"Hm? That's…"
As they continued deeper into the forest—
Approximately twelve to thirteen kilometers away from the target—
Yuhi Kurenai, with her Red Eyes that possessed even greater insight than the Byakugan, saw straight through layers of obstacles and fixed her gaze on the cave emitting powerful chakra signatures.
The moment she saw the figures inside, her pupils shrank.
A strangely shaped massive sword immediately caught her attention.
"One of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist... the Executioner's Blade!"
"The Executioner's Blade?"
Inuzuka Hana and Uzuki Yugao, who had been following behind Kurenai and Anko, exchanged glances. Earlier, they had been somewhat dissatisfied, thinking Kurenai was being overconfident by not relying on ninken for reconnaissance and instead taking the lead herself.
"There's no mistake. That's the Mist Village rogue ninja Momochi Zabuza... and Kurozuki Raiga is with him too!"
Kurenai spoke with absolute certainty.
Before setting out, she had studied Kurozuki Raiga's bounty file.
She had also reviewed the wanted files of every member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Naturally, she recognized them immediately.
"Two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
Anko grinned excitedly, revealing her teeth.
"We really hit the jackpot this time!"
"Wait... according to your earlier sensing, they should be at least ten kilometers away, right?" Uzuki Yugao looked at Kurenai in disbelief. "How could you identify them from that far away?"
"Senior Kurenai... do you have the Hyuga clan's Byakugan?"
Inuzuka Hana asked in astonishment.
Yet neither she nor Yugao saw any visible change in Kurenai's eyes.
Only crimson chakra gathered around them, making them appear somewhat mysterious.
"That's not it. I simply possess a dōjutsu that can also see through objects..."
Kurenai smiled.
After realizing just how powerful her little man truly was, she had gradually let go of her worries.
With Akira Ren supporting her, she no longer feared attracting the Hyuga clan's suspicion.
"So that's how it is..."
Uzuki Yugao and Inuzuka Hana were both amazed.
However, since it involved Kurenai's personal secret, neither of them asked any further questions.
For shinobi, casually probing someone else's abilities was extremely impolite.
"Careful. There's a trap a hundred meters ahead. Go around it."
"A kilometer ahead, there are quite a few explosive tags hidden."
"Two kilometers ahead..."
...
Soon—
Under Kurenai's guidance—
The group continuously bypassed every trap.
Silently, without making a sound, they closed in on the cave where Zabuza and Kurozuki Raiga were hiding.
"The target is inside!"
Concealed within a dense patch of bushes,
Kurenai stared at the cave ahead and reminded everyone in a low voice,
"Prepare yourselves!"
Anko licked her lips, her eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
"Kurenai, leave Kurozuki Raiga to me!"
As for combat experience...
She was no longer lacking in that department.
The rest of Konoha had no idea what kind of brutal training she and Kurenai had undergone.
Akira Ren had used his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to copy countless battles from the memories of Danzo and other Root members.
Then, through Tsukuyomi, he recreated those battles inside an illusionary world.
The enemies' strength, tactics, ninjutsu, taijutsu, and fighting styles were all perfectly reproduced.
Supported by Akira Ren's overwhelming ocular power, the world created by Tsukuyomi was so realistic that it was impossible to distinguish it from reality.
She and Kurenai had experienced battle after battle inside that world.
Again and again, they had walked the line between life and death.
More than once, they had been "killed" after making mistakes during evenly matched battles.
Although their bodies hadn't died, the psychological damage had been completely real.
Had Akira Ren not possessed medical ninjutsu approaching the level of Sage techniques, they would have suffered complete mental breakdowns long ago.
Because of those experiences,
Both of them had undergone incredible growth.
Their judgment and combat experience had advanced to an unimaginable level.
"Anko-senpai..."
Uzuki Yugao and Inuzuka Hana's expressions changed.
Kurozuki Raiga was a genuine S-rank rogue ninja.
He wielded the Lightning Swords and was exceptionally skilled in Lightning Release.
His strength unquestionably belonged to the elite Jonin class.
Was it really wise for Anko to fight him alone?
"Alright. Kurozuki Raiga is yours. At the very least, keep him occupied."
Unlike the other two, Kurenai knew Anko's true strength.
She nodded without hesitation.
"I'll handle Zabuza. My dōjutsu perfectly counters his Silent Killing Technique."
"As for the other three rogue ninjas, Yugao and Hana will deal with them."
Before she had even finished speaking—
Without waiting for Yugao or Hana to respond—
Kurenai shot forward.
Her hands flashed through a series of seals.
Then she slammed both palms onto the ground.
Earth Release: Rock Lodging Destruction!
Rumble—
In an instant,
Under the astonished gazes of Yugao, Hana, and the others,
The cave ahead exploded apart and collapsed with a deafening roar.
Dust filled the sky.
Countless rocks flew everywhere.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Anko,
Yugao,
and Inuzuka Hana
instantly arrived beside Kurenai.
Each held a kunai or ninja sword, fully prepared for battle.
Kurenai warned,
"An attack like that won't be enough to kill them. Stay alert!"
Uzuki Yugao, gripping her sword while remaining vigilant, cast a meaningful glance at Kurenai.
She couldn't help thinking that, with Akira Ren's help, Kurenai's ninjutsu—which had once been overshadowed by her outstanding genjutsu—had improved dramatically.
That Earth Release technique had been executed with astonishing speed.
There had been almost no preparation time at all.
"Damn it!"
At that moment—
One disheveled figure after another burst out from the collapsed ruins.
"Konoha shinobi?"
Seeing the Konoha forehead protectors worn by Kurenai and the others,
Zabuza's expression darkened.
His face became extremely grim.
The somewhat bedraggled Haku reported,
"Zabuza-sama, the Demon Brothers were crushed to death."
"Hmph. Just two useless pieces of trash. If they died, then they died."
Kurozuki Raiga snorted coldly.
His eyes burned with murderous intent as he stared viciously at Kurenai, Anko, and the others.
"So Konoha has run out of men? They actually sent a bunch of women."
"Since we've been discovered, let's just kill them all."
Gripping the Executioner's Blade tightly,
Zabuza radiated overwhelming killing intent.
The sudden eruption of bloodlust caused even the comparatively weaker Inuzuka Hana's expression to change.
"If you dare underestimate us..."
Anko's eyes blazed with battle lust as she licked her lips and smiled.
Her hands flew through seals before she took a deep breath.
Then she exhaled violently toward Zabuza and the others.
Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!
Whoosh—
Scorching heat swept across the battlefield.
Blazing flames dyed the sky crimson.
A roaring fire dragon surged straight toward Zabuza, Kurozuki Raiga, and the others.
"Fire Release?"
Zabuza sneered with complete confidence.
"I didn't come unprepared."
Their temporary hideout had been deliberately established beside a large river rich with water.
It was specifically chosen to prevent situations like this.
As Water Release specialists,
Battling in a location with abundant water allowed them to fight at one hundred percent—or even one hundred twenty percent—of their full strength.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
His hands rapidly formed seals.
The nearby river immediately surged violently.
Rumble—
A gigantic water dragon rose into the sky.
It slammed head-on into the incoming fire dragon.
Boom! Boom!
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