Even though Akira's Shadow Clone was only acting as a distraction, it still managed to keep Momotaro constantly on edge. As the situation grew increasingly dangerous, Momotaro's frustration and desperation intensified.
"Damn Uchiha!" Momotaro gritted his sharp teeth, nearly cracking them in anger. In all his life, he had never experienced such a humiliating fight.
"Uchiha brat, I'll finish you off!" he snarled, unleashing a surge of chakra from his body. Without hesitation, he poured all his remaining energy into his twin blades, Hiramekarei. The swords absorbed the chakra, bursting into a brilliant blue light as the immense chakra condensed and formed a massive hammer-like ball at the tip of each blade.
But just as Momotaro prepared to strike, he froze, his gaze locking onto a pair of sinister, crimson eyes. In an instant, his world changed.
He found himself trapped in a hellish realm of black and red, bound to a wooden post. Above him, a monstrous Sharingan spun in the sky, and flames began to lick at his body, consuming him like a paper effigy.
"I… I'm caught… in a Sharingan genjutsu…" he realized with horror as the flames intensified, and his consciousness plunged into darkness.
In the real world, Momotaro dropped to the ground with a thud, his body collapsing as he released Hiramekarei. The chakra-infused energy dissipated instantly, and the massive twin blades clattered lifelessly beside him.
Uchiha Akira watched Momotaro fall and took out four shuriken, tossing them with precision to immobilize his opponent's limbs. Only after he was sure Momotaro was fully incapacitated did Akira approach, knocking him out cold. Grabbing Hiramekarei and dragging Momotaro by the foot, he started toward the group of Konoha shinobi led by Might Duy, who were busy cleaning up the battlefield.
Duy, who had opened the Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates, was now slumped against a rock, breathing heavily. The strain of using the Seventh Gate was immense, even for him.
Seeing Akira approach with the subdued Momotaro and Hiramekarei on his shoulder, Duy managed a shaky thumbs-up, flashing his trademark bright smile, white teeth gleaming. Akira grinned back, returning the thumbs-up with a nod.
The acknowledgment filled Duy with joy, as if he had received some invaluable validation.
Akira tossed both Momotaro and Hiramekarei aside, then turned to Duy.
"Are you all right? What should I call you? I'm Uchiha Akira."
"Might Duy," he replied, smiling brightly. "Don't worry about me, young Uchiha! My youth hasn't burned out yet—it's just catching its breath!"
"Glad to hear it," Akira responded, sitting down on a nearby rock. The battle against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had been intense, if they hadn't been overconfident at the beginning, things wouldn't have ended so smoothly. Even now, he felt a lingering fatigue—the mental strain from a high-stakes battle.
Soon, Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, and Ebisu returned, each holding one of the defeated swords of the Mist Swordsmen. They breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Akira.
"He's incredible… actually captured one alive!" Ebisu muttered, still in awe.
"That's nothing! Before Duy-san arrived, Akira held off all seven of them by himself! It's only natural he managed to capture one," Genma said, nonchalantly chewing on a senbon. "We'd have been goners without him."
The three approached Akira, bowing in thanks.
Akira waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine. Any Konoha shinobi would've done the same in that situation. Besides, we had Duy to back us up. With his power, he could've saved you on his own."
Duy gave a weary smile, looking over at Akira.
"If it weren't for you, young Uchiha, I might've had to open the Eighth Gate and become the red beast…"
Akira said nothing, only gave Duy another thumbs-up.
"Guy, did you see? That wasn't even Duy's full strength, right?" Ebisu asked in astonishment.
"Only in the most desperate situation can Duy bring out that move," Guy replied, proud of his father's display. As a fellow practitioner of the Eight Gates, he understood the power of that technique. The Eighth Gate was a one-time move—a path to certain death.
Genma's senbon dropped from his mouth as he looked at Duy in awe.
"Guy, does your dad take students? I think I could really improve…"
"Huh? Students?" Guy looked surprised, then hesitated. "Well, my dad's technically still a genin."
"So what?" Genma shrugged. "Just now, he could've taken down an elite jōnin in one strike. Even the Hokage couldn't do better!"
Duy quickly interjected, "I'm nothing compared to Hokage-sama. He's the strongest of all Hokage. I'm just a genin, a long way from that level."
Genma laughed nervously. "Just kidding. The Third Hokage is definitely the God of Shinobi."
"That's true," Ebisu agreed, eyes full of admiration. "If the Hokage weren't needed to defend the village, this war would already be over, wouldn't it?"
"What do you think, Akira?" Ebisu asked, looking at the resting Akira.
"Hmmm…" Akira rubbed his chin thoughtfully before saying, "Probably."
As a transmigrator, Akira had always wondered about Sarutobi Hiruzen's true strength. He remembered only a few standout moments: Hiruzen using the Monkey King Enma to push the Nine-Tails out of the village and his confrontation with the five-element attacks during his fight against Orochimaru. His exact power level was hard to gauge.
As they chatted, a golden flash flickered through the trees. The light moved at blinding speed, stopping in front of them to reveal a young man with striking blue eyes and golden hair—Namikaze Minato.
Minato looked over the group, relief softening his expression.
"I'm so glad you're all safe," he said, glancing at Akira and the large sword by his side. "The Mist Swordsmen?"
Akira nodded, a trace of regret in his voice. "They were here, though the leader, Fuguki Suikazan, managed to escape."
Minato's gaze shifted between Akira and Duy, his admiration evident.
"It's amazing that six of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen fell to you both."
Duy nodded with a wistful smile. "All thanks to young Uchiha here. He took down four of them on his own."
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