"Th-This… what exactly is going on here?"
The only Root ninja who had been completely left in the dark clearly recognized the identities of the Kirigakure shinobi standing before them. And precisely because he recognized them, cold sweat imdiately began pouring down his face in massive drops.
The Seven Ninja Swordsn of the Mist!!!
Within the shinobi world, their reputation was infamous.
Not only were the seven of them elite killers personally nurtured by Kirigakure, but each wielded one of the legendary Ninja Swords perfectly matched to their combat style and abilities. Rumor had it that when all seven fought together, they possessed enough destructive power to wipe out an entire small nation in a single night.
Against monsters like these, ordinary jōnin stood no chance whatsoever.
"To think that after all this ti without joining forces, we'd reunite just to deal with so brat. He doesn't look that impressive to ."
A shinobi with long black hair tied into vertical braids crouched atop a thick tree branch, staring down coldly at Zoro below. He had a long beard, thick lips, and rows of razor-sharp teeth that made him look more beast than human.
In his hand rested an enormous blade completely covered in explosive tags.
One of the Seven Ninja Swords—
The Blast Blade: Shibuki.
Because Kirigakure remained isolated from the outside world and was still trapped beneath its brutal Bloody Mist policies before i Terumī's era, information from the mainland rarely reached them in full.
As a result, they had never even heard the title "Three-Sword Death God."
To them, this mission was simply the extermination of a dangerous Konoha Anbu captain.
"Get rid of that little brat first."
The wielder of the Longsword: Nuibari moved the instant he finished speaking.
Nuibari resembled an enormous sewing needle. Attached to its handle was an impossibly thin steel wire sharp enough to cut through flesh and bone effortlessly.
Bzzzt!!
The steel wire vibrated violently through the mist.
In the next instant—
The ground beneath the expendable Root ninja exploded apart.
Countless razor-thin wires burst upward from underground like threads weaving through fabric, instantly wrapping around the ninja's legs before slicing cleanly through them.
"AAAHHHHH!!"
A shrill scream echoed throughout the damp forest as blood sprayed across the ground.
The Root ninja collapsed miserably, clutching at the stumps of his severed legs while rolling around in agony.
anwhile, the two Root shinobi who already knew this mission was a trap had vanished into the mist at so unknown point.
Seeing this scene, Zoro's expression did not change in the slightest.
Calm.
Indifferent.
As though the miserable screams beside him had nothing to do with him at all.
In reality, Observation Haki had already spread silently across the battlefield. Every movent within the surrounding mist was being captured clearly within his perception.
And now—
He was simply waiting for the enemy to attack first.
"You three, go."
Jūzō Biwa rested the massive Executioner's Blade over his shoulder while speaking coldly to the three Kirigakure Anbu below.
There was no discussion in his tone.
Only command.
And if they dared refuse, Jūzō would simply use the Executioner's Blade to make them obey permanently.
The three Mist Anbu exchanged glances briefly before charging toward Zoro without hesitation.
Perhaps the overwhelming nurical advantage gave them confidence.
After all, this battlefield currently contained all seven Ninja Swordsn.
Even a Kage would struggle to survive being surrounded by monsters like them.
However—
The three of them had not even advanced ten ters before sothing strange happened.
A sharp and invisible wave of air suddenly swept across the battlefield.
It resembled neither chakra nor ordinary wind.
It was more like an invisible blade tearing through the atmosphere itself.
The three Kirigakure Anbu instantly froze.
Thin lines of blood suddenly appeared across their bodies.
Then more.
And more.
Blood erupted violently from their chests, throats, and waists.
Their expressions remained frozen in confusion and terror.
A mont later—
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The three bodies collapsed one after another like dominoes crashing to the ground.
Silence briefly filled the forest.
!!!
The expressions of the Seven Ninja Swordsn instantly changed.
Even the battle-hardened killers among them felt chills crawl up their spines after witnessing that bizarre attack.
They had not seen Zoro move.
They had not sensed any chakra fluctuations.
Yet three Anbu had died instantly.
"Wind Release?"
The strongest among them, the wielder of the twin blades Hirakarei, frowned deeply before imdiately warning the others:
"Do not underestimate him. Anyone worthy of being surrounded by all seven of us is at minimum Kage-level!"
"We attack together!"
The mont those words rang out, the final traces of carelessness vanished completely from the Seven Ninja Swordsn's hearts.
Swish! Swish! Swish!!
In an instant, all seven exploded into motion with terrifying coordination.
At the exact mont the Seven Ninja Swordsn attacked, the eyeholes beneath Zoro's cracked cat mask were suddenly dyed crimson.
Three black tomoe slowly rotated within his Sharingan.
The entire battlefield instantly seed to slow down within his vision.
Every movent, every twitch of muscle, every fluctuation of killing intent.
Nothing escaped his sight.
With the vast combat experience accumulated through countless life-and-death battles, Zoro instantly analyzed the formation and combat roles of all seven opponents.
Taking the lead were Jūzō Biwa, wielder of the Executioner's Blade, and Fuguki Suikazan, wielding Sahada.
Those two specialized in direct frontal suppression. Their purpose was simple—pin Zoro down through overwhelming close-range pressure and force him into a disadvantageous exchange.
The flanks were occupied by the wielders of Nuibari and the Lightning Blades: Kiba.
One specialized in precision killing through hidden wire attacks.
The other relied on extre speed and Lightning Release to seek openings and strike fatal blows.
Behind them stood the wielders of Shibuki and Kabutowari.
Those two acted as support and reinforcent. The mont any teammate gained an opening or fell under pressure, they would imdiately intervene to either break Zoro's defense or rescue their allies.
And at the very rear—
The wielder of Hirakarei remained in position.
His role was battlefield suppression.
Long-range chakra bombardnt.
Restrict movent.
Force errors.
The formation itself was nearly flawless.
The instant Zoro finished analyzing their strategy—
The Hirakarei user leapt down from the trees.
"Hirakarei — Release!!"
Gas erupted violently from the twin circular openings of Hirakarei.
The massive blade instantly glowed with dazzling blue light as enormous quantities of condensed chakra rapidly gathered together.
The surrounding air trembled.
Then—
Boom!!
A gigantic chakra blast roared toward Zoro in the blink of an eye, tearing apart the mist-filled forest along its path.
Unfortunately—
The strategy itself truly was excellent.
One could even call it perfect teamwork.
But against Zoro, who already knew the abilities, combat habits, and characteristics of every one of the Seven Ninja Swords—
Their formation lost much of its threat.
Almost the instant Hirakarei's chakra cannon fired—
Or more accurately, the instant before it fired—
Zoro had already predicted the timing of the attack.
Boom!!
His legs exploded with force as his body shot upward into the air.
Then, beneath the puzzled gazes of the Seven Ninja Swordsn, Zoro suddenly swung both blades downward toward empty air beneath his feet.
Two-Sword Style: Air Tanuki Shot!!
The compressed slashing force detonated beneath him like an invisible cannon.
Using the recoil generated by his own attack, Zoro's body launched through the air at astonishing speed, almost like Geppo itself.
And the mont he soared upward—
His gaze instantly locked onto the sowhat smaller figure wielding Kabutowari.
If you wanted to crush fruit—
You picked the softest one first.
Dark Armant Haki rapidly spread across Zoro's arms before flowing directly into his swords, dyeing the blades pitch black.
The surrounding air trembled violently.
Two-Sword Style: Seventy-Two Pound Phoenix!!
A terrifying cross-shaped slash erupted instantly.
The Hirakarei wielder had originally intended to attack Zoro while he remained suspended midair, believing he had finally found the perfect opportunity.
But in the next instant—
Zoro vanished from his sight.
At almost the sa mont, a wet slicing sound echoed beside him.
Pfft!!
Blood exploded skyward.
Under the horrified gazes of the remaining six Ninja Swordsn, the wielder of Kabutowari froze completely.
His body trembled violently.
Then, slowly—
His upper and lower body separated apart before collapsing heavily onto the ground.
Seeing that Zoro still dared counterattack while surrounded by all seven of them, Jinpachi Munashi's expression instantly darkened.
The Blast Blade: Shibuki swung violently through the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One explosive tag after another shot toward Zoro's position.
The next instant—A chain of terrifying explosions erupted throughout the battlefield.
The entire forest shook violently, towering trees shattered apart as flas and shockwaves swallowed the surrounding mist.
Forced by the overwhelming explosions, Zoro continuously leapt through the air, temporarily evading the destructive bombardnt.
"Stick to him!" the Hirakarei wielder roared furiously. "Don't give him ti to gather strength, take stance, or unleash his sword techniques!"
The mont they heard the order, the remaining five swordsn closed in on Zoro without hesitation.
For a brief mont, the battlefield descended into absolute chaos.
Clang! Clang! Clang!!
The sounds of blades colliding rang endlessly throughout the forest.
Sparks exploded with every impact, illuminating the dense mist with flickering bursts of orange light.
Even while facing the combined assault of four Ninja Swordsn simultaneously, Zoro remained completely calm.
Holding two swords in his hands, his attack speed beca so fast it left behind nothing but afterimages.
One mont he blocked Sahada's brutal swing.
The next instant he deflected Nuibari's hidden wire thrust.
At the sa ti, he evaded chakra blasts from Hirakarei while countering Jūzō's Executioner's Blade head-on.
His body moved like flowing water. Perfect and recise, without the slightest wasted movent.
Hidden atop the distant trees, the two observing Root shinobi stared at the battlefield with horror filling their eyes.
Zoro's sword speed was simply monstrous.
It was as though an impenetrable domain had ford around him.
No attack could break through, no blade could touch him.
Behind their masks, their expressions beca increasingly shaken.
At that mont, they finally understood why Danzō had targeted Uchiha Zoro so obsessively all this ti.
This man was a monster.
A true monster of swordsmanship.
Without using ninjutsu at all—He was actually fighting the Seven Ninja Swordsn head-on.
And within the very first exchange, he had already killed one of them.
Not only were the two Root shinobi horrified. Even the five Ninja Swordsn currently clashing against Zoro felt chills spreading through their hearts.
What kind of monster was this?
Such terrifying reaction speed…
Such absurd swordsmanship…
Using nothing but two swords to create an almost absolute defensive zone around himself—
It was simply unbelievable.
Among them, Raiga Kurosuki, wielder of the Lightning Blades: Kiba, continued weaving silently through the battlefield.
Cold light flickered within his eyes.
And it seed—
He had finally found the perfect opportunity to strike.
***
Advance chapters available on P@trè0n (Aki_sensei). Appreciate the support!
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