Cough! Cough! Cough!
The smoke from the explosion cleared, revealing the figure of Jinpachi Munashi, his body wrapped in bandages and a twisted grin on his face.
"Dead already, huh?"
He'd rushed here the moment he got word from the men below, crashing in through the window and instantly taking out the enemy.
If you asked him, the current Kirigakure shinobi were far too soft. Just kill the target—why waste time?
Ao struggled to get up, injured by the blast. If it hadn't been for his Byakugan catching the attack in time, he might've died right then and there.
But the others in the room...
They were all dead.
The cold-blooded slaughter left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Jinpachi looked at Ao and said, "Still alive? I figured you'd die too. Guess you're a bit tougher than these other four wastes of space."
Meanwhile, after suppressing the acid mist in her own hospital room to safe levels, Mei Terumi arrived. The sight of Jinpachi and a visibly shaken Ao instantly told her what had happened.
Suddenly, both she and Ao noticed a burst of flame twist and take human form.
"Watch out!!" she yelled.
Jinpachi turned around in a panic, trying to swing his Blast Sword: Shibuki—too late.
Thud!
A flaming fist punched straight through his chest.
"B… bastard…"
Blood sprayed from the wound, drenching the arm still burning inside him, flames searing his organs.
Jinpachi turned his head slowly, seeing the fire take on a familiar shape.
That face... he would never forget that face for as long as he lived.
Just a twelve-year-old brat—yet that brat had single-handedly torn through the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
His life's greatest disgrace.
He never imagined... he'd be killed by that same guy here, in his own damn village.
"Asakawa Kiyosuke?!!"
Seeing Kiyosuke, Mei Terumi exploded with fury. She gritted her teeth and snarled,
"So it's you?! The one who infiltrated Kirigakure?!"
"I didn't want to come either."
Kiyosuke yanked his hand out, picked up the Blast Sword: Shibuki from the ground, and kicked aside Jinpachi's corpse, eyes still wide open.
"But my teacher gave me this pain-in-the-ass mission. What choice did I have?"
"That nurse earlier—was that you?!!"
"N-No, it wasn't me."
Kiyosuke looked away guiltily, unable to meet Mei's eyes.
"I'm going to kill you!"
Blazing with rage, Mei snatched the kunai Ao had just pulled out and lunged at him.
Kiyosuke raised the Blast Sword: Shibuki in defense. Ao immediately grabbed Mei, shouting,
"Don't be reckless! That sword is the Blast Sword: Shibuki!"
As someone from Kirigakure, he knew all too well how dangerous that blade was—arguably one of the most troublesome among the Seven Swords, even more so than Samehada.
They couldn't afford to act rashly.
The commotion had already drawn a crowd. After all, this was a hospital—a place filled with wounded shinobi and visitors alike.
Now that the initial chaos had passed, people were converging from every direction. A large group had gathered outside the doors and windows.
Kiyosuke slung the sword over his shoulder, looking around with a grin.
"Damn, what a crowd! This is getting exciting! Hell yeah, LET'S BURN!"
And he meant it literally—his entire body erupted in flame like a living torch.
He was really going to blow!
Mei, somewhat familiar with Kiyosuke's powers, instantly paled.
"Nobody move!" she shouted.
She glared at him, trembling with rage.
"Asakawa Kiyosuke! Do you have any idea how many innocent people are in this hospital?! Not just shinobi—civilians, children!"
If he exploded here, the death toll would be catastrophic. She couldn't let that happen.
"Aaah, I don't want to either, you know. I've got social anxiety. Crowds like this freak me out. Tell them to back off!"
God, that smug attitude really made you want to punch him.
"I'll get them to leave."
Just as she was about to act, though, some of the Kirigakure shinobi objected.
"Why should we be scared of one measly Konoha shinobi?!"
Did they not see Jinpachi's corpse on the floor?!
"Yeah, it's just a Leaf brat!"
Are you idiots serious?!
"Everyone back off!" a teenage boy said coldly, his voice firm. A stitched scar ran across his left cheek. "That guy's chakra is surging. If he explodes, at least half this building is gone."
"Oh? Someone who gets it." Kiyosuke grinned, slamming the Blast Sword: Shibuki into the floor and resting both hands on it.
"Now listen up—back off immediately. Don't even think about using ninjutsu on me. I'll blow faster than you can act."
He smiled, totally confident.
"Don't forget—this sword's still here. And good luck summoning the contract scroll from the Hōzuki clan fast enough."
He chuckled darkly.
"Fall back," the boy ordered the Mist shinobi.
"But… Yagura-sama—"
"I said fall back! Didn't you hear me?!"
"…Yes, sir."
"Yagura…" Kiyosuke's eyes narrowed. "Are you Karatachi Yagura?"
"You've heard of me?" Yagura asked.
"Of course."
The future Fourth Mizukage. A perfect jinchūriki. Later manipulated by Obito. Poor guy.
He might look like a kid, but in reality, he wasn't young at all. Hell, by the time of Boruto, the guy already had a grandkid.
"Man, talk about bad luck," Kiyosuke muttered. "Guess it's time I made my exit. Until next time, maybe."
The Blast Sword: Shibuki vanished from his hand—most likely summoned back to its rightful owner.
"Don't even think about running!"
He raised his arms, a pillar of flame shooting skyward. His whole body ignited, and he soared out the window like a comet.
Yagura quickly formed hand seals, preparing to unleash a Water Release jutsu, but just then—
Kiyosuke exploded midair.
The fiery blast burst apart in the sky like fireworks, scattering embers in every direction.
Each one fell toward Kirigakure like a blazing meteor.
Mei shouted, "Ao! Track every fireball! That guy's hiding among them!"
"Got it. Byakugan!"
Ao activated his Byakugan and scanned the entire field of fireballs—then broke out in a cold sweat.
"He's in all of them."
Yagura said calmly, "Then extinguish every single one."
With that, he fired off Water Release techniques to intercept the falling fireballs.
Other Mist shinobi, unaware of the full situation, followed suit and launched water jutsu to help put them out.
But there were too many.
They couldn't stop them all.
Some still crashed into the village.
One fireball smashed into an inn and exploded, engulfing the entire building in flames.
A group of people came stumbling out, coughing and covered in soot.
"Fire! Fire! Someone get water, quick!!"
And that wasn't the only place. All across Kirigakure, similar scenes erupted.
Mei, Ao, and Yagura all realized it at the same time:
Kiyosuke had already escaped.
"That sly bastard," Mei growled. "Next time, we will catch him!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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