Kirigakure's Elder Genji was on high alert, guarding the island that held the Land of Water's Capital and its Tenshu Castle.
"Even if we become a Bloody Mist, we must complete the mission for the village! Fulfilling the Daimyō's defense task—now is the time to embody the will of the Bloody Mist Village!"
Genji shouted these words, rallying the morale of the Kiri-nin and himself. The Tenshu Castle island was shrouded in thick fog. Yet, Genji, like an outsider, feared this very fog.
Scout ninja reported that Konoha shinobi were only a few hundred meters away. Within the fog, the varying shades of dark shadows all seemed like Konoha shinobi figures.
The shallow waters around the island and the shoreline were riddled with traps, traps upon which Genji had placed great hope. They were prepared, waiting only for the Konoha shinobi to arrive.
At that moment, everyone heard a whistling sound cutting through the air. The Kiri-nin activated their perception, sensing a bizarre, misshapen lump of metal flying through the thick fog at a relatively slow speed.
"Wait!"
Genji stopped the Kiri-nin who were about to block it with a combined Water Formation Wall. The object had a high parabolic arc, its speed wasn't fast; it didn't seem like an offensive projectile.
With a thud, something embedded itself in the sandy beach. When the Kiri-nin looked closely, they stared at each other in horror, unable to believe their eyes.
Was that... the Seven Ninja Swords?
To be precise, it was the Seven Ninja Swords—or their fragments—welded together. The Great Sword Samehada was dead. The Twin Swords Hiramekarei had become the "Eight Swords." The Blunt Sword Kabutowari's large hammer and ax were now a small hammer and half an axe. The Longsword Nuibari had become a bent needle. The Thunder Sword Kiba had become the "Toothless Thunder Sword." The Explosion Sword Exploding Foam had truly become just foam. As for the Severed Sword Executioner's Blade, its broken sections were welded to other swords, forever beyond repair.
Genji's shoulders instantly slumped. He knew the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were dead, but he hadn't imagined their end would be so miserable. Nor had he expected Konoha to be so extreme, so wasteful. In the past, the seven swords had been captured by other villages before, but those villages recognized their value and knew Kirigakure was willing to pay a high price to retrieve them. This time, Konoha wages war with the aim of completely destroying Kirigakure's heritage. The Seven Ninja Swords, Kirigakure's pride, were now a pitiful sight.
From the other side of the fog, three voices range out.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Three terrifying gales blasted forth, actually dispersing the thick fog surrounding the Tenshu Castle island. Squinting against the fierce wind, Genji saw the three who had acted: Fox, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
Fox took a few steps forward. "Your Kirigakure's mist is too weak. Let me show you my mist."
He saw Fox clap his hands together and shout the name of a technique that Genji didn't understand but that filled him with dread.
"Kekkei Tōta! Erosion Release!"
A high-speed, crimson storm of rain and mist, dozens of meters in diameter, erupted forth. Like water currents and hurricanes eroding everything over countless eons—scouring, dissolving, grinding, and blasting away.
Anything touched by the crimson storm seemed to have been eroded for millennia. The shallow sea instantly dried up, revealing seaweed and coral on the seabed, which then instantly weathered into dust. The sand on the beach was similarly eroded into powder. The explosive tags, kunai, and other traps the Kiri-nin had buried in the sand were now a joke. Metal kunai instantly turned into rust-red iron dust, dissolving into the crimson storm.
Hundreds of Kiri-nin were swept by the storm; flesh was stripped away, bones turned to dust. The storm brushed past Genji, rushing towards what lay behind him. Half of Genji's body stiffened with fear.
The target of the storm was the Tenshu Castle behind him! Genji forced himself to turn his head, looking back at the castle. The castle gate was no match for the storm. All the stone eroded into powder; the gatehouse vanished in an instant.
The crimson storm surged into the Tenshu Castle, and the castle instantly fell silent. What terrified Genji even more was that he saw the storm, after entering the castle, lose its forward momentum and begin to spread out. Any building or person touched by the storm dissolved! Houses dissolved into dust. The nobles, like the Kiri-nin swept by the storm, had their flesh stripped and bones turned to dust. The eerily silent crimson mist rapidly spread within the castle.
Genji's neck had never felt so stiff. He slowly turned his head back to its original position. One technique to erase a city? The Seven Ninja Swordsmen had records of massacring cities several times, but compared to their efficiency of killing slowly with swords, Fox's Kekkei Tōta was far more efficient. Kuriarare Kushimaru was notorious for being cruel, murderous, and perverse, but compared to Fox, he seemed almost kind.
"Fox! You—!"
Yōkō knew what Genji wanted to say. He helpfully explained, "I've read many history books, heard many stories. Incomplete revenge is no revenge at all. Enemies will return more brutally. An incomplete revolution is no revolution at all. Enemies will seize the fruits of revolution in more covert ways. The Daimyō and noble system belonging to the old era should be completely destroyed. I don't trust future generations' wisdom. Let me bear the hardship and the infamy myself. So..."
Yōkō paused, then said, "Genji, you are obstinate and foolish, actually bringing four thousand Kiri-nin to defend the Land of Water's Daimyō. Not only do you refuse to surrender, but you dare to defend a corrupt Daimyō. Say goodbye to your Kiri-nin."
Genji saw Fox act again. This time, after clapping his hands, Fox aimed to the side of the Kiri-nin formation. "Erosion Release: Crimson Mist Sweep!"
An even fiercer crimson storm of rain and mist surged towards the flank of the Kiri-nin. Yōkō gestured, and the storm swept horizontally, washing over all the Kiri-nin in a short time. The Kiri-nin erupted in terrified screams, which then abruptly ceased.
Orochimaru, who had been prepared to act himself, lowered his gaze upon seeing the power of Fox's new technique. "Fox, this Kekkei Tōta of yours..."
Yōkō explained to Orochimaru, "Ōnoki's Dust Release is a fusion of Earth, Wind, and Fire Release chakra. Although I learned Dust Release, my chakra control strengths are, in order: Earth, Water, and Wind Release. Based on Dust Release, I developed my own Kekkei Tōta: Erosion Release. It seems the effect is quite impressive. Both the attack range and power live up to the reputation of a Kekkei Tōta."
Orochimaru nodded repeatedly. "Indeed, the power is remarkable. Look, the Six-Tails is about to die."
Only then did Yōkō remember that Kirigakure still had the Six-Tails as a trump card; he had. The Six-Tails Jinchūriki was consumed by the Erosion Release, causing the Six-Tails to appear already surrounded by it. If Dust Release hit the Six-Tails, it would surely die forgotten. skin corroded even faster within the Erosion Release. The Six-Tails soon perished.
Jiraiya frowned, watching the figures disappearing within the crimson storm. He didn't understand why establishing a new order necessarily meant completely destroying the old one, why so many people had to be killed. He didn't agree. So he said, "Fox, Orochimaru, it seems the remaining war doesn't require my involvement. Konoha's crisis is resolved. I'm going traveling."
Orochimaru watched Jiraiya disappear into the distance before saying, "Fox, it seems Jiraiya doesn't quite agree with your 'incomplete revenge is no revenge' theory."
"It's fine. Let me bear the infamy. Let Jiraiya resent me."
(End of Chapter)