle! Way too fast!" Panting hard, Kuma Rokkaku clearly struggled.
"Thud!"
Not giving the enemies a chance to breathe, Saitama launched another attack.
The two opponents could only frantically dodge.
"Clang!"
Another Mist ninja entered the battle—this Konoha ninja had sharp teeth and wore only a sleeveless vest.
Now his body bore no wounds, but his weapon dripped with blood from Konoha ninjas.
"Mangetsu Hozuki! Stop him!"
Seeing reinforcements arrive, Jinpa Muri immediately shouted.
"Our seniors look so desperate? That's really not a pretty sight."
Mangetsu Hozuki smiled. One hand gripped his own weapon while the other held the Higachi—the Ninja Sword Jinpa Muri had dropped earlier.
"Senior, here you go! This isn't the ninja sword I want! Though honestly, it handles pretty damn well in my hands!"
Mangetsu Hozuki tossed the Higachi back to Jinpa Muri without holding back his words.
"Hmph!" Catching his weapon, Jinpa Muri suddenly felt confidence returning. His face darkened as he glared at Saitama.
"You're Saitama Uchiha from Konoha, right? You've been on everyone's lips lately."
Mangetsu Hozuki ran his tongue over those razor-sharp teeth, flashing Saitama a smile anything but charming.
"Mangetsu Hozuki?" Saitama watched the enemy calmly. He didn't rush in—he now faced three foes, which wasn't easy.
"We should retreat!" Kuma Rokkaku signaled to Jinpa Muri. They were both wounded now. Continuing the fight wouldn't be wise—even though Mangetsu Hozuki had come for support, despite his strength, he still couldn't match Saitama.
At this time, Mangetsu Hozuki was still very young—not yet a member of the Seven Swordsmen. The weapon in his hand also wasn't among the Seven Swords. Yet he was already considered a candidate for the group.
As a member of the Hozuki clan, he had mastered the usage of all seven ninja swords and even possessed a scroll capable of summoning all seven.
"Fine!"
Jinpa Muri didn't insist further and nodded his head.
"Brat! Next time we meet will be your doom!" Jinpa Muri grasped Kubikiribōchō and slowly walked toward Saitama.
"Hehe! There won't be a next time. Today you'll stay here forever!"
Lightning crackled over Saitama's body. In that moment, it hit him — with his command over Lightning Release, Mangetsu Hozuki's Hydrification Technique was as good as a sieve. Totally ineffective!
"Puff!"
Jinpa Muri dragged his blade along the ground, scattering one Explosive Tag after another.
Saitama stood his ground as Jinpa Muri kept spewing out more and more Explosive Tags. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan [representing advanced eye techniques] revealed confusion. He couldn't make sense of what Jinpa Muri was up to!
But those Explosive Tags kept coming without stopping, many connecting together like a curtain.
"Konoha ninja! Retreat!" Kuma Rokkaku shouted before quickly running backward. His chest wound continued bleeding nonstop, so he wanted to return to the rear for treatment as soon as possible.
Saitama didn't move, because Jinpa Muri kept releasing more and more Explosive Tags. In an instant, they covered the entire area, continuously spilling out from one side of the sword.
Many Konoha ninja also witnessed this scene, keeping an even greater distance away. Even some fleeing Mist ninja dared not approach.
After all, Jinpa Muri was blocking right here with so many Explosive Tags!
"Goodbye! Brat!" Watching the Mist ninja who could retreat in time already running behind him, Jinpa Muri looked at those still unable to escape with a cruel smile.
"Shsh!"
The blade severed its connection with the Explosive Tags. Jinpa Muri made a gesture with his mouth before rapidly retreating backward, with Mangetsu Hozuki following closely beside him.
"No, sir!"
Some Mist ninja were held back by Konoha ninja and couldn't retreat promptly. Seeing Jinpa Muri's actions, they cried out in despair.
"Boom!"
"Boom!" "Boom!"
The explosive blast from the tags shattered Konoha's hopes of pressing the chase any further!
And Saitama had long since left that area, hiding safely aside without getting caught in the blast.
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