No need for many words - just from Kakashi's look, Obito understood his intention.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Obito immediately gathered chakra in his throat, formed the hand seals at high speed, and unleashed a huge fireball toward the nearest enemy, Raiga.
Because of his ninjato's abilities, Raiga had put more effort into Lightning Release, but as a Hidden Mist Jonin, he also had a decent Water Release at his disposal.
Facing the incoming fireball, Raiga didn't dodge - instead he spat out a stream of water to neutralize Obito's Great Fireball.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh!
After releasing the Great Fireball, Obito used its flame-blinding effect as cover while Shisui threw several flame-imbued shuriken toward Raiga.
Kakashi, who had been building up power, clenched his White Fang tanto. He converted all the chakra in his legs into lightning nature chakra to activate his cells and boost his strength. As soon as Raiga showed any sign of weakness, Kakashi planned to strike with his lightning blade.
Because of the reputation and strength gap, the members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen didn't treat them as serious opponents. Kakashi hoped to seize this opportunity to focus-fire and instantly kill one of them - that would make the rest of the fight much easier.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
Juzo formed the seals and released a water dragon that wrapped around Raiga. The water blocked the flame shuriken launched by Shisui, and then the water dragon continued crashing toward Kakashi and the others.
Kakashi let out a small sigh in his heart. Even if they weren't regarded as true opponents, the enemy was still the famous Seven Ninja Swordsmen - their trick had already been seen through.
The next moment, four of them - Fuguki, Jinin, Kushimaru, and Raiga - drew their swords simultaneously and charged, ready to end the fight quickly.
"Eight Inner Gates, first gate: Gate of Opening - Open! Second... up to the fourth gate: Gate of Pain - Open!" Guy roared and immediately activated the fourth of the Eight Inner Gates, concentrating his breathing to the extreme.
Now that Guy could reliably open the fifth gate under normal conditions, doing so in actual combat was risky - you couldn't just throw out all your trump cards.
"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"
Guy unleashed all his strength, his body flickering as he approached Jinin - the closest target - in a blur, and delivered a fierce Whirlwind Kick.
"Your speed's not bad, but you picked the wrong opponent." Jinin raised his hammer to block Guy's powerful kick, and with his free hand he swung the blade toward Guy.
He was the "hardest fist" among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. It was absurd for Guy to think he could match him with taijutsu.
But Jinin underestimated Guy's body control and combat experience.
As the heavy blunt sword swung, Guy stayed calm, twisted his body to dodge the blow, and struck the hammer with a chakra-infused palm strike.
"Konoha Hand Blade!"
Bang!!
The impact sent Jinin reeling backwards, his hammer-wielding hand trembling numb from the force.
Jinin looked at Guy in surprise - the hammer had been forged from rare materials, rigid as any ninjato. A normal person would have fractured bones from that shockwave - yet Guy seemed untouched.
"Is his palm made of iron?" Jinin asked himself subconsciously.
Guy's body toughness was a little abnormal.
Of course Jinin didn't know Guy's Stone Breathing had become quite proficient - when highly focused, it could drastically boost his physical defense. He couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.
"Even if your body is made of iron, I can still chop you into iron shreds!" After a brief shock, Jinin calmed down.
Forget calling someone "made of iron." Even if he were a real iron man, Jinin believed he could use his blunt sword Helmet Splitter to break him to pieces.
"Flash!"
Although Raiga hadn't revealed a killable flaw yet, with the arrow on the string he had to fire - Kakashi wasn't about to waste the power he had built up, especially since his chakra was limited.
Swish!
Kakashi exploded with Thunder Breathing, charging toward Raiga like a bolt of lightning.
"Lightning Release: Raiga!"
Before Kakashi could get close, Raiga brandished two Thunder Swords and generated a torrent of lightning around him. The blast forced Kakashi to brake hard.
He didn't have enough chakra to cover himself with a Chakra Arms defensive layer.
Whoosh!
After forcing Kakashi to stop, Raiga immediately used Body Flicker Jutsu to dash toward him. The two long Thunder Swords moved with incredible agility, like lightning‑spewing vipers.
Facing a renowned elite from the ninja world, Kakashi dared not be careless. He immediately activated Transparent World. His perception shifted.
Once inside Transparent World, Kakashi could clearly feel Raiga's speed slowing - or more precisely, his own observation became sharper and his own speed increased.
Clang!
Raiga's swung Thunder Swords were easily blocked by Kakashi.
Raiga swung his longswords several times in succession with a blank expression, but each slash was perfectly blocked by Kakashi - even though Raiga had two longswords, he couldn't break through the defense formed by Kakashi holding only a tanto.
Each of Kakashi's blocks was flawless: he exerted no extra force, yet none of Raiga's strikes even grazed his clothes.
Raiga frowned slightly. His swordsmanship might not be top‑tier among Hidden Mist, but it was considered good - and yet he was being suppressed by a ten‑year‑old kid.
Although on the surface their blades seemed evenly matched, in reality Raiga had fallen into a disadvantage: every one of his attacks was anticipated by Kakashi, as if even his underwear had been read.
Raiga immediately realized Kakashi had extraordinary talent in kenjutsu - in the samurai era he might have become a sword saint.
"Ninjas value ninjutsu above all!" Raiga retreated rapidly, gathered chakra, and unleashed lightning from his two Thunder Swords toward Kakashi.
As an assassin, Raiga never acted recklessly - even if after all these years of training his kenjutsu lost to a ten‑year‑old's, fighting him to the bitter end would just be suicide.
Within just a minute, Kakashi's White Fang Tanto had already left two slashes on Raiga's body.
Kakashi sprang into a lightning‑fast dodge, showing a look of regret on his face. He had hoped Raiga had enough pride as a ninja; then perhaps Kakashi could defeat him in a short time. But alas, ninjas rarely put pride into battles.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Thanks to Obito's flame breathing, his nature release was constantly reinforced. He concentrated a large amount of chakra in his throat, converted it to fire chakra, and expelled great waves of flame - forming a large sea of fire within seconds.
The fire sea evaporated the incoming Water Dragon Bullet, and the remaining blaze split into two smaller fire dragons that charged toward Fuguki and Kushimaru.
In fact, the Water Dragon Bullet wasn't fast - just like a Great Fireball, it was easy to dodge. But given the situation now, Obito couldn't afford to dodge.
Because not every ninja has the ability to face the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist - if you get caught with a flaw while dodging, you could fall into serious danger.
To protect Rin and the others, Obito had to use ninjutsu to block.
Shisui silently activated his Sharingan, his crimson eyes fixed on Kushimaru and Fuguki. In the next moment, he used Body Flicker Jutsu to flash toward them - he couldn't allow them to get close.
Obito's Fire Dragon Flame Bullet under Flame Breathing chakra mode was limited in power, and with the fire reduced to residual flames, Fuguki merely swung his Samehada and cleaved the fire in two. Feeling the heat, the handle of Samehada twisted twice, tapping lightly against Fuguki's arm - the sword disliked such scorching heat.
Samehada is a massive blade - a detail that normally wouldn't be noticed, but Shisui's Three‑Tomoe Sharingan saw it. It made him think of something.
"Phantom Body Flicker!!"
The battle was urgent. Without time to reflect, Shisui activated ninjutsu and created dozens of Illusion Shadow Clones that enveloped Kushimaru and Fuguki.
"Shadow Clones? Impossible - there shouldn't be enough chakra for that." Fuguki shook his head.
It wasn't unheard of for ninja with enough chakra to create dozens of clones, but those with such chakra wouldn't waste it like that - it would be pointless.
Swish swish!!
Kushimaru swung his long‑needle‑like blade at incredible speed, piercing the necks of three of Shisui's clones surrounding him.
But strangely, the stabbed clones didn't disappear, nor were there any wounds on their bodies - they were like illusions.
Just when they thought all those Shisui around them were mere illusions, a few Shisui in fact launched real attacks, forcing the two to halt their advance.
Obito took the chance to shield the three weakest members and they retreated toward the rear.
"Sharingan, illusions, physical forms - must be a genjutsu," Kushimaru thought coldly, connecting everything together and arriving at the answer in an instant.
Without hesitation, he slammed a palm strike onto Fuguki to disrupt the chakra flow and break the genjutsu.
Once the genjutsu was lifted, Fuguki saw only three Shisui: two Shadow Clones and one real body.
"A genius not on the list? Looks like our luck this time is even better than we thought," Fuguki immediately slapped Kushimaru back.
Since the genjutsu was done with Sharingan, simply knowing you're under genjutsu doesn't break it - the simplest way is having someone else help.
Shisui, whose ninjutsu had been exposed, didn't panic. The opponents were members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, so he was prepared for the possibility of being cracked.
Kushimaru and Fuguki exploded chakra and charged toward Shisui. They didn't bother worrying Obito could run - the other three members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist weren't there to watch.
"Trying to abandon your comrades and run away? Too bad, you won't even make it that far." Juzo used Water Body Flicker Jutsu to block their path, placing the Executioner's Blade horizontally as if forbidding passage.
Jinpachi silently raised his blast sword "Splash" to block another direction, while the wounded Hidden Mist Jonin stood beside him.
"Who would abandon their comrades? Don't underestimate us!" Obito protected Rin behind him and immediately entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode.
At this moment, he didn't care about consuming chakra. He had witnessed the fights of Kakashi and Guy - no member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist should be underestimated. Facing two of them at once, he couldn't afford to be careless.
They all knew that even if Kakashi used all his strength, he could only slightly outperform in his area of expertise. How the fight would end was still unknown.
Obito knew full well what their problem was - their endurance was too poor; they couldn't fight for long.
It wasn't really a flaw. In terms of chakra quantity, they had noticeably more than ordinary ninjas their age. It was just that they had methods that far exceeded their current level - which made their chakra supply seem insufficient.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Without hand seals, Obito, in Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, easily formed chakra for a Great Fireball and spat out a high-temperature fireball.
There were too many enemies; Obito didn't dare waste chakra, so he used the relatively low‑consumption Great Fireball.
This No‑Seal Great Fireball surprised Juzo, but no matter how much speed you try to save, a Great Fireball can't fly fast enough - Juzo easily dodged it and used his Executioner's Blade Flight Slap to deflect the ninja tools Ebisu and the others threw.
"Too weak." Ebisu clenched his fist, a strong sense of helplessness rising in his heart.
Now he truly understood what it meant to have the will but lack the strength. He wanted to share the pressure on Kakashi and the others - but if he rushed in recklessly, he'd only add to their burden, because they were too weak and could easily be injured or killed.
Their ideal state would be to stay somewhere safe and use ninjutsu or support techniques to assist Kakashi and the others.
To relieve Obito's pressure, Rin stepped forward to deal with Juzo - allowing Obito to free up energy to face Jinpachi and a Hidden Mist Jonin.
Rin didn't have the kind of strength Kakashi and the others did, but with Shiranui Genma and Ebisu helping, she could at least stall one opponent for a while.
Because Kakashi was under Transparent World, he could observe the battlefield situation clearly.
"As expected, this is an unprecedented moment of crisis." Sweat beaded on Kakashi's forehead.
The battle had just begun, and they were already at a major disadvantage.
With still one member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen waiting without having acted, they were virtually in a situation of no escape.
Guy couldn't gain an advantage over Jinin with the Fourth Gate, and even when Kakashi struck at full power against Raiga, Raiga's caution meant the attack gained no benefit.
Shisui was desperately defending under the joint assault by Kushimaru and Fuguki - his situation was very dangerous.
Obito in Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, with support from Rin and the others, could only barely block the combined attacks of Juzo, Jinpachi and the Hidden Mist jonin.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen didn't need their remaining members to intervene; if they held on a little longer, Kakashi and the others wouldn't be able to withstand it.
And the remaining member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen obviously wasn't idling - his ninjato was glowing with chakra, as if charging up for an attack.
Calling this a desperate situation wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"Eight Inner Gates, Fifth Gate - Gate of Limit... Open!" With things too critical, Guy had no time to think - he directly activated the Fifth Gate, his chakra surging again.
"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"
Guy delivered a brutal kick to Jinin - who was entangled with him - then, at top speed, dashed toward the besieged Shisui.
Shisui, already heavily wounded by multiple slashes from longsword‑sewing‑needle steel wires, was in a sorry state.
Aoma immediately aimed his twin sword Hiramekarei at Guy, sending a chakra‑light orb at him.
"Guy, watch out!" Kakashi warned the moment he detected the attack.
Whoosh!
Guy exploded with chakra at his feet, leaving afterimages behind - the entire figure charged out like a streak of green light.
Boom!!
The chakra orb struck the afterimage, causing a violent explosion. After a swirl of dust and sand, a large crater remained where it hit.
Kakashi frowned - an attack of that magnitude, unless Guy covered most of his body with Chakra Arms or clones, would almost certainly result in severe injury.
Now, because he had Transparent World, not only could he dodge, he could also warn his teammates in time - but what about once he no longer had the stamina to maintain Transparent World?
Kakashi wasn't someone who believed in gambling, but at this moment he realized their only hope of survival was that their activity here be noticed by a powerful ninja from Konoha.
Not just any Konoha ninja - it had to be a strong one; otherwise even if they were discovered, it would be useless.
"That sword with the barbs can absorb chakra. You must fight strictly with taijutsu," Shisui gasped, warning them.
If it weren't for his Three‑Tomoe Sharingan and excellent Body Flicker Jutsu, a regular Konoha jonin would probably have died already under the joint assault of the two.
Guy nodded, took note of the intel, activated Stone Breathing to the extreme, and let his full-body strength explode - he delivered a Whirlwind Kick toward Fuguki, forcing him back.
Shisui roughly guessed what Guy was thinking, and with his exhausted body he threw himself into blocking Kushimaru with all his strength.
Now that Guy had opened the Fifth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates, he was by far the strongest in their team - the one most likely to defeat a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Shisui had to create the opportunity for him.
Guy felt a sense of urgency never before - he had to defeat at least one member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist quickly, otherwise, without outside intervention, it would be death all around.
The repelled Jinin did not chase Guy. Instead he turned to the nearest target: Kakashi, who was now surrounded and under pressure.
Fortunately, Jinin was the kind of opponent Kakashi was relatively good at handling. Jinin Akebino had great strength - but strength means nothing if you can't hit someone.
With the aid of Transparent World, Kakashi didn't immediately fall into a serious disadvantage - the battle just shifted from offense to defense.
Still, with Aoma recharging and increasing pressure, and the two of them locked in fighting, Kakashi might not be able to dodge the chakra orb thrown by the twin‑sword Hiramekarei.
"Golden Skyline!"
Seeing the situation worsening, Guy couldn't hold back and used the strongest ninjutsu he had available.
Guy drew out his nunchaku - holding the shaft in his left hand and the chain in his right, then slightly spread his legs, twisted his body to the right. His left hand moved forward while his right moved behind his waist, extending his index and middle fingers.
Guy had practiced this move countless times over the past year. He executed it with extreme speed and charged toward Fuguki.
As he rushed forward, Guy brought the nunchaku in his left hand to draw as if unsheathing a blade, propelling his right hand forward to slash - forming a thin golden line in the air.
Fuguki raised his Samehada to block, but when he looked toward Shisui, the glare of the Three‑Tomoe Sharingan froze him.
That momentary daze - completely harmless during ordinary times, but deadly in a high‑intensity battle.
Boom!!
With a massive explosion, blood sprayed. A bloodied hole appeared in Fuguki's abdomen, and he flew back hard, splattering blood all over the ground.
The sudden turn of events stunned the other members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Fuguki - one of their stronger members - had almost been killed by a ten‑year‑old kid.
"How is this possible? That was Fuguki‑sama!" the Hidden Mist jonin fighting Obito gasped in shock.
At that moment he felt immense relief - luckily his strength was low and Kakashi and the others hadn't used full power.
If Obito's Flame Breathing Chakra Mode and Guy's Golden Skyline had both targeted him from the start, he probably wouldn't have lasted a minute - he might have died before the rest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen even got involved.
"You judged wrong. Calling you weak was indeed inappropriate." Juzo began to regard these young Konoha ninjas with new respect.
There are differences even among young geniuses. Though still very young, the strength shown by Obito, Kakashi, Guy, and Shisui earned Juzo's recognition - he saw them as worthy opponents.
Juzo could only describe the performance of those four as astonishing.
For ten-year-old kids to withstand the joint assault of two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist - even if only for a minute - was something to be proud of. After all, they were not some nobodies from a random village, but the infamous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, feared throughout the ninja world.
But such coordination did not come without a price.
The next moment, Kushimaru's long needle thrust toward Shisui's heart.
However, to Kushimaru's surprise, he failed to pierce Shisui's chest - it felt as if an extremely tough iron plate was protecting it.
Kushimaru was a seasoned ninja; since the chest was protected, he changed his target.
Gripping the hilt tightly, he slashed at Shisui's abdomen, leaving a narrow bloody gash.
Immediately after, Kushimaru retreated - because Guy was charging toward him.
Kushimaru had no intention of clashing head-on with a Taijutsu ninja capable of ramming Fuguki with a single strike.
"Shisui!" Guy, seeing blood oozing from Shisui's abdomen, was filled with fury.
Shisui exhaled and shook his head, indicating he was fine.
Though it looked severe, compared to Fuguki, his injuries were relatively minor - their operation had been a success.
"As thanks for saving your life, contribute your chakra," Jinpachi said, signaling the Hidden Mist jonin to approach Fuguki.
The Hidden Mist jonin, knowing a bit about the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, understood what Jinpachi meant and used Body Flicker Jutsu to move next to Samehada.
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