"Saved." The besieged Hidden Mist Jonin let out a sigh of relief, looking at Kurosuki Raiga and Jinin Akebino approaching with a look of surprise.
As a Hidden Mist Jonin, of course he wouldn't fail to recognize the Seven-Swords Ninja of the Hidden Mist. At first sight of them, he knew he was saved.
The Hidden Mist Jonin, disregarding the heavily injured subordinates, immediately used the Instant Body Jutsu to close the distance with Kurosuki Raiga and Jinin Akebino approaching.
"So two new enemies have arrived, but none of you can escape." Obito remained calm; even if the two new enemies were Jonin, their side could handle it with ease.
However, Obito didn't notice Kakashi's expression gradually turning serious, even tense.
"This is bad." Seeing clearly who had arrived, Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.
With Kakashi's habit of collecting intelligence, he couldn't possibly miss enemy intel on his battlefield. He instantly recognized these two as Kurosuki Raiga and Jinin Akebino among the Seven-Swords Ninja of the Hidden Mist.
If it were just these two, Kakashi wouldn't feel too pressured.
Their seven-man squad consists of four Jonin-level fighters, plus one Medical Special Jonin and two Chunin. They might be able to fight to a draw.
But if Kakashi's memory serves him right, the Seven-Swords Ninja of the Hidden Mist tend to act together on the battlefield. In other words, when you see one of them, the rest are already here, only hidden for the moment.
No matter how confident Kakashi is in their squad's strength, he absolutely has no certainty of fighting against the entire Seven-Swords Ninja. Together, they are powerhouses renowned across the Ninja World.
Even if the Ino-Shika-Cho from Konoha came, they would be slightly inferior.
"Obito, everyone, do not make any rash moves," Kakashi said, taking a deep breath.
"Creating a big commotion to attract reinforcements? Too uncertain, maybe what comes first are enemies..." At this moment, Kakashi was frantically thinking about how to save more lives.
Obito looked at Kakashi in confusion, trying to recall any intel about these Hidden Mist figures but still couldn't find the answers.
Ebisu adjusted his sunglasses, his fingers trembling slightly, "These seem to be the Seven-Swords Ninja of the Hidden Mist. They like to act collectively; maybe the remaining five are hiding in the shadows."
Ebisu's heart pounded wildly, and a cold sweat uncontrollably seeped from his forehead the moment he recognized them.
This was too thrilling for him; encountering such a terrifying enemy in a war.
"Unlucky day," Shiranui Genma swallowed, as if envisioning his gruesome demise.
Shiranui Genma believed in the strength of Kakashi and Might Guy, but this enemy was different.
Kakashi and the others were genius ninja, while the Seven-Swords Ninja had grown into formidable forces in the Ninja World!
Never before had Shiranui Genma so intensely wished to see Teacher Chen. He desperately hoped Teacher Chen would descend from the sky using the Konoha Dragon God and send the enemies flying.
But Shiranui Genma knew that was impossible because Teacher Chen hadn't come to the battlefield yet, much less dive from the sky to save them.
"Oh, so it's the Seven-Swords Ninja," Obito finally recalled some intel after hearing Ebisu mention the enemy's title.
Although Obito failed to remember their appearances, he recalled some basic intel: the Seven-Swords Ninja consisted of seven members, each possessing a Ninja Blade with unique abilities.
Remembering his words before setting out, Obito's expression turned peculiar; had he jinxed himself?
"I guess I shouldn't have spoken carelessly before setting out," Obito felt a pang of regret.
Might Guy's expression also grew heavy; if Obito knew the intel about the Seven-Swords Ninja, Might Guy would naturally know as well.
"Hopefully, they're not all on a mission together this time," Ebisu silently prayed.
If it were only two of them, they might still have a sliver of hope.
But the emergence of Biwa Juzo completely shattered Ebisu's faint hope.
Biwa Juzo, carrying a huge Ninja Blade, slowly stepped out from the shadows, scanning Kakashi and his team with a bloodthirsty gaze.
"It seems we've encountered some extra easy prey. Let's end this battle quickly," Biwa Juzo said as he lowered the Decapitating Carving Knife from his shoulder, resting his hand on it.
As Biwa Juzo's voice faded, a larger orange-haired ninja emerged.
"Biwa Juzo, these are not extra easy prey. Three among them are priority Konoha talents to kill," Suikazan Fuguki spoke gravely.
"Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy, Uchiha Obito, these three must be executed here on the spot!"
Unlike Biwa Juzo's mindset, Suikazan Fuguki believed they were fortunate this time; killing three Konoha talents was far more significant than killing a few ordinary Konoha Jonin.
If Kakashi and the others aren't killed here today, in decades to come, when Hidden Mist and Konoha wage war again, Kakashi and the others might become new formidable enemies for the Hidden Mist.
"A genius that hasn't grown is no more than a weakling," Biwa Juzo chuckled disdainfully; who hadn't been a genius once?
During his time as a Genin and Chunin, he was also a well-known genius ninja within the Hidden Mist.
As one by one, the Seven-Swords Ninja stepped out, Kakashi's heart sank deeper.
Even if the opponents were merely seven ordinary Jonin, they'd be formidable foes, and the renowned Seven-Swords Ninja of the Ninja World obviously couldn't be ordinary Jonin.
Adding in the Hidden Mist Jonin they hadn't yet slain, they were now up against seven titled Jonin and one ordinary Hidden Mist Jonin.
Obito silently moved in front of Nohara Rin, shielding her; they faced an unprecedented grave crisis.
Not even the previous encounters with the Raikage Candidate were as dangerous as now.
The Seven-Swords Ninja might not defeat the Hidden Cloud's AB Combo, but when facing the AB Combo, they either had Mokgetsu or Namikaze Minato by their side, but this time, neither Mokgetsu nor Namikaze Minato were present; they could only rely on their own strength.
Everyone instinctively converged toward Kakashi, including Obito. Though not the strongest in the squad, Kakashi, as the deputy leader, was the absolute core of the team.
Obito refrained from voting for Kakashi during the second vote, not because he didn't recognize Kakashi as deputy leader, but because he knew his vote was nonessential. Even without his, others would vote for Kakashi, ultimately making Kakashi the deputy leader.
Rather than voting to concede, he chose to vote for Nohara Rin, expressing his regard and recognition for her.
"Kakashi, what now?" Shiranui Genma asked in a low voice.
Kakashi sighed lightly; he was merely a slightly outstanding Chunin and couldn't come up with a perfect solution in such a short time in this situation.
Scanning the Seven-Swords Ninja quickly, Kakashi noticed their stance was quite relaxed, appearing as if they didn't regard their opponents as legitimate adversaries.
But Kakashi knew it was just a facade; the seemingly relaxed stance actually blocked most of their escape routes. If they tried to retreat, at least two of the Seven-Swords Ninja could instantly cut off their exit.
"What should I do?" Kakashi internally questioned himself.
Being the fastest in burst speed within the team, Kakashi was probably the only one truly capable of escaping, but regardless, the thought of running away couldn't arise within him.
He could escape, and Might Guy had a chance too, but what about the others?
Kakashi couldn't bear to abandon his comrades.
Kakashi silently drew the White Fang Short Blade strapped to his back; if they weren't to run, the only option left was the battle.
Even if the opponents were the renowned Seven-Swords Ninja of the Ninja World, he must fight desperately for a slim chance of survival for his teammates. It was his responsibility as the deputy leader.