The chestnut-haired swordsman lunged forward with his needle blade extended.
Hanekawa met the attack head-on with his Thunder Fire Sword, but immediately recognized the problem. Kushimaru had switched tactics—his needle blade was longer, with an extendable wire running through the handle. He was fighting at range now, keeping Hanekawa just outside his striking distance.
The needle flicked out again. Hanekawa's sword was an inch too short.
He frowned. After a brief exchange, he'd already fallen into a disadvantageous position. Kushimaru's reach advantage was too significant.
Not ideal.
Hanekawa stepped back and used the Body Flicker Technique to create distance.
"Running already?" Kushimaru sneered, advancing with his needle blade. "So this is the caliber of Tsunade's students?"
Hanekawa casually sealed away the Thunder Fire Sword without responding. His swordsmanship was decent, but his Elemental Techniques were superior. If Kushimaru wanted to fight at range, Hanekawa would teach him what real long-range combat looked like.
He began forming hand seals.
"Trying to cast ninjutsu?" Kushimaru's eyes narrowed. "Too slow!"
His body blurred into motion, the needle blade streaking toward Hanekawa's forehead.
But Kushimaru's expression shifted. The ground beneath his feet suddenly transformed into a flowing river of mud, sweeping him away before he could close the distance.
Earth Style: Earth Flow River.
"You can use Earth Style?" Kushimaru recovered quickly, leaping clear of the mudslide.
Hanekawa was already forming his next set of seals.
"Not happening!" Kushimaru used Body Flicker again, appearing directly above Hanekawa. A wall of water erupted between them, blocking the incoming jutsu.
The water wall shattered. In its place, a massive water dragon coalesced, surging toward Kushimaru with tremendous force.
He raised his needle blade defensively, but the impact still sent him skidding backward across the ground, leaving deep gouges in his wake.
Before he could recover, Hanekawa exhaled a three-meter fireball.
The heat was immediate and overwhelming. Kushimaru rolled desperately, his clothes singeing as the flames passed overhead.
"Damn brat!" He pushed to his feet, humiliation burning hotter than the fire. As one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he'd never been cornered like this by a ninjutsu specialist.
Hanekawa was already forming seals again. A dragon-shaped flame erupted toward him.
Kushimaru thrust his needle blade forward, shattering the flame into harmless sparks. But before he could celebrate, the sound of wind screamed above his head.
A massive chunk of clay fell from the sky.
His needle couldn't pierce it. Kushimaru used Body Flicker to escape the impact zone, but the moment his feet touched ground, water streams converged on him from all directions.
Damn it!
He kicked upward, launching himself into the air—only to hear the whistle of wind beside his ear.
Wind Style: Vacuum Bullet!
Not one, but five compressed wind projectiles shot toward him. Mid-air with no leverage, Kushimaru couldn't dodge them all. One caught his left shoulder, tearing through skin and muscle. Blood sprayed.
The pain was exquisite. Kushimaru's eyes went red with fury, murderous intent radiating from his entire body.
It didn't matter. Three massive fire dragons descended on him immediately.
The flames illuminated the entire battlefield, heat shimmering the air itself.
He still has the Yin Seal. His chakra is effectively unlimited.
The realization cut through Kushimaru's rage like ice water. He forced himself to think, to move. He dodged left, rolled right, and formed seals with both hands. A massive water sphere erupted from his mouth, colliding with the nearest fire dragon in a explosion of steam.
In the resulting mist, Kushimaru allowed himself a moment to breathe.
As a Mist Village ninja, he knew the Hidden Mist Technique intimately. The Silent Killing Technique. This fog was his domain.
He formed seals with both hands, activating the Hidden Mist Technique.
The fog thickened, visibility dropping to nothing.
A strong wind blew it all away in seconds.
Grass!
Kushimaru couldn't help the curse. He'd never fought someone proficient in all five nature releases before. Most jonin mastered one, maybe two. This kid was different—he could form seals quickly, had seemingly endless chakra, and was competent with every single element.
No. He's worse than a Five Elements Ninja.
The realization hit hard. Hanekawa was still standing in the same spot, barely breathing hard. Kushimaru had circled him multiple times, and the kid hadn't moved.
Is he a medical ninja?
Kushimaru felt the first real spike of fear. He couldn't close the distance. Every time he tried, ninjutsu forced him back. And he couldn't maintain this forever—eventually, he'd make a mistake.
The ground beneath his feet suddenly shifted. Rock spears erupted upward.
Kushimaru slashed them apart with practiced efficiency, but a strong wind was already coming. He formed a seal, raising a water wall—
The space above distorted. Clay fell like rain.
His water wall could only block one direction. While Kushimaru desperately dodged the falling debris, a terrible truth crystallized in his mind.
There's only one way out of this.
He had to get close. Had to break through the ninjutsu barrage and force hand-to-hand combat.
Water Style: Water Flow Wall!
He formed seals, blocking another fireball. Smoke filled the air, and—
Hanekawa vanished.
Kushimaru's scalp prickled. The kid had been standing still the entire fight. If he'd disappeared, it meant only one thing.
A sneak attack.
With five nature releases at his disposal, Hanekawa could come from anywhere. There was no defense.
The ground beneath Kushimaru's feet suddenly felt wrong.
Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!
Arms erupted from the earth, grabbing his legs.
"Go to hell!" Kushimaru thrust his needle blade downward, piercing what should have been Hanekawa's body.
No blood. A shadow clone.
Kushimaru tried to pull himself free, but the ground was already collapsing around him. At that moment, the detonating tags buried deep underground detonated in a chain reaction.
The explosion was massive. Fire shot skyward, carrying with it the acrid smell of burning flesh.
The other ninjas fighting nearby couldn't help but look. The noise was impossible to ignore.
When the smoke cleared, Kushimaru's body lay in pieces. His legs were gone, obliterated. Only his upper half remained, barely intact.
Hanekawa's true form emerged from the ground. He picked up the fallen needle blade and drove it through Kushimaru's heart.
The swordsman's body convulsed once, then went still.
"Lord Kushimaru is dead?!" The nearby Mist Village ninjas stared in shock.
Death at Tsunade's hands was understandable. But at the hands of a teenage brat? It seemed impossible.
"Hanekawa killed Kushimaru?" The Hidden Leaf jonin exchanged stunned glances.
They'd known he was talented, certainly. After the Chunin Exams and his recent performances, they'd accepted he had jonin-level strength. But jonin and elite jonin were different categories.
Kushimaru was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. An elite among elites.
If Hanekawa had killed him, that meant the kid's strength was comparable to theirs. Or possibly superior.
Tsunade's lips curved upward as she turned her attention to the Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish Demon in front of her. He was no longer the carefree warrior from before—he was badly wounded, barely standing even as Samehada desperately fed him chakra.
"Can't let my student outshine me," Tsunade murmured.
Her eyes flashed. Her body vanished.
The Pufferfish Demon was still gasping for breath when a fist the size of a sandbag filled his vision.
The impact was catastrophic. The ground collapsed inward, spider-web cracks spreading outward in all directions. Debris flew. Wind howled.
When the dust settled, Tsunade stood in the center of the destruction, golden hair whipping in the wind. The Pufferfish Demon lay unconscious at her feet.
Samehada, sensing its master's defeat, bounced frantically on the ground.
Tsunade walked forward and kicked it. The shark-like sword went completely still.
"DAYTIME TIGER!"
Might Duy's roar split the air. He leaped forward, his body wreathed in the white aura of the Eight Gates. The air itself transformed into a massive white tiger that engulfed the wild boar user in front of him.
The explosion was tremendous. Shockwaves rippled outward, forcing nearby ninjas to retreat.
Those seeing the Daytime Tiger technique for the first time stared in awe. The power was staggering—possibly even exceeding Tsunade's display of raw strength.
"Hanekawa!" Tsunade's voice cut through the chaos.
She'd seen this technique before, so she moved without hesitation. Her body flashed across the battlefield, appearing in front of a bandaged swordsman.
Muri Jinpachi. One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. His blade was called Explosive Blade Feimo—covered entirely in detonating tags.
When he saw Tsunade, his face went pale. He raised his blade and slashed at her.
The tags detonated in a chain reaction. Fire rushed toward Tsunade.
She stepped back quickly—just as the ground behind Jinpachi erupted. Hanekawa launched himself upward, understanding immediately what Tsunade wanted.
They'd lived together long enough to develop perfect synchronization.
Chidori Flow!
Lightning Style Chakra Mode!
Strength of a Hundred!
Hanekawa threw a punch with everything he had.
Jinpachi heard the breaking wind and spun, slashing backward with Explosive Blade Feimo.
Body Flicker!
Strength of a Hundred!
Tsunade stepped forward and drove her fist toward his heart.
Hanekawa drew Zangetsu—the wakizashi forged by Granny Cat—and blocked the explosive blade. His right fist drove into Jinpachi's back.
Teacher and student moved in perfect coordination. One attack after another, a terrifying combination of force and speed.
Blood sprayed. Jinpachi screamed and lost consciousness.
Both Tsunade and Hanekawa stepped back simultaneously, avoiding the spray.
Hanekawa sealed Explosive Blade Feimo into a storage scroll, along with Kushimaru's needle blade. The instincts of a player—never leave loot behind, especially not weapons of this caliber.
Tsunade couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Who taught this kid that?
"Quick—run!" A Mist Village jonin shouted, already sprinting away.
The other Mist ninjas didn't need to be told twice. With the Seven Ninja Swordsmen destroyed, there was no point in staying. Better to escape and preserve what forces remained.
The commander's entire army had been annihilated. The Flounder user had been dealt with by Maki and the others. Staying meant only death.
"Chase them!" Tsunade commanded.
The Hidden Leaf jonin surged forward, pursuing the fleeing Mist ninjas. The battle became one-sided—the Mist Village's morale was shattered, their combat effectiveness a fraction of what it had been.
---
Half an hour later, Hyuga Cee returned, looking somewhat sheepish.
"Lady Tsunade, some of the Kirigakure ninjas managed to escape."
"It doesn't matter," Tsunade said dismissively. "They're no longer a threat."
In her assessment, killing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was a decisive victory. If the Mist Village didn't send reinforcements, they'd effectively lost this front. Even if they did, the losses they'd already sustained would cripple their war effort.
"The four of you return to camp and bring the rest of the ninja here," Tsunade ordered, gesturing to Hyuga Cee and the surrounding jonin.
This island was strategically crucial—the center of the Mist Village's front line. Holding it would put enormous pressure on their enemies.
"Yes!" The four men turned and left immediately.
"Watch for sneak attacks from the remaining Kirigakure ninjas scattered on other islands," Tsunade added in a serious tone.
"Yes!" the remaining ninjas responded in unison.
Tsunade nodded, then turned to check on Hanekawa.
He was gone.
She glanced around, then her eye twitched slightly.
Hanekawa was crouched over the Pufferfish Demon's corpse, examining Samehada with the focus of someone looting a treasure chest.
How does he move like a thief?
Tsunade felt a mix of exasperation and amusement, but she didn't stop him. The kid had earned the right to claim spoils.
Hanekawa studied Samehada carefully. He remembered that this thing was somehow connected to the Three-Tails, Isobu. But it wasn't particularly loyal—in the original timeline, it had been obsessed with the Eight-Tails' chakra and eventually betrayed its user to follow Killer Bee.
A traitor, essentially.
It was a shame it couldn't be reforged like the Thunder Fire Sword. Samehada wasn't really a ninja blade in the traditional sense—it was a unique life form.
After considering his options, Hanekawa decided to seal it away for now. He'd figure out what to do with it later.
One more S-Rank entry acquired. Not bad for a day's work.