Chapter 91: The Seven Ninja Swords… Ran Away?

"Kyoichi-sama, I have to hand it to you. This is the Hōzuki Clan we're talking about—how did you manage it?"

Gekko Kazahana couldn't suppress his curiosity.

Hayate was saved by Kyoichi, so he had no qualms about addressing him as "sama."

"It was thanks to Hayame-san's help. Otherwise, capturing him wouldn't have been so easy."

Kyoichi smiled.

Shirakumo Hayame face flushed red as he waved his hand dismissively.

"Not at all. I only used a Great Breakthrough from start to finish. It was Kyoichi-sama who risked himself to sense the slightest disturbance, locked onto the target's position with Earth Release, and then paralyzed him with a single sword strike."

"Earth Release?"

"A single strike?"

The three nearby jōnin exchanged glances.

Using Earth Release to lock down a Hōzuki Clan member's position…

They could picture it!

Theoretically feasible, but the Hōzuki Clan weren't fools—they wouldn't just stand there waiting to be captured.

Which meant that Kanda Kyoichi's hand seals and sword speed were incredibly fast.

Fast enough that his opponent couldn't react in time.

And then there was Raijin Sword—the Sword of the Thunder God!

As jōnin, they only needed a few words to deduce most of what had happened.

Silently, they all felt a deep respect.

If it had been them…

Even with the Sword of the Thunder God, capturing a Hōzuki Clan member would have been a tall order.

"By the way, aside from the Hōzuki Clan member, we also encountered a Kirigakure shinobi with pale green hair. Does anyone know who he is? I suspect he might be one of the leaders of this invasion."

Kyoichi spoke in a low voice.

"Pale green hair?"

Kazahana frowned, thinking for a long time before his eyes suddenly lit up. "I remember now! His name is Yagura. Not sure about his surname, but he's definitely a big shot."

"I've heard that in recent years, the Third Mizukage has been having health issues and rarely appears in public. Most matters are being handled by one of his subordinates," Shirakumo Hayama added.

Before this year, he had been in ANBU and had traveled to many places—including Kirigakure.

"If that's the case, then he's likely the one," Kyoichi said seriously.

"No wonder he was so strong," Hayama nodded.

He then explained how Yagura had attempted to rescue Hōzuki Chikage.

Hearing this, Gekko Kazahana and the others immediately became solemn.

That level of strength…

At the very least, he was an elite jōnin.

Kyoichi's suspicion was highly probable!

"For now, let's wait for Inoichi-senpai's intel."

Kyoichi pondered for a moment and decided not to dwell on it.

Overanalyzing wouldn't help.

They still didn't know the exact location of the enemy's base, so identifying individuals wasn't particularly useful. Besides, he couldn't yet reveal Yagura's full identity and abilities.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Inoichi worked quickly—soon enough, he body-flickered back into the tent.

"Hit the jackpot! This one's a big fish!"

Inoichi was visibly excited.

"What did you find?"

Kyoichi immediately stood up.

"This guy's name is Hōzuki Chikage. His older brother, Hōzuki Mangetsu, is the wielder of the twin swords Hamehada among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist…"

"Also, the person you fought was Karatachi Yagura—one of the strongest contenders for the position of the Fourth Mizukage. He's been handling Kirigakure's affairs recently and is incredibly powerful."

"However, the Hōzuki Clan is also vying for the Fourth Mizukage position, so the clan and some members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen don't fully obey Yagura's orders."

Inoichi laid out the intel piece by piece.

Everyone's expression grew solemn.

This was information that, if they had tried to gather slowly, would have cost them countless spies—if they even managed to obtain it at all.

But now, after capturing just one living Hōzuki Clan member, they had everything.

As expected…

The Hōzuki Clan knew plenty of secrets.

Kyoichi pondered for a moment before clapping his hands. "Damn. I caught Hōzuki Chikage, which means the enemy is now on alert. If Yagura applies pressure, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen will likely follow his orders."

"We had no choice. If we didn't capture anyone, how would we have gotten this intel?"

Inoichi shook his head.

He understood what Kyoichi meant.

If the Seven Ninja Swordsmen hadn't been following orders, it could've led to internal chaos—potentially causing them to self-destruct. But now that there was a powerful enemy who could capture a Hōzuki alive, the whole situation had changed.

Kyoichi could only sigh.

He and Inoichi weren't exactly thinking the same thing.

With this development, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen wouldn't be sneaking in like in the anime. He had actually been considering whether it was possible to set up an ambush and wipe them out in one go.

He let out a regretful sigh before asking, "Inoichi-senpai, did they retreat because they noticed us?"

Inoichi nodded.

"That explains it. No wonder so many small details were left unchecked. If I had moved faster…"

It all clicked!

Hayama slapped his thigh in frustration.

If their squad had included a strong sensor-type shinobi, they might have had a chance to intercept the enemy.

But unfortunately, the best sensor in their team…

Was himself.

And he was barely passable at it!

"Given Yagura's demonstrated strength, even if you caught up, it might not have been a good thing," Kyoichi said, shaking his head.

Hayama was strong, but what about the others?

A single Great Water Collision Technique could drown Might Guy and the others before they even had a chance to react—leaving Shirakumo Hayama with no options.

At the end of the day…

The enemy was the heir to the title of "Kage." Wiping them out in one go was simply unrealistic.

"By the way, let me deliver the intel scroll. I can have Katsuyu help and send it directly to Tsunade-nee."

"We have that option?"

Yamanaka Inoichi didn't hesitate to agree.

Transmitting intel carried risks, but if it was sent via a summon, the risk was virtually eliminated.

He was thrilled!

Then, Inoichi realized something.

No wonder Kanda Kyoichi was appointed commander.

Aside from his immense strength and sharp mind, there was another crucial reason—Tsunade-hime!

This was paving the way for Tsunade's rise.

After all, from the current situation, it was evident that the Third Hokage was considering stepping down. And the best candidate to succeed him was undoubtedly Tsunade—granddaughter of the First Hokage and student of the Third.

Her lineage, status, experience, and prestige made her the most qualified.

Kyoichi knew he couldn't hide this from Inoichi.

In the anime, Yamanaka Inoichi had already demonstrated his sharp intellect.

A master of intelligence…

Of course his mind was quick!

Inoichi received the scroll and summoned a Katsuyu clone, which took the intelligence for delivery.

This was something Katsuyu had done countless times.

Seeing the same kind of summon as Tsunade's, and recalling Kyoichi's impressive medical ninjutsu, everyone had a sudden realization—Katsuyu Summoning!

Haichi thought back to Kyoichi's performance during the second Chunin Exams and asked directly, "Kyoichi-sama, how effective is your Katsuyu Summoning?"

"Its duration should be quite long—I can cover about a three-kilometer radius. As for how long and how effective… I can't say for sure. Also, I have a secret technique that lets me absorb chakra, but its conversion rate is only one-third, and the absorption speed isn't very fast."

Kyoichi thought for a moment before explaining some of his abilities.

Katsuyu-related techniques and medical ninjutsu were well-known in Konoha, so there was no need to keep them a secret. In fact, revealing them could help earn the trust and respect of others.

What he didn't expect was how much his revelations would shock Yamanaka Inoichi.

Inoichi had assumed that Kyoichi's abilities were only effective within a small radius and for a limited duration.

But the reality…

While not on the same level as Tsunade, his capabilities were still astonishing.

And more importantly…

Kyoichi had the ability to absorb chakra.

Even if the conversion rate was only one-third, on the battlefield, such an ability could have an immense impact.

****************************

Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.

p@treon/GodDragcell