"Water Style: Exploding Water Shock Wave!"
Almost at the exact moment when Juzo and Fuguki unleashed the Hidden Mist Technique and raised a wall of thick fog that blotted out the sky, Raiga and Mangetsu on the other side also completed their hand seals in perfect sync.
The next instant, both men opened their mouths and spat out a deluge of water as if a dam had burst.
Torrential waves surged out wildly, transforming the fog-shrouded forest into a vast lake within moments.
With the four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen taking action, the thousand Mist-nin who had been closing in were forced to retreat to the lake's edge, clearing the battlefield for Iron Fist and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Orochimaru and the others facing the Mist-nin also gathered chakra under their feet, stepping onto the water and withdrawing to the far corner of the lake, forming a subtle standoff with the Mist forces.
However, whether Mist-nin or Konoha-nin, both sides shared an unspoken understanding.
Until the battle between Garp and the Seven Swordsmen was decided, no one else would interfere.
"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
Using the fog for cover, Jinpachi and Chojuro glided silently through the currents toward Garp.
At the very moment Fuguki spat out that overwhelming tide to create the lake, the pair manipulated the water and instantly formed a massive sphere that trapped Garp inside.
"Raiga!"
At that instant, all six swordsmen simultaneously shifted their gazes toward the only one who had yet to make a move, Raiga.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were elite Jonin-level at baseline.
With the advantage of the terrain and their unique swords, they could even clash with quasi Kage level shinobi.
Yet aside from the individual abilities granted by their swords, most specialized in Water Release.
Only Raiga, wielder of the Thunder Swords: Kiba, was an exception.
He wasn't only proficient in Water Release, he was especially deadly with Lightning Release.
"Iron Fist, this grand funeral is our gift to you from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist! I'm sure you'll enjoy it!"
Raiga grinned wildly, lifting the twin blades of Kiba.
Crackle!!
As the two blades touched lightly, a thunderclap strong enough to shake the battlefield erupted.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Dragon Tornado!"
The next moment, the oppressive dark clouds above churned and released a blindingly bright thunder dragon that split through the fog, lashing toward the water prison containing Garp.
"Orochimaru-sama… are we really just going to stand here and watch without doing anything?"
On the lake's edge, Kushina watched the thunder dragon drop from the sky and disappear into the fog in a violent crash. Her brows knitted slightly.
"The strength of Garp-sama, you saw it with your own eyes just yesterday, did you not?"
Orochimaru's eyes were locked onto the mist-filled center of the lake.
"That was seven on one. This is completely different, there's also that Three-Tails…"
"Kushina-sama," Hizashi said before she could continue, his Byakugan already open and focused on the lake's center.
"I have witnessed Lord Garp's power firsthand. To us, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen may be formidable… but to him, they may be nothing more than seven insignificant specks of dust."
"Don't waste your breath," Tsunade added. "My granduncle used to say, whether it's one enemy or a thousand, it makes no difference to Uncle Garp."
As Tsunade spoke, the massive thunder dragon that had plunged into the fog finally bit down savagely onto Garp inside the water sphere.
Boom!
The deafening explosion shook the entire area, dispersing a large portion of the fog covering the lake.
Shinobi with sensory skills immediately cast their senses toward the lake's center.
Those without sensing ability but possessing dojutsu, Fugaku, Shisui, and others, activated their Sharingan and focused on the battlefield.
Before, the chakra-infused mist distorted vision so strongly that neither the Byakugan nor the Sharingan could see far.
But now, with the fog blown open by the thunder dragon's explosion, members of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans could finally make out the scene at the center.
"I knew it."
Since his secret was exposed anyway, Fugaku no longer bothered to conceal his Mangekyo Sharingan. Under countless eyes, the red pattern spun into full view.
Yet those demonic eyes were filled not with confidence, but with shock.
"If this is the strength of your generation's Seven Ninja Swordsmen… then I'm truly disappointed.
After all these years, the Seven Swordsmen are exactly as I remember them, no progress at all."
From the epicenter of the explosion, Garp stepped out, dressed in his immaculate black suit.
Despite the raging waves, the crushing water prison, and the thunder dragon's violent bite, not a single thread of his clothing was damp.
"Don't look down on us!"
Raiga's face twisted with fury.
As the Kiba blades clashed again, multiple bolts of lightning, far more massive than the previous thunder dragon, burst forth with ear-splitting roars, streaking straight toward Garp.
"Your lack of strength makes it hard for me to not look down on the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
Facing the incoming lightning, Garp raised his hand unhurriedly, right under Raiga's trembling gaze.
He caught the lightning.
The violent thunderbolts fell into his palm like soft, pliant cords.
With a casual squeeze of his fingers,
The Lightning Release Raiga unleashed with his full power shattered in Garp's grip.
.........
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