"Kill him," Juzo Biwa ordered, hefting Executioner's Blade as his fingers began forming hand seals.
The Kiri Ninja's signature move: the Kirigakure Technique!
"I'm going to skewer him and roast cat meat."
Kushimaru Kuriarare wore a mask, but his voice was thick with murderous intent.
While Juzo Biwa was still spouting threats, Kushimaru had already drawn his blade and charged forward alongside his best friend, Jinbachi Munashi.
Kushimaru wielded the longsword Sewing Needle, while Jinbachi Munashi carried the Exploding Blade, Splash.
Each blade possessed unique characteristics and formidable power.
Kirigakure had truly invested considerable effort in forging the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist.
Unfortunately, the Helmet Splitter was stolen by Raj and Kakashi's group shortly after its creation.
Half of the Lightning Blade was forcibly seized by Minato through brutal close-quarters combat.
Now, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist could only be considered to possess five and a half blades.
The Sewing Needle's sinister nature lay in its ability to release razor-sharp steel wire capable of easily severing limbs.
Raj, halfway through his charge, immediately adjusted his strategy when he saw the two swordsmen attack.
Originally, it had planned to start with a Tsunade-style display of Superhuman Strength, directly pummeling the crowd.
But seeing that approach wouldn't work, it realized Ninjutsu suppression was the only way.
Without hesitation, it opened its mouth, concentrated Chakra, and unleashed a powerful jet of water.
The surrounding mist grew denser, but the Hidden Kiri Ninja, accustomed to such conditions, remained largely unaffected.
The moment the water jet erupted, Kushimaru Kuriarare and Jinbachi Munashi scattered, flanking the Cat to strike its true form from both sides.
However, just as they thought they had outmaneuvered it, the water jet suddenly dispersed, transforming into a storm of ice cones.
Boom!
Kushimaru Kuriarare, closest to the water jet, was the first to be struck by the ice cones, sustaining injuries.
Jinbachi Munashi, on the other side, blocked the ice cones with his blade.
'Ice Release?'
Jinbachi Munashi's first thought was that Kirigakure had a traitor.
But after a moment's reflection, he realized that only Raj and Minato were present.
He had never heard of Konoha's Minato possessing the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, which meant it could only be Raj.
'Something's wrong... This doesn't make sense! A cat...'
"Watch out!" Kushimaru Kuriarare shouted.
'Watch out for what?'
Jinbachi Munashi cautiously activated his Kirigakure assassination techniques to sense his surroundings.
He quickly detected the formation of ice mirrors around them.
The ice mirrors were vast, encircling all six of them.
'Is it trying to trap us all at once? Ridiculous.'
Even the Clan Head of the Snow Clan wouldn't dare attempt such a feat against them.
'Did this mere stray cat think it could wipe out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in one fell swoop?'
He scoffed in amusement and charged forward, brandishing his blade.
The Exploding Blade could unleash devastating explosions.
Against such destructive power, any ice mirror would be as fragile as glass.
'As for Raj's attacks... Hah, I'd welcome them! That'll give Kushimaru the perfect opportunity to set a trap and slice it to pieces.'
However, he forgot that Raj wasn't alone in this fight.
The moment the Demonic Ice Mirrors rose, Raj swiftly repositioned himself, placing Flying Thunder God Seals in various locations.
While Minato hadn't mastered Raj's method of applying seals with a single palm strike, after days of research, he had no trouble sensing their presence.
Flying Thunder God Technique.
Next, he hurled four kunai, aiming directly at Jinbachi Munashi, who was at the forefront.
Juzo Biwa appeared, blocking one kunai with his blade, but the other three slipped past his defenses.
The next instant...
"Rasengan!"
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he teleported behind them, the Rasengan slamming down.
Though Juzo Biwa tried to intercept, the three kunai constantly shifted their trajectories, making defense impossible.
Fortunately, Jinbachi Munashi reacted in time, using his Exploding Blade to detonate the incoming attack.
Seeing his initial strike fail, Minato decisively teleported away using the ice crystals as his Flying Thunder God Seal.
Crucially, Raj didn't relent.
They had underestimated Raj, believing his abilities were limited to what they had seen.
In reality, his combat prowess far exceeded their wildest expectations.
As they moved to rescue Jinbachi Munashi or attack Minato, Raj unleashed a single breath containing a hurricane-force gust, vacuum jades, and a barrage of ice needles and cones.
Then, using the kunai Juzo Biwa had deflected as a coordinate...
Flying Thunder God Technique.
After teleporting, Raj rapidly expanded to colossal size, a massive chakra sphere already coalescing in its claw.
"Great Ball Rasengan!"
"Heh, got you now!"
After a single strike, Raj's Chakra was completely drained.
At that moment, Juzo Biwa swung Executioner's Blade, aiming for Raj's tail.
This was a cat's weakness.
Unfortunately, this wasn't Raj's weakness; it was precisely where his strength lay.
'So what if it was Kishimaru? So what if it was Samehada?'
Raj's fur transformed into sharp spikes and hardened armor.
The Gate of Opening activated, and before Juzo Biwa's blade could strike, Raj's tail lashed out, sending him flying.
This strike carried superhuman strength.
Even if Juzo Biwa had used defensive Ninjutsu, it would have been useless.
Though he managed to block with Executioner's Blade, could that blade truly withstand such force?
The essence of superhuman strength lies in powerful Chakra currents, not physical strength.
Blocking the tail couldn't stop the Chakra's force.
"Ah! Save me...," Juzo Biwa wailed as the immense force sent him crashing into an Ice Mirror.
"Useless trash!" Kishimaru cursed, hefting Samehada and slashing at Raj.
The situation had shifted too quickly for anyone to react.
No one could save Juzo Biwa; they could only watch helplessly as he was hurled away.
Then, the cat vanished, melting into the ice crystals.
'Too slippery.'
Cold sweat beaded on Kishimaru's forehead as he sensed danger: the Flying Thunder God Technique, Ice Release, and Rasengan.
'Two Flying Thunder God Seals.'
This kind of power was beyond their capabilities.
If they held out until the others arrived, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would likely be wiped out.
'No, we can't keep fighting.'
"Retreat! We're retreating!" Suigetsu Hozuki hissed.
"But what about Executioner's Blade?"
"Can't you summon it?" Kishimaru whispered.
The wielder of Hiramekarei was a member of the Hozuki clan, possessing the ability to summon all seven swords.
Although two of the blades were sealed, Executioner's Blade couldn't be sealed so easily, even if temporarily taken.
By using the Summoning Technique the moment they escaped, the sword would be impossible to lose.
Chizuru Hozuki pondered this and realized it made sense.
They quickly agreed to sacrifice Juzo Biwa.
Little did they know, Raj possessed something called an Item Space.