Hanzō hadn't exaggerated.
If he were still alive—able to summon his Giant Salamander—his strength would be far more terrifying.
But now, as an Edo Tensei puppet, even his restored body couldn't overpower Darui.
Darui wiped the sweat from his chin, breathing heavily.
"So you're called a demigod… but honestly, I'm not seeing it."
Hanzō's expression darkened instantly.
"You insolent brat…!"
"Fine! Then this old man will send you to join your Third Raikage!"
Hanzō lunged.
Darui wanted to dodge—
but his stamina was nearly drained. His muscles trembled. His breaths were ragged.
Damn it…!
If only this guy couldn't revive no matter how many times he was killed.
Anything short of sealing simply wasn't enough.
And Darui had no sealing techniques.
The scythe swept toward him—closer, closer—
until Darui could only sigh inwardly.
Is this where I fall?
"I MADE IT!"
CLANG!
A metallic shock rang out. Darui blinked, eyes widening.
A short, stocky figure stood in front of him.
Hanzō, who had been mid-swing a moment ago, was now embedded in the wall across the chamber.
Chōjūrō exhaled softly, lowering Hiramekarei.
"Huh… he wasn't that strong."
"Did he really get blown back just from my strike?"
He turned to Darui.
"Are you alright?"
Only then did Darui recognize him.
"You… You're from Kirigakure!"
That shy expression, that massive chakra blade—
Yes, he'd seen it on the intel portraits.
"You're Chōjūrō. One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist… wielder of Hiramekarei?"
"Ehh? You actually know me?"
Chōjūrō scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Am I that famous?"
Darui had trouble reconciling the timid boy in front of him with the person who just launched Hanzō like a cannonball.
"You brat!"
Hanzō climbed out of the rubble, face twisted with fury.
"Who are you?!"
Chōjūrō straightened nervously.
"I-I'm Chōjūrō… one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist from Hidden Mist Village!"
Hanzō froze.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
He had heard of them…but had never crossed blades with them.
This kid looked young—but that attack just now?
Terrifying.
He had been completely overwhelmed.
Darui stepped forward, still panting.
"Chōjūrō… what are you doing here?"
Chōjūrō replied simply, "We're here to deal with the Akatsuki."
"We?"
Darui's eyes narrowed.
"Who else came?"
"All of us," Chōjūrō said. "The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist have been fully deployed."
Darui swallowed.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were an elite assassination unit directly under the Mizukage.
If all seven were deployed—
The Mizukage herself must have given the order.
Kirigakure must truly despise the Akatsuki to mobilize their entire blade corps.
"A mere Seven Ninja Swordsman daring to mock me?"
Hanzō roared, veins bulging.
"I am a DEMIGOD, child! You court death!"
He charged again—
scythe slicing the air faster than before.
Chōjūrō's eyes sharpened.
"So fast…"
"But I can still react!"
He flickered forward.
BOOM!
Chakra burst from Hiramekarei, forming a massive impact wave.
Hanzō's torso was blown open—
a hole so clean it nearly severed his upper body.
Hiramekarei trembled in Chōjūrō's hands, chakra pulsing violently.
Hanzō stared at the crater in his chest.
"S–so strong…"
Darui stood frozen.
That timid kid… had Kage-level strength?
One strike.
One direct blow.
A "demigod" had been obliterated.
If Hanzō weren't Edo Tensei, the battle would have ended instantly.
But black seals crawled across his skin—
His body regenerated.
Chōjūrō frowned.
"What a troublesome opponent…"
"He recovers instantly? Is he unkillable?"
"If that's the case—then I'll have to trap him."
He surveyed the battlefield, eyes darting from wall to wall, calculating angles, assessing terrain.
Then—
A spark of inspiration lit up his face.
Chōjūrō's grip tightened.
"I've got it."
Chōjūrō didn't forget to glance back at Darui.
"It's best if you lie down for this part."
"…Huh?"
Darui blinked.
What was that supposed to mean?
Before he could ask, Hiramekarei erupted with blinding chakra—
the massive blade reshaping into long, razor-thin chakra sabers.
In that moment, Chōjūrō's demeanor transformed completely.
Veins bulged across his face, his timid expression replaced by a cold, focused ferocity.
"One-Cut… Severance!"
SWISH!!
A breathtaking arc of slashing light erupted outward.
CLANG—!
A crisp slicing echo rang through the entire factory.
And then—
Everything split.
Perfect, clean cuts appeared across every wall in the chamber.
The entire building began collapsing in slow, inevitable motion.
Darui—flattened safely against the floor—stared up at Chōjūrō in stunned silence.
This kid…
This kid… is a monster!
How could one slash hold such terrifying destructive power?
So this was the strength of one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Outside, the building that had been cleaved in half was the very one the Fourth Raikage had been standing on moments earlier.
He leapt free just in time, landing heavily on the ground below.
The Raikage looked back at the collapsing structure, dumbfounded.
"What the hell just happened…?!"
Meanwhile, Zabuza and Mei—who had been preparing to strike—were nearly bisected.
"Damn it, Chōjūrō!" Zabuza roared.
"Are you trying to kill us too?!"
Mei exhaled in relief; if her reflexes had been a second slower, half her body would've been on the floor.
Chōjūrō's slash had torn through nearly the entire abandoned factory.
Buildings were cleaved cleanly at the waist—one after another—collapsing like falling dominoes.
In the distance, Shigure observed the destruction with a faint smile.
"Chōjūrō has grown this strong already, eh?"
"I remember when he could only cut down three or four buildings at most…"
Yet now—
He had sliced the entire factory complex apart in a single strike.
That level of growth meant only one thing:
Chōjūrō's strength was accelerating rapidly.
Shigure nodded in approval.
Beside him, Sasuke watched with wide eyes.
This was the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist personally gathered by Shigure?
Each one…
On their own…
Was already strong enough to stand at the peak of the shinobi world.