Chapter 28: Even Among the Seven, There Are Differences

"They lost?" 

Even Kakuzu, who had been sitting quietly in a corner, stood up upon hearing that. 

Clearly, something was off about their opponent. 

"Let's go take a look." 

Everyone immediately got up and moved to the deck. 

By then, the three defeated ninjas had also retreated back to the ship, while an ice bridge had formed on the sea. 

The bridge connected the two ships, creating a battlefield right on the water. 

"That guy is incredibly strong. He's definitely using some kind of Taijutsu." 

"He must be a Taijutsu-based ninja, and that giant sword of his—there's something unusual about it." 

The elder among the three finally spoke. 

Even now, his heart was still pounding from fear. 

That power… he had never encountered anything like it before. 

And the worse it was, the more useless his past "experience" became. 

This could be fatal. 

Who would've thought? 

Three Jonin, cut down and sent running with just a single swing. 

And the worst part? 

That guy wasn't alone. 

Did you see those men behind him? 

Their eyes were glowing green with excitement. 

How could normal people give off that kind of aura?

It was easy to tell. 

Just like the guards from the Land of Water on their ship—deep down, they feared ninjas. Some weaker samurai couldn't even bring themselves to draw their swords when facing ruthless killers like them. 

The best example was Naruto's first mission. When they encountered ninjas on the way to the Land of Waves, he could barely react. 

And during the Chunin Exams, those Genin could only stand there, frozen in fear, when faced with Orochimaru. 

On a battlefield ruled by ninjas, ordinary people had no chance of resisting. 

But the group behind Zabuza seemed completely unfazed by these so-called "ninjas." Even when they felt the pressure coming from them, they showed no fear at all. 

After all, there were hundreds of millions on the line. 

"But why would such powerful ninjas target us?" 

One of the ninjas was confused. They weren't weak, and more importantly, their presence here was an absolute secret. 

"Could it be that the Fourth Mizukage found out about our plan?" 

"That's impossible. Didn't Chojuro say even he just learned about it?" 

"Maybe they're after the money?" 

"That's not possible. Unless they know the seal removal technique, there's no way they can take it." 

The ninjas all shook their heads. 

If getting the money was that easy, they would have taken it and run a long time ago. 

Even though Chojuro was a Jonin, his strength alone wasn't enough to stand against them. 

If they really wanted to kill him, it wouldn't be hard— 

But there was no point in doing so. 

"He… is here for the money." 

Chojuro hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. 

He never expected Zabuza to show up here, let alone as a pirate. 

And even more shocking—Zabuza had become much stronger. 

"Didn't you say only the higher-ups in Kirigakure knew the seal removal technique?" 

A ninja beside him looked puzzled. 

Just then, Chojuro stepped forward, while Kakuzu pulled out a thick stack of bounty posters and started flipping through them. 

"Because he was a Kirigakure higher-up. One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist— Zabuza." 

Chojuro's expression was serious. 

Even among the Seven Swordsmen, there were clear differences in strength. 

"He's the Demon Zabuza?" 

"One of the former Seven Swordsmen… the ninja who defected from Kirigakure not long ago?" 

"How did he become this powerful…?" 

Powerful? Of course, Zabuza was strong. 

Even back when he had lost all faith in his village and was completely demoralized, he still managed to kill three Jonin and escape. 

And now— 

It wasn't just his strength that had grown. More importantly, his mindset had changed. 

"Momochi Zabuza, rogue ninja from Kirigakure, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. 

Elite Jonin-level strength. 

Bounty: 35 million ryo." 

Kakuzu had found Zabuza's bounty poster.

Thirty-five million ryo—that was considered a high bounty even among elite jonin. 

"But considering Zabuza's sword, his actual strength is probably only worth about twenty-five million." 

Kakuzu added another remark. 

"Twenty-five million?" 

"If we're careful, we should be able to handle that, right?" 

Everyone turned to Chojuro, standing beside them. This was Kirigakure's internal matter, and it wasn't part of their assigned mission. 

As professional bounty hunters, they had their own code of conduct—if the job changed, the price had to go up. 

"Add another five million ryo." 

Chojuro gritted his teeth as he spoke. 

"Sorry, Zabuza. We may not be enemies, but we can't afford any slip-ups on this mission." 

"If we fail, the entire Kirigakure will fall into the Blood Mist again." 

Determination flashed in Chojuro's eyes. He would not die here. 

He had to take Zabuza down. 

Slowly, he unsheathed his twin swords, Hiramekarei. The massive blades looked out of place compared to his somewhat thin frame. 

But the moment he drew them, the surrounding ninjas stopped underestimating the young swordsman. The sheer pressure emanating from Hiramekarei made them take him seriously. 

After all, under the title of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, there was no such thing as a weakling. 

Chojuro gripped Hiramekarei tightly and leaped off the deck. 

Five other ninjas jumped down with him, Kakuzu included. 

Not far away, Zabuza watched the scene unfold and slowly raised his left hand. 

"Gato, take your men and back off. This fight isn't something you can get involved in." 

At this point, even Zabuza himself was a little confused. 

What the hell? Everyone on that ship was strong—there wasn't a single ordinary person among them. 

What was this? They were just escorting some tribute money for Kirigakure. Did it really need this many people? And these guys weren't even from Kirigakure. 

And that guy in the black cloak with red clouds—could the "Revolutionary Army" not be so flashy? 

"Wait… is that guy planning a rebellion?" 

Zabuza, of course, recognized Chojuro. 

Now that Chojuro was here, along with all these ninjas and even the so-called "Revolutionary Army," something big was definitely going down. 

It had nothing to do with Zabuza, but running into this situation was seriously unlucky for him. 

"Six of them… Even if I try to run now, it's probably too late." 

Zabuza let out a small sigh. Well, if this was happening, he might as well give it a shot. 

"In that case… let me show you what true swordsmanship looks like—pure, deadly swordsmanship." 

He lowered his stance slightly, and thick mist began pouring from his body, completely shrouding his massive sword, Kubikiribocho. 

"Here they come!" 

At that moment, both sides moved in unison, charging straight at each other.

Chojuro charged forward with his twin swords, leading the attack. Kakuzu followed closely behind, while the other four split up and started forming hand seals. 

"Hiramekarei, release!" 

Chojuro didn't hold back at all. His Hiramekarei blades glowed with a bright blue light as chakra surged into them. 

The chakra sphere forming on the twin swords became the brightest point on the battlefield. 

But in the next moment, that glow was completely overshadowed by an even more dazzling light. 

"Swordmanship isn't about relying on some fancy ninja sword abilities, kid." 

Zabuza didn't dodge or retreat—he met Chojuro's attack head-on. 

The so-called Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—aside from his Kubikiribocho, how many of their swords were actually real swords? 

Blades that were all style but no substance could never stand against a true sword! 

"Blade-less Style: Severing Slash!" 

A flash of steel cut through the chakra sphere gathered on Chojuro's Hiramekarei, slicing it apart instantly. The deadly arc of the blade swept past his forehead, just barely missing. 

In the blink of an eye, Zabuza was right in front of Chojuro. His massive sword was still mid-swing, but he had no intention of stopping. 

Using the momentum of his strike, he spun his body and brought the sword down once more. 

The air pressure around them tightened. Chojuro felt like he couldn't breathe. His hands were too slow—he couldn't keep up with Zabuza's speed. 

Clang! 

A chain and a kunai intercepted Zabuza's attack. 

Kakuzu, from the side, kicked toward Zabuza, but at that exact moment, Zabuza's foot was already in position to counter the strike. 

Boom! 

A heavy impact sent both of them flying backward. 

Kakuzu got back on his feet, his face serious. 

Chojuro also stood up. A thin line of blood ran down his forehead, dripping onto the icy ground. 

Tiny frost flowers bloomed on the ice. 

Haku had entered the fight. 

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