Dead beyond dead.
The power of Green Mountain Flowing Clouds was no joke.
"Attack together!"
Hōzuki Mangetsu, the leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, immediately realized that this Aoyama Ryūun was nothing like their previous opponents.
At his command, the swordsmen instantly shifted formations—
they began to spread out, attempting to isolate and surround Aoyama Ryūun.
"That's more interesting."
A group fight was always better; fighting them one-on-one was far too dull.
The first to rush in were the wielders of the Exploding Blade, Kiba.
A sword that could detonate on impact—certainly interesting.
Unfortunately—
"Slash Wave!"
Golden sword aura flashed across Kirigakure's battlefield for the first time.
With a single strike, he took the life of the Exploding Blade's wielder.
"What is this?!"
Before they could even process it, the Kiba user was already dead.
The difference in strength was simply too overwhelming.
"Lion's Might — Thousand Cut Valley!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Golden sword aura flooded the battlefield.
Countless blades of light swept toward the Seven Ninja Swordsmen like a storm.
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions echoed continuously.
Even the famed Mist swords couldn't endure Aoyama Ryūun's sword aura.
The Kubikiribōchō was torn from its wielder's grasp and split clean in two.
Nuibari's wires snapped apart.
Hiramekarei was shattered.
The only weapon that remained intact was Samehada.
Samehada was a living blade.
The moment it sensed danger, it abandoned its wielder.
No matter how the Watermelon Pufferfish Demon tried to force it to move, Samehada refused to cooperate, thus escaping unharmed.
Run.
Run!
"A monster! He's definitely a monster!"
One by one, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen fell.
Their arrogance evaporated instantly — fear finally took hold.
They didn't even dare look back at Aoyama Ryūun; they abandoned the mission and fled.
"Oh my, running already? That's no fun."
With a casual flick, Ryūun unleashed two more arcs of sword aura.
Hōzuki Mangetsu and Biwa Jūzō, who hadn't made it far, were bisected instantly.
The Watermelon Pufferfish Demon's eyelids twitched violently at the sight.
His escape speed skyrocketed.
And despite his size — massive and round as he was — the Watermelon Pufferfish Demon proved shockingly fast when running for his life.
"Well… forget it."
Shrugging, Aoyama Ryūun watched the fleeing Suigetsu Hōzuki and sheathed Kogarashi and Sakura-ju.
He could chase, but there was no need.
If Suigetsu Hōzuki didn't escape alive, how would Kirigakure ever learn what had happened here?
Aoyama Ryūun wanted him to carry a message back to the entire village:
I — Golden Lion Aoyama Ryūun — have arrived on the Mist battlefield.
As for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?
They were now a complete joke.
Even if only one remained alive, Suigetsu Hōzuki wasn't about to inspire fear in anyone.
…
Regaining his composure, Aoyama Ryūun still stood with his hands behind his back.
"That was incredible!"
The ease with which he annihilated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen left Might Guy and the others filled with unfiltered admiration.
Too strong. Ridiculously strong. Terrifyingly strong.
It wasn't hard to imagine how reassuring it must be to have such a leader on their side.
Surely the Kirigakure front wouldn't take long to settle now.
"You—"
Turning around, Aoyama Ryūun was about to speak.
After all, Might Guy was someone who would one day kick Six Paths Madara Uchiha himself.
After Tsunade's era, Might Guy became an irreplaceable force of Konoha.
But before Ryūun could finish, a man appeared — thick eyebrows identical to Guy's, dressed in the exact same green jumpsuit.
To put it simply: a green turtle — and an extremely ugly one at that.
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But when he saw the newcomer, Aoyama Ryūun raised an eyebrow.
This had to be Might Duy.
"Guy! You died a horrible death!"
Before Ryūun could speak, the man shouted loudly, startling him.
"My son! I will avenge you with might!"
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
With a series of furious roars, Might Duy charged straight at Aoyama Ryūun like a madman.
"…As expected, not the brightest."
The Might family's intelligence level clearly carried strong hereditary traits.
Bang!
With a casual backhand, Ryūun slapped away the incoming kick.
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"Amazing!"
His full-force kick had been brushed aside like nothing.
Might Duy stared at Aoyama Ryūun in shock — then grew serious.
"Looks like I'll have to use Konoha's Lotus!"
The "lotus" in question was, of course, the Eight Gates Formation.
But just as Duy completed the stance for opening the Eight Gates—
"Dad, what are you doing? Why are you attacking Lord Ryūun?"
Might Guy's nervous voice came from behind Ryūun.
"Huh?"
Duy froze in place, completely forgetting the Eight Gates he was about to unleash.
…
After Guy explained everything in detail, Might Duy finally understood the situation.
"I-I'm so sorry! Lord Ryūun, I deeply apologize! I didn't see Guy just now, and seeing all the destruction here, I thought…"
He was just a genin of Konoha, while the man before him was a hero of the village.
The problem was simple: Might Duy had panicked.
The surrounding environment — torn apart by Aoyama Ryūun — looked like the aftermath of a brutal war.
From Duy's angle, Guy's figure had been completely hidden behind Ryūun's.
For a terrifying moment, he believed he had lost his son.
Panic had overridden reason.
Only now had he regained clarity.
...
"Enough."
In response to Duy's repeated apologies, Aoyama Ryūun simply waved dismissively.
He understood the misunderstanding and didn't hold it against them.
After all, he knew the outburst came from a father's desperation.
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