Amid the thick mist, a faint breeze swept through, causing Shura's black robe flutter violently, the cloak embroidered with the Nine Masked Beasts' pattern lifting slightly.
He strode over to the corpse of Fuguki, pulling out the Kubikiribocho.
As the sword was pulled out, the fat body of Fuguki lost its support and split into two halves like a chopped watermelon, spilling blood and entrails onto the ground.
The blade of the Kubikiribocho, which had been pitted and scarred from its clash with Shibuki, slowly began to regenerate as it absorbed Fuguki's blood.
This was the unique trait of the Kubikiribocho… it absorbed iron from the blood of its enemies to repair itself while also restoring the wielder's stamina. Hence, it was also known as 'the blade that never breaks'.
Looking down, Menma confirmed that Fuguki was undeniably dead.
Activating his Mind's Eye of the Kagura, he detected the Chakra of Mangetsu rapidly retreating through the mist.
Having liquefied his body, Mangetsu made no further attempts to attack from within the mist. Instead, he abandoned Fuguki and Juzo's corpses, along with both the Kubikiribocho and Samehada, opting for a swift escape.
"Quite decisive." Menma muttered, sensing Mangetsu's fleeing path through Mind's Eye of the Kagura. However, he had no intention of pursuing.
If he truly wanted to wreak havoc in Kirigakure, he could have done so when the Kaguya Clan rebelled, or he could have directly disclosed to Kirigakure's Ninjas, including Terumi Mei, the fact that their Fourth Mizukage was being controlled by someone.
"Hmm hmm~" Humming softly to himself, Menma began looting Fuguki and Juzo's bodies, searching for any worthwhile spoils.
Meanwhile, Mangetsu's liquefied body raced through the dense forest.
Only after putting considerable distance between himself and the battlefield did he dare revert to his human form. Leaning against a withered tree, he clutched the wound on his left shoulder, panting heavily as he used his Hydrification Technique to heal the injury.
Cold sweat mixed with lingering moisture dripped from his chin as Mangetsu glanced back toward the thick mist, his violet pupils trembling with lingering fear.
After being chopped by Shura just now, Mangetsu had immediately liquefied his body, only to realize that Fuguki had abandoned him and fled!
It was the exact same cowardly retreat as when the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had been decimated by a single Konoha's Genin years ago… utterly disgraceful!
So, seizing the moment when Shura had chased after Fuguki, Mangetsu, the prodigy of the Hozuki Clan, hadn't hesitated to make his escape.
'Is that guy even human?' Mangetsu shuddered as he recalled the brief yet terrifying battle.
Only now did it dawn on him that his opponent had been completely at ease, as if he hadn't even been fighting seriously.
'It was almost as if...'
Mangetsu was reminded of his childhood training under the clan's elders… being guided through sparring, forced to give his all while his opponent held back.
Except this time, his enemy showed no mercy. One misstep, and he would have ended up like Fuguki and Juzo… dead!
'Damn it! That bastard wasn't even going all out! He was just testing our strength and fighting style!' Mangetsu finally reacted, feeling humiliated from the bottom of his heart.
'Moreover, Juzo and Fuguki are dead, and we've lost two of the Seven Swords…' Thinking of the losses in this battle, Mangetsu felt even more depressed and rushed towards the direction of Kirigakure.
Ever since four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had been kicked to death by a Konoha's Genin during the Third Great Ninja War, Kurosuki Raiga had defected with the Lightning Blades, Kiba. The selection of successors for the remaining blades had been slow, leaving Kirigakure with only three swordsmen.
And now, two of them had fallen in a single battle!
Worse still, Kubikiribocho and Samehada had been taken by the enemy!
As Mangetsu leaped across the rooftops of the village, he could see the aftermath of the rebellion… Ninjas gathering the corpses of the Kaguya Clan, medics rushing to treat the wounded, and buildings damaged by the chaos of battle.
The Mizukage Building, which is half-destroyed by Zabuza's rebellion, still smoldered in the distance, its broken walls casting jagged shadows in the morning light.
The dawn sun failed to dispel the gloom hanging over the village. The faint scent of blood in the air only made the moniker [Bloody Mist Village] all the more fitting.
"Mizukage-sama!" Inside the partially collapsed Mizukage's office, Mangetsu knelt on one knee.
Yagura stood with his back to him near the shattered window, his small body casting a long, distorted shadow in the morning light.
"The mission failed?" Yagura's voice was cold, but he didn't seem surprised.
"Yes." Mangetsu lowered his head as he reported the outcome: "The enemy is very strong. Biwa Juzo is defeated in a single strike, and even the Water Prison Technique has no effect on the enemy. The opponent's Chakra is so huge that Samehada also rebelled-"
As he reported the battle's outcome, Mangetsu subtly raised his head to observe, only to see Yagura's back turned to him.
"After I was injured, Suikazan Fuguki saw the situation turning against us and attempted to flee, but was pursued and killed by the enemy."
There was no need to say more.
Whether it was the deaths of two Elite Jonin or the loss of the Kubikiribocho and Samehada, as the leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, he bore undeniable responsibility.
"You have disappointed me." Yagura's cold voice came from above, sending a chill down Mangetsu's spine.
"Go back and reflect on your failure. Await the village's judgment." However, Yagura did not immediately punish Mangetsu, only ordering him to reflect on his mistakes.
"Understood!" Mangetsu responded and then left instantly.
Once Mangetsu had left, Obito emerged from the shadows.
"Even the three Kirigakure's Elite Jonin can't stop Shura? It seems they didn't even manage to injure him, and even two ninja sword has been taken away by him." Beneath his tiger-striped mask, Obito's scarred face twisted in displeasure.
"What a bunch of trash," Obito sneered at the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Though his previous encounter with Shura hadn't revealed the full extent of the enemy's power, Obito had still been cautious, manipulating Yagura into sending the last three of Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
With their combined strength and the unique abilities of their swords, Obito believed they should have been capable of fighting even a Tailed Beast.
"Tch. If not for the risk of pushing the Hozuki Clan into rebellion, I would have had Yagura execute Mangetsu for this failure..." Still, even if they hadn't injured Shura, the deaths of Juzo and Fuguki had significantly weakened Kirigakure.
Obito stepped to the edge of the ruined office, gazing down at the village below… scarred and broken after the night's battle. It reminded him of the devastation he had wrought on Konoha during the Nine-Tails Rampage four years ago.
First, the Yuki Clan had been exterminated. Now, the Kaguya Clan had been wiped out. Multiple Jonin were dead, Juzo and Fuguki had fallen, Zabuza had defected, and two of the Seven Swords had been stolen by Shura.
Kirigakure had been reduced to its weakest state in history!
If he wasn't worried about forcing the Hozuki Clan into rebelling, Obito would have wanted to control Yagura and use the failure of this mission as an excuse to eliminate Mangetsu.
But after all, the Hozuki Clan is not as isolated and helpless as the Kaguya Clan, nor as marginalized as the Yuki Clan.
The Hozuki Clan had strong ties with most of Kirigakure's major clans and enjoyed high favor among the village's Civilian Ninjas, thanks to their past Mizukage.
"Rin..."
Behind his mask, Obito's Sharingan gleamed as he stared at the ruined village.
Clenching his fist, a wave of satisfaction from getting the revenge surged through him.