"Fallen to darkness… Hozuki Mangetsu, watch your mouth!"
Terumi Mei's beautiful face showed clear anger as she glared forward, her body trembling slightly.
"Heh… a filthy woman with a filthy body. The Fourth Mizukage-sama has already seen through the scheme. You're trying to ally with the Uchiha to overthrow his rule. I advise you to give up the resistance now!"
Hozuki Mangetsu spoke coldly.
As he spoke, he unstrapped the Samehada from his back. The white bandages smoothly unraveled and fell into the sea.
Dark blue barbs stood up all over the sword's body, and the base opened into a massive white-toothed maw — like a grotesque deep-sea pufferfish.
Standing beside Hozuki Mangetsu was another figure familiar to both Terumi Mei and Ao — the wielder of the Thunder Sword: Kiba, Kurosuki Raiga.
Terumi Mei's expression turned helpless. She looked to the side at Yu and sighed,
"Sorry… looks like we were gone from Kirigakure too long. The Mizukage must've caught on."
Yu remained expressionless. He calmly met the gaze of the two remaining members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and said lightly,
He didn't bother to explain to Terumi Mei that her Mizukage had long ago become nothing more than a puppet under someone's control.
Hearing this, the others belatedly realized that the one who had sliced their ship earlier wasn't either of these two.
Ripples spread across the water near the stern of the sunken ship.
A figure slowly rose from the sea: a ninja clad in gray-white Kirigakure ANBU armor, wearing a Missing-nin forehead protector, and holding the Executioner's Blade.
Everyone turned to look.
Ao cried out in alarm:
The newcomer was none other than the wielder of the Executioner's Blade — and the one who had sliced the ship cleanly in two from underwater.
Hozuki Mangetsu's expression darkened. He shook his massive belly, raised Samehada, and sneered as he pointed it at Zabuza:
"You came back just to die?"
Everyone looked confused. Judging by the tone, Zabuza didn't seem to be an ally.
"It's just a mission. Before I leave the village for good, let's work together one last time."
"Hmph, just a bunch of trash. The Uchiha clan might be famous in the ninja world, but you're nothing more than a bunch of useless cowards."
Hozuki Mangetsu spat as he swept his gaze across the Uchiha, his tone full of arrogance. Still, he didn't reject Zabuza's proposal to cooperate.
The Uchiha all wore dark expressions.
Only Uchiha Yu knew the truth: Zabuza had already been recruited by the Akatsuki and defected from Kirigakure. His appearance here was most likely under Obito's orders.
As for Hozuki Mangetsu and Kurosuki Raiga — they were probably being manipulated by Obito through the controlled Fourth Mizukage to block the Uchiha's path.
This strategy may seem unhinged…
But since the Mist ninja weren't Obito's direct subordinates, using them to wear down the Uchiha's forces was a decent tactic.
Back during the Third Great Ninja War, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had assaulted Konoha — only to be nearly wiped out by Might Duy. These three were all that remained.
Yu sighed inwardly. Obito sure went out of his way — knowing Yu was coming, he even sent the last three remaining Swordsmen straight to him.
"Kirigakure shouldn't be …"
Terumi Mei wanted to object, but seeing how each of the three had their own hidden agenda and no intention of restoring order, she clenched her teeth and fell silent.
She swept her gaze over the Mist's legendary swords. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with an idea.
If Yu could resolve Kirigakure's crisis, gifting one of the Seven Swords to the Uchiha would be a good gesture of sincerity.
She had been fretting over not having a worthy gift — this was a perfect solution.
"Enough talk. Once I'm done with you, I've got more important things to do!"
After a long silence, Raiga suddenly spoke.
"Hey, you two idiots—don't underestimate Konoha ninjas!"
All three men were briefly reminded of their humiliating near-death experience at Might Duy's hands.
"Let me see the strength of a so-called Konoha S-rank missing-nin. Don't disappoint me — you look like a guy who just hides among women!"
Hozuki Mangetsu snarled and leapt into the air with shocking agility and speed for his size, swinging Samehada down toward Yu.
Before Yu could react—
Tsunade, seemingly offended by Mangetsu's words, struck with righteous fury. She timed her attack perfectly, focusing her chakra into a side kick that slammed into his belly.
Monster Strength meets Chakra!
Her Heavenly Foot of Pain tore through his jellylike flesh — his ribs shattered with a series of crisp cracks.
Mangetsu's eyes bulged, blood vessels popping in the whites as he coughed up blood. Like a deflated balloon, he was sent flying over ten meters into the air—
—and came crashing down into the sea, vanishing under the surface in a great splash.
Had it not been for his obesity absorbing much of the impact, Tsunade's kick might have killed him on the spot.
The surrounding Uchiha, along with Terumi Mei and Ao, all looked in disbelief at the valiant Tsunade.
Only now did they remember she was one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin.
Seeing Mangetsu taken out in a single blow, Kurosuki Raiga and Zabuza both felt phantom pain in their guts. Their faces froze.
Before accepting this mission, none of their superiors had warned them that someone of this level would be in the Uchiha's party.
Both men studied Tsunade more carefully — their pupils dilating. Clearly, they'd just remembered something important.
He glanced at Tsunade, who was catching her breath after the kick, chest rising and falling. He still couldn't figure this woman out.
She'd just said there was nothing between them…
And now she wouldn't let anyone touch him.
Tsunade looked away into the distance, unwilling to meet his eyes.
"Thanks to Yu's treatment, Lady Tsunade's hemophobia seems much better now…"
Shizune, hugging Tonton, muttered quietly.
That fat guy had just vomited blood — yet Tsunade wasn't fazed at all.
Maybe Yu really could cure her trauma. A few more sessions and her phobia might be completely healed.
"Captain, I've detected Mist ninja approaching…"
Nonou scanned the sea around them and noticed over twenty black figures rapidly closing in from all directions like schools of fish.
She had activated her Byakugan early to keep watch.
Ao also activated his Byakugan and swept the waters — his expression gradually turned grave.
As he passed Tsunade, he summoned his Black Blade and walked straight toward Kurosuki Raiga.
Raiga clutched his Thunder Sword: Kiba, staring forward. Suddenly, a thick mist began to rise from the sea's surface.
It was his secret move — Hidden Mist Jutsu.
Tsunade turned back to glance coldly at Yu, let out a quiet scoff, then walked haughtily back to the team, no longer interested in getting involved.
The other Uchiha drew their blades and, guided by Nonou's directions, intercepted the Mist ninja before they could fully engage — heavily damaging the enemy unit.
This was the advantage of having sensory-type ninjas.
With just one Byakugan user, they had a kind of x-ray vision — able to determine not just numbers, but whether any surprise attacks were coming.
Even as the sea grew increasingly shrouded in mist, the Byakugan's penetrating sight remained unaffected.
"Captain, watch your footing."
While tracking the Uchiha's battle, Nonou also kept some of her focus on Yu.
Yu activated his Mangekyo Sharingan — left eye Amaterasu, right eye Kamui — their mismatched patterns glowing in his sockets.
With his ability, any Mangekyo Sharingan he acquired could be freely combined and swapped.
At that moment, sensing movement in the sea, he predicted a bulky figure rising from the water to strike—
He dodged to the side just in time.
The previously defeated Hozuki Mangetsu emerged again, wielding Samehada and aiming a fierce blow at Yu.
For an average person — even a ninja — suffering bilateral rib fractures would be a guaranteed KO.
But Mangetsu, despite being kicked into the ocean, had held tight to Samehada and used its stored chakra to rapidly heal himself.
He was already almost fully recovered.
The Samehada in Hozuki Mangetsu's hands came crashing down like a massive hammer toward Yu. Seizing this opportunity, Mangetsu crawled out of the water and roared:
Yu raised his black blade to block the blow. With the Mangekyō Sharingan guiding the optimal counter-attack route, he immediately launched a fierce counter-offensive—strike after strike falling like lightning.
The pitch-black blade seemed to slice through space itself.
Mangetsu's pupils shrank—he hadn't expected Yu to retaliate so quickly after blocking. In a panic, he lifted the giant Samehada to block.
The slash of Yu's black blade, devoid of any chakra enhancement, left only shallow white marks on Samehada's barbs.
Seeing that Yu couldn't break through his defense, Mangetsu was overjoyed and quickly activated Samehada's chakra absorption ability.
But Yu's Mangekyō Sharingan noticed the subtle internal changes within Samehada. His right eye spun, blood seeping out as he cast:
Blood flowed down Yu's cheek as his chakra plummeted, the pain piercing into his mind.
The black blade ignited in fierce black flames. Samehada, which had just begun absorbing chakra, instead swallowed a mouthful of Amaterasu's undying black fire.
A burning pain surged forth. Samehada howled in agony, its body writhing and its barbs bristling, trying desperately to break free from Mangetsu's grip.
Mangetsu's expression froze in shock. He stabbed Samehada into the sea, only to realize in horror—the black flames weren't extinguished.
Yu followed up immediately with another slash. The black flames vanished from his blade as it switched to Wind Release mode, vibrating at extreme frequency.
The surrounding air trembled.
Mangetsu felt a slicing force sharp enough to sever anything.
He raised Samehada again, but Yu's black blade now cut straight through countless barbs on the sword's body.
The immense pain made Samehada twist and struggle. Burned by the Amaterasu flames, it opened its fanged mouth and bit Mangetsu.
Samehada was a living weapon. When tortured and unable to defeat its foe, it turned its wrath against its own master.
Mangetsu cried out in terror and violently flung his arm, shaking Samehada off and forming hand seals with both hands.
He intended to use Water Release to stop Yu—but then saw a flash of orange light reflect in Yu's eyes.
Yu instantly summoned his orange-red Susanoo, and the Totsuka Blade pierced through Mangetsu's body, stunning him.
Yu didn't use Amaterasu to kill him outright—he planned to keep Mangetsu as chakra fuel.
"If you had… this kind of power… why didn't you use it from the beginning… cough cough…"
Mangetsu's pupils contracted. As he coughed violently, the blood he spat was incinerated by the orange flames. He asked hoarsely.
If he had known the Uchiha had this kind of power from the start, there was no way he would've accepted this mission.
"Start off with my ultimate form?"
Yu scoffed inwardly. His cold gaze shifted away from Mangetsu's body without answering.
Then he looked around for Kurosuki Raiga—only to realize the guy had vanished into the mist and escaped.
"Captain, that guy ran south. And the one who sliced our ship earlier is heading toward the island. Tamao and the others are pursuing."
Nonou scanned the surroundings and reported.
Yu sealed Hozuki Mangetsu into the Totsuka Blade, turning him into stored chakra.
No wonder these three were the only surviving members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. When things went south, they were quick to flee.
After finishing, Yu turned slowly. His Mangekyō Sharingan scanned the mist and precisely locked onto the fleeing Raiga.
The Susanoo's right hand holding the Totsuka Blade extended violently—transforming into a forty-meter-long sword, piercing Kurosuki Raiga's back and pulling him into the genjutsu sealing realm.
Yu didn't cancel his Susanoo. He walked forward slowly. The Susanoo's hand reached into the sea and fished out both the Samehada and the Thunder Sword: Kiba.
With his left eye's Kamui, Yu sucked the last bit of black flame from Samehada's mouth into his Kamui space. Then he released it and transferred it onto the sea's surface, letting it burn freely.
Having been tormented by Amaterasu, Samehada had become very obedient—trembling quietly in Yu's grasp.
He casually tossed the two swords backward toward Nonou.
Nonou scrambled to catch both Samehada and the Thunder Swords.
Soon after, Tamao returned, carrying the Executioner's Blade and the unconscious Zabuza, with the Uchiha, Terumi Mei, and Ao following behind.
"Heh, I thought this guy was some big shot—turns out he was nothing."
Tamao sounded disappointed as he threw Zabuza in front of Yu, who promptly sealed him away.
Terumi Mei and Ao both looked embarrassed.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were supposed to be Kirigakure's top-tier forces—yet they looked… painfully average before Yu.
Terumi Mei looked at the three ninja swords in Nonou's hands. After a moment of thought, she turned to Yu and said dejectedly:
"You may choose one of the three swords as a gift from Kirigakure—consider it a welcome token."
She could have said nothing—but she feared Yu might just keep all three blades without ever mentioning it again.
Yu gazed toward Kirigakure and replied calmly:
"No rush. Once the mission's over, we'll settle accounts. Until then, I'll hold onto them for safekeeping."
"This… doesn't feel quite right."
Terumi Mei and Ao both wore bitter smiles. Yu's meaning was very clear.
He wanted the swords. He wanted the tailed beasts. He wanted everything.
Tamao, hoisting the Executioner's Blade, grinned excitedly:
"I . At least if the swords are with us, they won't get lost. If you miss them, you can come visit."
Terumi Mei felt a chill—like she had just invited a wolf into her house.
"Let's go. We wouldn't want your Fourth Mizukage-sama to wait too long."
Yu swept his gaze across the group and stepped forward, walking over the water toward the island ahead.
"Captain, allow me to wipe your blood."
Izumi stepped quickly out of the group and took out an embroidered handkerchief, walking up to Yu.
He took it from her hand.
While wiping his blood, Yu thought silently.
Obito had really gone all out to stop him. After witnessing his full-body Susanoo, Obito didn't dare send large numbers of Mist ninja, only small elite squads.
Who knew what surprises still waited in Kirigakure?
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