Chapter 17: Deep in the Mire

The battle between the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and Might Duy had thoroughly alarmed Konohagakure.

Even though Konoha didn't know the exact outcome of the fight or what Might Duy had managed to accomplish, the sheer devastation left in the battlefield's wake made one thing clear: even if the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had emerged victorious, they could not have done so unscathed.

In an effort to eliminate the Seven Swordsmen once and for all, Konoha kept dispatching squads of shinobi to hunt them down, forcing Yoru and the others into repeated skirmishes as they tried to retreat.

If it were just Mizunotsuki Yoru alone—even in his current, severely weakened state with nearly all his chakra depleted and his combat strength reduced to a tenth—he could still escape.

Thanks to the eerie nature of Kido and the speed of Shunpo, those so-called pursuers were hardly a threat to him.

The problem, however, lay elsewhere.

Right now, Yoru was dragging along three severely injured Ninja Swordsmen.

If a fight broke out, regardless of Yoru's own survival, the three Swordsmen would undoubtedly perish.

If this were a special mission, Yoru might have considered taking a page out of Kisame's book and eliminating his teammates. But the battle with Might Duy had already concluded—the mission was over. Naturally, Yoru had to think of the bigger picture and preserve Kirigakure's remaining elite forces as much as possible.

Thus—

Yoru was forced to resist the probing assaults from Konoha shinobi while dragging the three half-dead Swordsmen across the border region, buying time for their recovery.

But in doing so, he had stepped into a quagmire.

The deeper he struggled, the more trapped he became.

One Day Later –

Land of Fire Border –

Mist Camp, Command Tent

Several figures stood before a massive battlefield map, their expressions grim.

Hōzuki Mangetsu had returned to camp with detailed intelligence on Konoha's troop distribution at the frontlines—along with shocking news: one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, had crossed the border and arrived at the battlefield.

At first, no one believed it.

According to intel from the Information Division, Jiraiya had only just left the Iwagakure frontlines and couldn't possibly have reached the Mist front so soon.

But just yesterday, Jiraiya had led a squad of Konoha jōnin straight to the frontlines and directly engaged Yagura in combat.

With a top-tier powerhouse like Jiraiya in the fray, Konoha's morale surged and their combat effectiveness spiked. As a result, not only was the Mist unable to take Tsu'nan Town, they nearly failed to retreat in time—suffering devastating losses.

"Jiraiya's already at the frontlines, so where the hell are our Seven Ninja Swordsmen?!"

"They entered the Land of Fire just a few days ago! How the hell is Jiraiya already at the front?! I don't know what the hell the Intelligence Division is doing anymore!"

A large, burly shinobi with two crimson dots on his brow slammed his fist onto the sand table and roared in frustration.

He was a jōnin of the Kaguya Clan. The sudden arrival of Jiraiya had cost them several top commanders—a grievous blow for a bloodline clan like theirs.

"I passed that intel on Jiraiya to you long ago, but you ignored it completely. You even accused us of using it as an excuse for our task force's failure."

Though his white mask obscured his expression, Mangetsu's mocking tone was unmistakable.

"Besides, we didn't fail. We destroyed several large supply depots in Twin Fields Village, severely disrupting Konoha's logistics. Lord Yoru even killed Nara Shikaku, a top Konoha strategist, who came to provide reinforcements."

"But all that crucial intel we risked our lives to obtain—on Konoha's troop deployments—was thrown aside by you brain-dead fools. You only cared about exploiting your numbers advantage to forcefully capture Tsu'nan Town before Konoha's reinforcements arrived. Of course you failed!"

"What did you say?!"

The Kaguya jōnin glared at Mangetsu with murderous intent.

"I said you're a bunch of brainless meatheads!"

Mangetsu refused to back down. His words only thickened the already suffocating tension in the tent.

To those battle-hardened but simple-minded clans like the Kaguya, such insults were nothing short of pouring oil on the fire.

"You little brat from the Hōzuki Clan, you've got a death wish—!"

"Enough!"

The voice came from the command seat—a sharp, cold tone that instantly silenced the room.

Despite his short stature, Yagura sat in the seat of command. With his youthful, almost baby-faced appearance, he seemed more like a child than a war leader.

But his authority was unquestionable.

"This was indeed our mistake," Yagura said flatly. "A failure in both our assessment of the situation and our intelligence work. Because of that, the achievements of our ANBU First Squad were wasted. We lost the initiative—and suffered heavy casualties."

"But this is no time to assign blame. If all we care about is who's right and who's wrong, then we might as well withdraw to the Land of Water right now!"

The tent fell into stunned silence.

Everyone knew how harsh life was in the Land of Water. Kirigakure sat on an island surrounded by sea, its resources scarce—comparable even to the barren deserts of the Land of Wind.

Fishing was their only real industry.

But under the brutal "Blood Mist" regime, even the fishing sector could barely survive.

Only through war… through conquest… by seizing this rare window of opportunity when Konoha was stretched thin fighting the other three Great Nations—

Only then could the Mist truly come ashore.

"Jiraiya's presence has greatly boosted Konoha's morale. But that doesn't mean we've lost."

"Sunagakure has already surrendered, but the Iwa front is still active. The Kumogakure army remains stationed on the border. Both will continue to divide Konoha's forces."

Yagura swept his gaze across the room and declared:

"Though our intel failed us, and we suffered a temporary setback, once the Seven Ninja Swordsmen regroup—and our main army arrives by tomorrow—we will still hold the upper hand in this war!"

Konoha's forces were now split into three theaters. Each required a top-tier commander.

One of the Sannin, Orochimaru, held the Iwa front.

Shimura Danzō, Konoha's shadowy spymaster, guarded the Kumo border.

Their most brilliant rising star, the Yellow Flash, was still dashing between the fronts and couldn't spare time for the Mist.

No matter how many geniuses Konoha had, they were stretched thin.

As long as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen regrouped and Kirigakure's reinforcements arrived, they would have overwhelming superiority—both in elite combat power and raw numbers.

Even with Jiraiya stationed at Tsu'nan Town—

Konoha wouldn't stand a chance.

At Yagura's words, the tension finally eased. A glimmer of confidence returned to the commanders' eyes.

Only Mangetsu's expression remained cold and grim.

From the moment he returned with the intel, he had requested reinforcements—only to be accused of falsifying reports.

"Jiraiya leading a jōnin strike team? Ridiculous! Our intel says he just left the Iwa front. Stop spreading nonsense!"

Helpless, Mangetsu set out again with Yuyuri and the others. But by the time they arrived—

Jiraiya and Yoru were long gone.

Now, a full day had passed.

Jiraiya had appeared on the frontlines.

But Yoru… still hadn't surfaced.

"Emergency! Urgent war report!"

A Mist shinobi burst into the tent, his face pale beneath his mask.

Yagura's face darkened. "Calm down. What happened?"

Even with his face covered, everyone in the tent could feel the panic and dread radiating off the scout.

"Scouts report that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen encountered an unknown Konoha powerhouse deep in the Land of Fire and suffered devastating losses. Lord Yoru rescued Biwa Juzo, Kurosuki Raiga, and Fuguki Suikazan, who are now recovering near Kumamoto."

"Konoha's elite forces have already caught wind of this and are heading toward Kumamoto as we speak!"

"What?!"

The whole tent erupted.

So that's why the Swordsmen had gone silent after entering the Land of Fire—they'd been attacked?

Now they were at risk of being surrounded and wiped out by Konoha?!

"Wait!"

Yagura asked sternly, "Zabuza, Raiga, and Fuguki… What about the other four?"

"Well…" The Mist shinobi exhaled heavily. "Based on intercepted Konoha intelligence—"

"The remaining four Swordsmen… are all presumed—"

"KIA."