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Tobirama, the Second Hokage, stood firm, surrounded by eight Mist ninja, and declared proudly,"I've said it before—there are no enemies in my eyes. You've only got two choices now: surrender or die!"
Mizunomuki Jōyu sneered,"Second Hokage, you're seriously overestimating yourself."
As the eight attacked again, Tobirama closed his eyes and muttered,"So this is your choice."
In the next instant, a violent killing intent exploded from his body, forming a whirlwind that blasted away the surrounding seawater and temporarily obscured the Mist ninja's vision.
Tobirama reappeared beside Duandao in a flash and stabbed his sword straight into the ninja's abdomen.
Despite the searing pain in his stomach, Duandao grabbed onto Tobirama and yelled,"Attack! Double Blades!"
The rest of the Mist ninja finally snapped back to reality. One of them—called by name—gripped a weapon shaped like a giant flatfish and shouted toward Duandao,"Release!"
The flatfish-shaped weapon suddenly unleashed a powerful burst of wind pressure, forming a massive air hammer that crashed down toward both Tobirama and Duandao.
Seeing that Duandao wouldn't let go, Tobirama quickly formed a one-handed seal:"Water Style: Pure Water Wave!"
A massive surge of seawater rose up, clashing head-on with the air hammer. Then, Tobirama kicked Duandao away, launching him into the distance.
At the same time, a Mist ninja wielding Samehada (Shark Skin Blade) charged in, slashing at Tobirama. Behind him, another ninja attacked with a weapon covered in explosive tags.
Tobirama stabbed his Raijin Sword into the sea and cast:"Lightning Style: Heavy Storm Burst!"
A surge of lightning shot out from the sword, spreading across the water and forcing the enemies back.
That's when Mizunomuki Jōyu unleashed his own jutsu:"Secret Technique: Mizunomuki Kill!"
Countless water bullets formed in the air and rained down on Tobirama. The other Mist ninja followed up with a coordinated attack:
Lightning Blade: Fang – launched electric spheres.
Explosive Blade: Splash – a blade that perfectly combined with explosions.
Twin Blades: Flatfish – fired gaseous energy balls.
Long Blade: Stitch – could pierce anything and sew it together.
Blunt Blade: Helmet Splitter – shattered all forms of defense.
Great Blade: Samehada – absorbed chakra and merged with its wielder.
Broken Blade: Executioner's Blade – absorbed iron from enemies' blood to regenerate itself.
These seven warriors had once vowed to protect the Hidden Mist Village. Now, they launched a desperate suicide assault on the Second Hokage.
At that moment, heavy rain poured down from the sky. Tobirama, Raijin Sword in hand, summoned lightning from the heavens, blasting it down on the Mist ninja.
A true fight to the death had begun.
Elsewhere, Mizunomuki Jie glared at Sarutobi Hiruzen and Uchiha Aki and shouted,"Get lost, you Konoha bastards! Don't get in my way!"
Aki sneered,"Trying to save your brother? That's what you said earlier, right? Forget it. Both of you are going to die here today."
Hiruzen didn't say a word—he just swung his staff at Jie again.
Jie formed hand signs with both hands and summoned two water whips, lashing them at Hiruzen.
Aki looked up at the stormy sky and cursed inwardly,"My strongest Fire Style is totally useless in this rain. One day, I swear I'll invent a flame that nothing can extinguish!"
Grumbling to himself, he cast:"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!"
A sharp, invisible blade sliced through the two water whips. Hiruzen closed in and slammed his staff into Jie's chest, sending him flying.
Mid-air, Jie gritted through the pain and countered with a one-handed water spear, striking Hiruzen in the shoulder.
Aki appeared beside Jie in a flash and stabbed two kunai into his waist.
Jie roared, then spat several icy senbon needles at Aki. Aki couldn't dodge in time and took a few in the gut.
Hiruzen gritted through the pain and charged again, shouting,"One blow to pierce through!"
His staff extended mid-swing, aiming straight at Jie's heart.
Jie barely twisted away, avoiding a direct hit to the heart, but his right arm was broken and he staggered back to put some distance between them.
Breathing heavily, Hiruzen said,"Your mind's a mess. You could've easily taken both of us out. But your head's somewhere else. You've already lost."
Aki yanked out the ice senbon from his abdomen, stopped the bleeding, and said,"Give up. Your brother's already as good as dead. There's no point in fighting."
Jie's broken right arm sank into the sea. He forced out the kunai in his waist using chakra and glared at the two of them, shouting,"Surrender? Surrender to you Konoha hypocrites?! This has nothing to do with you! You claim to protect Uzushio, but all you're really doing is suppressing the Land of Water's expansion. Why is it okay for Konoha to grow strong, but not us?! Uzushio is like a gate Konoha uses to block our path to the mainland. And now you want us to surrender? No way—I'll kill you all!"
He formed a one-handed seal again:"Secret Technique: Mizunomuki Kill!"
Countless raindrops in the air turned into deadly water needles, aiming at Hiruzen and Aki.
Aki clenched his teeth and charged forward, forming seals:"Wind Style: Thousand Faces!"
Dozens of tiny wind blades shredded the incoming rain needles. He closed the distance to Jie.
Seeing Aki approach, Jie sneered,"Die!"
"Ice Style: Roaring Dragon Tiger!"
Ice formed beneath him, and a massive tiger roared as it charged Aki.
At that moment, Hiruzen caught up, roaring:"Great Rush!"
His staff suddenly enlarged and slammed into the ice tiger, shattering it, then slammed Jie, sending him flying again.
Aki flashed beside Jie, blade in hand, and in that brief moment when Jie was dazed, stabbed him straight in the heart.
But Jie's hand turned into an ice sword and stabbed Aki right through the chest in return. Then he kicked Aki in the gut, sending him flying.
Hiruzen charged again, sweeping his staff at Jie's head. Jie caught the staff with one hand and shouted:"Secret Technique: Thousand Water Strikes!"
Countless raindrops transformed into senbon needles and rained down on Hiruzen.
Hiruzen quickly cast:"Earth Style: Hardening Technique!"
But even so, the senbon were powerful enough to pierce his abdomen and send him flying.
As he flew back, Hiruzen quickly formed a hand seal and yelled:"Enma, Release!"
His staff transformed into the Monkey King Enma, who closed in and pierced Jie's heart with one claw, ripping it out.
Jie stared blankly at the sky and screamed,"Why?!"
Then fell onto the sea, dead.
Mitokado Homura appeared and quickly ran to Aki's side, casting healing jutsu.
Looking at Jie's sinking body, Homura said in shock,"You guys actually managed to kill him…"
Hiruzen stabilized Aki's injuries and said,"Lucky kid—the blade missed his heart. He'll live."
Then he scolded Enma,"You think we're all like you, with crazy taijutsu? Or like this kid, with those insane eyes of his?"
Homura added,"The Mist ninja up ahead have surrendered. Over three thousand were captured—no one escaped. Did you see sensei?"
Hiruzen paused,"He should've already dealt with the Mizunomuki clan guy. Why hasn't he come out of the canyon yet?"
Homura's expression turned serious."You two stay here and heal. I'll go check—something might've happened."
He disappeared into the valley.
Inside the canyon, Homura arrived to find Mist ninja pinned to cliff walls by the Raijin Sword, others dead on the ground, and the Second Hokage calmly meditating in the middle of the water.
He was stunned,"There was more than just one Mist ninja?!"
He walked up to Tobirama, calling out,"Sensei?"
Suddenly, an overwhelming killing intent blasted toward him, knocking him flat onto the water.
Tobirama opened his eyes, bloodlust fading when he saw his student.
"It's been a long time since I've had such a satisfying fight. I couldn't suppress my aura. Are you okay, Homura? What's the situation ahead?"
Still sweating, Homura replied quickly,"The Mist ninja surrendered. We've taken over three thousand prisoners. The battle's over—we won!"
Tobirama nodded, looking around at the seven scattered weapons and eight corpses."Have someone collect their bodies. Give them a proper burial here. Take the weapons. These were true heroes of the Mist."
With that, he turned and walked out of the canyon.
Homura finally took a closer look at the fallen Mist ninja. Even in death, their strength was undeniable.
He looked at the weapons and muttered,"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist…"
The Executioner's Blade lay shattered in shallow water, Samehada was stuck into its wielder's chest, another axe-like blade was lodged in a waist…
The clan head of the Mizunomuki had been pinned to the cliffs by Tobirama's Raijin Sword. A thin needle-like blade also nailed one ninja to the wall.
Eight mighty Mist ninja had died here in an unnamed canyon, giving their lives to stop the Second Hokage.
Kirigakure, Hidden Mist Village – Land of Water
The newly appointed Third Mizukage stood proudly, gazing out at the village from his office."Under my rule, Kirigakure will rise to glory."
Suddenly, an ANBU ninja knocked urgently."Sir! An emergency report from Uzushio!"
The Mizukage let him in and took the report. But halfway through reading, the scroll dropped from his hands.
He muttered in defeat,"It's all over… They were the real heroes. Compared to them, what am I? What are the power-hungry clans fighting for control of the village? Just trash…"
Konoha, Year 15
The two-year-long war over Uzushio finally ended after the Third Mizukage personally met with the Second Hokage.
The world didn't remember the Seven Ninja Swordsmen who gave their lives to stop Tobirama.
They remembered the one who crushed the Mist forces—The Second Hokage, now known by a new name: The Water God.
"....."