Chapter 66 - The Battle Begins
Chapter 66 - The Battle Begins
The tension in the battlefield snapped like a drawn bowstring. Yagura's calm facade shattered, his patience finally at its limit.
With a sharp wave of his hand, he signaled his Mist shinobi into battle formation.
His cold, piercing voice rang through the mist-laden field, carrying the weight of a death sentence.
"Since you've come all this way—don't even think about leaving alive!"
In an instant, the elite Jonin surrounding Yagura reacted.
They knew his commands without words—they had fought under his rule for years.
Hands blurred into seals, and the battlefield exploded into motion.
"Water Release! Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Twenty-three elite Mist Jonin moved in unison.
Massive dragons of water erupted from the mist, each one roaring to life as they surged forward, twisting and coiling like serpents of destruction.
Each dragon was several meters wide, moving with terrifying force, crashing toward Kazane like a relentless tidal wave.
The ground shook beneath their force.
The very air screamed with the pressure of their combined might.
A lesser shinobi would have been drowned, crushed, or obliterated instantly.
However, Kazane's expression remained untouched, his stance relaxed as he ran a single finger along the hilt of Wado Ichimonji.
Then—
He moved.
A single, fluid slash.
"One-Sword Style: Thirty-Six pound Phoenix!"
A spiraling blue sword wave erupted from his blade, tearing through the mist-laden sky, rising like a celestial storm.
Then—
It descended.
The sword energy crashed downward, its impact obliterating the incoming water dragons instantly.
The sky seems to split apart.
The dragons shattered into an explosion of water, cascading down in a torrential downpour, as if the heavens themselves had been torn open.
The battlefield was flooded by rain, yet Kazane remained untouched, standing firm as the stunned silence settled amidst the downpour.
The Mist shinobi froze, their expressions riddled with disbelief.
"What?! He deflected them so easily?!"
"The Jonin's combined attack—neutralized in a single strike?!"
"Impossible! That was twenty-three Water Dragons—"
Their voices rose in panic, their certainty in victory shaking.
Even Yagura's pupils shrank slightly—he had seriously underestimated this swordsman.
For the first time, the Mist began to realize the true monster they faced.
Kazane's smirk widened, his voice dripping with amusement.
"In the spirit of courtesy. Since the Mizukage has shown such sincerity—allow me to return the favor."
His gaze sharpened, his black pupils flashing with an ominous red glow.
"Bow before me, you wretched fish!"
A storm of raw, crushing will erupt from his body. It was as if an invisible force exploded outward, sweeping across the battlefield like an unstoppable tidal wave.
Shura Killing Intent, his own Conqueror's Haki.
To the Mist ninjas, it was as if the sky had collapsed upon them.
A force greater than chakra itself bore down on them, an unrelenting pressure suffocating their bodies.
The weaker shinobi collapsed instantly, their bodies slamming into the ground like lifeless puppets.
One by one—
They toppled.
Their lungs burned, their limbs refused to move, their minds drowned in terror.
Even Jonin staggered, their knees buckling under the crushing weight.
Some gasped for breath, as if a great mountain had been dropped upon their chests.
Only Yagura, the Mist Clan Heads, and a few Elite Jonin remained standing.
They were unaffected, yet their faces were grim.
Even Yagura—a Perfect Jinchūriki—felt a moment of unease.
This was not just chakra.
This was something else entirely.
"Damn it… Is this the true power of the Demon Blade of the Leaf?! How is he this strong…?"
Yagura clenched his fists, struggling against the overwhelming pressure.
For the first time, he truly understood why Juzo had been so utterly terrified of this man.
Kaguya Taketori—who had previously dismissed Juzo's fear—found himself momentarily speechless.
Kazane exhaled, slightly amused at the unexpected destruction he had caused.
"Hmph."
That had been stronger than he expected.
His voice cut through the silence.
"The lower-ranked shinobi should stay out of this fight."
His gaze shifted slightly.
"Uncle Duy, take care of your 'lucky trio.' The rest is mine."
He cracked his knuckles, the confidence in his voice absolute.
"Now then—"
He took a step forward, his aura intensifying.
"Let's get started."
Might Duy nodded once.
Then—
"Eight Gates Release! Third Gate—Gate of Life: Open!"
With an earth-shaking roar, his body erupted in a green aura, his muscles bulging with raw power.
He vanished in a blur of speed, heading straight for the remaining Mist swordsmen.
The Mist swordsmen heard every word. They exchanged brief glances.
And in that moment, a silent agreement formed:
Avoid Kazane at all costs.
If things go south—run.
But they had no idea who they were truly up against.
"Hidden Mist Technique!"
Kurosuki Raiga acted first, unleashing a thick mist to cloak the battlefield.
The mist churned and rolled, blanketing everything.
For a moment—silence.
Then—
"Sixth Gate! Gate of View: Open!"
"Morning Peacock!"
The intensity of Duy's chakra surged, his power skyrocketing.
His fists blurred, striking at the very air itself.
A storm of burning fists ignited from sheer friction, exploding outward in waves of pure devastation.
The mist was blown apart instantly.
And then—
A meteor shower of fire-covered punches rained down right onto Kurosuki Raiga.
At first, Raiga smirked, amused by the display of brute force hitting nothing but air.
However, his smirk faltered.
Then vanished entirely.
The flames struck.
A relentless, merciless barrage of burning fists crashed into his body before he could even react. The shockwaves shattered his bones. The searing heat burned through his flesh, incinerating him alive.
Within seconds— Raiga was no more, killed without even understanding what truly ended him.
"This… This is a nightmare…!"
Fuguki Suikazan and Jūzō Biwa were paralyzed with fear.
They turned to each other, their bodies trembling—
Then, as if their minds synchronized—They ran. Neither hesitated for a second.
Might Duy gave chase immediately.
"Last time, you were the hunters. Now, it's my turn."
His eyes gleamed with exhilaration as he vanished in pursuit.
Meanwhile, the Leaf ninjas—who had watched everything unfold—stood frozen in utter shock.
No one could believe their eyes.
No one had expected Might Duy—the so-called "Eternal Genin," a man who had always been timid and unremarkable—to display such overwhelming strength.
That was the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
They were not just any group of shinobi—they were elite Jonin, warriors whose names were feared across the entire ninja world.
And yet…
One of them had been obliterated in an instant.
Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, none of them would have believed such a thing could happen.
On the Other Side of the Battlefield
At that moment, Kazane stepped forward, coming face-to-face with Yagura Karatachi.
He took a long look at the Mizukage standing before him—a small, childlike figure gripping a black staff.
A soft chuckle escaped Kazane's lips.
It was a smile—but not one of amusement.
Yagura recognized that smile immediately.
He had seen it countless times before—whenever Kaguya Taketori, the leader of the Kaguya Clan, was about to rip his opponents to shreds, he wore that exact expression.
It was the smile of a predator gazing upon its prey.
And at this moment…
Yagura was the prey.
A chill ran down his spine.
It was an insult beyond words.
He was the Fourth Mizukage—one of the Five Kage, standing at the very pinnacle of the ninja world.
Yet here he was… being looked down upon like a mere target waiting to be slaughtered.
His fury ignited instantly.
At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to gouge out Kazane's eyes, tear them from his skull, and add them to his personal collection.
Whether he actually had the power to do so…
That remained to be seen.