Chapter 4 — Clash with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen
"Eighty. Eighty. Eighty."
Relying on the foresight granted by Kagura's Mind's Eye, Namikaze Yami had completely transformed into a battlefield scavenger.
Staring at the steadily climbing numbers, he even slipped into a strange, almost meditative calm—as if he'd entered a sage-like state.
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[Multiversal Rare Pawnshop]
[Host: Namikaze Yami]
[Current Pawn Points: 2120]
[Redeemable Items: ...…]
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Through his perception, he sensed that all personnel on the battlefield—dozens of kilometers away—were converging toward the center of Uzushiogakure. At this rate, the Uzumaki resistance wouldn't last much longer.
Just as Yami was preparing to withdraw, two familiar chakra signatures suddenly entered his perception, heading straight for the small house where he had previously hidden.
"Kato and Shimizu… what are those two doing entering the combat zone?"
When Konoha ninja infiltrated enemy territory, they always left specialized markers along the way so that later arrivals could determine the correct route. Those two were clearly following the signs left behind by Jōnin Itō.
As for Yami himself—he'd been far too engrossed in looting corpses to remember something like that.
Seeing that the two had violated Itō's orders and failed to retreat in time, Yami didn't believe for a second that they'd come out of goodwill to provide support.
He strengthened his perception—
And soon detected a foreign chakra lurking not far behind them.
That ninja's concealment was genuinely impressive. Without careful scrutiny, Yami might not have noticed him at all.
But there were no ifs in ninja warfare.
Battles were decided by information—and with his advantage in foresight, Yami decided it was time to get out.
Just as he was about to avoid the two and leave in the opposite direction, another familiar chakra appeared in his perception—
Itō Makoto.
The jōnin was also heading toward the small house.
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"Up ahead. That's the place."
Shimizu Kenma and Kato Taka moved through the ruins of the battlefield, their expressions stiff and unnatural as they followed the coded markers.
Before long, they reached the house.
Seeing the pool of blood outside and the headless Mist ninja corpse, they immediately confirmed that a fierce battle had taken place here.
Before they could call out, just as they were about to push the door open—
Namikaze Yami stepped out from inside, his expression icy as he barked at them:
"Jōnin Itō ordered you both to stay put. Why did you disobey the command?"
The two froze when they saw it was Yami. Being scolded so harshly by a junior genin made their expressions darken.
"Watch your tone, kid," Kato snapped back.
"We came to provide support. Where's Jōnin Itō?"
Yami ignored the question.
His sharp gaze swept over their slightly trembling hands, then dropped to their ankles—where he clearly sensed the presence of nearly invisible steel wires.
"You violated orders and infiltrated the battlefield," Yami said coldly.
"And how do you explain the tail behind you?"
Before either of them could respond, a voice like a venomous snake slid out from the shadows behind them:
"Oh? So you noticed. Seems Konoha ninja aren't all trash after all."
A ghostly figure emerged—
Kuriarare Kushimaru.
The Seven Ninja Swordsman wore a pale mask, his presence chilling. With a slight tug on his long blade, Nuibari, the once-invisible steel wires flared with cold light, instantly binding Shimizu and Kato.
Blood began to stream down along the wires.
"So," Kushimaru said, studying Yami's young face with interest,
"this must be your other teammate."
"Tell me where your squad's jōnin is," he continued lightly,
"and I might consider sparing your lives."
At the right moment, Yami put on an expression of fury and shouted at the two:
"You betrayed the village!"
Kato Taka's face went deathly pale as he lowered his head in shame.
Shimizu Kenma, on the other hand, completely broke down.
"What choice did we have?! We couldn't even resist! We just wanted to live!"
"Tch. Too much nonsense."
Kushimaru seemed to lose his patience. His blade twitched, the steel wires tightening further—clearly about to end them.
At that instant—
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."
At that very moment, Jōnin Itō Makoto arrived.
A continuous stream of Fire Release burst from his mouth, streaking straight toward Kuriarare Kushimaru.
Kushimaru reacted instantly. Seeing a jōnin enter the field, he didn't dare be careless—abandoning Shimizu and Kato without hesitation, his body retreated lightly, drifting backward like a feather.
The long blade in his hand flashed as he sliced apart several incoming fireballs whose power had already weakened due to distance.
"Are you alright?"
As Kushimaru pulled back, Itō Makoto flashed forward, positioning himself in front of Namikaze Yami. His gaze locked onto the formidable enemy ahead, full of vigilance.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Shimizu and Kato—just freed from captivity—and immediately grasped the situation.
"Deal with the enemy first," Itō said in a low voice.
"Genin Namikaze, act as the situation demands."
As he spoke, he gave Yami a quick hand signal—withdraw immediately. It was clear he intended to hold Kushimaru back on his own.
"A big fish finally bites," Kushimaru said coldly.
"Catching small fry on the outskirts was getting boring."
The trace of mockery in his tone was gone.
The battle erupted in an instant.
As a seasoned jōnin, Itō Makoto fought with calm precision, alternating between Fire Release and Earth Release, the two flowing together with veteran mastery.
He constantly repositioned, tugging at Kushimaru's range, never lingering in one spot. Against Nuibari, the Longsword Stitcher, prolonged combat was like walking into a meticulously woven net—one careless step, and the steel wires would close.
Meanwhile, Yami hoisted the movement-impaired Shimizu Kenma and Kato Taka, retreating rapidly toward the forest.
In the fierce exchange, Itō Makoto was ultimately outmatched. Kushimaru seized a fleeting opening and slashed his arm, disrupting his ninjutsu flow.
"Now!"
"Longsword Ninja Art: Earth Spider Bind!"
Kushimaru struck decisively.
Countless steel wires burst up around Itō Makoto like the massive trawl of an ocean fishing vessel, snapping shut in an instant.
Even with all his effort to evade, Itō couldn't escape unscathed. His legs were severed by the wires, while many others cut deep into his flesh. Blood poured freely.
The situation collapsed in a heartbeat.
Yami, burdened with two liabilities, hadn't made it far before Kushimaru swung Nuibari again. Dense steel wires shot toward the trio like a storm.
Seeing Kushimaru abandon him to pursue his subordinates, Itō Makoto desperately wanted to help—but with his legs gone, he could only watch as the wires engulfed them.
"It's over," Kushimaru pronounced coldly.
He turned back toward Itō Makoto, Nuibari thrusting straight for the jōnin's throat.
—Splash.
Within the web of steel wires, Namikaze Yami dissolved into a puddle of water.
At the same instant, from within the forest nearby, Yami's true body seized this hard-won opportunity. His hands, already poised, snapped through seals at blinding speed.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
(the forty-four-seal, honest-man version)
A massive water dragon roared into existence, surging toward the momentarily overconfident Kushimaru and catching him completely off guard.
After all, from the interrogation of Shimizu and Kato, he'd learned that this was nothing more than an ordinary four-man squad.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Kushimaru spun around in haste, erecting a defensive wall. At the same time, he poured chakra into Nuibari, weaving its steel wires into a dense net.
The Water Dragon smashed through the hastily formed Water Wall with unstoppable force—yet its momentum faltered, the body of the dragon shredded apart by the tightly knit steel-wire net.
And at that very moment, the temporarily ignored Itō Makoto moved.
Hands flying through seals, he forcibly gathered his remaining chakra.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Technique!"
Even from a distance, the blazing flames carried terrifying power.
Caught in a pincer attack, Kushimaru was finally driven into a perilous position.