Behind them, the Hidden Mist ninjas clashed with the group of Uchiha.
"Your opponent is me."
In an instant, Minato threw seven special kunai, scattering them around the stream—some by the bank, others in the canopy of nearby trees. The positions were completely irregular, and Minato's figure flickered atop these special kunai. This was the terror of the [Flying Raijin Jutsu]; the enemy had no way of knowing where Minato would emerge.
"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
The Hidden Mist ninjas immediately took countermeasures. Their goal was to obscure the enemy's vision! A thick, heavy mist instantly blanketed the area.
"What... what do we do..."
Obito was seeing a formation like this for the first time. The enemies on the other side carried strange weapons and were from the Hidden Mist; at a glance, they were clearly the famous Seven Ninja Swordsmen!
In the world of ninjas, intelligence warfare was paramount. Even Obito knew a bit about the powerhouses of other villages. Fine beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he gripped his kunai tightly.
Boom!
A bolt of lightning suddenly manifested. As the thunder faded, an Uchiha's corpse fell within the mist, collapsing not far from Obito.
"I will hold the most magnificent funeral for all of you."
Raiga Kurosuki was weeping, tears streaming down to his thick lips. He had a strange quirk: he loved "holding funerals" for people he wanted to remember, even if they were his friends. Every time he "held a funeral," he would cry uncontrollably. And his so-called "holding a funeral" simply meant killing the person!
"You're next, I suppose."
In the middle of his battle with Minato Namikaze, Raiga Kurosuki spotted Kiyoshi, who was summoning his ninja blade. That blade was pitch black, with a single red stone embedded in the handguard. Raiga intended to kill their genius right in front of these Jonin; only then would it truly capture the essence of a funeral.
"Kiyoshi..."
Minato keenly sensed Raiga's intent and immediately threw a special kunai toward Kiyoshi's position. His brow furrowed; he hadn't expected Raiga Kurosuki to be so shameless.
"Think a mere kunai can outrun lightning?"
The tears flowing from Raiga's eyes increased, and his entire being radiated a sense of madness. He crossed his twin blades, and a surge of current instantly rushed toward Kiyoshi.
Crackle!
The sound of electricity echoed aggressively. The tomoe in Kiyoshi's eyes spun rapidly. The flowing stream seemed to slow down, and the chaotic noises around him became clearer. The world slowed in Kiyoshi's eyes. His neural reflexes, mobility, and cognitive processing speed all surged at this moment.
'The weakest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?'
Raiga Kurosuki was merely an early-game boss defeated by Naruto. In terms of pure swordsmanship, he couldn't even match Tenten. He relied solely on the mechanics of the Lightning Blade: Kiba.
Kiyoshi's foot dug a deep mark into the ground as he shifted a few steps to the right, dodging the strike.
"What!"
Raiga Kurosuki's confident blow missed, leaving him startled. The Sharingan shouldn't be able to see through this mist, so Kiyoshi should only have been able to judge the proximity of the attack by the sound of the electricity. At such a distance, he actually managed to dodge? This brat's speed was incredible!
In that moment of distraction, Kiyoshi had already stepped forward, faint arcs of electricity swirling around his feet.
Bang!
Kiyoshi's flaming ninja blade collided with Raiga Kurosuki's twin blades.
"So... so fast."
Rin Nohara's eyes widened. The shockwave produced by the clashing weapons blew away some of the mist. Rin was able to use this opening to see Kiyoshi fighting Raiga Kurosuki.
Kakashi struck down a stunned Hidden Mist ninja in front of him and looked over, his eyes filled with shock. Kiyoshi's speed was more than just a level higher than it had been that time on the balcony. Since then, Kakashi had made a lot of progress. It turned out Kiyoshi was also progressing—and much faster than him!
If he had to describe it, it was a thousand miles a day. Kakashi couldn't fathom how Kiyoshi could be this powerful; he could only attribute it to the Uchiha bloodline. He glanced at the dazed Obito, who seemingly hadn't recovered from the sudden Hidden Mist ambush.
"Good chance!"
Minato snapped out of his surprise. Kiyoshi's reaction time and speed were excellent, and now he was even creating an opening for a counterattack. A sphere of azure chakra suddenly appeared in Minato's palm, constantly compressing and spinning.
Rasengan!
Raiga Kurosuki sensed the danger and hurriedly stepped back, blocking Minato's Rasengan. The immense force sent a jolt of pain through his wrists, forcing him back several steps.
"I'll handle him. You go deal with the others," Minato said to Kiyoshi.
"Right."
Kiyoshi nodded. Raiga Kurosuki was currently at the peak of his youth, making him stronger than his future self. Kiyoshi gripped his ninja blade and navigated through the mist. The scattered mist had already closed up again.
This was the Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu used by more than a dozen Hidden Mist ninjas simultaneously. To dispel it would require a massive amount of chakra; even with Kiyoshi's chakra reserves, which were several times larger than a normal person's, it would be quite a strain.
Soon, Kiyoshi spotted a short woman with brownish-red hair and vertical braids. Ringo Ameyuri! The future second wielder of the Lightning Blade: Kiba. She would eventually die young, and the blades would return to the hands of Raiga's daughter, Buntan Kurosuki, making her the third wielder.
As for the reason for her early death, Kiyoshi now understood. It was illness. Under the insight of his Sharingan, he could see the cold sweat seeping from Ringo Ameyuri's pale neck.
"Hmph, Uchiha brat."
Ringo Ameyuri opened her palm and fired a Lightning Style jutsu. Kiyoshi quickly dodged the range of the attack and moved closer to her. Being sickly meant her physical endurance was poor.
Seeing Kiyoshi closing in, Ringo Ameyuri's heart sank. This brat's speed was too troublesome. She immediately pulled a kunai from her ninja tool pouch.
Bang.
The moment she pulled it out, Kiyoshi's attack followed. Their figures flickered constantly within the mist, occasionally dodging ninjutsu that flew out from nowhere. After all, in this mist, only the Hidden Mist ninjas had ways to see clearly; other ninjas were effectively blind, making it easy to accidentally injure allies.
"Is this all you've got?"
Kiyoshi swung his blade while watching Ringo Ameyuri's skin grow increasingly pale. No wonder she died after less than three years of being one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen; this illness was indeed nothing to scoff at.
The medical technology of the ninja world was mostly geared toward combat—meaning how to heal wounds quickly. It fell short when faced with various complex diseases.
Hearing Kiyoshi's mocking words, Ringo Ameyuri's brows knitted together, and she increased the force behind her strikes. Unfortunately, as time passed, Kiyoshi's advantage became more obvious as he kept her locked in close combat, giving her no chance to pull away. This level of physical exertion was no pressure at all for his strong body.
"Cough, cough..."
***
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