Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 26: The Tragic Fate of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist (Part 1)

"Just a clone?"

Raiga Kurosuki scowled as he watched the figure before him dissipate into white smoke.

Until now, Ranmaru's Red Eyes had been infallible.

The combination of its x-ray vision and danger-sensing abilities had allowed them to evade the detection of Konoha's Hyuga Clan.

But this time, they had encountered an exception.

"Ranmaru, when did you sense him?"

"Around two kilometers away," came the faint voice of a child from the bag on Raiga's back.

"Your limit for x-ray vision?" Raiga nodded. "And he came straight for us, didn't he?"

"That's right. If we hadn't triggered some kind of alarm, his Byakugan's observation range might be even greater than mine," Ranmaru replied softly.

"Then he's a threat we need to eliminate!"

Raiga's brow furrowed.

A field of vision exceeding two kilometers was no joke on the battlefield—it gave the enemy the upper hand in countless situations.

"If he sent a shadow clone to investigate, his real body is probably observing us from beyond your range. We need to stay vigilant."

At that moment, the rest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen arrived.

Jinin Akebino glanced around and, seeing no corpses, sneered. "What's this? Did the enemy run away?"

"It was a Hyuga ninja's shadow clone. His observation range might surpass Ranmaru's."

Ignoring the provocation, Raiga explained the situation to the others. "We need to proceed with caution."

"Greater than Ranmaru's?" Juzo's eyes narrowed, and the others also dropped their relaxed expressions.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, all formidable in their own right, had no medical ninja among them—they didn't need one.

But for an assassination mission, a sensory ninja was indispensable.

Raiga's place among their ranks was secured not just by his skill with the Thunder Swords and jonin-level strength but primarily by Ranmaru's unique dojutsu.

To the others, Raiga's contributions were secondary to Ranmaru's. But Ranmaru, seeing himself as Raiga's "eyes," refused to obey anyone else.

If the consequences of transplanting the Red Eyes were known, and if its abilities weren't so obscure, the Mist would have transplanted them into another ninja long ago.

For now, the two had to act together as part of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

And having benefited from Ranmaru's abilities, the others understood the severity of the situation.

Before they could react, the voice from the bag suddenly cried out:

"Run! A powerful chakra is approaching at extreme speed!"

"It's so fast—really fast! I can't track him with my eyes! He stopped at the spot we just left. Move now, Raiga!"

The group's faces darkened.

…

"My apologies for arriving late."

Minato Namikaze gently lowered the bodies of the Konoha ninja hanging from the trees, closing their eyes one by one. His expression turned cold as he glanced in a certain direction and disappeared with the Flying Thunder God Technique.

"So fast. The Fourth Hokage? Did he come alone, without guards?"

Juzo murmured to himself.

"Isn't that perfect?" Jinin Akebino grinned cruelly. "Let's kill him together!"

Ignoring the others, Ranmaru urgently pleaded with Raiga, "Run! At that speed, Raiga, you're no match for him…"

Before the child's anxious warning could finish, the whistling of kunai sliced through the air, targeting Jinin Akebino.

Reflexively, he used his sword to deflect the strange kunai, creating an opening in his defense.

—Boom!

"Argh!!!"

A golden flash appeared in everyone's vision, followed by a violent explosion and Jinin Akebino's anguished screams.

In the spiraling crater left behind, Jinin coughed up blood and fragments of his internal organs, his body writhing in pain.

His fading eyes sought out his comrades, his hand feebly reaching for help, but he no longer had the strength to lift it.

The others, however, had no time to spare for a dead man whose insides had been obliterated.

'How could it be so fast? In just an instant, Jinin…'

Sweat poured down Fuguki Suikazan's face as he stared at Minato standing at the edge of the crater. When Minato's gaze shifted toward him, a surge of fear gripped his heart.

Without hesitation, Fuguki swung his sword, detonating explosive tags on the ground.

Boom!

The ground shattered, debris flying everywhere, obscured by a cloud of dust.

"Use the Hidden Mist Technique, now! If he gets moving, we're done!"

Fuguki and Juzo both raised their hands to weave seals, and together they unleashed the Hidden Mist Technique.

A thick fog rapidly enveloped the battlefield.

"Attack!"

For the first time, the five remaining members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen coordinated their efforts, launching a joint assault against Minato within the mist.

With his incredible speed, splitting up wasn't an option—they could only disable Minato to escape.

Raiga lagged slightly behind the others, hesitant, when suddenly a figure cloaked in green steam, both familiar and foreign, appeared before him.

A terrifyingly powerful palm strike, seemingly charged during its teleportation, came straight for his chest.

—Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!

Raiga's pupils constricted. He barely managed to twist his body, avoiding a fatal hit.

Boom!

The palm struck, blood and flesh bursting from his left shoulder as his arm was torn away, along with one of the Thunder Swords dropping to the ground.

But Raiga had no time to dwell on his injuries. Using the force of the attack to propel himself back, he fled several dozen meters without warning his comrades, transforming into lightning to escape the battlefield.

The Flying Thunder God Technique was far more terrifying than anything they had imagined.

And now there were two users of the technique—one of whom possessed Byakugan capable of seeing through the Hidden Mist Technique.

Winning was impossible.

Without sparing a glance at the critically wounded Raiga, Hyuga Fuji's calm voice echoed above the battlefield:

"Seven o'clock direction, twenty-five meters."

The five who had surrounded Minato froze in shock.

But Minato's cold expression softened into a slight smile as he made the first move, pulling a Flying Thunder God kunai from his pouch and hurling it toward the indicated direction.

The Hidden Mist Technique did restrict Minato's speed.

In this environment, swiftly eliminating the Seven Ninja Swordsmen with the Flying Thunder God was impossible—at least, if he didn't have any allies.

That said, having a comrade who could keep up with him changed everything.

When Minato had arrived and noticed the Thunder Sword bearing Hyuga Fuji's Flying Thunder God seal, he'd been surprised.

Hyuga Fuji was supposed to be training at the underground training grounds.

But whatever the reason, the faint sound of an earlier skirmish had made things clear.

"You've already mastered the Flying Thunder God?"

Minato's lips curved into a slight grin as he teleported to the kunai beside Fuguki Suikazan. The Rasengan in his right hand collided with Fuguki's explosive sword.

The sword's tags detonated in rapid succession.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The violent chain of explosions drowned out the sound of kunai cutting through the mist.

A silent figure appeared behind Fuguki. While Fuguki's attention was locked on Minato, a single punch crushed his heart.

As the enemy collapsed unwillingly to the ground, Minato turned to Fuji with a gentle smile.

So this was what it felt like to have someone to carry on the mantle.

He suddenly understood why Jiraiya-sensei couldn't resist bragging about his students to others.

(To be continued…)