The moment Asuka appeared, Minato Namikaze's vigilance instantly rose to its peak.
Out of the thick mist, Asuka walked calmly toward the remaining members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, carrying the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei in his hand.
Meeting the stunned gazes of the Six Ninja Swordsmen, Asuka raised a hand and greeted them casually.
"Yo, seniors. Why do you all look so miserable? I'm not too late, am I?"
Hearing the ridicule in Asuka's words, the six swordsmen did not respond. Facing a formidable enemy like Minato, they knew that the more allies they had, the better.
Seeing that they still hadn't recovered from the shock, Asuka stopped mocking them. He turned toward Minato's direction and spoke loudly.
"Minato-kun, won't you come out and meet an old friend?"
The thick mist created by Suikazan Fuguki's ninjutsu slowly dispersed.
Minato's figure emerged in the distance and approached them.
Looking at Asuka, Minato spoke solemnly.
"Long time no see, Asuka-kun."
Asuka smiled faintly.
"Yeah, long time no see. I just finished fighting your Konoha's 'cold lord,' Orochimaru. I didn't expect to run into you right after coming back. Looks like we really are fated."
Hearing this, Minato showed a faint smile.
"Asuka-kun's strength is still as formidable as ever. Even Lord Orochimaru couldn't keep you there."
Asuka waved his hand dismissively.
"No, no. Minato-kun is the impressive one. In such a short time, you've already turned our Hidden Mist's famous Seven Ninja Swordsmen into the Six Ninja Swordsmen."
Even while speaking with Minato, Asuka didn't forget to take another jab at the swordsmen.
Ignoring the ugly expressions of the six behind him, Asuka continued.
"Minato-kun, how about giving me some face and calling it a night?"
The truth was, from the moment Minato saw Asuka appear, he had already considered stopping the battle.
Although Minato could fight the Seven Ninja Swordsmen alone and even inflict heavy losses on them, Asuka's arrival completely changed the situation.
Minato could not easily threaten Asuka.
On the other hand, if Asuka kept Minato occupied, the remaining Six Ninja Swordsmen would be free to attack the other Konoha ninja.
Even with only six remaining, the combined strength of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was still terrifying.
And with no Kage-level powerhouse currently present on Konoha's side of the battlefield, the situation would quickly become disastrous.
Therefore, a ceasefire was actually the best outcome for Konoha.
But before Minato could respond, Akebino Jinin suddenly shouted from behind.
"Kaguya Asuka! We finally have the advantage now, and Funano even died! How can we just let the Konoha ninja leave?!"
Asuka slowly turned his head and looked at him with icy eyes.
The cold gaze instantly silenced Akebino Jinin.
He didn't dare say another word.
Even Suikazan Fuguki, who had always been at odds with Asuka, remained unusually silent.
From the conversation between Asuka and Minato just now, he had already caught an important detail.
Asuka had fought Orochimaru alone.
There was no need to mention Orochimaru's reputation. Since the Second Great Ninja War, he had been one of the most feared figures among all hidden villages.
Even if the Seven Ninja Swordsmen fought him together, they might not escape unscathed.
Not to mention Minato Namikaze, whom they had just fought.
Kirigakure's intelligence had long recorded that Asuka once stopped this blond ninja alone.
And now they had personally witnessed how terrifying Minato was.
Being able to fight someone like that to a draw spoke volumes about Asuka's strength.
Because of this, Suikazan Fuguki, who once looked down on Asuka, suddenly became extremely cautious.
He no longer dared provoke him.
Seeing that none of them spoke again, Asuka withdrew his cold gaze and turned back to Minato with a smile.
He waited quietly for Minato's answer.
In truth, this proposal had been carefully considered by Asuka.
If he joined forces with the Six Ninja Swordsmen, they could probably wipe out all the Konoha ninja present.
But doing so would completely enrage Minato Namikaze.
Not to mention Orochimaru, who was hiding somewhere nearby.
Although Orochimaru had retreated earlier, he had not been seriously injured.
If Orochimaru suddenly appeared on the battlefield now, the Hidden Mist would certainly suffer enormous casualties.
Asuka himself was not afraid of facing the two of them together.
But since he had already established an image in Kirigakure as someone who valued his comrades, he had to consider the safety of the Hidden Mist ninja.
To avoid a lose-lose outcome, he made this suggestion.
Minato looked at the smiling Asuka and slowly lowered the kunai in his hand.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Since Asuka-kun has asked, of course I'll give you that face."
"Let's end tonight's battle here."
"How about we both take a step back?"
Asuka nodded.
"To show our sincerity, the Hidden Mist will withdraw first. What does Minato-kun think?"
Minato replied calmly.
"Konoha guarantees we won't attack the retreating Hidden Mist forces."
"How about that?"
Asuka smiled.
"Then it's a deal."
"Minato-kun, I look forward to our next meeting."
The two exchanged a glance.
Soon after, signal flares of different colors shot into the night sky.
Both sides began gathering their ninja and preparing to retreat.
The ninja who were still fighting looked up at the bright signal flares.
They immediately understood.
It was the signal to cease fighting.
Although both sides were unwilling, they still silently lowered their weapons in accordance with orders.
Konoha and Hidden Mist ninja glared at each other with burning hatred.
If the ceasefire signal hadn't appeared, the battle would have continued until one side was completely destroyed.
Minato and Asuka each gathered the ninja from their respective villages.
Without saying a word, both sides cleaned the battlefield, collected the bodies of their fallen comrades, and began withdrawing.
---
On the way back to camp, Suikazan Fuguki looked at Asuka walking ahead and finally spoke.
"Jōnin Asuka… thank you for your support tonight. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen owe you a favor."
Now that he knew Asuka's true strength, he deliberately tried to improve their relationship.
But Asuka didn't even bother responding.
In fact, he had never taken Suikazan Fuguki seriously.
Seeing Asuka walk away without a word, Fuguki's face immediately darkened.
Noticing this, Munashi Jinpachi laughed and said to Kuriarare Kushimaru beside him,
"See that? Fuguki's scared."
"I heard he didn't get along with that Asuka guy before."
"After seeing his strength tonight, he's probably thinking about begging for forgiveness on his knees. Hahaha!"
Since he didn't lower his voice at all, Suikazan Fuguki naturally heard every word.
His orange-red hair began to move slightly, stirred by his rising anger.
As the strongest among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, it had been a long time since anyone dared provoke him like this.
Munashi Jinpachi also placed his hand on the hilt of the Blastsword: Shibuki.
Just as the two were about to clash—
Biwa Jūzō suddenly interrupted them.
"Have the two of you not embarrassed the Seven Ninja Swordsmen enough?"
"Funano is already dead."
"You'd better start thinking about how to retrieve the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei first."
His words immediately snapped both of them back to reality.
Meaningless infighting would bring them no benefit.
They had already lost one member.
If they started fighting among themselves now, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would completely lose their prestige in the village.
Neither of them spoke again.
Silently, they followed the main Hidden Mist force as it returned toward the camp.
--------------Author---------------
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