Chapter 51 - Might Duy’s Resolve

Chapter 51 - Might Duy's Resolve

A Race Against Death

The dense forests surrounding Konoha were eerily silent, save for the sound of ragged breathing and hurried footfalls pounding against the earth.

Huff… Huff… Huff…

Shiranui Genma's breath came in shaky, labored gasps. Sweat dripped down his brow as his legs screamed in protest. His stamina, already stretched thin, was reaching its absolute limit.

They had been running nonstop for nearly half an hour. Even for trained shinobi, such an extended sprint—combined with the overwhelming pressure of being hunted—was taking its toll.

"Duy-sensei… I can't… I can't run anymore…!"

Genma staggered to a halt, barely catching himself before he collapsed. His entire body shook, muscles on the verge of giving out.

Up ahead, Might Duy slowed his pace before stopping as well. His breath remained steady, showing none of the exhaustion his younger companions suffered from.

But internally, he was growing more and more anxious.

At their current pace, even if they continued running, it would still take three more hours to reach Konoha.

And in that time, their pursuers—the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—would definitely catch up.

"Alright," Duy finally spoke, keeping his voice calm and firm. "We'll take a two-minute break. Just two minutes, and then we move again."

His eyes swept over the three genin—Genma, Ebisu, and his son, Guy—before narrowing with seriousness.

"The ones chasing us aren't ordinary shinobi," he reminded them. "They're the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Each one of them is an elite jōnin. If they catch us, we're dead."

---

The Weight of a Father's Fear

Despite his calm words, Duy's thoughts were a storm.

He had always known the world saw him as nothing more than a joke. The Eternal Genin. A man who had never passed the Chūnin Exams.

Most of his life had been spent taking low-rank missions, surviving by sheer perseverance and discipline rather than natural talent. He had never been given the chance to test himself against truly powerful enemies.

And yet now—

He found himself standing between three exhausted genin and the most terrifying force Kirigakure had to offer.

For the first time in his life, Duy felt true fear.

Not for himself.

For his son.

For Might Guy, the one he had spent his whole life raising and teaching. The one who carried all his hopes, his dreams—his very will.

Duy had long since accepted that he was expendable. If his death could ensure his son's survival, he was willing to lay down his life without hesitation.

But that didn't mean it didn't terrify him.

Not because he feared death—but because he feared failing.

If he wasn't strong enough to hold them off…

If they still managed to slaughter the children after he fell…

No.

Duy clenched his fists.

That would not happen.

---

A Desperate Flight

The two-minute break passed quickly.

Though Genma was still trembling, he gritted his teeth and forced himself forward. The brief rest had given him just enough strength to keep going.

"Let's move."

And so, they resumed their desperate flight toward Konoha.

But fatigue was a cruel enemy.

Even with his resolve steeled, Genma's legs were already at their limit. He had pushed himself beyond his threshold once before, and when that threshold is broken once…

It becomes easier for it to happen again.

Barely ten minutes later, his pace slowed once more.

This time, he truly couldn't go any farther.

His breath was ragged, his vision blurred. His entire body felt like it was on fire.

"Duy-sensei… can we rest just a little longer? We've already come so far… Maybe… Maybe they've given up chasing us…"

Genma's voice was filled with hope—but deep down, even he knew it was wishful thinking.

Duy hesitated.

They had been running for a long time. Maybe… just maybe… the enemy had lost their trail.

Maybe there was still—

"Did you really think you could escape from us so easily?"

The voice slithered through the dense forest like a viper, dripping with amusement and malice.

A lone figure stepped out of the shadows, dragging an oversized cleaver along the ground. Juzo Biwa—the wielder of the Executioner's Blade—wore a grin that revealed just how much he relished this hunt.

They had run for over an hour, yet here he was, standing before them like a phantom of death.

"They actually caught up…?!" Ebisu's voice trembled as his mind desperately clung to denial. "Where is Hatano-sensei?"

Juzo's grin widened.

"You mean this guy?"

From behind him, another figure stepped forward—Raiga Kurosuki.

And in his right hand… he held a severed head.

Hatano's head.

The grin on Raiga's face was twisted, filled with mockery, as he casually tossed the head forward like discarded trash.

Thud.

The bloodied remains of their sensei landed at Ebisu's feet.

For a moment, no one moved.

Then—

Ebisu collapsed.

His entire body shook violently as the cruel reality sank in. The man who had trained them, guided them, protected them—was gone.

"Hatano-sensei… is dead…"

His voice was barely above a whisper, but in the stillness of the forest, it echoed like a funeral bell.

Juzo had originally intended to take Hatano alive. They needed intel—locations of Konoha's supply lines, troop movements, anything that would give Kirigakure an advantage.

But Hatano had fought with everything he had, sacrificing himself to buy them time. If word reached Konoha about the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's presence in the Land of Fire, their mission would be compromised before it even began.

Realizing this, Juzo had made a choice.

Hatano had to die.

But he wasn't the only one who had acted.

Raiga had already returned to their base, gathered the rest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and spread them out to track down Might Duy and the genin.

And now, they had found them.

Juzo raised his hand and gave the pre-arranged signal—a simple flick of his wrist.

And just like that, the shadows of the forest came alive. While Duy look at the defiantly.

"Aah, Juzo, it looks like you've been underestimated. This one thinks he can stop two of us on his own."

The mocking voice belonged to Jinpachi Munashi, the wielder of the Explosive Blade: Shibuki. His lips twisted into a wide, maniacal grin.

"Three," Duy corrected himself grimly as another figure casually emerged from the shadows.

But before he could even process it—

Four more followed.

"Seven… They really brought all of them…"

His voice was barely audible.

From behind him, Genma froze, his face drained of all color.

"The… the Seven Ninja Swordsmen… all of them… This has to be a nightmare…"

Ebisu, still on his knees, stared unblinking at the severed head of his sensei, his lips quivering.

And Might Guy—

He was shaking.

Not out of fear for himself.

Out of fear for his father.

"Haha! Looks like there are three little brats with him. Juzo, you really are useless. Should we just stitch them together?"

A sickening cackle rang through the forest as Kuriarare Kushimaru, wielder of the Longsword: Nuibari, licked his lips in amusement.

His razor-sharp wire, attached to his needle-like blade, had impaled entire platoons before. He had a habit of threading his victims together, sewing them into grotesque works of art.

"Or maybe we should just blow them up!"

Jinpachi Munashi grinned, holding up his Blasting Blade, which was covered in explosive tags.

"You bastards! They're my prey!"

Juzo snapped, clearly annoyed.

"Just keep them from escaping!"

"Are… Are they joking…?"

Ebisu's choked whisper barely escaped his lips.

Their casual cruelty—their joy at the idea of slaughtering them—felt inhuman.

Duy suddenly turned to his son.

His eyes, filled with gentleness yet unwavering determination, met Guy's.

"Guy," he said, his voice steady and firm.

"A man's youth… cannot end here."

He clenched his fists.

"You must run. I'll hold them off."

"Father…!"

Tears welled in Guy's eyes.

"No one is escaping," Fuguki Suikazan, wielder of Samehada, declared. His deep voice rumbled through the forest like a death sentence.

Duy ignored him.

He had already made his choice.

He had no other option.

He turned back to Guy.

"Guy, watch carefully," he murmured.

"This will be… the last taijutsu I can teach you."

"Father, no!" Guy shook his head violently, his fists clenching. "If you use that, you'll—!"

Duy smiled.

"I've told you before, haven't I?"

He raised his thumbs-up.

"There is a technique… that can only be used at the most crucial of moments."

Guy's entire body stiffened.

He knew what was coming.

"Father, you'll die!"

But Duy… did not respond.

Instead—

"Eight Gates Release…"

A sudden, deafening silence filled the air.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen instinctively tensed.

They felt it.

A power that should not exist.

A presence so overwhelming, so explosive, it sent shockwaves through the ground.

The very mist recoiled from him.

His skin burned crimson, his veins bulged, and his body ignited in pure, raw energy.

This was beyond human.

This was beyond shinobi.

This was—

"Eighth Gate… The Gate of Death…"

The entire forest trembled.

Even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—feared across the world—felt something they hadn't felt in years.

Fear.