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"Golden house to hide a beauty' is a good phrase!" Little Qing praised.
"Are you sure?" Heshu sneered.
"Just kidding! Kidding!" Little Qing chuckled awkwardly.
After settling Haku's living arrangements and offering some verbal encouragement—Haku was a highly motivated sort and immediately began training his abilities—Heshu successfully returned to Kirigakure.
He hadn't been lying on his bed for half an hour when Hyūga Tenri returned, all smiles.
"Auntie!" Hyūga Tenri pushed open Heshu's door. "I must be first!"
She stood by Heshu's bedside, declared this with absolute conviction, then turned and strode out with her head held high, leaving a thoroughly bewildered Heshu in bed.
"I thought she'd ask why you're still in bed at this hour," Little Qing poked its head out from Heshu's sleeve.
"…"
Heshu felt Little Qing was getting a bit too cheeky.
That evening, Heshu ordered a table full of lavish dishes, waiting for the three kids to return.
"We're back." Itachi and Akaoi Shinya tidied themselves up and took their seats at the table.
Hyūga Tenri, who had been the first to return, had gone out again for some unknown reason.
"Teacher, just you wait and see!" Tenri winked at Heshu, walked out, and carefully closed the door behind her.
She was going to give her teacher a surprise. That woman across the way was a Kirigakure ninja. If she came for dinner, Tenri would definitely have a chance to pump her for a steady stream of useful intel.
"'Tenri, you're amazing! I, Uchiha Itachi, am not worthy!' Itachi would say, full of admiration."
"'Tenri! You're so admirable! You're the strongest on our team!' Akaoi Shinya would declare, completely convinced."
"'Tenri, truly my student. Today's reward is yours!' Teacher Heshu would heap on the praise."
Hehehehe!
Imagining these scenarios, Tenri couldn't help but get more and more excited.
Outside the door, Mei Terumi, holding a housewarming gift, looked hesitant. This little girl… her mental state seemed a bit off.
"Sis!" Seeing Mei, Tenri's eyes lit up.
She rushed forward enthusiastically, grabbing Mei's hand, but failed to notice the sudden change in Mei's expression.
Mei felt the speed of the girl's charge and the calluses on her hands where they shouldn't be. She masked her expression and looked at the door before her, a dark glint flashing in her eyes.
Standing at the entrance, Tenri, already picturing the triumphant scene, pushed the door open with great excitement.
"Ta-da!"
"Auntie!"
"Surprise!"
The knife and fork in Heshu's hands clattered onto the porcelain plate.
"Auntie, surprised? Shocked?" Tenri looked at Heshu excitedly.
Uchiha Itachi glanced at Heshu first. His intuition told him his teacher's expression wasn't one of pleasant surprise.
"Well… how to put it?" Heshu swallowed. "Not surprised, no. Shocked, yes."
Mei Terumi finally snapped out of her stupor. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
She glared at Heshu, gritting her teeth. "Tsu—ki—mi—He—shu! You dare show your face in Kirigakure?"
"Huh?" Tenri was already sensing something was wrong.
Oh no!
Before Tenri could slip away, her collar was grabbed.
"Going somewhere?" Mei held the kid by the scruff of her neck. It looked like this brat was one of Tsukimi Heshu's underlings.
"Tenri!" Akaoi Shinya cried out nervously.
"Tsukimi Heshu, want me to let her go?" Mei asked with a sinister chuckle.
Truly, a beauty remained beautiful even with such a vicious expression. Heshu took a moment to appreciate Mei's increasingly striking looks.
"Bastard! Didn't you hear my question?" A vein pulsed on Mei's forehead.
"Ah! Heard it. So, are you going to let her go?" Heshu asked.
"Of course not!"
"Well, there you have it. Was there any need to answer a redundant question?" Heshu shrugged.
"You really are heartless. You won't even save your own comrade!" Mei, seeing her threat hadn't worked, switched to verbal attacks.
"What are you talking about?" Heshu retorted. "I just said I couldn't be bothered to answer. I never said I wouldn't save her."
He looked at her seriously. "Besides, how many moves do you think you'd last against me?"
Mei gritted her teeth. She knew how terrifying Tsukimi Heshu was, but who could say for sure without a fight? Besides, as a genius of Kirigakure herself, how could she so easily admit inferiority?
"You ugly woman, let me go!" Tenri squirmed in Mei's grip.
"…"
Mei suddenly decided there was no need to observe the code of honor with scum like Tsukimi Heshu. Why not use the hostage she had right in front of her?
"I don't know if I can beat you, but your little friend is right here. You don't want to see such a young girl meet a tragic end, do you?" Mei's hand moved to grip Tenri's neck. She looked at Heshu challengingly.
"Teacher!" In her panic, Tenri forgot her cover and called out directly.
"Teacher?" Mei laughed. "So she's your student! Even better."
"…"
Sometimes, Heshu was genuinely curious about Tenri's thought process.
"A responsible teacher would never let his student remain in danger." Heshu extended a hand, electricity crackling around it. "Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue."
A powerful attractive force instantly yanked both Mei and Tenri uncontrollably toward Heshu.
"Nani?!"
Under the extreme, rapid pull, Mei couldn't maintain her grip on Tenri's collar. Heshu reached out, lightly grabbed the back of it, and placed Tenri safely behind him. She was still shaken.
Heshu drew Shinso. A pillar of silvery light shot toward Mei's body.
Mei's pupils dilated. Under the immense pressure, she formed hand seals with all her might.
Poof!
A clone was pierced, dissolving into white smoke. Cold sweat dripped from Mei's temple. That was close. She'd almost died by his blade.
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
Translucent mist instantly filled the room. In the blink of an eye, everything was enveloped in white fog, as if they'd entered a completely blank space. The obstructed vision bred unease.
Even with her Byakugan to see through the mist, Tenri was too far from Heshu, and anxiety began to creep in. In contrast, the calmest were Uchiha Itachi and the usually timid Akaoi Shinya.
"Relax. Your teacher won't let anything happen to you." Heshu's voice pierced the vast white mist, reaching the ears of the three. Tenri's heart, which had been in her throat, suddenly settled.
"Enough with the boasts!" Mei's voice came from all directions, echoing through the space, making it seem as if she were everywhere.
But for Heshu, whose Six Eyes could perceive an enemy's presence, the Hidden Mist Jutsu was useless.
"Lava Style: Melting Apparition Technique!"
Extreme heat instantly vaporized the white mist. The humidity in the air skyrocketed. Fiery-red acid surged toward Heshu like a rolling tide. The floor corroded instantly on contact, melting deep into the earth below—a testament to the technique's power.
Heshu's figure vanished the instant the acid struck. Mei, sensing his disappearance, frowned.
Shinso pierced through Mei's body again, slicing open the entire villa's roof. The building collapsed with a roar, dust billowing and scattering the remaining mist. Such a large disturbance would quickly draw Kirigakure's attention.
The pierced body dissolved into a stream of water, merging with the ground. A sharp cry came from behind Heshu.
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
An attack of combined Fire and Water-natured chakra. The searing heat and extreme corrosiveness seemed to warp the very space.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
A violent red light shot straight at Mei. The Boil Release mist was suppressed by Red's force, rebounding onto Mei in an instant. The smell of something burning filled the air.
Heshu looked closely. "Ahem, ahem…" The sight before him was rather enticing.
Though Mei had dodged in time, her clothes had been corroded to tatters. A shoulder was now exposed, and her long legs were in full view.
"What are you looking at!" Mei clutched her shoulder to keep the remnants of her clothes from falling.
"…"
One should definitely wear sturdy clothes into a fight. Mei had taught Heshu a valuable lesson.
Suddenly, the sound of something slicing through the air. Heshu shot backward, landing in front of Itachi and the other two.
The next second, a massive blade slammed into the ground where he had just been. Spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly to his feet.
"This is…?" Uchiha Itachi stared at the blade, his pupils widening slightly.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen," Heshu finished his unspoken thought.
A second later, seven figures landed before them in unison. Seven Kirigakure ninja, oddly dressed, of varying heights and builds. But the most eye-catching things, besides their physiques, were the blades in their hands.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen!" Tenri and Shinya couldn't help but exclaim.
In the ninja world, the fame of the Seven Swordsmen surpassed even that of the Mizukage. One could imagine how fearsome they were. Not only was each individual formidable, but as a team, they were virtually invincible.
"Looks like I'll be taking over Might Dai's job," Heshu thought. He didn't know which butterfly had flapped its wings to cause the Seven Swordsmen—who should have been half-decimated in the Third War—to still be alive and intact.
"Could it be that you caused the butterfly effect?" the system said.
"Highly likely."
But in any case, keeping Might Dai alive counted as a good deed on Heshu's part.
The blade embedded in the ground flew back into a man's hand. When Heshu got a clear look at him, he was startled. Wasn't that Jūzō Biwa? The one who later gets himself killed blocking a Tailed Beast Bomb with his greatsword?
Seeing the man's casual, dismissive gaze, Heshu involuntarily glanced at Itachi.
"?" Itachi looked back.
Wait, shouldn't this moment be filled with a sense of crisis? Why did his teacher seem so leisurely? Why was there even a hint of gossip in his eyes? Itachi was confused.
Tenri was tense.
Shinya looked ready to die.
"…"
Heshu felt he should be a person who inspired confidence. Why did these three look like they didn't believe in him at all?
"I told you not to be afraid." Heshu decided to salvage his image, to erect a majestic figure in their hearts.
"Teacher, they're the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!" Tenri's face was a mask of despair.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are weak," Heshu said seriously, touching his chin.
"Very good," the system said. "The enemy's anger gauge is full."
"…"
A heavy, yellow-haired man with the massive blade Samehada on his back glared daggers at Heshu. He glanced at his companions, then charged with abnormal agility and speed.
"HAA!"
Samehada sliced through the air, which seemed to crack under the pressure.
"Die!" roared Fuguki Suikazan, brandishing the greatsword.
Heshu didn't move. In Fuguki's vision, he slowly raised a hand. An invisible barrier appeared between them. Samehada's maw of sharp teeth opened wide, but its movement grew slower and slower, as if frozen in time.
Fuguki Suikazan's eyes widened in shock.
"Two Ice Spears!"
A chilling aura spread as solid ice formed sharp spears, thrusting toward Fuguki's body.
Suddenly, the blunt sword Kabutowari smashed hard against the ice spears.
CRACK!
The sound of shattering ice echoed. An extremely thin wire instantly pierced Fuguki's collar, yanking him out of Heshu's attack range. The coordination was seamless.
The next second, Kabutowari's user, Jinin Akebino, swung brutally at Heshu's waist.
Heshu's gaze shifted. Behind him, Munashi Jinpachi appeared, wielding the explosive blade Shibuki and sealing Heshu's retreat. The dense array of explosive tags on Shibuki had already begun to ignite, while Kabutowari swung with enough force to cleave a person in two.
Explosions erupted one after another. Dust and white smoke billowed, instantly obscuring the three figures.
Jinin Akebino and Munashi Jinpachi landed before Itachi and the others, smug smiles on their faces.
"Big talk requires the skill to back it up," Munashi Jinpachi said, his face expressionless.
"You!" Tenri's eyes reddened instantly. She refused to believe what she was seeing.
"Now it's your turn!" Munashi Jinpachi raised his blade again. "Let's blow you to pieces!" A rare glint of amusement appeared in his eyes, making him all the more chilling.
Jinin Akebino didn't help, merely observing Jinpachi's slaughter of the genin. For Jinpachi, slaughtering kids like this was an exhilarating thrill.
BOOM!
An explosion sounded. Uchiha Itachi, who had been momentarily stunned, grabbed Tenri and Shinya by their collars and dodged the attack.
"Hmm?" A flicker of displeasure crossed Jinpachi's eyes. The weak should submit meekly to slaughter! How dare they dodge?
"Wait…" Jinpachi stared at Uchiha Itachi, his pupils dilating with excitement. "Hahaha! It's the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan!"
Uchiha Itachi glared coldly at him. Just now, witnessing Heshu's apparent death, he had awakened his Sharingan. Three black tomoe spun in his eyes, emitting an ominous crimson glow.
"Hmph! Even more interesting!" As Jinpachi spoke, he transformed into a bolt of lightning, charging at Itachi.
Itachi instinctively sought the best position to evade. The air crackled. Dense wires formed an impenetrable net, encircling Itachi, Tenri, and Shinya. Above the net, standing on a needle-like blade, was a man: Kushimaru Kuriarare, user of the Longsword Nuibari. His slender eyes curved into slits as he smiled, watching the slaughter below.
"You're done playing. Now, it's my turn."
From within the mist, Heshu's figure materialized. An inexplicable wave of energy rippled around him, dispersing the fog.
"Teacher!" Tenri cried out in joy. Overwhelmed, tears fell without warning. God knew, she thought her blossoming youth was about to be cut short.
Itachi was slightly stunned, then sighed inwardly with relief. Even the imminent attack from Munashi Jinpachi was momentarily forgotten.
"You brats! Worry about yourselves first!" Jinpachi's blade was now a mere step away from Itachi, madness flickering in his eyes.
"Domain Expansion."
"Infinite Void."
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