Chapter 68: The Six Paths-Level Gatekeeper! The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist Attack!

It was precisely because each village collectively erased the overwhelming power of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the Ninja World’s Asura, Madara Uchiha.

This caused the current ninja world’s upper limit of understanding regarding strength to plummet by more than a single tier.

In their minds, no matter how powerful a ninja might be, they could never stand against a vast ninja army—and during this Great Ninja War, the Third Raikage proved this point with his own life.

He held out alone against over ten thousand enemy troops from the Land of Earth, enduring for three days and three nights before finally being worn down to death; though his death slightly raised ninja perceptions of strength, it still failed to break through the ceiling of their understanding.

After all, who could forget that Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were entirely exceptional beings?

In a sense, they were like gatekeepers between the Kage level and the Six Paths level.

Their power could no longer be countered by mere numbers.

During the Fourth Great Ninja War, even Madara Uchiha, bound in an Edo Tensei body and unable to unleash his full strength, still single-handedly held off the combined forces of the Five Great Villages and crushed all Five Kage.

Yet the current Yeo Cang clearly cannot comprehend such a level of power.

Although Luo Fu has not yet reached that stage, a single journey through the Shared Space brought him to the Kage level—and even among Kage-level Qiangzhe , Luo Fu is unquestionably among the elite.

Even if he still cannot defeat a Super-Kage-level opponent, he has undoubtedly taken a giant step toward that threshold.

Staring at Luo Fu in astonishment, Yeo Cang suddenly burst into laughter, sneering: “Itachi don’t seriously mean to tell me Itachi intend to take on Konoha by yourself? If what Itachi said earlier is true, then as a strong one, shouldn’t Itachi be like a wild beast—solitary, walking alone? Then why recruit me? In your eyes, I should be a weakling.”

“Itachi undervalue yourself too much. Even a sheet of toilet paper has its use. Though your strength is indeed negligible, Itachi still have your role—at least, in my eyes, Itachi still hold some value.” Luo Fu said calmly.

At first stunned, Yeo Cang suddenly seemed to realize something; her beautiful face turned ashen, and with a flick of her hands, several orange-red fireballs instantly materialized, swirling around her.

The appearance of these orange-red fireballs granted Yeo Cang what seemed like anti-gravity ability, lifting her body effortlessly off the ground.

“Itachi want to use me as a tool? Then let me see if Itachi have the strength to back it up—defeat me, and perhaps Itachi’ll truly achieve your goal!”

Clearly, Yeo Cang had misunderstood something, but Luo Fu knew that for a warrior like her, mere words alone could never win her allegiance.

Unless Luo Fu cheated with the power of the Seven Sins Eye, constantly stirring her Seven Primordial Sins—but even then, if he temporarily convinced her, the Seven Sins Eye’s power was not permanent.

Once she regained her composure, she would become an unreliable time bomb at his side.

Facing Yeo Cang’s attack, Luo Fu was about to activate his Mangekyo—when, in that instant, he sharply sensed someone hiding beneath the ground where they fought.

But upon careful perception, Luo Fu realized his earlier sensation had been an illusion.

Luo Fu instantly recalled: in this world, there existed the White Zetsu, a unique being whose Insect Technique could traverse thousands of miles in an instant, while its concealment was undetectable even by sensory ninja.

Even Luo Fu had only sensed the emotional fluctuation emanating from beneath the earth.

When he realized White Zetsu was beneath his feet, Luo Fu immediately deduced: he must have caught Madara Uchiha’s attention at some point, and White Zetsu was Madara’s spy on him.

Though Madara Uchiha was indeed deceived terribly by Black Zetsu, there was no denying he was a master strategist who had manipulated Nagato Uzumaki and Obito Uchiha like puppets.

Luo Fu had no intention of becoming someone else’s tool.

Now that he knew Madara Uchiha was watching him, Luo Fu could no longer casually use his Mangekyo—at least, not until Madara Uchiha was dead.

Otherwise, if that immortal old bastard truly fixed his gaze on him, being manipulated would be the least of his worries.

Changing his battle strategy, Luo Fu altered his breath the moment before the orange-red Destructive Heat fireballs reached him.

Star Breathing: Second Form—Jumen Celestial Spin!

With a flash of starlight, Luo Fu vanished from his spot; when he reappeared, he stood directly behind Yeo Cang, his chakra-ninjato blade pressed tightly against her neck.

A sharp sting pierced her neck; the intense threat made her lose the ability to hover via Destructive Heat, forcing her back onto the ground.

Yet Luo Fu’s chakra-ninjato clung to her like a permanent shadow.

“I lost,” Yeo Cang said, sensing that the chakra-ninjato seemed to resonate with her own chakra fluctuations.

She couldn’t even form hand seals—any movement would drive the blade closer.

Closing her eyes, she said calmly: “Kill me!”

Just as Yeo Cang believed death was certain—

The chakra-ninjato pressing against her neck vanished, mysteriously retracted by Luo Fu.

Startled, she turned around, touching the shallow wound on her neck—only a thin layer of skin cut—and asked, puzzled: “Why didn’t Itachi kill me?”

“I said it before: our situations are identical. Rather than killing Itachi outright, I’d rather bring Itachi under my command. Don’t Itachi want to see what fate awaits the Sand Village that betrayed and sold Itachi out?”

A flicker of inner struggle passed through her gaze; Yeo Cang took a deep breath and said: “I will never join Konoha.”

Luo Fu glanced at her strangely: “Itachi’re joining me—what does Konoha have to do with it?”

“Itachi’re not…” Yeo Cang’s voice cut off abruptly, then she laughed bitterly: “Itachi’re just like me. I was betrayed by the Sand Village—weren’t Itachi betrayed by Konoha too?”

Her heart tightened; instinctively, she scanned her surroundings, her voice trembling with unmistakable fear: “No—both the Sand Village and Konoha wanted us to die together, so they must have other plans waiting. It’s the Hidden Mist Village!”

The moment she finished speaking—

From within the thick mist, shadowy figures slowly rose along the cliff walls on both sides of the valley.

“Star Fang Uchiha Luo Fu, Destructive Heat Yeo Cang. This is your burial ground.”

A voice echoed through the air, impossible to trace to its source.

A barrage of piercing sounds tore through space, launching a saturation attack toward Luo Fu and Yeo Cang.

Swarms of kunai and shuriken rained down like sand in a dust storm, shredding even the mist’s moisture; the fog itself grew unnaturally clear.

Seeing this terrifying sight, Yeo Cang helplessly closed her eyes.

Her Destructive Heat, though devastating—capable of instantly evaporating all bodily fluids of a living person—

Was a bloodline limit with high offense but low defense.

In this valley terrain, with nowhere to dodge against such saturation strikes, Yeo Cang could only close her eyes and wait to die.

Yet after several breaths, she felt no pain.

When she opened her eyes again, she was astonished: the space before, behind, and above her was completely sealed by thick earthen walls.

Within the earthen walls, the only sound was the dull thuds of kunai and shuriken embedding themselves into the earth.

Seeing Yeo Cang finally snap out of despair, Luo Fu, still in hand seal formation, said: “Prepare yourself—these Hidden Mist ninja will likely use explosive tags next.”

“Why?” Yeo Cang asked, not responding immediately. “Why save me? We should be enemies. Is it really just because we were both betrayed by our villages?”

“Isn’t that enough?” Luo Fu said dismissively.

Yeo Cang lowered her head, then said seriously: “If we truly escape alive, I swear I will fulfill your wish.”

She gave a bitter laugh and added: “Besides, I don’t want to leave this world this way. If it’s by your hand, Star Fang of the Uchiha, perhaps it would be an honor.”

Luo Fu glanced at her oddly and said: “Regardless, let’s survive this crisis first. If we keep defending passively, we’ll eventually be worn down by the endless Hidden Mist ninja.”

At the thought of that possibility, Yeo Cang instantly calmed down.

Though Yeo Cang lacked political wisdom, her battlefield acumen was exceptional.

In an instant, she made her decision.

“My Destructive Heat isn’t suited for defense. The Hidden Mist’s kunai and shuriken can’t be endless. Even if they use explosive tags, there will be a delay—that’s our chance. We break out and slaughter every single Hidden Mist ninja.”

Having been betrayed by her village, then ambushed by the Hidden Mist’s near-certain death trap—

Yeo Cang’s inner killing intent had already boiled over.

Luo Fu nodded, agreeing to her plan; soon, as the barrage of kunai and shuriken outside slowed—

Luo Fu and Yeo Cang exchanged glances.

The next instant, the thick earthen walls vanished in an instant.

Yeo Cang, surrounded by six crimson fireballs, shot skyward, charging straight toward the Hidden Mist ninja on the cliff.

Though Destructive Heat indeed lacked defensive capability, that depended on the situation.

For instance, now—because they burst out so suddenly, only a few Hidden Mist ninja reacted in time; the kunai and shuriken thrown at her were either incinerated into molten iron by her fireballs or dodged outright.

Even when she couldn’t dodge or burn them, she chose the lesser harm—enduring minor wounds to reach the cliff wall in the shortest possible time.

Once among the Hidden Mist ninja, Yeo Cang unleashed the terrifying lethality of her Destructive Heat.

Compared to Yeo Cang, Luo Fu’s performance was even more astonishing.

The instant the earthen walls vanished—

Luo Fu altered his breath.

Star Breathing: Fourth Form—Tianquan Wenchu!

The fourth form of Star Breathing instantly granted Luo Fu unparalleled agility and speed.

His body became pure, agile starlight; on the cliff walls, where there was no foothold, his starlight twisted effortlessly, reaching the cliff’s peak far faster than Yeo Cang.

Charging into the crowd, Luo Fu shifted his breath again.

Star Breathing: Sixth Form—Kaiyang Wuqu.

As the sixth form, specialized for area attacks, manifested, Luo Fu became a streak of starlight, plunging into the Hidden Mist ninja.

Each flash of starlight brought forth splashes of blood.

Because Luo Fu moved so fast, even as the blood of his victims sprayed upward, before it could fall, more Hidden Mist ninja had already met the same fate.

If someone were to look down from above, they would see—

On this cliff wall, starlight darted through the ranks; every Hidden Mist ninja the starlight passed was left with a fatal wound at best, or simply severed clean in half—none even retained a whole corpse.

Such terrifying slaughter—

The Hidden Mist ninja, who had initially relied on their overwhelming numbers, lost their last shred of will and courage under Luo Fu’s lethal efficiency.

All the Hidden Mist ninja, as if by unspoken agreement, turned and fled in panic.

Defeat came like a collapsing mountain.

At this moment, the cliff wall presented an unbelievable scene:

Hundreds, even thousands of Hidden Mist ninja were being chased like ducks by Luo Fu alone—each flicker of starlight claimed at least one life.

Even though the war had depleted their ranks, and most were barely genin fresh from the Academy,

This impossible spectacle remained utterly unbelievable.

As Luo Fu pressed on with his final pursuit, a thunderclap suddenly split the sky.

A blinding blue-white lightning bolt descended from above, striking straight toward Luo Fu.

The sudden surge of danger in his heart made Luo Fu choose to dodge at once.

At the very moment the starlight passed, lightning struck heavily where Luo Fu had just stood.

Holding a blade in one hand, he turned to look behind the Kirigakure ninja, and soon several figures emerged against the crowd, heading straight for Luo Fu.

These figures varied in height and build. The only thing they shared was that each held one of Kirigakure’s famed ninja swords.

The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

Luo Fu had never expected that this group—originally meant to confront Might Dai, the eternally genin and father of Might Guy—would encounter him first, having been kicked from the Seven Swordsmen into a trio of fools.

Of course, it might also be that the Seven Swordsmen were assigned to eliminate the Burning Release user, Ye Cang.

But because Ye Cang died too quickly, the Seven Swordsmen never got the chance to act.

But no matter what, since they seven had crossed paths with Luo Fu, it was their fate to meet this doom.

“Isn’t this the newly risen, infamous Star Fang?”

A man with wild yellow hair and a mask, slender in build, held a long blade called Needle Stitch—Kirisame Tsunayoshi—whipping it in his hand.

His tone brimmed with eagerness: “A man who abandoned the Uchiha’s kekkei genkai, refused to develop the Sharingan, yet achieved mastery in swordsmanship rivaling the legendary White Fang of Konoha.”

His gaze swept over his companions!!

Luo Fu’s combat record was indeed astonishing. But in truth, compared to the Golden Flash Minato Namikaze and other veteran powerhouses, Luo Fu still fell slightly short.

The reason was simple: the battles that forged Luo Fu’s reputation as Star Fang had mostly pitted him against large numbers of weak opponents.

He rarely faced even elite jonin, let alone Kage-level warriors.

Kirisame Tsunayoshi now dared challenge Luo Fu to a duel because he firmly believed that, despite Luo Fu’s sword skill, no Uchiha could truly match the legendary strength of Konoha’s White Fang.

After all, the original White Fang had reached the absolute peak of renown.

Though he didn’t rival the sanctified, demonized First Hokage Hashirama Senju or the Shinobi God of War Madara Uchiha, even the four great nations had once issued orders: if Itachi encountered the White Fang, abandoning your mission was not considered failure.

From this alone, one could feel the overwhelming pressure the White Fang once imposed upon the shinobi world.

Even purely out of jealousy toward this rising star, the Seven Swordsmen refused to believe Luo Fu possessed such power.

Vanity, arrogance, envy—these emotions erupted the instant the Seven Swordsmen appeared, and Luo Fu’s Seven Sins Eye sensed them with intense clarity.

Swinging his chakra blade, Luo Fu’s gaze swept over the seven, then locked onto Kirisame Tsunayoshi.

“Itachi wish to fight me? If only Itachi alone, isn’t that a bit… insufficient? Though I dislike the name Star Fang, even one of Itachi Seven Swordsmen doesn’t seem to have the strength.”

As Luo Fu spoke, the power of the Seven Sins spread silently, enveloping the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

Kirisame Tsunayoshi, the first affected, instantly burned with fury at being dismissed.

“Hah? Itachi want to challenge all seven of us? Then survive my blade first.”

The moment Kirisame Tsunayoshi finished speaking, preparing to strike—

Luo Fu’s breathing shifted instantly.

Star Breathing: Second Form—Great Gate Spiral.

A flash of starlight appeared and vanished; at the same moment, Luo Fu’s figure vanished from his original spot.

“Watch out—!!” Hakujo, standing nearby as lookout, cried out in alarm.

Too late. Luo Fu’s speed was too fast.

Hakujo’s warning hadn’t even fully left his lips.

Luo Fu’s figure appeared behind Kirisame Tsunayoshi as if teleporting.

Kirisame Tsunayoshi stood frozen, still in the pose of preparing to attack Luo Fu.

A moment passed.

With a wet *spurt*, blood erupted like a geyser from Kirisame Tsunayoshi’s neck.

His head, wild yellow hair still intact, rolled off with a dull *thud*.

“Are Itachi kidding? Kirisame… Kirisame Tsunayoshi didn’t even block one strike? How could his speed be this fast?” Hakujo’s eyes bulged.

“Was that Flying Thunder God?” Rōshi said in shock.

“No, this isn’t space-time ninjutsu—it’s pure speed. His speed surpassed Kirisame Tsunayoshi’s reaction time entirely. Only then could he kill him in an instant without giving him any chance to react. This isn’t mere swordsmanship—it’s a fusion of taijutsu and swordsmanship.” Hōzuki Hōsui drew his massive blade, Samehada, from his back.

In an instant, he had beheaded Kirisame Tsunayoshi. Luo Fu shook his spotless chakra blade.

This chakra blade, forged not long ago, had grown increasingly responsive as Luo Fu nurtured it with his own chakra, now perfectly harmonizing with the Star Breathing sword forms.

No wonder—it was forged from the shinobi world’s precious chakra metal. Compared to the Nichirin blades of the Demon Slayer world, this chakra blade was far stronger in both inherent durability and future potential than the Xingxingfeishatie -made Nichirin blades.

Though ninjutsu and kekkei genkai dominated the shinobi world, powerful ninja tools akin to magic treasures were by no means rare.

Not to mention, the Sage of Six Paths had left behind many ingenious tools.

The chakra blade in Luo Fu’s hand now seemed merely capable of enhancing Star Breathing, its base strength already extraordinary.

But as Luo Fu continued to nurture it with chakra, it might one day rival even the Sage’s relics.

This was the power of chakra metal—why even the Uchiha, a thousand-year clan, had been moved to grief when forging this blade for Luo Fu; even Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head, had lost composure several times.

Chakra-metal tools could become family heirlooms, passed from father to son, son to grandson, generation after generation. The longer the lineage, the stronger the tool became, sometimes even developing unique abilities.

Like Asuma Sarutobi’s special blade, combining knuckles and dagger, now passed to his daughter, Asuma Futari.

Luo Fu’s chakra blade possessed the same potential, and due to its material, it might one day rival the power of the Seven Ninja Swords.

Before the reality of Luo Fu’s instant kill of Kirisame Tsunayoshi—

The Seven Swordsmen, now reduced to six, dared not underestimate him again.

The six moved in quick leaps, subtly surrounding Luo Fu.

“Star Fang, Uchiha Luo Fu, we acknowledge your strength,” said Kurogiri, gripping the Lightning Blade—Ya, lightning crackling around him. “Now, all six of us will give Itachi the respect Itachi deserve.”

“Ambush?” Luo Fu frowned.

Though in truth, even combined, the Seven Swordsmen posed no real threat to Luo Fu.

But don’t forget—beneath the ground lurked a hidden White Zetsu.

Luo Fu had no desire to expose himself prematurely to Madara Uchiha.

With Obito Uchiha as a perfectly suitable tool, he even concealed his Sharingan.

One must admit—even dead, his reputation still loomed.

(End of Chapter)