The four people present were momentarily stunned as they stared at Gekkō Hoshiyomi, unable to comprehend when exactly he had appeared.
Kushina stared blankly at the big brother who had just saved her, even wondering if she was dreaming. For a four-year-old girl, everything that had happened today felt far too surreal.
The two Hidden Mist Jōnin were visibly shaken by Hoshiyomi's sudden appearance. As for Uzumaki Masahiko, his emotions were a mix of relief at having narrowly escaped death, and a deep sense of defeat—feeling that all his years of experience had amounted to nothing.
He had truly believed he was about to die, only for this powerful young man to descend seemingly from the heavens and instantly disable one of their enemies with a single strike.
This young man didn't even look past his teens, yet he had taken out a Jōnin with one blow. While it had been a surprise attack, that strike alone proved his strength was anything but ordinary. Compared to his own pathetic state moments ago, Masahiko couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
But reality isn't like a drama—it doesn't pause to let everyone process their feelings. After only a brief daze, all four quickly made their moves.
The one-armed Hidden Mist Jōnin immediately dove underwater. He was a ninjutsu-type shinobi and couldn't perform one-handed hand seals.Having lost an arm, half his strength was already gone. Rather than stay above as an easy target, it was wiser to disappear below the surface and rely on his swimming skill to search for an opportunity.
The other Hidden Mist Jōnin, however, made a decisive charge forward. From that earlier sword slash alone, it was obvious this opponent's kenjutsu was on another level.
To face such a swordsman and stand still forming hand signs would be suicide. His best chance was to get in close, limit Hoshiyomi's movement, and create an opening for his comrade's underwater ambush.
Masahiko immediately stepped forward and took Kushina from Hoshiyomi. Without wasting words, he distanced himself from the fight, so as not to hold Hoshiyomi back. At the same time, he formed hand seals behind him, casting a defensive ninjutsu to shield both himself and Kushina from further danger.
Seeing this, Hoshiyomi silently gave Masahiko credit for his decisiveness. But this wasn't the time for talk—he simply said,
"Medical-nin are on their way. Just keep going forward."
With that, he re-sheathed his Mikazuki Munechika and stepped in to meet the advancing Mist Jōnin head-on.
The enemy had excellent battle instincts. Just one glance at the length of Hoshiyomi's blade, and he had already formed a strategy. He lowered his stance and lunged forward, kunai aimed directly at Hoshiyomi's abdomen. It was one of the most effective ways to deal with a sword user—once locked in close combat, even the most skilled swordsman is limited by the reach of his blade.
But against Hoshiyomi, this tactic wouldn't work.
Hoshiyomi stomped and activated the Body Flicker Technique, vanishing in an instant. He reappeared behind the Mist Jōnin, his Mikazuki Munechika swinging in a reverse arc toward the enemy's back.
The Jōnin was startled—goosebumps rising all over his body.
Danger!
At the critical moment, years of battlefield survival kicked in. Though he couldn't see Hoshiyomi, he instinctively dove forward, barely dodging the blade that would have cleaved him in half.
But escaping one blow didn't mean safety—his evasive dive had landed him right back in Hoshiyomi's perfect strike range.
And Hoshiyomi didn't miss those kinds of chances.
While the Jōnin was still sprawled on the water's surface, unable to move, Hoshiyomi thrust his blade forward.
The stab was fast and precise. Despite the Mist Jōnin's frantic efforts to dodge, the blade still pierced his shoulder.
In that moment of crisis, the enemy ignored the pain. With no care for form or dignity, he rolled desperately away, letting the blade slice through half his arm just to avoid Hoshiyomi's next sweeping slash.
Just then, the Hidden Mist Jonin who had lost an arm silently swam to Hoshiyomi's feet. His remaining hand shot out like lightning, trying to grab Hoshiyomi's leg and drag him underwater.
But Hoshiyomi had long been prepared.
Having converted all his chakra to the Water Nature, his ability to sense changes in the water far surpassed even these Water Release specialists. He had already sensed the man's movements—he was simply waiting for him to make a mistake.
The hand burst from the water—only to grasp empty air.
At the same moment, Hoshiyomi reversed his grip, and Mikazuki Munechika came plunging down with a sharp whistle—not at the hand, but at the submerged head beneath the water.
The blade pierced the enemy's skull with the precision of a harpoon. As Hoshiyomi gave it a twist, bubbles and blood rose to the surface. Then, everything went still.
In just a second, the Hidden Mist Jōnin had lost his life.
Hoshiyomi pulled out his blade and looked up, ready to face the other enemy—only to discover that the second Jōnin had vanished.
Useless at everything, but first place at running away?
About five meters beneath the surface, the surviving Mist Jōnin was swimming frantically with all four limbs.
Fear had overtaken him completely.
Against someone of similar strength, he might've been willing to fight. But now that he had seen the massive gap between himself and this Konoha youth, he knew it was hopeless.
With his shoulder wounded, he stood no chance of winning.
He had to run. He had to escape and report back. That was the only mission that mattered now.
Driven by that thought, the Jōnin swam even faster. That guy is clearly a taijutsu-type ninja. There's no way someone that good with a sword is also a sensory expert… right? If someone that strong really exists, then I'll die with no complaints.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, he felt the water current above his head shift.
He instinctively turned to look—only to see a slash of sword energy ripping through the water, growing larger in his pupils.
Sorry. Such a person really does exist. And no, your death isn't unjust.
Placing his hand on the water's surface, Hoshiyomi confirmed that both enemies were truly dead. Only then did he sheath his blade and return to Uzumaki Masahiko's side.
By that time, Tsunade and the others had arrived and were treating Masahiko's injuries.
As Hoshiyomi approached, he overheard Masahiko groaning through the stinging discomfort of the healing process, gasping between breaths as he explained the situation in the Land of Whirlpools to the others.
When the group heard his description, their expressions turned grim.
A hundred Jōnin. Even if two or three dozen had already been taken out, the remaining ones were still far beyond what five people could handle alone.
Just as everyone was discussing how they might return to request reinforcements, Hoshiyomi suddenly spoke:
"You just said they came by boat. And you said the Land of Whirlpools is surrounded by ocean whirlpools. That means… without someone from the Land of Whirlpools to guide you out, there's no way to escape, right?"