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"Heh heh, it seems I've been underestimated by these brats. Do they really think that a bit of ninjutsu taught by Orochimaru will let them act so recklessly?"
Slowly taking down the wide cleaver from his back, the 2.5-meter tall figure resembling a giant, Suikazan Fuguki (Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish Ghost), revealed a ferocious grin. His sharp teeth exposed a cruel edge.
"No matter how many fish come, they are still prey."
Staring at the distant Leaf ninjas, Suikazan Fuguki coldly roared, "The Leaf's reinforcements are no more than a hundred. Kill! Erase this Leaf stronghold today."
The Mist ninjas were all reticent, or perhaps it could be said that Mist ninjas trained under the Blood Mist policies were all qualified war machines. On command, countless Mist ninjas turned into shadows charging toward the Leaf ninjas.
"Roar~ Scum, get out of the way for this lord."
The gigantic body of the Many-Tailed Beast rolled down, causing the earth to shake. Facing this war beast, Suikazan Fuguki also had some hesitation. He brandished his cleaver and charged forward.
"Many-Tails! Retreat!"
Just when the Many-Tails was unruly and about to teach the Mist ninja fighting him a lesson, suddenly Uchiha Yoru, who was far away, saw the large figure and the red hair and immediately shouted.
The experience on the battlefield led Many-Tails to instinctively flick its tail, kicking up a cloud of dust, and it burrowed directly into the soft earth.
"Damn brat!"
Uchiha Yoru's warning allowed the Many-Tails to escape, making Suikazan Fuguki angrily shout, he turned his head and swung his cleaver, "Brat, let this lord see how much you've learned from Orochimaru."
Boom~
Leaf ninjas and Mist ninjas clashed again with the arrival of reinforcements. Fatefully, Kakashi Hatake encountered Zabuza Momochi from the Mist. Uchiha Yoru met elite Mist ninjas like Gekko and almost everyone found their match. On a battlefield with over a hundred ninjas, jutsu flew everywhere; every ninja not only had to watch out for their opponent but also be alert in all directions, because a small kunai could be lethal.
Dang Dang~
Uchiha Yoru and this time's attacking Mist ninja commander, Suikazan Fuguki, clashed. As soon as they met, Uchiha Yoru dared not to be careless, his Kusanagi sword directly collided with the cleaver.
In the brief exchange, Suikazan Fuguki's initial contempt for the young ninja in front of him had disappeared, replaced by seriousness.
"This brat is so fast!"
Similarly, Uchiha Yoru, using his Raiton chakra mode, maximized his speed and fought with his Kusanagi sword, even feeling a tingling sensation in his palm.
He was also secretly amazed at Suikazan Fuguki's great strength; the giant cleaver didn't seem out of place with Suikazan Fuguki's 2.5-meter frame and carried no awkwardness under his great power.
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands
During their exchange, without any warning, seven or eight venomous snakes with gaping mouths suddenly sprang from Uchiha Yoru's sleeves.
Although the jutsu rank was not high, it was too sudden. In the brief exchange, Suikazan Fuguki couldn't help but frown, it seemed that this young ninja knew him well.
"Fat pig, is this all you've got?"
Taking the opportunity to retreat quickly, Uchiha Yoru didn't miss the chance to mock, the words 'fat pig' instantly casting a dark cloud over Suikazan Fuguki's eyes.
"Kid, even Orochimaru wouldn't dare look down on me like this."
As the leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Suikazan Fuguki had his own pride, especially the Samehada in his hand making him nearly invincible.
Uchiha Yoru, however, was deep in thought. He couldn't underestimate any ninja. Just considering the swordsmanship displayed earlier, Fuguki was definitely among the elite.
Needle Hairs
Suikazan Fuguki suddenly yelled, releasing a dense barrage of red hair, resembling Jiraiya's Hair Technique.
Facing this sudden attack, Uchiha Yoru quickly formed hand seals, inhaling deeply and exhaling a massive fireball.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique
The huge fireball swept over, instantly evaporating Fuguki's needle hairs even with their chakra boost. Not only did Uchiha Yoru block the attack with his Fire Style, the residual force also advanced toward Fuguki.
"Kid! Using Fire Style against Mist ninja, you're too arrogant!"
Suikazan Fuguki angrily sprayed a large amount of water, instantly extinguishing the huge fireball.
Suikazan Fuguki is the first generation wielder of Samehada, and excels in hair-based jutsu, Water Style, and sword techniques. Samehada can absorb the enemy's chakra and inject it into its wielder.
Uchiha Yoru easily recited this information, not avoiding other ninjas' intel.
"Your Samehada is strong, but the intelligence department of Konoha isn't slack. Your sword is afraid of fire!"
Fuguki's face turned pale green. "Kid, it seems Orochimaru has been gathering intel on us Mist ninjas."
Uchiha Yoru simply smiled, without explaining that he had deduced this from the original storyline.
"Kid, Orochimaru has been expelled from Konoha. Why don't you join us in the Mist Village?"
Just then, Fuguki realized something was off. Breaking free from the illusion, he found monstrous figures with gaping mouths lunging at him.
"Damn kid."
Swinging Samehada, he cut these phantom snakes in half, full of surprise and anger. Had it not been for Samehada, he might have fallen.
"Your eyes!"
Uchiha Yoru, who transformed into a flash of lightning, appeared behind him. Their swordsmanship clashed again, this time Fuguki was more cautious.
"How can your Sharingan be so strong!"
Fuguki was wary. He had faced Sharingan before, but this kid's Sharingan seemed terrifyingly strong.
Uchiha Yoru kept attacking with his sword, revealing a smile. His Sharingan had indeed become stronger.
"Kid, you're too arrogant!"
In close combat, Fuguki angrily left an opening. Uchiha Yoru immediately pierced Samehada into his armpit.
However, Fuguki revealed a cunning grin. His body turned into water, a water clone! The clone exploded.
"Strength of a ninja is never determined by the level of their techniques."
Emerging from a mud pit, Fuguki revealed a grim smile. But then, lightning flashed behind him again.
"The same principle applies; I can also use clone techniques."
Both were close to each other, fighting intensely.
Fuguki swung Samehada for an attack, but at that moment a snake lunged out of a pit, biting his ankle.
"What time was this?"
He recalled what had just happened. Uchiha Yoru had used his sword to dig a hole in the ground, where the snake hid. A mud clone covered it during the explosion, perfectly concealing the hole.
"Kid, you're so cunning!"
Fuguki's face turned green with envy.
"Retreat!"
Seeing his ankle start to turn black, Fuguki instantly threw a smoke bomb and ordered all Mist ninjas to retreat.
Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique
As they retreated, the ninja from Suikazan Fuguki formed hand seals. In an instant, a large amount of chakra mixed with the moisture in the air, creating a thick fog that enveloped the entire battlefield.
Under these circumstances, the Leaf Village ninjas hastily began their defense.
"Hyuga clan, be on guard! Everyone, back-to-back for all-round defense."
Veteran ninjas on the battlefield immediately formed small defensive circles back-to-back as the fog appeared.
"The Hidden Mist is retreating!"
With many members of the Hyuga clan present, they immediately noticed the retreating Mist ninjas and began shouting loudly.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough
Ninjas proficient in Wind Release immediately activated their jutsu, dispersing the uncontrolled fog with a gust of wind. The retreating figures of the Hidden Mist ninjas became visible to all the Leaf ninjas.
The intense battle involving hundreds of ninjas had already begun to alter the landscape. With the departure of the Hidden Mist, pockmarked sandy beaches were revealed, and the surviving Leaf Village ninjas let out excited cries.
Before this, the Leaf ninjas on the island had been intimidated by Orochimaru's fearsome presence, feeling a sense of nostalgia.
People are such creatures. When Orochimaru left, they remembered the good old times when just his mere appearance at the borders could deter enemy nations. Now, the Hidden Mist Village was practically at their doorstep.
"Medical ninjas, attend to the wounded! Recon team, be on alert!"
Uchiha Yoru was a ninja who had survived three wars. He knew all too well that battles and wars among ninjas were full of deceit. He couldn't afford any negligence, especially when he had many members of the Hyuga branch family under his command.
"Prepare to return to our base."
Victory was theirs. When the Leaf ninjas saw Uchiha Yoru use his powerful snake-based jutsu, they cheered, as if they were seeing Orochimaru himself.
Uchiha Yoru didn't stop them; instead, he smiled confidently, silently acknowledging that his intentional use of snake-based jutsu had not been in vain.
Gaining prestige quickly could be achieved in many ways; the most direct was stepping over the bodies of your enemies. Clearly, he didn't face stupid enemies, so he chose to leverage his mentor Orochimaru's reputation.
The prestige of the Legendary Sannin Orochimaru would serve as his aid. Since Orochimaru had been expelled, the frontline Leaf ninjas who missed him would naturally transfer their hopes onto his successor.
Similarly, he must also possess considerable strength; otherwise, he would become a joke.
Clearly, he had succeeded. Just like when he became famous for intercepting Jiraiya in the Leaf Village, he would become a substitute for the nostalgic Orochimaru in the eyes of countless frontline Leaf ninjas. Over time, the shadow of the old Snake Sannin would fade, to be replaced by him.
…
The retreating Hidden Mist ninjas moved quickly through the forest. A medical ninja cautiously asked, "Sir, is your foot alright?"
The Suikazan Fuguki snorted coldly. The poisoned blood around his ankle had already been forced out by his powerful chakra. "That kid is troublesome."
"Send the order, let Zabuza lead the assassination team to gather information. I want to know exactly how many reinforcements the Leaf has sent."
"Yes!"
"Kijin, send the order, this time there are quite a few Hyuga clan members from the Leaf. The next battle will be extremely difficult; let the lunatic from the Kaguya clan fight against the Hyuga clan."
"Yes."
The Suikazan Fuguki may look rugged, but his caution is what has kept him alive for so long.
He chose to retreat this time for two reasons: first, to gauge the strength of the Leaf reinforcements; second, because he was uncertain whether the Leaf had any more reinforcements coming.