99 One Against Seven Won't Do, Three Against Seven, Will!

"Yagura, even though Lord Sandaime has nominated you for Yondaime, you are not yet the Mizukage and have no right to command us!"

"Konoha surely only has a portion of its people here."

"Hmph, dragging this out step by step will only make them harder to defeat in the end."

They retreated once more.

The majority of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist couldn't hold back any longer.

For instance, Hōzuki Mangetsu and Kuriarare Kushimaru.

Up until now, it had always been Konoha initiating the attack, while they had been passively taking hits, except for initially gathering intelligence.

Although they understood they were waiting for Kumogakure in the North to make a move.

But.

This was too frustrating!

"What do you want to do?"

Yagura cast a cold glance.

Despite his small stature, his strength was not weak; otherwise, he couldn't have suppressed many of the elite Jonin of Kirigakure. That said, among the Seven Swordsmen, who outwardly respected him the most, the Fuguki Suikazan only did so superficially.

With this remark.

Biwa Jūzō said, "Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, our Kirigakure possesses the strongest assassination techniques. Why should we be manipulated by the enemy? If Konoha can launch sneak attacks, so can we!"

"I agree."

Hōzuki Mangetsu raised his hand with a sly smile.

Yagura fell silent.

He didn't want a full-scale battle, but if they could replicate Konoha's hunting tactics...

It wasn't entirely out of the question.

As he pondered, suddenly a bird circled in the sky before landing in the base.

Yagura immediately used Body Flicker Technique to reach it.

A messenger bird from Kirigakure!

After retrieving the intelligence, he read it carefully and then passed it to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

It was intelligence sent back from the Land of Fire.

"Currently, the commanding officer for the eastern front is Kyōichi Kamida, Konoha's youngest Jonin. He excels in Leaf-style Sword techniques, Water Release, Earth Release, and Wind Release, and is extremely fast."

"Kumogakure has crossed the border, advancing towards the Land of Fire, with Konoha's main force responding in the North."

"As of the time the intelligence was sent back, Konoha didn't have many ninjas in the east."

The intelligence wasn't very detailed.

After reading it, Yagura couldn't immediately discern if it was good or bad news.

This was intelligence from three days ago!

In three days, the situation might have changed, and the information about Kyōichi Kamida in the intelligence was sparse, most of it being conjectures he had already made.

Difficult!

Of course.

The hardest part was not dealing with Kyōichi, but how to handle the Seven Swordsmen.

Previously, he could use the lack of intelligence to stabilize them, but now, these seven were unlikely to listen to him anymore, eager to retaliate against Konoha.

"I once followed the underground water veins and found a Konoha base."

Hōzuki Mangetsu chuckled sinisterly.

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Counterattack, ambush!

"Where is it?"

Yagura asked urgently.

He was very dissatisfied inside; such crucial intelligence, and Hōzuki Mangetsu had concealed it from him!

Hōzuki Mangetsu sneered, "Why should I tell you if you don't dare to attack?"

"You!"

Yagura's eyebrows twitched, but he still suppressed his anger.

"No need for this, Lord Yagura is also thinking of Kirigakure. Let's discuss it together."

Fuguki Suikazan mediated the situation.

Only then did Hōzuki Mangetsu say, "Nagano Mountains."

"This place is far from the water veins, yet you managed to discover it."

Yagura looked at the map and found it unbelievable.

He believed it was a Konoha stronghold.

Such a perfect location!

"Hmph, the abilities of our Hōzuki clan are not something..."

Hōzuki Mangetsu was about to boast proudly, but remembering Hōzuki Senkei, who was captured alive, he lost interest and changed the subject, "So, who wants to join me?"

"It's time to show Konoha our might, otherwise they might think the ninjas of Kirigakure are vegetarians."

Munashi Jinpachi grinned bloodthirstily.

A double-edged sword can harm both enemy and wielder, and among the seven, Munashi Jinpachi had the highest kill count, with many enemies and Kirigakure ninjas falling by his hand.

"Alright, let's move out, assess the situation first. If there aren't many of them, we'll strike their camp directly."

The seven didn't plan to consider Yagura's opinion.

They belonged to the Mizukage's forces.

If Yagura were the Mizukage, they might have obeyed his orders, but Yagura was still far from being the Mizukage, so the seven naturally had some autonomy.

So.

They carried their swords and left the tent.

Yagura was furious, but he understood that now was not the time for anger.

"None of you seven are skilled in sensory techniques. Ao, go with them to help sense and gather intelligence."

"Yes!"

"Thank you. If we happen to kill Kyōichi Kamida, you'll share in the merit."

Hōzuki Mangetsu waved his hand.

Ao had not yet acquired the Byakugan at this time, but he was also a capable reconnaissance ninja with strong sensory abilities.

They departed.

And Yagura frowned.

He believed that there weren't many from Konoha in the eastern territories.

The Seven Swordsmen set out to hunt, which didn't seem to be a big problem. However, Yagura felt something was off.

He looked at the map.

Kyōichi's numbers were definitely few yesterday too! But...

From the first encounter to the subsequent attacks on the second ship and the bombing of the new stronghold...

'So soon?' Yagura's heart skipped a beat.

He realized what was wrong. The enemy's attacks were well-coordinated, with each assault thoroughly planned and countered.

However.

The team of eight ninja did not have such a meticulous plan.

Rely on improvisation?

Wasn't that too naive?

Yagura felt a sense of foreboding about what lay ahead

...

On the other side, Kyōichi, stretching his chakra sensing to its limits, was keeping pace with the rapidly advancing eight men.

He had located their lair.

But...

What Kyōichi hadn't expected was that shortly after arriving, he sensed the group of eight people leaving the island, quickly heading in his direction.

Were they discovered?

Kyōichi pondered as he ran.

He had tested it; his chakra sensing was far superior to many others. It seemed unlikely for anyone from Kirigakure to detect him.

What was going on?

He didn't understand, so after running for a while, he changed his direction.

The others didn't change course.

'Could it be that they're not after me?'

Kyōichi observed for a while and understood.

If not him...

That direction...

Was it Nagano Mountain?

He had hunted down four squads, and yet they dared to strike proactively—such boldness! Few in Kirigakure were both brave and foolish.

This number... probably the Seven Swordsmen?

And one more he wasn't sure about.

Kyōichi pondered and decided to quicken his pace towards the coast. After completely escaping the Seven Swordsmen's range, he used Summoning Jutsu to send a slug to his shadow clone with the news.

Nagano Mountain.

Everyone was astonished upon hearing the news.

'Kirigakure took the initiative to attack?'

Hayama Shirakumo was stunned for a long time, finding it hard to believe.

Had Kirigakure gone mad?

Yamanaka Inoichi was puzzled.

But soon.

Another slug clone arrived at Kyōichi's shadow clone.

The slug, looking around, sighed and said, 'Tsunade-sama says that Kumogakure crossed the border last night. A Kumogakure outpost has been spotted near the Field Country.'

Everyone understood in an instant.

Kumogakure had made its move!

'Lord Kyōichi...'

"Don't worry. Kirigakure has sent eight this time. We can just take them down. It's best if not a single one of the Seven Swordsmen escapes."

As Kyōichi said this, he suddenly thought of the underground black market frequented by Kakuzu, 'I've heard there's an underground black market in the shinobi world that often puts bounties on ninjas. How much are the Seven Swordsmen worth?'

"Cough cough."

Inoichi coughed lightly, somewhat amused yet exasperated.

The Seven Swordsmen!

Even their corpses held great value, not something to be sold to the black market.

"Lord Kyōichi, I think the key issue is whether we can capture them or not."

Yashiro asked politely.

The Seven Swordsmen were no ordinary foes, almost as strong as a 'Kage' when together.

From his perspective, aside from Kyōichi, few in the camp could confront the Seven Swordsmen. The outcome of a real battle was uncertain.

However.

What puzzled Uchiha Yashiro was—

Even Inoichi seemed to think the Seven Swordsmen were not to be feared.

Why?

Even if the clan head arrived today, it wasn't certain they could easily defeat the Seven Swordsmen!

He couldn't understand.

"Kirigakure excels in Hidden Mist Jutsu and assassination techniques. They might attack at night. If your guard squad is limited at night, you can defend the camp."

At this moment, Kyōichi's shadow clone spoke.

Yashiro and Inohi were dumbfounded.

So...

You didn't count our guard squad?

With just the people here, you, Kyōichi, can take on the seven swordman by yourself?

Damn.

Has the Hokage's team become so arrogant!

Yashiro felt a bit angry.

There was always Uchiha looking down on others, but he didn't expect to be looked down upon this time. Seeing Kyōichi's serious face, he twitched his mouth and said, "Alright, perhaps they'll feint. We'll wait for your triumphant return then."

"Good, Inoichi-san, join me. If they fight to the death by mistake, you can gather more intelligence while it's hot."

"..."

Inoichi felt something was off.

After a few seconds of thought, he got it.

So!

Kyōichi didn't even consider him.

He glanced at the somewhat angry Uchiha Yashiro, looked around, and asked with a frown, "Who do you plan to bring?"

"Dai-senpai, Shirakumo-senpai, plus me. Three people are enough."

Kyōichi thought for a moment, then added, "You can send people to form a perimeter to cut off their retreat. If they try to escape, it's up to you to stop them, especially Hōzuki Senri.'

"The Uchiha squad currently has three experts in Raiton. They can all cooperate with you."

Yashiro wanted to see how Kyōichi and three people would challenge seven.

He knew about Shirakumo Hayama.

Might Day...

He'd never heard of him.

Bluffing to the skies!

"Great, their current route is like this. Patrol continuously along the way, but stagger your times. When they come, you've just passed by, leaving them a way out."

Kyōichi's shadow clone quickly marked the map.

He wasn't afraid the Seven Swordsmen wouldn't come.

What he feared was that the seven cowards would just hunt a squad by the sea and flee, making it all for naught.

"Yes! I'll go inform them right away."

In a short while.

The trap was set, waiting for the Seven Swordsmen to enter.

Kyōichi received feedback.

Then, he spent quite some time finding a spot where he wouldn't be detected by Kirigakure's ninja but could still sense the Seven Swordsmen.

The Seven Swordsmen indeed headed towards Nagano Mountain.

What he was curious about was—

Who was the last one?

From the chakra signature, it definitely wasn't Yagura.

"I wonder which unlucky kid it is."