Kuriarare Kushimaru, wielding long sword: needle, had just shouted "together."
As he uttered the slogan to jointly deal with Uchiha Ryosuke, he suddenly trembled all over, freezing on the spot.
Two beads of cold sweat slowly trickled down his cheeks.
His eyes instinctively darted backwards with great effort.
"Are you talking about dealing with me?" Uchiha Ryosuke's playful voice came from behind his opponent.
This instantly sent a chill down Kuriarare Kushimaru's spine.
All his goosebumps erupted at that moment.
But Kuriarare Kushimaru, a seasoned warrior and bloodthirsty as he was, was no ordinary person.
After a brief shock, he immediately reacted and decisively attacked.
Using Chakra to control the steel wire on the back of his long sword: needle, he counterattacked the enemy behind him.
With a "whoosh," long sword: needle, like a steel needle, instantly passed through Uchiha Ryosuke's body from behind.
"It seems you were careless."
Kuriarare Kushimaru was surprised and delighted to have succeeded, and his tone became relaxed.
However, the next second, his pupils suddenly contracted slightly.
"What?"
Kuriarare Kushimaru saw the "Uchiha Ryosuke" he had struck with his long sword: needle slowly dissipate.
"An afterimage..."
He seemed to finally realize that disaster was about to befall him.
His body stiffened, and he stood Silly in place, staring at the empty ground before him.
It was as if he had lost the will to fight.
As expected, Uchiha Ryosuke appeared behind him once again, like a silent ghost.
Just as he was about to attack Kuriarare Kushimaru, Kuriarare Kushimaru suddenly leaped forward.
Turning in mid-air to face Uchiha Ryosuke, he sneered, "You fell for it!"
As he spoke, he formed hand seals: "Long Sword Ninja Art: Earth Spider Stitch!"
Suddenly, the ground beneath Uchiha Ryosuke's feet cracked open.
Tiny steel wires appeared around his feet, and these sharp, thin steel wires swiftly wrapped around Uchiha Ryosuke's legs with lightning speed.
"You're finished."
"Uchiha brat!"
Kuriarare Kushimaru sneered again, his face showing the smug expression of someone whose scheme had succeeded and victory was assured.
He tightened his grip slightly, and all the steel wires began to tauten.
Not only did they firmly fix Uchiha Ryosuke's feet to the ground, but they continued to tighten further.
It seemed, barring any unforeseen circumstances, that Uchiha Ryosuke's legs would be severed by these sharp steel wires here.
But Kuriarare Kushimaru was not finished yet.
He continued to control the long sword: needle in his hand, launching a surprise attack against Uchiha Ryosuke, aiming to pierce his heart.
He was clearly going for a double attack, determined to take his opponent's life.
"This is bad!"
Might Dai, who was observing from a distance, felt his heart tighten at the situation and was about to make a move.
However, he glanced over and saw that the other Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were eyeing them menacingly.
If he left to help the young Uchiha, the three kids behind him would surely be in danger.
For a moment, Might Dai was caught in a dilemma.
He opened his mouth, wanting to tell Might Guy, Ebisu, and Shiranui Genma to retreat quickly, while he stayed behind to help the young Uchiha.
But just then, blood splattered.
All the steel wires buried underground by the enemy twisted together, severing Uchiha Ryosuke's legs into several pieces.
This gruesome and cruel scene made Might Dai's heart tighten once again.
Might Guy and the other two also trembled, feeling both angry and terrified.
However, just as they thought Uchiha Ryosuke had truly been killed by the enemy, something unexpected happened.
Kuriarare Kushimaru's body suddenly trembled.
His head tilted slightly upwards, and he stood dumbfounded, as if he had seen a ghost.
His hands and feet were slightly splayed, as if his entire body was restrained and unable to move.
Seeing this bizarre scene, Might Dai and Might Guy all showed expressions of confusion.
Everything happened too fast, it could only be described as rapidly changing.
Before they could even figure out what had happened, the remaining Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had already started rushing towards Kuriarare Kushimaru.
Their target was not Kuriarare Kushimaru, but Uchiha Ryosuke, who had pierced Kuriarare Kushimaru's heart from behind with a kunai.
"You're the one who was careless, aren't you?"
Uchiha Ryosuke's tone was cold, with a hint of playfulness.
As he spoke, he completely ignored the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist who were rapidly rushing towards him to provide support.
Instead, he pushed the kunai in his hand in three more times.
With a "thump," the twenty-plus centimeter long, sharp and pointed kunai plunged directly into his opponent's body, all the way to the hilt.
The other end of the tip emerged from Kuriarare Kushimaru's chest, at the location of his heart.
"Uwa..."
Kuriarare Kushimaru opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood.
His eyes still held a trace of disbelief and unwillingness.
"You... you used the Body Flicker Technique, didn't you? So fast."
Kuriarare Kushimaru's body began to tremble, and his breathing became irregular.
He asked Uchiha Ryosuke in a trembling voice because he still didn't understand why Uchiha Ryosuke, who had clearly been restrained by his steel wires, could still escape.
And how he could appear behind him so quickly and stealthily.
"Go ask the King of Hell, he might know the answer."
Uchiha Ryosuke casually kicked Kuriarare Kushimaru away, pulling the kunai from his opponent's body, and then turned to face the incoming Biwa Jūzō.
The latter arrived just then, and without hesitation, swung his kubikiribōchō at Uchiha Ryosuke's neck.
The heavy kubikiribōchō, wielded by Ryosuke, had a sweeping force powerful enough to split rock and cut steel.
However, it was easily parried by the kunai in Uchiha Ryosuke's hand.
But Uchiha Ryosuke was also sent flying sideways by the recoil.
He was then attacked by another of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Kurosuki Raiga.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Fang!"
Kurosuki Raiga had been closely monitoring Uchiha Ryosuke's movements.
Seeing his opponent flying towards him, the eyes fixed on him suddenly turned a bizarre crimson color, and his pupils transformed into a strange shape.
He immediately launched his attack.
The Lightning Release power, already poised for action, was released in a cross pattern through the Lightning Blades: Lightning Fang in his hands.
Instantly, a shockwave like a thunderstorm, carrying dazzling light, spread in all directions.
A part of it directly passed through Uchiha Ryosuke's body.
The anticipated scene of his opponent's body being pierced by his Lightning Release and electrocuted to pieces did not occur.
Instead, it was at this moment that Kurosuki Raiga realized he seemed to have fallen into a genjutsu.