Chapter 35 – Konoha Gold (Part 2)
What now!?
Darting through the forest like a startled hare, Minamoto Ren frantically searched his mind for any useful information.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—truth be told, they didn't get much spotlight in the original story. Their first appearance in the Great Ninja War ended with Might Duy kicking them from seven down to three, killing four outright.
Sounds unimpressive on paper… but after Kabuto revived them with Edo Tensei, they went on a killing spree against the Allied Shinobi Forces.
No nameless, inconsequential ninja would ever be resurrected by Kabuto and stationed as the first line of defense against the Allied Forces.
Besides, the Might father-and-son duo—Duy and Guy—were in a league of their own. Opening the Eight Gates turned their power into something exponentially greater, making it possible for them to kick anyone to death. Comparing himself to them was pure madness.
Which meant—he had to run!
"Hannya, any ideas? Who are these guys?" Hyūga Ganghachirō leapt beside Ren, his voice tinged with unease.
He was already fairly certain these seven were enemies—after all, what allies would pursue them in a straight-line chase like this?
"My guess—and it's just a guess—they're the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist." Ren's tone remained grim.
"Oh, the Seven Swordsme—wait, what!?" Ganghachirō froze, then quickly lowered his voice. "Why? How would they know we were on the Konoha Gold mission? And why ambush us on the way back to the village? How did they even slip past the border into the heart of the Land of Fire?"
Ren couldn't explain. He couldn't tell Ganghachirō his deduction came from knowing the motives of key figures in the Naruto world—and from foreknowledge of events yet to happen. That was his deepest secret.
"I told you—it's just a guess. If you really want a reason, then… call it my ninja instincts." Ren didn't want to say more. Right now, conserving strength to escape was far more important than talking.
Ganghachirō fell silent, lost in his own speculations… but as far as Ren was concerned, it was pointless.
Any plotting, scheming, or masterstroke strategy still depended on one thing—the ninja being alive to carry it out. Ren knew this was undoubtedly Danzo's doing, but he also knew Madara was scheming for the Eye of the Moon Plan. So what?
Survival came first. Survival came first!
Ren pushed the group to accelerate again—this time popping two soldier pills at once, and ordering Nawaki, Hyūga Haining, and Shimura Yū to do the same.
When they'd first spotted the Seven Swordsmen, the gap between them had been less than three kilometers. But Ren's quick decision-making and use of crude explosive tag traps had slowed their pursuers just enough to stretch the distance.
Now, they were holding at a dangerously narrow five kilometers.
"Plant a few more delayed-detonation tags—buy us some time. Most sensory techniques can't reach beyond seven kilometers. If we can just push them past that range, we'll change direction a few more times, and by nightfall we'll be in the clear."
Beneath his mask, Ren's face had gone pale, but his eyes remained unnervingly calm. His analysis gave the others confidence.
This was the power of knowledge. If he hadn't read books on tracking and sensory jutsu, he might have been paralyzed with fear, clueless on how to shake pursuit.
"Damn, they're about to get out of range! My Pufferfish Poison Pursuit can only track up to six kilometers… Boss, think of something!"
Sweat soaked the yellow fur on Fuguki Suikazan's face, blurring his vision of the faint chakra trails.
"Looks like our deal with Danzo was worth it. Among these brats, there's definitely a prodigy worth killing—one so young, yet already this skilled at counter-tracking." Hōzuki Mangetsu suddenly stopped in place, smiling.
"Is this really the time for that?" Fuguki stared at his leader like he'd gone mad, his own feet never slowing.
"All of you, stop and gather! Use your Water Style—long-range as far as you can manage!" Hōzuki Mangetsu's smile vanished as he barked the order to the Seven Swordsmen.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen froze mid-step, their bodies going rigid.
"They've stopped! Move, quickly! If we keep running for just a bit longer, it'll be nightfall in under an hour!" Hyūga Ganghachirō glanced back using his Byakugan, a look of relief breaking across his face.
Minamoto Ren tilted his head toward the sky. The sun was indeed about to set. It was winter—short days and long nights—a law of nature that even the shinobi world couldn't defy.
He let out a slow breath. Just as Ganghachirō had said, if they could shake off the enemy's tracking jutsu and conceal their trail until nightfall, they could slip into any small cave and vanish. The Seven Swordsmen's expedition would end in failure, and Danzō's carefully laid scheme would collapse.
But before Ren could lower his gaze from the sky, he saw something he would never forget for the rest of his life.
"What… is that?" he murmured.
The weary members of both squads instinctively looked up—and froze.
From behind them, a colossal column of water—no, a water dragon—was tearing through the sky toward them.
"Hiramekarei, Liberation Form… Bone Extraction!"
A slightly mocking voice rained down from above. The blue-and-white water dragon suddenly veered, moving with the precision of a guided missile straight toward Ren and the others!
Ren's eyes sharpened. Riding atop the dragon was a massive, flat, flounder-like blade—one of the Seven Swords.
BOOM!
The dragon crashed into the center of the formation with devastating force, an overwhelming surge of water bursting outward in all directions.
The thunderous impact made Ren's ears ring painfully. He forced his eyes open, peering through the haze at the sword embedded in the ground—Hiramekarei. In the original history he knew, there had been no mention of this blade's wielder, nor any clear explanation of its true abilities.
Hiramekarei could guide a Water Release attack? At this range? A Water Release that could cross five kilometers!?
And that voice just now—who was it?
Questions flooded Ren's mind, threatening to drown him. This was the cruel reality of warfare between shinobi—battles decided by the gulf in information. He had once taught Yakura the same lesson using his Shikotsumyaku… and now, it was Hōzuki Mangetsu's turn to teach him.
As the water receded and the dust began to clear, every gaze locked onto the sword thrust into the earth.
"Oh? I finally caught up to you. Impressive… you actually dodged an attack like that?"
A pool of water that had yet to disperse suddenly rose, taking human form. The figure extended a hand and gripped Hiramekareir tightly.
Hōzuki Clan Secret Technique – Hydrification Jutsu.
"The Hydrification Jutsu… from the Hōzuki clan! It can be used like that?" Ren let out a short, almost amused laugh.
Of course. How could he let the underwhelming performance of Hōzuki Suigetsu in the original timeline make him doubt the true power of a hereditary clan technique?
Ninjutsu was the art of making the impossible real. To judge a living shinobi by a dead man's limitations—Ren could not afford such a foolish mistake.
"Kill him!"
Ren's voice tore from his throat in a feral roar as he drew his blade, charging at Hōzuki Mangetsu.
He wasn't reckless—he was calculating. Hōzuki Mangetsu had broken off from the Seven Swordsmen to pursue them alone. This was their best chance to thin the enemy's ranks.
If Mangetsu delayed them until the other six caught up, then Minamoto Ren, Namikaze Minato, Senju Nawaki… not a single one of them would escape alive.
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