Faced with the pincer attack of these two ill omens, Tsunabari Enjin's outcome was without any suspense.
He was not even able to put up a decent resistance. Under the interference of Uchiha Takumi's unpredictable Mangekyo Sharingan pupil technique, his throat was directly torn out by Sora's claw strike entwined with wind and lightning.
The fifth one, and also the last one.
After confirming no more survivors, Sora and Uchiha Takumi glanced at each other. Without any verbal exchange, they both understood the other's meaning.
On the way back, Sora slightly slowed his pace, walking side by side with Uchiha Takumi, and said in a lowered voice:
"Takumi-senpai, regarding the news of Kiri-nin being completely wiped out today, I hope it can be kept from being leaked for now."
Uchiha Takumi glanced at Sora indifferently, seeming to see through his concerns:
"Reason?"
"Konoha is currently fighting on multiple fronts. It's not advisable to overly provoke Kiri. Moreover,"
Sora's gaze swept over Uchiha Takumi's eyes which had returned to black and white, implying something:
"Some abilities, the fewer people who know about them, the better. Externally, we can say the Kiri-nin fled too quickly. We only barely caught up and eliminated one person, such as this Tsunabari Enjin. The specific details should be handled vaguely."
Uchiha Takumi fell silent for a moment.
He had just awakened the Mangekyo and similarly did not want this trump card exposed too early, especially not to attract excessive attention from the village leadership.
Sora's suggestion aligned with the interests of both sides.
"Fine."
...
When the two returned to the chaotic forest area, Might Duy was still kneeling on one knee panting, but his expression had eased somewhat.
Uchiha Ryota was unconscious, leaning against a tree trunk.
Uchiha Takumi instantly appeared beside his younger brother. His newly awakened Mangekyo Sharingan swept over Ryota's injuries, a trace of undetectable heartache flickering in his eyes.
He did not waste words. After nodding to Sora, under the somewhat surprised gazes of Might Guy and Might Duy, he placed a hand on Ryota's shoulder.
The next moment, the space around the two seemed to distort slightly, like ripples on water. Then, the figures of the two vanished from the spot!
"Dis... disappeared?"
Guy's eyes widened. He rubbed them, "Such a fast Shunshin no Jutsu!"
Might Duy also showed a surprised expression:
"As expected of a genius of the Uchiha clan. His mastery of Shunshin no Jutsu probably surpasses that of an ordinary jonin."
Only Sora showed a thoughtful expression. One of Uchiha Takumi's Mangekyo pupil techniques was most likely a space-time ninjutsu.
But Sora had no time to delve deeper into Uchiha Takumi's abilities. The immediate priority was handling the scene.
His gaze first fell upon Genma Shiranui, who was still unconscious.
Fortunately, his breathing was steady. It was just exhaustion of chakra and coma from impact. No immediate danger to life.
Immediately after, Sora quickly began to act.
He first gathered all the corpses and swords of the Kiri Seven Ninja Swordsmen scattered around the area and sealed them into sealing scrolls.
Then, he inspected the areas where he had fought earlier even more meticulously.
Dragon scale fragments, spilled blood, even cut strands of hair...
Anything that could contain his bodily tissue or cell samples was carefully and thoroughly incinerated using his dragon's breath. Even the ashes were washed away with water style, buried in the soil.
He did not want to experience again the unpleasant incident in the Land of Lightning, where he was tracked by Kumo-nin using that "Bloodline Tracing Device"!
Orochimaru's example served as a warning. Any clues that might expose his secrets must be erased.
After quickly completing all this, Sora finally relaxed slightly.
He looked at Might Duy, who had barely stood up, and Guy, who was supporting his father, as well as the unconscious Genma Shiranui, and said solemnly:
"Duy-senpai, Guy, we should not linger here. We must return to Konoha immediately. Duy-senpai, you and Shiranui both need emergency treatment."
Might Duy nodded. He could barely walk now and indeed needed treatment as soon as possible.
Although he had not fully opened the Eight Gates, there were still considerable side effects. Earlier, when assisting Sora against the Kiri-nin, it was already extremely difficult.
On the way back to Konoha, while Genma Shiranui was still unconscious, Sora said seriously to Might Duy and Guy:
"Duy-senpai, Guy, regarding my... form and abilities that you saw today, I hope you can keep it confidential for me. Do not mention it to anyone."
His tone was serious, his gaze fixed on them.
Might Duy, though passionate, was not foolish. He immediately understood Sora's concerns. He nodded forcefully, giving a thumbs up:
"Rest assured, Sora! The promises of youth outweigh everything! Guy and I will not leak a single word!"
"That's right! Sora, you saved me and father, and also Ryota and Shiranui! You are our comrade! I swear on the name of youth, I will absolutely not say anything!"
Guy also promised with a serious face, his eyes filled with gratitude and determination.
Seeing their reactions, Sora felt slightly relieved. He trusted the character of Might Guy and his father.
...
The journey was quiet. The group returned to Konoha Village as quickly as possible.
After successfully delivering the severely injured Might Duy, the lightly injured Guy, and the unconscious Genma Shiranui to Konoha Hospital, Sora, still wearing his tattered clothes, headed directly towards the Hokage Building.
Due to excessive consumption of chakra and physical strength, Sora's face was still somewhat pale, but his physique had already recovered considerably.
Walking on the familiar streets, Sora's mind involuntarily replayed the details of the previous battle and some subtle changes within it.
He remembered that in the original story, the one who encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen along with Might Guy and Genma Shiranui should have been Ebisu. But now it was replaced by Uchiha Ryota...
Also, in the original story, Might Duy was just a perpetual genin, so he could arrive at the scene immediately. But in this timeline, due to Sora's appearance, Might Duy was promoted to chunin and was consequently assigned more, and possibly more distant, missions. This caused Might Duy's arrival for the rescue this time to be actually later than in the original story...
Fortunately, in this timeline, Guy, due to Sora's stimulation and earlier exposure to the Eight Gates, was stronger than his original counterpart at the same age.
And Uchiha Ryota's strength far exceeded Ebisu's. It was the combination of these factors that allowed them to hold out longer under the terrifying Seven Ninja Swordsmen, waiting for the support of Sora and Might Duy.
Thinking of this, Sora couldn't help but feel some emotion in his heart.
The butterfly effect was indeed everywhere. He, this small butterfly, had already, without noticing, changed the fate trajectories of many people.
However, now was not the time to ponder this deeply.
He lifted his head, looked at the familiar Hokage Building in front of him, took a deep breath, and suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his mind.
Next, he needed to selectively report to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, about this mission to the Land of Lightning.
As for the encounter with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and subsequent events, he needed to do the same.
Organizing his thoughts, Sora stepped onto the stairs of the Hokage Building.
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