Just as the sphere of light was about to strike Yagura, suddenly, a blade came flying from the distance.
Bang!
A violent collision rang out.
Two halves of a blade flew apart.
The upper half shot toward a massive boulder. Sparks exploded on impact, and a deep crater was blasted into the stone—but that half of the blade also shattered into countless fragments.
The other half flew toward a Kirigakure ninja.
The Executioner's Blade—
Broken!
Puchi!
With a single strike, it sank deeply into the Kiri ninja's body.
The man's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the one who had just arrived to reinforce them—
Biwa Jūzō.
"Lord Jūzō?"
An apologetic expression appeared on Jūzō's face.
"Sorry."
Then he looked toward the other Kiri shinobi.
"Withdraw!"
Back at the Kiri army encampment, both Yagura and Jūzō wore grave expressions.
Yagura's was because of the Kaguya Clan's declaration.
Jūzō's was because of Kirigakure… and Fuguki Suikazan.
In truth, Jūzō did not believe Fuguki had defected.
When he pursued Fuguki, Jūzō had not been hoping to kill him.
He had wanted to bring him back to Kirigakure.
Jūzō believed there had to be some misunderstanding in the middle of all this.
Clear that up, and Fuguki could return to Kirigakure.
That would be good for Fuguki.
And good for Kirigakure.
But Fuguki had clearly thought otherwise.
Jūzō recalled the scene from not long ago.
Fuguki had stood on one side of a river.
He had stood on the other.
He had asked Fuguki to stop and return to Kirigakure with him.
But all he received in return was Fuguki's cold sneer.
"Jūzō, I understand what you're thinking. But all I can say is this—you understand the village far too little."
"And you understand the one sitting in power far too little."
"But we've both been blinded by the concept of the ninja village for far too long. I only truly understood the shape of this world not long ago."
"There's no way I'm going back to Kirigakure."
"And Kirigakure has no place left for me."
"The moment Butterfly died, the old me died with her."
"The person standing here now is someone new."
"I've already figured out what I should do from here on."
"A village? That's far too narrow."
"The only pity is that bastard Tongcao Yebairen didn't die by my hand."
"Go back, Jūzō. Don't come after me again."
"If you remain in Kirigakure, then next time we meet, we'll be enemies."
"But I believe that one day, you too will see the true nature of Kirigakure."
"Kirigakure is beyond saving!"
After saying that, before Jūzō could reply, Fuguki used a Water Release technique to force back the Kiri shinobi chasing him. By the time the water subsided, Fuguki's figure had already disappeared once more.
Jūzō had not pursued him further.
Because he had already received Kirigakure's orders.
That had only been his final attempt.
As he sped back toward the Kiri encampment, Jūzō kept thinking about the contents of the Mizukage's order.
He found it hard to believe that Tongcao Yebairen and the others—
four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—
could all die in a single day, in a single battle, at the hands of one man.
They were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Kirigakure's top elite.
The Mizukage's personal spear.
Candidates with the potential to become Mizukage themselves.
"Is Rasa really that strong?"
And what Jūzō could not understand even more was why Yebairen's group had been isolated there in the first place.
Their deaths would undoubtedly deal a severe blow to Kirigakure.
And more than that, the prestige of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen throughout the shinobi world would also plummet.
Before, when people heard the name Seven Ninja Swordsmen, they thought of overwhelming power. They thought of the special abilities of those seven blades.
But now?
Now when people heard Seven Ninja Swordsmen, they would think only of one thing—
Four of them against one Rasa.
And still they were annihilated.
"Yagura. What's the situation?"
Yagura's eyelid twitched slightly.
He had already become commander, and yet Jūzō still addressed him by name?
But right now, Yagura had no mood to care about that.
"Have you heard about the Hyuga rumor?"
"I have. The one saying Konoha sold out the Hyuga and handed the Byakugan to Kirigakure in exchange for an alliance."
"But as far as I know, it was Kirigakure that sought this alliance with Konoha, not the other way around."
Yagura nodded.
"That's right. Which means it's a rumor—one meant to drive a wedge between the Hyuga and Konoha, and then between Konoha and our alliance."
"Those Hyuga have always been dissatisfied with Kirigakure."
"That main-house member of theirs really did die at Kirigakure's hands."
"And the rumor described Ao's situation in vivid detail, as though every word were true."
Jūzō said, "But it's still only a rumor. Konoha should be able to suppress it. The Hyuga aren't like the Uchiha."
"That would normally be true."
Yagura's expression turned grim.
"But just now, I got word that the Kaguya Clan has issued a declaration saying the contents of the rumor are entirely true. You know what that means."
"The significance of the Kaguya Clan to the Hyuga isn't ordinary."
Jūzō's expression turned serious as well.
"You mean Konoha's alliance with us may collapse?"
Yagura looked toward the direction of Konoha.
"The moment Konoha ends its alliance with Kirigakure, with Kirigakure in its current state, there's no way we'll still be a match for Sunagakure."
"Sunagakure will definitely press us without mercy."
"And then we'll become what Sunagakure used to be."
The moment he thought of that, Yagura felt his teeth itch with hatred toward Tongcao Yebairen and the others.
If not for their sudden deaths, Kirigakure would not be at such a disadvantage now.
"I wonder what the situation in Konoha is like…"
Yagura frowned deeply.
The entirety of Kirigakure was unsettled because of this news.
And their hatred for the Kaguya Clan only grew stronger.
"That Kaguya Clan is truly made of beasts!"
"They already defected, and they still have to oppose Kirigakure?"
"Utter nonsense!"
"We absolutely cannot let them go. Once the war ends, we must wipe them out!"
"Kill every last one of them! Erase their clan the way Sunagakure erased the Akayama Clan—even their name should vanish from this world!"
Just as everyone expected, the moment the Kaguya Clan's declaration spread, the Hyuga Clan exploded.
One Hyuga member clenched his fists tightly.
"So the rumor was true?"
"Even the Kaguya Clan confirmed it. They've been friendly with us for generations—they would never lie to us about something like this."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi… too shameless."
"Konoha… too shameless."
"They even sell out their own people!"