That assassin?!
Tsunade and her two companions were simultaneously shocked. They exchanged glances, as if they had suddenly realized something!
That assassin! Who else could provoke such rage from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist? And considering that Chokaze Ringo had died from an explosion... such an assassination method, it was almost certainly Haruto Saito!
Moreover, the three of them knew that Haruto Saito was in the Poison Punishment Forest at that very moment!
So, it had to be him!
"Everyone, be careful! He's underground!" Momochi Chigen shouted as his sharp gaze swept past Tsunade's group and scanned the battlefield.
He was considering his next move.
Blast the ground?
If he did, would Tsunade and the others intervene? But if he didn't force the assassin to the surface, they would have to remain on guard at all times. That would be an enormous hassle, and it would also limit their movements while attacking Tsunade's group.
Suddenly!
Dozens of meters away, at the site of the explosion, a figure appeared out of thin air—it was Haruto Saito!
He had decided not to hide anymore—there was no point!
Since his enemies had already deduced his presence and knew about his assassination technique, the Earth Release concealment, his chances of another successful sneak attack were extremely slim. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were not weaklings. Without the element of surprise, the odds of a clean assassination were too low. It was better to reveal himself and coordinate with Tsunade's team!
As soon as he appeared, he immediately collected all the loot that had dropped from Chokaze Ringo's corpse.
It was just one simple movement, but it looked a bit odd. However, since the others couldn't see the loot, they had no idea what he was doing.
Haruto Saito then quickly glanced around, intending to retrieve Chokaze Ringo's sword as well—Thunder Blade: Kiba!
But just as his eyes locked onto it, the blade suddenly disappeared!
"Eh?" Haruto Saito was briefly stunned, but he immediately thought of a possibility!
The Thunder Blade: Kiba had been summoned away!
This wasn't just a wild guess. He wasn't a genius predicting the future—it was because he had read about this in the original history!
In the aftermath of the Third Great Ninja War, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had a core member named Mangetsu Hozuki, a prodigy who had mastered all seven of the legendary blades. He had also mastered the ability to summon them at will!
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, when Kabuto Yakushi used Edo Tensei to resurrect Mangetsu Hozuki, the latter brought out a special summoning scroll that could summon all seven swords, and he used them in battle!
However, the origin of this scroll was never explained in the original history.
Thus, Haruto Saito speculated that the Thunder Blade: Kiba had been summoned away—but he wasn't sure exactly how it had happened. Was it through a summoning scroll? And if so, who currently possessed that scroll?
...
Momochi Chigen's eyes widened in fury when he saw the masked Haruto Saito.
"Damn you! You dare show yourself?! Today is the day you die!" Momochi Chigen roared in rage.
"Are you stupid? Weren't you the one who told me to come out?" Haruto Saito retorted sarcastically.
"DIE!!" Momochi Chigen bellowed, leaping forward aggressively. The other members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen followed suit!
At the same time, Tsunade and her team moved as well, dashing toward Haruto Saito!
In terms of positioning, the three groups formed a rough triangle, with Tsunade's team closer to Haruto Saito.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Wall!" Jiraiya performed a series of hand seals mid-run and launched his attack!
The ground burst open as a massive dragon-shaped flame erupted from below, cutting across the battlefield! It formed a long, towering wall of fire, effectively blocking the Seven Ninja Swordsmen from advancing!
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!" Haruto Saito reacted swiftly, spewing a violent gust of wind!
A high-level Wind Release jutsu with tremendous power—the howling winds tore through the battlefield, ripping apart the ground and uprooting trees.
Jiraiya's fire technique, instead of being extinguished, was amplified by the wind, causing the flames to surge over ten meters high!
The saying "Wind feeds Fire, Fire empowers Wind" proved true once again!
Haruto Saito's move was intentional—it strengthened Jiraiya's fire technique to create an even more formidable barrier against their enemies!
The obstruction was effective!
Momochi Chigen and the others were forced to stop and even retreat slightly to avoid the ferocious flames and turbulent winds. They didn't attempt to counter the technique with their own jutsu—it would have been pointless, a waste of chakra without any strategic gain!
With the fiery wall holding back their enemies, Tsunade's team successfully reached Haruto Saito.
They regrouped!
"Kid, you did great!" Jiraiya whispered, giving Haruto Saito a quick compliment.
*SMACK!*
Tsunade didn't say anything—she just smacked the back of Haruto Saito's head!
Haruto Saito didn't argue with her. There was no time for that!
"Here, take these!" Haruto Saito quickly reached into his pouch and distributed a stack of explosive tags to each of them. "These are Sealed Explosive Tags! Each one contains a pre-sealed B-rank explosive jutsu. Use them sparingly—this is all I have!"
"Where did you get these?!" Tsunade immediately questioned him.
They all knew that Sealed Explosive Tags were a lost technique of the Uzumaki Clan!
"I picked them up!" Haruto Saito answered hastily.
Due to the fire barrier, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen couldn't see what Haruto Saito was handing over.
*WHOOSH!* *SPLASH!*
A massive surge of water suddenly crashed down, dousing the fire wall and plunging the battlefield into darkness once more!
The six remaining members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist stood in a semi-circle, staring intently at their foes!
Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Haruto Saito stood ready, forming their own battle stance. Tsunade took the front position, Haruto Saito stayed behind, while Jiraiya and Orochimaru took the sides.
"You're a Leaf ninja?!" Momochi Chigen glared at Haruto Saito and shouted angrily—he had just realized this!
"What else?" Haruto Saito shrugged nonchalantly.
Momochi Chigen's expression darkened as he raised his massive blade. At that moment, all six members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen charged forward!
"You go ahead! We'll cover you!" Tsunade ordered.
"Go ahead? Do you think we'll lose? Let's take them down!" Haruto Saito responded, his body flickering into action as he rushed forward!
Tsunade wasn't even surprised.
He was still the same reckless maniac!
The battle resumed!
The four of them attacked simultaneously, throwing kunai—each one attached to an explosive tag!
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
The charging swordsmen were forced back by the series of explosions!
Since they were only B-rank explosive tags, the damage wasn't severe, but it did disrupt their momentum and make them look disheveled.
Then, chaos erupted!
Ninjutsu clashed, smoke and flames soared, and waves of chakra energy collided!
Haruto Saito had boldly declared that they would "take them down," but in truth, he was fighting cautiously, staying within Tsunade's support range...
Yet, Momochi Chigen had his sights locked onto him, making it difficult!
Tsunade had no choice but to keep an eye on Haruto Saito, prepared to assist at any moment.
Momochi Chigen lunged at Haruto Saito with terrifying speed, dodging his attacks effortlessly!
"Retreat!" Tsunade shouted, ready to intercept!
Haruto Saito, however, flicked three kunai forward, each with an A-rank Sealed Explosive Tag!
Would this gamble pay off?
Momochi Chigen wasn't reckless—he immediately threw his own kunai to intercept!
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!*
A monstrous explosion rocked the battlefield!