Juzo Biwa was sent crashing into the ice crystals by a punch of superhuman strength, then clawed by Raj, leaving him half-dead.
Amidst the dense mist, Raj directly transferred Executioner's Blade into his Item Space.
"Help me!" Black Lightning Kiba shouted on the other side.
'Save me!'
The one after his life wasn't Raj, but Minato.
Of course, Minato didn't actually need Kiba's life; his primary target was the sword.
After Kiba had stolen one back last time, Minato was determined to reclaim it now that they'd finally crossed paths again.
"Meow~ Kiba, didn't you say you were going to kill me? Why are you running away?"
As soon as one Flying Thunder God Seal landed, Raj and Minato could teleport in together.
Black Lightning Kiba realized with dread that he would now have to face not one opponent, but two.
What made it even worse was that the cat's paw was covered in ice, making it impervious to blades and lightning.
Black Lightning Kiba was no fool.
He understood what his opponents were trying to do.
With his teammates unable to assist him, he decisively hurled the Lightning Blade with all his might.
Even with only one blade, its power was formidable.
The strike carried a significant amount of Kiba's chakra, shattering the ice crystals instantly.
After the attack, the ice crystals shattered.
Black Lightning Kiba escaped using the Mist Instantaneous Body Technique, bursting through the shattered ice and fleeing.
He didn't realize, however, that a seal had already been placed on him...
"Meow~"
The cat's cry paralyzed Black Lightning Kiba with terror.
'It's back again? No, this is... Impossible!'
A long ice spike pierced his chest, the tip still holding fragments of his heart.
Meanwhile, Kishimaru and the others had escaped the range of the Demonic Ice Mirrors.
Once clear, they immediately instructed Chizuru Hozuki to use the Summoning Technique to retrieve the two Lightning Blades.
At such close range and with so little time, even if Minato knew sealing techniques, he wouldn't have been able to apply an effective seal.
After summoning for what felt like an eternity, they realized there was no response.
'Completely gone?'
"What's going on?!"
Chizuru Hozuki's scalp tingled with dread.
If they lost another one and a half Ninja Swords on this mission, how would they explain it back home?
The Mizukage would likely have them dismembered.
"This... we should probably run first," Kishimaru forced himself to say.
Plans rarely survive first contact.
Suigetsu Hozuki had envisioned a flawless escape.
Once they broke free from the Demonic Ice Mirrors' confinement, they would use the Summoning Technique to retrieve their swords.
In the end, they would only lose two jonin.
The Kirigakure might be short on jonin, but they weren't entirely lacking.
Especially when it came to ninja swords - with so many jonin vying for them, they could easily assemble another Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
But now... the swords were gone.
What now?
As the four fled, they frantically pondered how to salvage the situation.
Suigetsu Hozuki, as the mission leader, bore the heaviest responsibility.
He had been the one who vowed to teach Konoha a lesson, and he had ultimately betrayed his comrades.
If he returned to the village without facing punishment, hell would freeze over.
Kishimaru considered going rogue, but the other three might not agree to become missing ninja.
They had followed orders without question from the start, and Chizuru Hozuki was a member of the Hozuki Clan, Kirigakure's most influential family.
Protected by his clan, Chizuru Hozuki would undoubtedly escape unscathed.
The only one in real trouble was Kishimaru himself...
'If this keeps up, I'm done for.'
Kishimaru began plotting his defection.
He wasn't ready to die, especially now that he possessed Samehada and was actively seeking ways to become even stronger.
'But then again, what the hell was that Konoha cat? How could it use both the Flying Thunder God Technique and Ice Release? This is too bizarre.'
While Kishimaru wrestled with his escape plans, the Konoha side was equally speechless - especially Shikuro Aburame.
"You acted rashly. If it weren't for you, we could have killed them all," Shikuro said coldly.
This was the standard expression of Root operatives - a group rarely given to emotional displays.
"Meow~ Even if you'd been here, you might not have been able to stop them," Raj retorted dismissively.
Before it could unleash a torrent of insults, Hiashi Hyuga cut in:
"The enemy were elite jonin from the Mist. Seeing our numbers, they would have fled immediately. We might not have even captured both of them. Where are their swords?"
"Meow!" Raj meowed, indicating that it had the swords.
"Don't take them out yet," Minato said, suddenly remembering something. "Their swords are imbued with Summoning Techniques. If they aren't sealed, they could be summoned back at any moment... Wait, where did you put them?"
Could all this effort have been for nothing?
"Don't worry, meow. They're absolutely safe," Raj assured, waving a paw dismissively.
Nearby, Shikuro Aburame stared at the ground, his gaze lingering on the shattered ice fragments.
'Ice Release? Truly astonishing.'
'What lineage does this cat possess? How does it wield such extraordinary power...?'
He dispatched his Parasitic Destruction Insects to investigate the residual Chakra and battle traces.
After analyzing the evidence, he confirmed that each of their opponents had been at least elite jonin level.
Bowing apologetically to Raj, Shikuro said, "My apologies, Lord Raj. I retract my earlier statement.
Your contributions were invaluable. May I inquire about the capabilities of their swords?"
These enemies were indeed as Hiashi had said: if they wanted to leave, no one could stop them.
If their plan went smoothly, the Konoha ninja might not even arrive before the enemy had already departed.
By then, not even one of their swords could be kept, let alone both.
"Meow~ It's nothing."
Raj didn't pay much attention.
After all, these sudden alarms were sure to earn him Points - why not enjoy the ride?
Speaking of which, he must have earned a lot of Points tonight.
After all, he had run all over the place and put in considerable effort.
The Hozuki clan members, in particular, should have contributed a significant number of Points.
He quietly summoned the System interface to check.
'Whoa!'
The ten thousand Points he had spent earlier had almost been fully recovered.
The Points panel now showed over twenty-three thousand Points, just a few hundred short of his previous total.
'This is awesome! Is this the benefit of participating in major battles? No, it must be because I handled things more correctly this time. I get it now! I completely understand!'
Raj realized that his battle yesterday had been more conducive to earning Points.
Before, he had simply knocked out enemies with a single punch, giving them no chance to feel anger or frustration.
'So, we shouldn't have killed that ninja squad so quickly...'
It fell into deep thought.
'Still not mature enough. Every time I get into a fight, I forget that cats like to toy with their prey.'
'But wait, on second thought, I don't think I did anything wrong. Two against six? It's not like it was a one-on-one fight. What if they had gotten away?'