Okay crazy, you actually got us to 100 so soon after the last one, so here´s another banger. BABABA
"The legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist... nothing more than a disappointment."
Ay reached over with his left hand, firmly gripped the hilt of the Sewing Needle, and ripped the blade out of his own shoulder with a sickening squelch. His intense gaze remained fixed on the churning seawater ahead.
After Kushimaru was inevitably caught by Ay, the two had fought a brutal, desperate battle for several minutes. Realizing he was completely outmatched and about to be captured alive, Kushimaru had decisively ignited the explosive tags hidden beneath his cloak, attempting to take Ay down with him.
He had failed.
Kushimaru's corpse had been blown to bloody pieces, sinking into the dark sea, preventing the Cloud Ninja from extracting any further intelligence from his brain.
"However, there is still one little rat left," Ay muttered, his lightning armor pulsing. "That's better than nothing."
Gripping the legendary sword Nuibari, Ay regrouped with his arriving subordinates and immediately pivoted to hunt down Mishu.
At this exact moment in the forest, knowing that Ay would be coming for him soon and time was critical, Mishu could no longer afford to hide his true strength. He began unleashing everything he had.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Mishu instantly created three clones to tie up the three Cloud Chunin, while his real body swung his short sword and charged directly toward the smirking Cloud Jonin.
"Good kid! You actually have some guts!"
The Jonin barked a laugh, praising Mishu for having the courage to face him head-on. He met the attack with two kunai drawn.
The short sword violently clashed against the crossed kunai, throwing sparks into the air and resulting in a deadlocked stalemate where neither side retreated an inch.
Damn it, this brat actually has this much raw physical strength?!
The Jonin gritted his teeth, the veins bulging thickly on his arms. He tried to force Mishu back to gain the upper hand in the exchange, but he found himself completely unable to budge the younger ninja.
Mishu gripped his sword with both hands, holding his ground firmly, while simultaneously tapping into the shared power flowing through the dreamscape.
Sand Hand!
Countless grains of earth and sand rapidly condensed out of thin air, forming two ferocious, giant claws made of hardened sand over Mishu's shoulders. The claws violently lunged toward the enemy Jonin's face.
During this period, Chisuke and the One-Tails had been cooperating flawlessly. Because of the unique connection shared between the four dreamers, Mishu was able to passively channel the Ichibi's basic abilities!
"What kind of Ninjutsu is this?!"
The Cloud Jonin was greatly shocked. He immediately abandoned the deadlock and leaped backward to evade the crushing sand claws. Mishu pressed his advantage, preparing to rush in for the kill, but he saw the Jonin quickly flying through hand seals.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
The Cloud Jonin opened his mouth, and a blinding flash of lightning erupted. A great, jagged spear of concentrated electricity materialized, instantly cracking the ground beneath it as it swept toward Mishu at extreme speed.
Mishu reluctantly abandoned his offensive and retreated to dodge, losing the advantage of the first strike. However, his hands weren't idle.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
The Jonin had barely landed when he saw the massive fireball roaring toward him. Not daring to be careless against a jutsu of that size, he immediately slammed his hands onto the dirt.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
A thick, sturdy wall of rock erupted from the ground, perfectly absorbing the impact of the Great Fireball. Meanwhile, Mishu had already finished forming another set of seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Ten Shadow Clones burst right through the lingering flames and smoke, vaulting over the earthen wall. Ten short swords descended upon the Cloud Jonin from every angle.
Damn it, his Chakra reserves are absurdly abundant! Is he really just a Chunin?!
After this brief but incredibly fierce exchange, the Jonin realized Mishu was a highly lethal anomaly. He completely discarded his initial underestimation, treating the boy as a genuine, life-threatening foe.
The opponent's attacks are too continuous; I'm being forced to defend passively. This won't do at all; I must reverse the momentum!
The Cloud Jonin was a highly experienced veteran. He stopped considering how to block the clones' swords and instead focused on a wide-area counter to crush Mishu entirely.
"In that case... Lightning Release: Raging Lightning Torrent!"
The Jonin slammed both hands against the ground, burning through a massive amount of his own Chakra. In an instant, the earth violently collapsed inward, and blinding streaks of lightning shot out from the ground in a massive radius surrounding the Jonin.
This Ninjutsu had a devastating area of effect. It not only instantly electrocuted and destroyed all ten Shadow Clones but also forced back the real Mishu, who was attempting a lethal sneak attack from behind.
The shockwave pushed Mishu back dozens of meters, directly breaking his offensive rhythm and leaving his arms numb.
The two combatants stood opposite each other, chests heaving. The Cloud Jonin let out a slow, measured breath, slightly raising his hands, ready to form seals at a moment's notice.
"You are surprisingly strong," the Jonin admitted coldly. "Because of that, I absolutely cannot let you leave here alive. You are a threat to the Cloud."
Time was not on Mishu's side, so he didn't waste breath replying. Instead, he simply waved his left hand.
Three of Mishu's Shadow Clones walked out from the tree line. They were currently holding the three defeated Cloud Chunin hostage. During Mishu's intense duel, his clones had easily overpowered the weaker subordinates.
"Keep chasing me, and I'll slit their throats!" Mishu threatened.
He turned and bolted into the forest. Just as the enraged Jonin was about to pursue, the three clones pressed their kunai deep against the throats of the captives. Blood immediately welled up and flowed down the cold steel.
"Damn it! You despicable coward!"
The Cloud Jonin was filled with absolute rage. After an agonizing moment of hesitation, he watched Mishu's figure vanish into the distance. Sighing helplessly, the Jonin made the hard choice, spending precious time dealing with the clones to rescue his bleeding subordinates.
Mere minutes later, a blinding flash of lightning heralded Ay's arrival.
"Where did that Kirigakure brat go?!" Ay demanded loudly.
The Jonin immediately pointed. "He fled directly south, Lord Ay!"
"Understood!"
"Wait, Lord Ay, be careful, the opponent is not simple—"
Before the Jonin could even finish his warning, Ay's figure had already vanished into the distance with a sonic boom. The Jonin could only shake his head.
"It doesn't matter," he muttered. "With Lord Ay's monstrous strength, there won't be any problems."
In reality, Mishu had played a brilliant tactical trick. He had indeed fled south initially to leave a trail, but he had quickly pivoted west, circled halfway around the perimeter, and then sprinted straight north.
North was the border of the Land of Lightning—the absolute last place a fleeing Mist ninja should logically go.
I've studied military strategy, Mishu thought smugly as he ran. I understand the principle of doing the unexpected. Those Cloud idiots must be foolishly searching the southern coast right now.
Unfortunately for Mishu, his grasp of military strategy was lacking. He had only guessed half correctly.
Ay was indeed pursuing him to the south. However, because Kuriarare Kushimaru had completely wiped out the localized strongholds, a massive, heavily armed contingent of Cloud Ninja reinforcements was currently marching south from the border to establish new bases.
These reinforcement troops were not standard grunts; they were a comprehensive, elite battalion equipped with Sensory Ninjas, Sealing Squads, and heavy combat specialists.
The two sides were currently sprinting directly toward each other on a collision course.
Mishu's luck was simply abysmal. After only half a day of hard running, he ran headlong into the vanguard of this massive army.
"Captain! An unknown ninja is rapidly approaching from the south! How is this possible? The Chakra reserves inside him are terrifying!" a Sensory Ninja shouted, instantly locking onto Mishu.
"It must be a stray Kirigakure rat who fled north in a panic to avoid Lord Ay's pursuit, only to run right into our laps! Hahaha, this is free military merit delivered right to our doorstep!"
The vanguard commander was overjoyed. He immediately ordered his unit to attack.
His team consisted of three Jonin, six Chunin, and nine Genin. It was a highly lethal fighting force that had absolutely no fear of a lone Kirigakure straggler.
A dozen seconds later, Mishu was running when he looked up and noticed a flock of birds circling erratically above the distant forest, refusing to land. His shinobi instincts screamed at him, and he skidded to a halt.
Mishu correctly judged that there must be a large, hidden enemy force ahead. Cursing his luck, he immediately turned around and fled in a completely new direction.
However, after running for over ten minutes and changing directions several times to shake his trail, Mishu realized with growing horror that the pursuers weren't losing ground. They were actually getting closer. He could already see their silhouettes blurring through the trees behind him.
Damn it! They must have an elite Sensory Ninja tracking my chakra signature. I hope a mass decoy can fool them!
Mishu created five clones, instantly scattering them in a starburst pattern to confuse the tracker.
However, the Sensory Ninja utilized an advanced technique, locking onto Mishu's denser, Tailed Beast-enhanced chakra signature in mere seconds.
"The enemy's main body is the one heading east! Ignore the decoys!"
Seeing that he absolutely couldn't shake off the pursuit, Mishu stopped wasting his stamina and Chakra on fleeing. He came to a halt in a sparse patch of woods, drawing his short sword with a heavy sigh.
Since they are so damn persistent... I'll just have to give them a bloodbath and shatter their courage permanently!