Everything that just happened occurred almost in the blink of an eye.
The duo watching from the rooftop never expected that Onihei, the Hiramekarei-wielder, would be killed instantly!
Among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Onihei, despite being the youngest, was ranked among the top three in terms of strength.
Especially since he wielded the Hiramekarei, the most lethal and destructive of the seven ninja swords.
Yet, despite this, Onihei was defeated in a single move.
This scene left the duo on the roof in shock.
The gathered strong wind dissipated with a whooshing sound.
Uchiha Sogetsu stood calmly in place, indifferent.
With him as the center, the streets within a few dozen meters were left in disarray after the wind ceased. The ground bore dense, crisscrossed marks, as if thousands of swords and knives had sliced through. Each cut was as smooth as a mirror.
Onihei's body lay in a pool of blood, nearly severed in half with only a sliver of flesh holding it together. Bright red blood streamed out, dyeing the ground.
"Don't joke," the lion boy's face changed suddenly, his pupils trembling as if in an earthquake, his bloodshot eyes fixated on Onihei's fallen form. He shouted, "Stand up! Onihei! This must be an illusion, right?!"
"Yes, it must be an illusion!"
He repeated it again, as if to bolster his own spirit: "The intel from Higashi Shibito mentioned that Uchiha Sogetsu's illusions can be indistinguishable from reality!"
However, his slightly pale face and the fine cold sweat on his forehead betrayed his true thoughts.
Is it really an illusion?
At this moment, Jinin Akebino remained silent.
Although his rational mind told him that this was real and not an illusion, he lacked the courage to speak. It was like facing a scabbed wound—knowing it might be festering underneath but not daring to peel away the scab and confront the bloody reality.
Because Jinin Akebino understood all too well that some truths, when spoken aloud, bring irreversible consequences.
Once this fragile barrier of denial is broken, would they truly have the courage to face such a terrifying opponent?
"Next, it's your turn."
Uchiha Sogetsu raised his leg and stepped over Onihei's body.
He walked slowly towards the duo on the roof, as if he were strolling in his own garden.
Each step he took echoed on the ground with a sound neither light nor heavy, like a sledgehammer striking, reverberating in the hearts of the two people like the fatal drumbeats of an approaching god of death.
"Can you please just stand there and not move?"
Uchiha Sogetsu approached them, looked up, and spoke slowly, "I have more important things to do and I don't want to waste time chasing you. So please, just stand still and don't move around. Let's save each other some time, alright?"
"What a joke?!"
Being so blatantly dismissed, Kushimaru Kuriarare and Jinin Akebino's fear quickly turned into anger.
"We admit your illusions, ninjutsu, and even taijutsu are almost impeccable," Kushimaru Kuriarare said, lowering his body and gripping his ninja sword like a fine needle, taking a combat stance. "But with my Nuibari, and Jinin Akebino's Kabutowari, we can at least hold our own against you!"
"Don't underestimate us, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!"
Jinin Akebino's Kabutowari, a blade and hammer as wide as an axe, is said to be capable of breaking through any defense.
Nuibari's handle is tied with steel wire. Not only does its needle-like blade possess incredible piercing strength, but it can also hide multiple steel wires for surprise attacks, control, and damage.
The two ninja swords complement each other's weaknesses, their combined power far surpassing a simple addition of their individual strengths.
Swish!
At the moment they issued their challenge, Uchiha Sogetsu, who had been in their sight, suddenly disappeared from the spot.
His figure moved like a ghost, traversing the ten meters of space between them in an instant. He suddenly appeared behind Jinin Akebino and Kushimaru Kuriarare. The entire process took less than a breath, so swift that even the onlooker, Yakushi Nono, failed to notice.
From a subjective viewpoint, it resembled the "frame drop" phenomenon seen in movies—vanishing from one spot and reappearing in another.
Kushimaru Kuriarare and Jinin Akebino stood rigid, seemingly unable to react. Then, they heard a faint voice.
"Ah, sorry, I don't have time to listen to your nonsense."
Uchiha Sogetsu lowered his eyes, his right hand appearing to grasp an invisible weapon, swinging it lightly through the air.
Clang!
A sound akin to cloth tearing echoed.
Although nothing was in his hand, the motion of his swing sliced through the air like a sharp blade, leaving a visible "gap."
Rip—
A chill touched their necks.
Then, Kushimaru Kuriarare and Jinin Akebino's perspectives suddenly shifted. They saw two columns of blood spurting two meters high.
"Such a familiar back. Is that... me?"
Kushimaru Kuriarare felt his thoughts slowing. Staring at one of the decapitated bodies with blood gushing out, a realization dawned on him: "Ah, it's me. Am I... dead?"
Boom! Boom!
Two bloody heads rolled down the slope of the roof like balls.
Ultimately, Kushimaru Kuriarare and Jinin Akebino's heads stopped at Yakushi Nono's feet. In their wide-open eyes lingered a trace of deep confusion.
"Dead?"
Yakushi Nono stood in a daze, lips parting unconsciously as if someone pressed a pause button.
This was the Hidden Mist Village's most elite force, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, a legacy passed down through generations. And now... their heads were so easily severed?
The entire battle lasted less than three minutes from start to finish.
She even suspected she was under an illusion. Rubbing her eyes vigorously, she stared wide-eyed to confirm what she saw.
It wasn't an illusion; it was reality!
The two severed heads were unmistakably those of Jinin Akebino with his blunt sword Kabutowari, and Kushimaru Kuriarare with his long sword Nuibari.
Including the Hiramekarei wielder Onihei who had just been defeated, and Jinpachi Munashi, who had been killed earlier with the explosive sword Shibuki, Uchiha Sogetsu had single-handedly eliminated four members of the Hidden Mist Village's elite Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
If the Mizukage knew that four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had fallen to Uchiha Sogetsu, he would be furious!
"This might be our chance!"
Yakushi Nono felt a surge of determination and clenched her fists.
She looked up at the figure on the roof and said firmly, "I agree to your terms. As long as you can get rid of Danzo, I'll do anything!"
On the roof, Uchiha Sogetsu turned around, his dark eyes reflecting faint ripples of a mysterious power.
His voice was gentle, like the warm sun in spring, intoxicating those who heard it.
"A wise choice, Yakushi Nono."
Uchiha Sogetsu's gaze seemed to pierce through her mind and body, imprinting deeply into her soul. "The deal is simple: find the Three-Tails Isobu for me, and then you can return to Konoha. I will handle the rest."
"Isobu? The Tailed Beast!"
Yakushi Nono's heart nearly stopped at the mention, her pupils shrinking with horror. "Why do you want the Tailed Beast?!"
"Of course, it's on the 'orders of the Hokage'," Uchiha Sogetsu replied, his tone carrying a hidden meaning. "We need to create a significant disturbance to keep the Mizukage occupied and prevent him from causing trouble elsewhere."
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