Regardless of branding or the level of public attention, the combination of Fuguki Suikazan and Samehada was naturally a focal point for the Hidden Mist ninjas. However, no one expected that after barely two exchanges with the very first Konoha ninja to charge in, he would be unceremoniously killed off just like that.
His mistake lay in being far too obsessed with absorbing people's chakra. In modern warfare, one must pay attention to where they step; otherwise, it's incredibly easy to step right on a landmine.
And once you step on a landmine, you're dead...
The iron sand Hagoromo had scattered at the very beginning was actually just a backup trap—something he might need, or might not. It was entirely possible that it would never see use from beginning to end, or it could deliver a fatal strike at an unexpected moment.
The instant Fuguki stepped into it, the iron sand on the ground immediately transformed into a gaping man-eating flower, instantly morphing into a tentacle monster that had just spotted a beautiful girl.
As part of the iron sand formed into spikes to impale Fuguki's vital organs, another portion transformed into chains that tightly clamped him in place. The ends of the chains were firmly anchored to the ground, while the middle sections bound Fuguki tightly, rendering him completely unable to break free no matter how he struggled.
This had to be considered a craft in itself. Hagoromo had once undergone systematic simulation training in binding techniques with Ayame Sarutobi, a famous kunoichi of the Sarutobi clan. Iron chains utilized leverage and counter-force akin to joint-locking techniques to control the enemy, making the restraints as solid as hardened liquid metal.
Therefore, no matter how much force the opponent put into swinging his sword, he couldn't snap the chains, nor could he bring the blade down on Hagoromo's head.
Furthermore, trying to break free from electrified chains forming a high-voltage electrical field trap using sheer physical strength was simply impossible. Under the continuous stimulation of the electrical current, the opponent couldn't even manage to effectively focus his chakra...
As the saying goes, everything in the universe has a natural counter, and natural predators do exist. No matter how powerful a Gundam might be, if it runs into Shu Ouma carrying a girl, it still has to run as far away as possible.
Humanity's natural predator will always be humanity itself. A ninja's natural predator is a ninja from another village. And for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, their natural counter should probably be named "Raiden Mei," seeing as two-sevenths of their roster had already died to this exact technique.
However, the element of surprise for Hagoromo's "Magnet Style" was likely spent. Trying to insta-kill an enemy with this trick again would probably be difficult. Unlike when he fought Juzo Biwa, there were numerous witnesses this time. This meant the intel on his jutsu had been leaked, and it was highly probable that the next time he fought other Hidden Mist ninjas, they would be prepared for it.
In reality, there were quite a few viable strategies for dealing with Hagoromo. First, one could use wide-area ninjutsu like Lava Style or Boil Style. Second, high-speed taijutsu like that of the Raikage or the future Might Guy. Third, though more difficult, was going full-blown cheat mode like Nagato Uzumaki... Okay, the first two points weren't simple either. This just proved that Hagoromo was a highly capable ninja, despite the tragic reality that his strongest combat method didn't rely on chakra at all.
At this moment, Hagoromo held Samehada in his hand. His continuous electrical shocks had probably caused the creature internal bleeding, as Samehada had fallen silent and returned to its original size.
This sword was indeed incredibly heavy. Hagoromo's combat style favored agility and finesse, so even holding the sword with both hands, swinging it felt incredibly unwieldy...
As for Samehada turning around to absorb Hagoromo's chakra, that was impossible, because he currently wasn't using any chakra.
Hagoromo began moving forward, dragging the sword behind him. Samehada's backward-curving spikes scraped against the ground, kicking up a trail of crushed gravel with his every step.
He started slow, but utilizing momentum and the continuous exertion of his legs, he managed to build up high speed despite dragging such a massive object.
The sheer intimidating aura of a man dragging a weapon taller than himself and charging wordlessly straight into the enemy formation was enough to make the surrounding enemies instinctively want to retreat.
Fuguki Suikazan was a famous figure in the Hidden Mist, universally recognized as a powerful ninja. And now? He had just been skewered into a bloody gourd by the Konoha ninja standing right in front of them, not to mention the devastating sweep the boy had made when he first breached the stronghold...
In short, faced with Hagoromo's direct assault, certain Hidden Mist ninjas who felt outmatched would subconsciously prioritize dodging. However, those lacking experience or mental fortitude were highly likely to lose their composure due to the terror and oppressive presence of this white-masked Demon.
They might not be scared completely stiff, but watching that eerie white mask and the lightning-crackling Samehada he dragged behind him as he charged silently and relentlessly forward, younger ninjas couldn't help but feel their legs turn to jelly.
The current enemy Hagoromo was charging straight toward—whether out of sheer terror freezing him in place or pure overconfidence—didn't dodge, choosing instead to meet the attack head-on.
Hagoromo came to a sudden halt, transferring force from his heels, through his waist, and into his arms. Fueled by this strength and his own momentum, he swung the heavy Samehada in a vicious horizontal slash aimed straight at the enemy's body.
And the opponent didn't even attempt to dodge, choosing to block the strike directly with his longsword...
Unfortunately, that sword clearly hadn't passed the Hidden Mist's quality testing. The moment it made contact with Samehada, it shattered like cheap glass.
Samehada then slammed ruthlessly into the man's shoulder.
The man was launched backward, tumbling violently like a bowling pin struck by a shot put.
He had certainly never been hit by a high-speed train before, and he would likely never have the chance to be hit by one in the future, but now perfectly understood exactly what it felt like to be rammed by something hurtling down a track at breakneck speed.
Hagoromo's motion was clearly an imitation of Fuguki Suikazan's earlier swing. However, being unaccustomed to a weapon like Samehada, his strike clearly hadn't hit the man's center of gravity. As a result, when the opponent hit the ground for the first time, he landed squarely on his head...
A lucky hit...
To evaluate Hagoromo's swordsmanship... well, he didn't have any. He was merely relying on brute force to swing the blade, utilizing zero technique whatsoever. In fact, if he were holding a sledgehammer of equal weight instead of Samehada, the smashing effect might have actually been even better.
But a heavy sword needs no edge. Many strikes delivered purely with raw strength, devoid of any technique, appear incredibly brutal. The enemy was sent flying over ten meters, his limbs contorting into unnatural shapes from the continuous tumbling and crashing.
During his flight, he even bowled over several other Hidden Mist ninjas like a human cannonball.
Hagoromo maintained his follow-through posture... for about half a minute. During this time, no enemy dared step forward. Only then did he finally perform the motion of sheathing the sword—not because the White Yaksha was trying to look cool and pose, but because he was genuinely helpless.
Not being used to the weapon, combined with overexerting himself just now, he seemed to have given himself a nasty leg cramp. If someone seized this opportunity to attack him, they could definitely exploit this opening.
Fortunately, the squeezing pain from his waist wound suppressing the cramp kept him grounded. Imagine dying on a battlefield like this because of a muscle cramp; his death would be a completely meaningless joke.
By now, the Konoha ninjas had fully engaged the enemy. Although fighting on enemy turf, their troop strength was nearly two-to-one compared to the Hidden Mist. The enemy forces quickly began to show signs of collapse.
The objective of this operation was two-fold: killing enemies was one, but more importantly, they needed to destroy this stronghold and the combat supplies hoarded within it.
Hagoromo didn't know exactly how they planned to do this, but Konoha undoubtedly had dedicated ninjas responsible for the "demolition" objective. Only highly reliable ninjas could be trusted with such a primary task.
And very soon, Hagoromo discovered that the person executing this task was indeed highly reliable.
First, continuous bursts of fire and explosions erupted from within the stronghold's main building... This was likely a combination of Fire Style and explosive tags.
Next, a massive plume of white smoke plumed outside the main building, revealing two gargantuan Summoning Beasts.
It was Orochimaru's Manda, alongside another bizarre, three-headed snake.
The two massive snakes slithered and coiled their bodies around the main building, their muscles contracting as they began to squeeze... A teeth-setting creak-creak-creak echoed out, followed by a thunderous CRASH as the stronghold's main building was crushed into a pile of rubble.
Although some Hidden Mist ninjas attempted to attack such massive targets midway through, it proved completely futile.
Orochimaru-sama had personally overseen the demolition work. Did this mean the overall mission was complete?
Hagoromo vaguely recalled that Orochimaru was capable of transforming into a giant white snake himself, so he felt a bit disappointed he didn't get to witness it this time.
In reality, he was overthinking things again. Although his memory wasn't wrong, at this point in time, Orochimaru had yet to perfect either the Living Corpse Reincarnation or the Eight Branches Technique.
Such Forbidden Jutsu required a very long time to complete.
The exact timing for the retreat would be judged by Orochimaru. The basic principle was to strike while the iron is hot and leave while you're ahead. After all, this was enemy territory; enemy reinforcements would arrive swiftly. The Konoha ninjas needed to withdraw before that happened, inflicting as many casualties as possible in the meantime.
Manda was a massive help during the mission, but there was one problem: he wasn't the type of Summoning Beast to obediently follow orders, and he had a penchant for eating people alive.
Having finally been summoned, he naturally wasn't content with just going back empty-handed. Eating a few Hidden Mist enemies shouldn't be a problem, right?
Of course, he wasn't going to meticulously differentiate between friend and foe. If a Konoha ninja happened to be mixed in with a pile of enemies, did anyone really expect Manda to carefully pick him out like a peppercorn from a dish?
And as luck would have it, the surname of the peppercorn mixed in with the enemies was Kamishiro.
If Student Kamishiro died from being chewed up by a Summoning Beast, he would truly become a rare, tragic flower in the history of protagonists.
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