Haruto Saito stood in tattered black robes, his face hidden behind a mask, his entire body covered in bloodstains. His heterochromatic eyes gleamed with a cold, sharp light.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist stood before him, weapons in hand, their expressions cold and unreadable. The ninja hound Kuro leaned forward, ready to pounce at any moment, its eyes glowing a deep red.
Momochi Akahara's gaze swept over Haruto, icy and calculating.
As the intelligence had suggested, the suspect who had assassinated Hōzuki Roba and Fujita Asa was a ninja with the stature of an eleven or twelve-year-old child.
"Was it you who killed Fujita Asa-sensei?" Momochi Akahara asked in a hoarse voice.
"What if it was?" Haruto replied in a low tone. He didn't deny it, nor did he need to. Regardless of what happened today, there would be no reconciliation between them. Whether he was the killer or not no longer mattered. Denying it would be pointless!
"You deserve to die, you know that?!" Momochi Akahara growled.
Boom!
A terrifying aura erupted from Momochi Akahara, filled with brutal killing intent!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The other six members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist also released their auras. Their combined presence was like a tangible storm, causing the branches and leaves of the surrounding trees to shake violently, emitting a harsh rustling sound.
Haruto stood alone against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, like an ant facing a mountain. In terms of aura and presence, he seemed insignificant.
But Haruto remained unmoved.
He simply stared at them!
He wanted to survive, so he needed to observe. He had to find a way to live, and killing that crucial ninja hound was only the first step!
"If you surrender, you won't die," Momochi Akahara spoke again, his eyes locked on Haruto.
It seemed like he was giving Haruto a chance!
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had formed their formation to pressure Haruto into surrendering.
But in reality, Momochi Akahara didn't want to kill Haruto outright.
He wanted Haruto to suffer a fate worse than death!
******
Meanwhile, in the direction of Great Wave Village.
Oshima Koji stood on the top of a still-standing watchtower, holding a telescope and scanning the distant scene.
"He didn't escape…" Oshima Koji's expression shifted as he saw Haruto being forced out. He couldn't understand why Akaito had provoked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. In the ninja world, Akaito was a nobody. Why would the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist target him?
Moreover, from the way the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were chasing him, it seemed like there was deep-seated hatred between them!
But that wasn't the main point!
The key issue was that Haruto was about to die!
Oshima Koji wouldn't be able to complete the task Tsunade had entrusted to him. Although he had promised Tsunade that he would escort Haruto and stand by his side in times of danger, in this situation, even if it meant losing his credibility, he absolutely wouldn't intervene!
That would be suicide!
In fact, this wouldn't even count as losing credibility. As long as he reported the situation to the Leaf's infiltration unit, the Leaf would completely understand his decision.
After all, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were the strongest ninja squad in the world!
******
In the forest, Haruto scanned the terrifying figures before him.
"Surrender…" Haruto drawled, his mind racing. He deliberately spoke slowly, pretending to think, but in reality, he had never considered surrendering. He didn't believe Momochi Akahara's lies for a second. This battle would be a fight to the death!
"If I kill that ninja hound, if I kill it, I might have a chance to escape. But I have to be fast…"
Haruto thought of various tactics and possibilities.
Judging by the aura, Kuro wasn't as strong as Haruto. If he went all out, Haruto was confident he could kill Kuro quickly. But the question was, would the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist give him that chance?!
Silence fell!
Momochi Akahara and the others seemed to be waiting for Haruto's response. They were worried that if they attacked, they might kill Haruto outright. After all, Haruto looked severely injured. If he weren't on the verge of collapse, he probably wouldn't have revealed himself.
"You… want me to surrender…" Haruto spoke again, tilting his head slightly. "Dream on!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Haruto clasped his hands together and completed a hand seal in a flash!
**Shadow Clone Technique!**
White smoke erupted on either side of Haruto, and two shadow clones appeared. They looked exactly like Haruto, and their auras were identical.
"Kill him!" Momochi Akahara roared!
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist moved almost simultaneously, and the ninja hound also charged fiercely at Haruto. It seemed that Kuro wasn't just a scouting hound.
All three Harutos vanished at the same time.
They used the **Earth Release: Underground Movement Technique**, burrowing into the ground and moving in three different directions.
Haruto was gambling!
He was betting that the ninja hound couldn't instantly determine which was his real body. After all, Haruto's shadow clones were extraordinary. Normally, it would be impossible to detect any flaws, but that ninja hound was also special!
"He's underground!" Kuro immediately barked.
"Where exactly?" Momochi Akahara asked quickly.
"Wait, give me a moment!" Kuro replied, its body glowing as it sniffed intensely!
It couldn't immediately determine where the real Haruto had gone!
The three auras were almost identical. Even if Kuro used a secret technique, it couldn't instantly distinguish between them. It could track Haruto based on the scent of his blood. The real Haruto's blood scent would be active, while the clones' blood scent was also active but artificially created!
No matter how real a ninja's clone technique might seem, it was still fake!
So, there was always a flaw!
After a few seconds, Kuro still hadn't identified the real Haruto.
At that moment, all three Harutos reappeared, each about a hundred meters apart, forming a triangle with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in the center.
**Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!**
All three Harutos simultaneously activated the max-level Hidden Mist Technique—a technique with thirty-two times the normal effect.
A thick fog suddenly rose!
Within a single breath, the area within a kilometer was enveloped in dense mist.
Momochi Akahara moved like a ghost, not caring which Haruto was real. He charged at one of them, appearing in front of the clone like a flash of light, his blade striking like thunder!
The clone vanished.
It had burrowed underground again!
The other two Harutos did the same!
"Damn it, smash it! Smash the ground and force him out!" Momochi Akahara roared in the thick fog.
**Water Release: Super Water Dragon Technique!**
**Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!**
**Wind Release: Earth-Splitting Tornado!**
******
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist unleashed their powerful techniques in rapid succession. Waves of water surged, violent winds raged, and the earth trembled!
They didn't bother to disperse the mist. Instead, they focused all their efforts on attacking the ground!
The most direct way to counter an underground technique was to bombard the earth!
Underground, Haruto endured the relentless shocks and the worsening injuries as he swiftly approached the location of the ninja hound Kuro.