Figures… Mist had to be involved.
Because the intruders' appearances were so distinctive, Haseo easily identified their identities... at least some of them.
Although several years ago Mito Uzumaki had deterred Mist, preventing them from rash actions against the Uzumaki clan, this time the Uzumaki clan's full retreat clearly exceeded Mito's deterrent capacity.
If the Uzumaki were planning to ally with Konoha, Mist had no choice but to act—even if it meant risking Mito's wrath. After all, combining the Uzumaki with Konoha would be an enormous boost for the Hidden Leaf.
Only a handful of Uzumaki shinobi stayed behind as the rearguard, meaning the enemies currently held numerical superiority. However, since the battle would occur within the Uzumaki village itself, there was no doubt the Uzumaki retained territorial advantages.
For Uzumaki ninja, they were definitely more skilled at positional warfare and defensive counterattacks.
So for now, it was still unclear which side held the advantage.
Everyone knew Haseo had a naturally kind heart and practically radiated that savior complex of his. So he wanted to avoid conflict—if persuasion through words could convince these enemies to retreat, achieving localized love and peace, wouldn't that be better?
Well, by the time the Uzumaki raised their barrier, anything Haseo said after that was pointless anyway… In fact, whether allies or enemies, everyone thought what he'd just said was pure crap; the former just held back out of politeness and didn't call him out directly.
But the enemies certainly wouldn't be so courteous.
Almost instantly, multiple enemies lunged directly toward them, their momentum seemingly aiming to overwhelm the rearguard force completely before breaking through the barrier chasing after the departed Uzumaki clansmen.
Yet would things really be so simple? Haseo seriously doubted this barrier the Uzumaki erected was exactly the type that wouldn't automatically dissolve even if its users perished.
Unless one understood the seal-release techniques or skillfully used Spatial Ninjutsu, otherwise no one could escape such bindings.
But Haseo didn't have time to think about this in detail because several people had suddenly charged straight at him.
Was speaking unnecessary? It seemed not quite like that.
The first attacker who rushed forward was burly-built. Under the dim night, you could see half his face wrapped in bandages, only one eye exposed. He wore a stern expression and held something resembling a coffin plank wrapped in white cloth—"a large club"—and as he swung it in both hands, unleashing a violent gust as it swept horizontally toward Haseo.
At the same time, faint blue electric arcs flickered across Haseo's body, and his thin, long sword slid smoothly from his waist sheath. Then gripping it with both hands, he blocked the attack mid-air.
"Clang!"
A fierce and crisp metallic impact echoed, followed by slight reverberations, and Haseo himself was pushed outward by tremendous force, sliding more than ten meters away. His sword carved a straight line into the ground.
Another berserker?
Haseo shook his slightly numb hand from the impact, then tightened his grip on the long sword. There was no question about this weapon's quality.
Next, Haseo turned his gaze toward his opponent's weapon. The cloth wrapped around it had been shredded, revealing its true form.
Rows upon rows of pitch-black cone-shaped spikes were layered together, gleaming with an even deeper chill beneath the night sky.
So it wasn't just a regular club—it had spikes.
"What kind of grudge do you have against me? I don't even know who you are."
Haseo pointed his blade at the man and expressed his confusion over the intense hostility directed at him.
Needless to say, those words only made his opponent angrier. That person placed one hand on his injured half of the face and said, "My name is Hozuki Nagatsuki. I'm an elite jonin from Mist."
"So what? I still don't know you. Among the Hozuki clan in Mist, I only know Gengetsu Hozuki." Haseo replied. Even though the Second Mizukage had already passed away, he indeed knew only the former Mizukage.
The flames ignited as soon as the battle began. It was during the final fight of the Uzumaki, also the last time lights shone in Uzumaki village, so everything could shine gloriously as possible.
Those Uzumaki clansmen who had already made their way out to sea would probably see the torches blazing in the night sky.
Sakumo Hatake wielded a short sword, fending off several enemies who were closing in on Haseo. Although Haseo pretended not to notice, it made sense for them to treat him as their top priority.
The weapon carried by Hozuki Nagatsuki from Mist wasn't just a club or even a spiked one—it was Samehada, the Monster Cleaver—and he was part of Mist's Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist.
This group had a continuously inherited tradition—the names included Pipa, Xigua, Momochi, Koshimizu, Ringo, Hozuki, and so on—although their names appeared to be made up of fruits and vegetables. Thus, the organization itself carried a subtle implication—they were as disposable as chopped vegetables.
So here came the question: why was Hozuki Nagatsuki injured?
Haseo couldn't answer this question himself.
If this guy wanted to test his sword skills against someone, then he clearly came to the wrong place. He should have gone after Sakumo Hatake instead. While Haseo's sword skills looked decent, they certainly wouldn't reach Sakumo's level.
However, if Hozuki Nagatsuki came for revenge, then congratulations—he found the right target.
Hozuki Nagatsuki swung his giant weapon again and charged straight toward Haseo.
They say special techniques are required to wield such a weapon, but in Haseo's opinion, what was truly necessary wasn't technique, but brute strength.
Before the enemy could reach him, Haseo completed the hand seals in his hands.
[Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet].
An intensely blazing fire dragon surged forward toward the enemy. They say Fire Release can't kill people? That's not true. If struck directly by a fire technique of such intensity, there was absolutely no chance any ordinary ninja could survive.
Yet facing Haseo's attack, the enemy didn't dodge nor counter with another technique. Maintaining his charge forward, the attacker swung the Samehada in his hand powerfully against the incoming fireball.
The spiked greatsword slashed through the edges of the Fire Release. In an instant, half of the blazing inferno vanished into nothingness. He swung again, and the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet vanished into thin air.
Haseo suddenly froze. Where's my Fire Release? Such a powerful Fire Release technique—just gone just like that?
Only then did he realize what had happened. Unlike the other six Ninja Blades, this greatsword Samehada wasn't junk—it had the terrifying ability to instantly devour chakra and purely energy-based ninjutsu.
This weapon was strong. Haseo Yu was ready to call it the strongest among the Seven Ninja Blades of Mist.
His enemy barreled through the wall of flames and brought those jagged serrated blades straight down at him.
Haseo raised his blade to block. The impact shattered the ground beneath his feet. At the same time, from his longsword, the Stellar Crown, invisible blades of wind shot forth.
[Wind Release: Tengaippa]
Its razor-sharp cutting edge could wear down even the sturdiest defenses. So, Haseo decided to see if it could work. But as soon as the Tengaippa manifested, it was absorbed. So… not a single bit of damage landed.
But this was only a test. If it failed, no big deal...
Another water blade slashed diagonally upward in a sudden arc, and pale torrents instantly mixed with splatters of crimson blood.
[Water Release: Rising Water Slicer]. This was still the most physically devastating technique in Haseo's arsenal. The water current had form and mass—it couldn't simply be absorbed outright.
Samehada…
Could it really be some kind of living creature?
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