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When Ameyuri appeared, the other ninja automatically cleared a space for the two of them.
Without a doubt, a clash between two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen would become the vortex of the entire battlefield. Anyone caught in their wake would meet certain death.
And indeed, that proved true. After a brief period of probing, Ameyuri and Zabuza began their formal duel.
Zabuza employed his Silent Killing technique, hiding within the thick fog, preparing to deliver a killing blow to Ameyuri. Ameyuri, however, seemed to anticipate Zabuza's move. She thrust the "Kiba: Lightning Blades" into the ground.
Dark clouds gathered in the sky, thunder rumbled, and electricity crackled around the swords.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Gate!"
Lightning bolts descended from the sky, striking the blades and radiating outwards in all directions.
Kirigakure ninja in the distance, seeing this, cleared an even wider area. Zabuza, unable to approach Ameyuri, was also forced to retreat.
"Next time, you won't be so lucky, Zabuza!" Ameyuri pulled the twin blades from the ground, her cold gaze fixed on him.
Zabuza frowned deeply.
Ameyuri was hailed as a "Lightning Release genius." With the "Kiba: Lightning Blades," she was even more formidable. To defeat her, he needed to be more patient.
However, their raid on Kirigakure relied on the element of surprise. Dragging things out would certainly work against them.
This was bad!
"Mangetsu..."
Just as Zabuza was about to call for Mangetsu to help surround Ameyuri, he saw her suddenly cough up blood. She then planted her swords in the ground, using them to support herself, fighting to stay upright.
"You're already terminally ill..." Zabuza said.
"Don't pity me." Ameyuri stared at Zabuza. "Isn't dying on the battlefield a ninja's rightful end? Would you rather watch me die in a hospital bed? That would be my disgrace!"
Ameyuri straightened up, her clothes swaying in the wind. "From a personal standpoint, I should indeed thank you. Without you... I might have died in bed, consumed by regret. But you've given me the chance to die on the battlefield."
"Haha..." Zabuza covered his face with one hand. "Even you say that. Should I grant your wish then?"
"That would be best." Ameyuri pulled out her twin swords. "This time, I hope we can determine a victor!"
After using Ice Release to kill a ninja, Haku's gaze involuntarily drifted towards Zabuza.
Both wielded legendary blades, and their strength was comparable. Though Ameyuri was gravely ill, on the battlefield she unleashed her chakra without restraint, as if performing a final farewell.
"Zabuza-nii..." Haku felt a knot of tension.
"Look out!"
Suigetsu swung a massive ninjatō, killing a ninja trying to ambush Haku, then glared angrily at him. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing, it's just... Zabuza-nii and that woman..."
"That's a fight between two of the Seven Swordsmen. No one else can interfere." Suigetsu said.
Haku fell silent.
Indeed, ordinary people couldn't get involved in a battle like that.
Suigetsu swung his large blade again, fending off another attacker, anxiety building within him.
As the Anbu joined the fray, the rebels' momentum began to wane.
If he didn't still have the "Blastsword: Shibuki" in his hand, he'd probably be struggling.
"Your sword..."
"My brother lent it to me." Suigetsu glanced at Mangetsu, locked in a life-or-death struggle with an Anbu. "It can summon explosive tags... but if Makoto's squad doesn't get here soon, we won't last much longer. You think that old woman abandoned us?"
Haku thought of Makoto and quickly shook his head.
In his memory, Kawakita Makoto wasn't the type to break her word.
Just as Haku was wrestling with these thoughts, the battlefield suddenly shifted. A squad charged into the fray, reversing the balance that the Anbu's arrival had tipped.
The man leading the charge wielded a massive iron hammer, attacking any ninja who approached. Those near him, if they weren't careful, would have their weapons torn from their grasp and become stuck to his hammer.
"Everyone, get out of my way, or you'll all die!"
The burly man's voice boomed like thunder. Just then, a lightning bolt crashed down from the sky, striking the ground nearby, nearly making him cry out.
Heaven knows, that lightning had nothing to do with him.
He looked towards where the lightning struck and saw Zabuza locked in a desperate battle with a ninja constantly discharging electricity.
The big man wasted no time and immediately moved away.
"Why are you so late!?" Suigetsu yelled angrily. "Where's Makoto? Did she run away?"
"The Boss would never run!" the big man roared back. "Mangetsu-sama, we were ambushed! The Boss stayed behind alone to hold them off so we could escape!"
"Ambushed by whom?" Mangetsu quickly asked.
He didn't want any unexpected complications.
"I don't know! They were wearing black cloaks! Looked like they were headed for Kirigakure too."
"Black cloaks!?" Mangetsu's mind was full of question marks.
"It's the 'Akatsuki'!" Haku screamed. "I've encountered them before. They wear black cloaks!"
"Akatsuki..." Cold sweat broke out on Mangetsu's forehead.
Their chances of winning this battle were already slim. If the "Akatsuki" got involved, they would have no hope.
No, they couldn't delay any longer.
Mangetsu leaped onto the roof of a nearby damaged building and looked down. Both sides were locked in a bloody struggle. Blood and bodies littered the ground, and with every passing minute, more bodies fell.
The village entrance, only a few hundred meters across, had become a scene of utter horror. In the distance, Ameyuri, like a spent arrow, was exhausting her last reserves of chakra.
Was this the outcome he had wanted?
Was this the result Kirigakure needed?
No...
"Everyone, stop fighting! I, Mangetsu, head of the Hōzuki clan, have something to say!" Mangetsu took a deep breath, letting his voice carry across the entire battlefield.
Those on the battlefield, though confused, looked up at Mangetsu.
"We came here not to overthrow Kirigakure or seize power, but to save you! Haven't you realized it? This battle should never have happened! Because we are all people of Kirigakure. The reason for our division is the Mizukage's series of irregular orders. Haven't you... ever doubted the Mizukage's decisions? Today, I tell you all: the two Mizukage are under the control of genjutsu! The true mastermind behind this wants us to kill each other..."
Both sides of the battlefield stared at Mangetsu on the rooftop.
"Is what he's saying true?"
"I don't know, but he's a rogue ninja, that's for sure, right?"
"Why should we listen to a rogue ninja?"
"But recently, the Mizukage has been acting a bit strange..."
Suigetsu clenched his fists, watching Mangetsu's impassioned speech from the rooftop, feeling a surge of strength.
"Our enemy isn't the opponent standing before you now. It's the 'Akatsuki'..."
Suddenly, a tremendous force demolished the building Mangetsu was standing on. He collapsed with the rubble.