Killing Kuro went more smoothly than Haruto Saito had imagined!
Kuro had been too confident, while Haruto had hidden his true strength well. Kuro died without ever knowing Haruto's real power, only realizing that Haruto possessed the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai!
This was actually a crucial point. If Kuro had known beforehand that Haruto had the Shikotsumyaku, it would never have dared to bite him! In fact, it wouldn't have even gotten close to Haruto!
A ninja who mastered the Shikotsumyaku was essentially a close-combat killing machine!
In normal close combat, whether using a sword or fists and feet, the attack patterns were predictable. Swinging a sword required a motion, and using fists or kicks also required a sequence of movements.
But a ninja with the Shikotsumyaku didn't have these limitations. Any part of their body could become a weapon, making their attacks sudden and unpredictable.
Moreover, using the Shikotsumyaku against a ninja hound provided a significant advantage!
Because ninja hounds weren't human, they couldn't use equipment, weapons, or hand seals. Their ability to respond to sudden close-range attacks was far inferior to that of a human.
In fact, Haruto had had the chance to kill Kuro before it bit his throat!
Kuro had been too close, and Haruto could have used **Golden Tiger Dance** to kill it.
But he didn't!
Because he couldn't be sure how strong Kuro's external defenses were. He only knew that Kuro's claws were incredibly tough, but its body was an unknown. He didn't want to take the risk. If **Golden Tiger Dance** failed to penetrate Kuro, it would have been a disaster!
So he deliberately feigned weakness, letting Kuro claw him a few times, intentionally leaving openings, and even allowing Kuro to bite his throat.
All of this was to deliver a fatal blow from inside Kuro's mouth!
No matter how strong a ninja hound was, it couldn't possibly have defenses inside its mouth, right?
He succeeded, delivering a one-hit kill!
******
Golden light flashed as several cards flew out of Kuro's body. Haruto grabbed them and stored them in his inventory space. With his other hand, he held the **Swift Blade** and unleashed a samurai technique! The blade energy instantly shattered Kuro's head!
The fatal wound from the Shikotsumyaku was on the head!
Haruto didn't want anyone to know he had the Shikotsumyaku. If he could avoid exposing it, he would. It was one of his trump cards, something he could use to great effect at a critical moment.
Biting down on the **Primary Healing Card** in his mouth, Haruto felt his injuries rapidly healing.
In the vast, mist-covered forest.
Fierce winds raged, and surging waves churned. The trees within a half-kilometer radius had already been destroyed. The vicious Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were spread out, unleashing their powerful techniques in a frenzy of destruction.
"What?!" Momochi Akahara suddenly jolted, turning sharply.
The mist had thinned somewhat, but he still couldn't see far.
But he could sense it!
Kuro's presence had suddenly vanished!
Actually, he had felt Kuro's presence becoming more violent earlier, but he hadn't thought much of it. Everyone's presence was chaotic here, as they were all unleashing their techniques. Kuro didn't stand out, and as for Haruto… he couldn't sense him. Haruto had been maintaining his **Hidden Presence Technique**, and aside from Kuro, none of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen could detect him in the chaos.
"Damn it!" Momochi Akahara cursed under his breath, darting like the wind toward where Kuro's presence had disappeared.
A few breaths later, Momochi Akahara was close.
His expression changed drastically!
Because he saw it.
Beneath the water, the headless body of the hound floated motionlessly. Its head was gone, and the jagged wound on its neck was the size of a bowl. Bright red blood continuously flowed out, staining the surrounding water.
Kuro was dead!
Momochi Akahara was stunned!
Then he let out a roar of fury, his voice filled with rage and despair: "Damn it! Damn it!!!"
His eyes widened, bloodshot and filled with rage. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his hand gripping the sword trembled. His chakra surged violently, rising like a volcano about to erupt, containing an overwhelming, terrifying power.
He was on the verge of losing his mind!
Kuro was dead!
Dead! Honestly, he didn't care about Kuro itself, but he cared about the Hōzuki clan!
Kuro was a member of the Hōzuki clan, the summoning beast of two generations of the Hidden Mist's vanguard force commanders. It carried countless honors and had a glorious military record. It had already retired and was supposed to live out its remaining years in peace and dignity within the Hidden Mist Village.
If Fujita Asa hadn't died, Momochi Akahara and the others would never have gone to Hōzuki Iekatsu to borrow Kuro. Hōzuki Iekatsu, the current commander of the Hidden Mist's vanguard force, wasn't a match for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, but individually, none of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen could defeat him either.
Hōzuki Iekatsu was also a high-ranking member of the Hōzuki clan!
And the Hōzuki clan was the most powerful clan in the Hidden Mist!
In terms of status, Hōzuki Iekatsu was no less than the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!
After summoning Kuro, Hōzuki Iekatsu had treated it with great respect and even sought its opinion. Kuro had grown bored in the Hidden Mist Village and, refusing to accept its old age, wanted to stretch its legs. That's why it had agreed without hesitation to help the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist track down Fujita Asa's killer.
Before leaving Ryūsui Village, Momochi Akahara had promised Hōzuki Iekatsu that he would protect Kuro!
Kuro was only supposed to assist in tracking, not participate in combat.
He had never imagined that Kuro would die!
It shouldn't have been possible!
But Kuro was dead!
Momochi Akahara immediately thought of the consequences. Hōzuki Iekatsu would be furious, the Hōzuki clan would demand answers, and the Mizukage would undoubtedly get involved. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would be caught in an impossible situation and would surely face punishment!
And in the wider ninja world, the long-established reputation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would take a hit!
A nobody from some unknown village, while being hunted by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, had managed to kill the Hidden Mist's most accomplished and decorated ninja hound!
If this got out, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would be utterly humiliated!
******
Meanwhile, in Ryūsui Village, eastern Land of Whirlpools.
In a dimly lit room, a handsome, middle-aged man with meticulously combed hair sat at a long table, reviewing the contents of a scroll.
He was Hōzuki Iekatsu, the commander of the Hidden Mist's vanguard force!
He had arrived in Ryūsui Village that afternoon. Due to Fujita Asa's death and the arrival of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, he had no choice but to come and see the situation for himself.
He planned to stay here for a day and return to the vanguard camp tomorrow.
"Huh?" Hōzuki Iekatsu suddenly jolted, letting out an involuntary sound. His expression changed drastically.
He seemed to sense something.
He looked up, stunned, his pupils contracting violently.
"No! No! It can't be! This can't be!" Hōzuki Iekatsu stood up abruptly, his face filled with tension and fear. He clasped his hands together and formed a hand seal!
Boom!
White smoke rose in front of him, and a scroll materialized out of thin air.
He grabbed the scroll and unrolled it!
It was a special summoning contract scroll.
The scroll bore his name, his father's name, and Kuro's name.
Originally, all the names were written in black ink, but now, Kuro's name had turned a pale gray.
It had faded!
This meant Kuro was dead!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thunderous roars echoed throughout Ryūsui Village as the building Hōzuki Iekatsu was in was reduced to rubble by a violent attack.
"Damn it!! You bastards!!!" Hōzuki Iekatsu's terrifying aura surged as he let out a roar filled with overwhelming fury.