"Boom!"
Hōzuki Mangetsu's sneak attack failed, and the heavy strike of the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei blasted a large crater into the ground.
Meanwhile, Gekko Chizan had already appeared on the other side.
His eyes were fixed tightly on the blade in Hōzuki Mangetsu's hand.
"Something's off... That sword... the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei—how did it end up in his hands?"
"What the hell is going on?"
Only now did he realize that he'd been mistaken from the very beginning. Mangetsu wasn't part of the original Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Logically, he belonged to the second generation. Yet in their earlier exchange, Mangetsu hadn't denied being one of the Seven.
Looks like things were a bit different from how he remembered.
"So you know quite a bit about Kirigakure's swords, huh?"
"You even recognized the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei. Hehehe... What a pity that its previous wielder was too weak to unleash its full power."
"I'm the one who should be wielding it."
Hōzuki Mangetsu looked down at the sword in his hand with deep satisfaction, a fanatical gleam in his eyes.
His words had made things clear enough.
Gekko Chizan couldn't be bothered to think any further. The guy had the sword now—why worry about the rest?
"That broken blade and your sleazy little face..."
"Tch tch tch, Kirigakure's always been full of perverts, huh?"
Leaving behind a mocking comment, Gekko Chizan abandoned Hōzuki Mangetsu and turned to attack the other Kirigakure Anbu.
After all, they had the numbers—it was better to clear them out bit by bit.
"Watch out for a sneak attack!"
"Water Clone Jutsu!"
Seeing Gekko Chizan disappear again, Jūzō Biwa immediately grew uneasy. Five Water Clones appeared in a flash, rushing toward the Anbu already locked in combat with Chizan's shadow clones.
But how could legs outrun the Flying Thunder God?
The moment he took a step forward, Gekko Chizan was already among the crowd.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
When it came to creating clones, Chizan, backed by Chōmei's chakra, wasn't afraid of anyone.
A series of white puffs erupted—one hundred Gekko Chizans instantly appeared before the crowd, all simultaneously raising their hands.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Thousands of snakes burst forth, instantly drowning thirteen Anbu in a tide of serpents.
"Aaaaah! Snakes!"
"They're so slimy! Gross!"
Even seasoned Anbu couldn't help panicking when suddenly buried under a horde of snakes.
And these weren't just snakes—they were venomous. With poisonous fangs biting down and toxins spreading, the surprise attack wiped out thirteen Anbu instantly.
"Chōmei, gimme a little more chakra. Shadow clones eat up way too much chakra!"
"Take it easy! Any more and the Tailed Beast Cloak's gonna burst out!"
Gekko Chizan grumbled about his chakra running low while Chōmei worried about blowing their cover.
The man and the bug locked eyes in a silent standoff. In the end, Chizan gave in—he had to look up at Chōmei anyway, and his neck was getting tired.
"Fine, I'll go easy."
Having dealt with the small fry, Gekko Chizan turned his attention back to Hōzuki Mangetsu and Jūzō Biwa.
The overwhelming pressure of over a hundred clones made the two Swordsmen of the Mist unconsciously tighten their grips on their blades.
"This kid's been playing dumb all along... That kind of strength..."
"It's over the top."
Jūzō Biwa glanced at his five Water Clones, then at Chizan's hundred doppelgängers, and suddenly felt very old.
Hōzuki Mangetsu, however, had a glint of cold light in his eyes. The Twin Swords: Hiramekarei in his hand began to emit a powerful blue glow.
"Mangetsu, you're gonna release it at full power?"
"Don't be reckless! Even for you, going full power carries a huge risk of losing control."
"Let's retreat. This mission's a bust."
Jūzō Biwa grabbed Mangetsu's arm, showing no sign of frustration over the failed mission.
"Retreat? Did you ask me first?"
"Leave the Executioner's Blade behind!"
The hundred Gekko Chizans launched into action. Waves of serpents surged toward the pair, their gaping maws making the two men visibly uncomfortable.
"Hmph! Just a bunch of snakes!"
"Twin Swords: Hiramekarei, Full Power Release!"
Hōzuki Mangetsu had gone all in. As the sword's wielder, he refused to believe he couldn't control it.
The chakra on the Hiramekarei grew denser, forming a concentrated blue arc of energy that slashed forward.
"Holy crap, that bastard actually can use its full power!"
"I'm outta here!"
Jūzō Biwa stared in disbelief at the devastating slash now tearing through the air.
The Twin Swords: Hiramekarei could change shape according to the chakra input from the user—and more than that, it grew stronger the more enemies it killed.
At that moment, Mangetsu had unleashed the sword's full power, converting chakra into a massive arc slash capable of taking out hundreds—maybe even thousands—in one blow.
The chakra blade cleaved straight through the sea of snakes. Rather than dulling the blade, the slaughter only made it sharper.
"Dammit, I'm gonna die of stupidity."
"The passive ability of Hiramekarei—killing strengthens it. I actually forgot that."
"Tch... I'm outta here!"
Far from hindering the enemy, the thousands of snakes had only served as fuel for the sword's power. Gekko Chizan felt like smacking himself.
But with the arc slash already upon him, he had no choice but to activate Flying Thunder God to evade.
With a single swing, all the clones were wiped out.
Even a large portion of the forest was cleaved clean through.
"Whoa, Mangetsu, you little—"
"Wait! Watch out!"
Jūzō Biwa had just narrowly dodged the slash and was about to praise his teammate's power—when he sensed something was off.
The ground was shaking, as if something was about to emerge.
"Hehe, too late!"
"The Twin Swords: Hiramekarei... and you, little water boy—both are mine!"
Gekko Chizan's chilling voice suddenly echoed out. The ground beneath Hōzuki Mangetsu's feet began to tremble violently.
"Crystal Release... Crystal Prison!"
A burst of crystals exploded upward, instantly encasing Mangetsu in a massive crystalline cage.
"No! Dammit!"
Mangetsu tried to resist. Chakra surged through his body, which began to liquefy—the Hōzuki Clan's secret technique, the Hydrification Technique.
Too bad for him, Crystal Release could crystallize anything—and Chizan's Crystal Prison was a technique designed specifically for restraint.
Even in liquid form, Hōzuki Mangetsu couldn't escape being crystallized.
As the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei fell to the ground, Hōzuki Mangetsu was fully encased in a giant crystal.
"Hahahahaha! The Hōzuki Clan—my teacher's going to love having you as a test subject!"
"And this blade... huh?"
"Where's my sword?!"
"Jūzō Biwa!!!"
Just as Gekko Chizan was about to pick up the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei, he realized—it was gone.
A pool of water had appeared on the ground.
And Jūzō Biwa had disappeared with it.
Clearly, the guy had snatched the sword and slipped away solo!