Chapter 108: The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist

As the sky turned dark, the Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura, who had returned to the Land of Waves to coordinate supplies, received over forty battle reports almost simultaneously.

There was no need to read the contents of the reports; just by looking at the time and location they were sent, it was clear that Kirigakure had been thoroughly defeated.

Karatachi Yagura's expression was gloomy; he gripped a piece of battlefield intelligence so hard his knuckles turned white, and his heart ached faintly.

Imprisoned in the depths of his mind by the Sharingan's Genjutsu, the soul belonging to Karatachi Yagura screamed: "No, my ninja, my Kirigakure!"

"It's over, everything is over!"

The dim-witted Uchiha Obito could not comprehend the danger reflected in the battle reports, but he knew this meant failure.

【How could my plan fail? It must be that the Mist Ninja are incompetent!】

He controlled Karatachi Yagura to throw the intelligence onto the ground and barked sternly: "Trash! You are all trash!"

"Nearly ten thousand Mist Ninja, and you couldn't even capture Orochimaru and a group of remnant Leaf Ninja, and most of you were wiped out by Leaf reinforcements!"

"Ten thousand against eight thousand, the advantage was with us!"

"With such a huge advantage, you bunch of trash still managed to mess it up; you have completely disgraced Kirigakure!"

The Mist Ninja all lowered their heads, not daring to breathe loudly.

The Fourth Mizukage was in a fit of rage at the moment; any defense would be futile and would only invite more violent reprimands.

By launching this war alongside Kumogakure, Kirigakure had always held an absolute advantage.

But following Kumogakure's sudden defeat by Orochimaru, everyone in Kirigakure grew anxious, desperate to annihilate the Leaf Ninja before them and then fight a decisive battle against the inevitably approaching Orochimaru.

Who would have thought that the offensive concentrated by the Mist Ninja would end in a crushing defeat, with nearly total losses.

For Kirigakure, this was not even a disgrace, but a sign of total defeat.

But staying silent wouldn't do either; a Mist Jonin spoke up cautiously: "Lord Fourth Mizukage."

"This defeat was not our fault, but because Orochimaru suddenly arrived at the East Front, bringing a massive number of reinforcements, which was truly unexpected."

Karatachi Yagura took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart: "What you say also makes sense."

"Orochimaru was able to defeat the Fourth Raikage Ai; he is powerful and not an enemy that ordinary ninja can handle."

"Next, I will deal with Orochimaru personally."

"But what should we Mist Ninja do?"

Another Mist Jonin said: "Our ninja have all retreated from the land, and all strongholds in the East Sea have been lost; next, the Leaf Ninja will surely attack the Land of Waves, we should meet them in battle in the Land of Waves!"

"But now the balance of power has shifted, we still need Lord Mizukage to find a way!"

Karatachi Yagura roared in the depths of his mind: "Retreat, full retreat, return directly to the Land of Water!"

"Stretch the Leaf Ninja's supply lines, defend Kirigakure completely, don't let Yamanaka Chujiu steal our home, you damn idiot!"

"Retreat!!"

Uchiha Obito heard Karatachi Yagura's roar, but his not-so-bright brain disagreed, and he decisively decided to launch a fierce counterattack.

After all, he knew Yamanaka Chujiu, a ninja from the Yamanaka clan who was only slightly stronger than himself.

Perhaps back at the Ninja Academy, he, Obito, couldn't beat Chujiu, but ever since becoming a student of Minato Namikaze, he would never lose to some Yamanaka Chujiu again.

Now there was nothing to worry about.

Obito was very satisfied with his decision; Karatachi Yagura was just stupid from being locked up, and now Kirigakure must not shrink back.

If the Leaf Ninja were allowed to continue their offensive, the morale of the Mist Ninja would collapse, and Kirigakure would face a crisis of extinction.

Although Obito had always thought about destroying Kirigakure, he still needed the power of this village for now.

The Fourth Mizukage stood up: "I have decided, send out Kirigakure's strongest combat power to kill Orochimaru directly, reverse the unfavorable war situation, take back the lost territory on the East Front, and restore the majesty of Kirigakure."

"Pass on my order!"

Karatachi Yagura's voice was cold and firm: "Gather all Mist Ninja, we will fight a decisive battle against the Leaf Ninja in the Land of Waves!"

"At the same time, summon the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and order them to head to the Land of Fire immediately to execute a decapitation mission; they must kill Orochimaru!"

"As long as Orochimaru is dead, the Leaf Ninja will not be a threat, and turning the tide of the war will be easy!"

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"

Hearing this, the Mist Ninja felt a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were Kirigakure's ace unit, seven powerful Jonin, each holding a legendary ninja sword.

They were skilled in powerful Ninjutsu and swordsmanship, having slain countless enemies in past wars, establishing glorious military achievements; they were the sharpest blade of Kirigakure.

The Mist Ninja believed that as long as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist took action, there was nothing they couldn't do; even the Hokage could be slain, let alone Orochimaru, who was not a Hokage.

Soon, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist gathered before the Mizukage.

Biwa Juzo, Suikazan Fuguki, Kushimaru Kuriarare, Jinin Akebino, Munashi Jinpachi, Kurosuki Raiga, and the nameless one, all looked imposing and arrogant.

These seven ninja had different appearances, but they were all arrogant, powerful, and bloodthirsty guys.

The ninja swords they held were each a crystallization of Kirigakure's technology, possessing powerful and strange powers.

Biwa Juzo spoke first: "Lord Mizukage, what is our mission for gathering us?"

Karatachi Yagura looked at the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist before him, a satisfied light flashing in his eyes: "We in the Mist were ambushed by Orochimaru and suffered an unprecedented crushing defeat; thousands of Mist Ninja died in battle, and the remaining troops can only retreat to defend the Land of Waves."

"Now there is only one way to turn the tide of the war, and that is for you to execute a decapitation mission and kill Orochimaru!"

"Coordinate with the Mist army I lead to annihilate the main force of the Leaf Ninja in the Land of Waves."

"Remember, this mission is the key to Kirigakure's survival; if the mission fails, you don't need to return to Kirigakure!"

"Orochimaru?"

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were not afraid upon hearing this; instead, they all became excited.

They had of course heard of Orochimaru's name and had long wanted to kill a ninja of this level to prove the prowess of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to the entire Ninja World.

Suikazan Fuguki grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth: "Don't worry, Lord Mizukage."

"Just one Orochimaru, he's not the Third Hokage of Konohagakure; with the seven of us working together, he will surely die!"

"We will not only kill Orochimaru, but also kill all the Leaf Ninja we encounter, and let them know the power of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist with their blood!"

"That's right!"

Kushimaru Kuriarare chimed in, "For Orochimaru of Konohagakure to dare oppose us of the Mist is simply seeking his own death!"

The members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist echoed in agreement:

"That's right! We shall kill our way over there openly and aboveboard!"

"Kill every single Konoha Ninja, not one can be left alive!"

"Let Orochimaru know what the consequences are for offending us, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!"

Karatachi Yagura looked at the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist before him, feeling quite helpless in his heart.

"Very well."

"You may act in your own way, but you must complete the mission."

"Rest assured, Lord Mizukage, we will certainly not let you down!"

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist answered in unison, full of confidence.