She never imagined such powerful figures would infiltrate the village, let alone that they would encounter them. The sheer audacity of it was astounding.
"Wow, other villages' brats know our names. We're pretty famous, huh?" Mangetsu Hōzuki said, a hint of surprise in his voice.
But then he sneered, his voice chillingly cold. "My Kubikiribōchō has a small nick; I need to replenish the iron with your blood!"
Kurenai Yūhi and Might Guy's faces paled. Their fear was palpable.
Only Uchiha Kouki remained completely calm, even finding time for internal monologue: This is the battle where Might Duy originally defeated four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, right?
But the butterfly effect had altered things. Instead of Might Guy being with Ebisu and an unknown ninja, he was with Kurenai and himself. Whether Might Duy would arrive in time was uncertain.
It didn't matter, though. With Kouki's current strength, even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were no match for him.
"What do we do? We're no match for them."
"Maybe… we should retreat and report this immediately."
Might Guy and Kurenai whispered nervously, their fear evident.
"Flee? Heh, if you brats escape us, we might as well quit," Mangetsu Hōzuki said mockingly, his voice dripping with contempt.
Whoosh!
He charged towards them, Kubikiribōchō raised high, intent on ending their lives.
"Damn it! We're completely frozen by their presence! The sheer terror is paralyzing us!"
"What do we do… are we going to die here?"
Might Guy and Kurenai, both still genin, were utterly terrified facing the vastly superior Mangetsu Hōzuki. They were paralyzed with fear.
Even Sasuke, a prodigious talent, was initially frozen with fear upon his first encounter with Orochimaru. Might Guy and Kurenai, a taijutsu and a genjutsu specialist respectively, were far less experienced than Sasuke. Their fear was a natural response.
Mangetsu Hōzuki moved swiftly, closing the distance instantly. He swung his Kubikiribōchō, aiming to cleave all three in a single, devastating blow.
Whoosh!
But at that moment, the three who were about to become victims transformed into streaks of light, vanishing instantly.
Boom!
Mangetsu Hōzuki's Kubikiribōchō sliced through a thick tree trunk, instantly severing it in two. The three ninjas reappeared in a different location.
Beside them stood another figure—a young man wearing sunglasses. He had clearly intervened, saving them from certain death.
"What?!"
"How?!"
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, who had been expecting an easy victory, were utterly shocked. They couldn't believe someone had moved three people out of the way of Mangetsu's attack so quickly. Even they couldn't accomplish such a feat.
Who was this mysterious figure?
They instinctively glanced at Kouki, noticing the similar sunglasses. But they didn't immediately connect the two; it was just a subconscious visual reaction. Sunglasses alone didn't prove anything.
Unbeknownst to them, the mysterious figure was Uchiha Kouki! The one with Kurenai and Guy was merely a shadow clone.
When the fog enveloped Konoha, Kouki sensed something was amiss. To prepare for a potential threat, he'd created a clone, unnoticed by Kurenai or Guy.
His foresight proved crucial.
"This guy looks interesting. His blood should be quite tasty," Mangetsu Hōzuki sneered, charging towards Kouki.
"Amaterasu!"
Kouki didn't hesitate, unleashing his powerful dōjutsu.
Black flames erupted around Mangetsu Hōzuki, engulfing him completely.
"Aaah!"
Mangetsu Hōzuki screamed in agony, his struggles futile against the unstoppable black flames.
Within moments, Mangetsu Hōzuki was reduced to ashes, leaving only his Kubikiribōchō lying on the ground. The scene was utterly silent.
The remaining Seven Ninja Swordsmen stared in disbelief, their eyes wide with shock and terror. Mangetsu Hōzuki, one of their own, was dead? The black flames were terrifyingly powerful, utterly overwhelming.
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