"Damn it, it's them!" Haruto Saito's expression changed repeatedly.
The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist—these seven individuals were feared even by Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. Facing them, even the three of them together had limited chances of victory. However, it wasn't impossible because in team battles, the outcome was determined not just by individual strength but also by the synergy between teammates, which could significantly enhance their overall combat ability.
There was probably no other team in this world with greater synergy than Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. Having grown up together, they were the same age and had nearly equal strength. They knew each other inside and out, making their teamwork seamless to the extreme.
However, while the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist might not have such perfect coordination, they surpassed the three in other aspects.
Haruto Saito was well aware of his own strength. Though he had made significant progress recently, he might be able to take on one of the Seven Swordsmen individually. But facing all seven? He would be dead with no burial site!
"Why did I have to run into them again..." Haruto felt a rising sense of urgency. He hesitated—should he still proceed with the assassination of Fujita Asa?
If Haruto aborted his mission and remained hidden, the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist would have no way of knowing he was there. In fact, they might not even recognize him if he passed by. However, if he launched his attack, his Shadow Clone would be exposed, and there was no guarantee that his height, build, or other features wouldn't give him away.
Under normal circumstances, Haruto wouldn't be too concerned about such exposure.
But the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were approaching. At their speed, the remaining fifteen kilometers would only take a few minutes to cover.
Haruto fixed his gaze in their direction, finally identifying all seven of these fearsome individuals. Just as he had expected, three of them had strength surpassing the Kage-level threshold, while the rest were at the elite Jonin level.
Any one of them alone was enough to make Haruto wary.
He also had no way of knowing whether any of them specialized in tracking or possessed sensory abilities. Given that they came from the Mist Village's Anbu, it was highly likely that some of them had such skills!
"Damn it! Damn it! Should I make a move or not?" Haruto struggled internally.
He was stuck in a difficult dilemma!
If Haruto killed Fujita Asa, he would have to flee immediately, as far and as fast as possible. But… he wouldn't be able to retrieve the dropped reward! His initial plan was to let his Shadow Clone assassinate Fujita Asa, which would throw the village of Ryusui into chaos. However, once the chaos subsided, the most dangerous place would become the safest.
Thus, Haruto had intended to wait a short while after the assassination before sneaking back to retrieve his reward card.
But now, if he went through with the assassination, he wouldn't dare to stay and wait. He would have to escape immediately!
His time for contemplation was running out.
The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were now only thirteen kilometers away from Ryusui Village!
"Screw it… What am I afraid of?!" Haruto gritted his teeth. Deep down, he had an unyielding stubbornness that others could never understand—this was why he often took reckless risks.
He had made up his mind!
In a blur, his figure vanished from where he stood!
...
Inside Ryusui Village, at the northern plaza, beside a large crater.
Fujita Asa circled the crater, frowning as he spoke with his subordinates. However, it seemed he wasn't focused on the crater itself but rather discussing previous clues.
"That little beggar still hasn't been found?"
"No, after last night's incident, he hasn't reappeared. We searched thoroughly but found no trace of him!"
"It really could be him… Based on his size and age, could he be an assassin trained by the Rain Village?" Fujita Asa speculated.
"Oh right, he coughed up blood yesterday, didn't he?" Fujita Asa suddenly recalled something and looked up sharply.
"Yes!" The thin young ninja beside him confirmed.
"Can you still find the spot where he coughed up blood? Can we collect any of it?"
"Yes, though the blood has seeped into the ground and dried up, we can use a secret technique to extract some of the blood tissue."
"Do it immediately! His blood carries his scent—maybe we can track him down with it!"
"Understood!" The young ninja accepted the order and hurried away.
Only three elite Jonin remained by Fujita Asa's side as his guards.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the ground in front of Fujita Asa exploded violently! Amid the flying dirt, a black-robed figure shot up from the underground, wielding a spiraling sphere of energy—directly striking toward Fujita Asa!
Fujita Asa's reaction was extremely fast. Since an underground attack would inevitably cause ground tremors first, he had already sensed it and leaped backward instantly. At the same time, his three Jonin bodyguards fearlessly charged toward the black-robed attacker!
Fujita Asa managed to retreat, while his three guards formed a barrier in front of him to block the assailant.
Suddenly, the black-robed figure's body radiated an intense and violent chakra fluctuation. All three Mist Jonin's expressions changed drastically as they immediately jumped back—they could sense it. This was the aura of explosive tags!
And at that exact moment—
While Fujita Asa was retreating, the ground beneath him split open, revealing two small holes. A pair of hands shot out from the depths, grabbing his ankles. His focus was entirely on the front and he couldn't react in time!
The hands yanked forcefully, pulling half of his body into the ground.
BOOM!
The black-robed attacker exploded into a massive fireball. The terrifying flames and shockwaves swept across an area of over ten meters—engulfing Fujita Asa!
Mere moments later, the Shadow Clone that had grabbed Fujita Asa underground also detonated!
BOOM!
It was like a devastating landmine explosion. The immense force of the explosive tags lifted the ground, sending dirt surging like a tidal wave over ten meters high. From above and below, the converging fireballs consumed Fujita Asa completely—ripping him apart and burning him to ashes!
He didn't even have time to scream…
Fujita Asa was only a Jonin, while Haruto Saito's two Shadow Clones retained his full offensive power, albeit with weaker defenses. Even without using Kekkei Genkai abilities, Haruto possessed the combat strength of an elite Jonin!
Furthermore, his two Shadow Clones had executed a perfectly coordinated tactical strike!
There was no way Fujita Asa could have survived unless he had some forbidden technique to mitigate the damage. But he was a strategist, a master of intelligence analysis—not someone known for exceptional jutsu mastery.
The three surviving Mist Jonin barely evaded the direct blast. Though they were injured, they didn't die immediately!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
The dual explosions merged into a blazing inferno, setting the entire area ablaze.
The deafening blasts alarmed everyone in Ryusui Village!
Several high-ranking ninjas rushed toward the plaza within moments. The three wounded Mist Jonin stood near the burning wreckage.
Haruto Saito, hidden beneath the plaza, estimated his timing before moving swiftly forward and upward.
A breath later, he emerged from the ground—right in the firestorm! The searing agony assaulted his senses, but he gritted his teeth and endured it. Instantly, he snatched up the newly dropped reward card and dove back underground, swallowing a healing card as he tunneled away at top speed.
Run!
Run as far as possible, as fast as possible!