Chapter 54

"Hahaha..."

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen burst into laughter.

"If that's the case, let's start with my great sword!"

Biwa Juzō swung his great decapitating sword.

Before his words had even faded, his form vanished from where he stood and surged toward Hibiya at high speed.

Fujinaka Genma’s eyes flashed with cold light; white electric arcs surfaced over his body.

The next instant—boom.

Fujinaka Genma suddenly appeared before Biwa Juzō, kicked out with a flying leg, and sent Biwa Juzō flying—crashing through two large trees, his legs carving two deep furrows over ten meters long across the ground before he finally stabilized.

Instantly.

The laughter of Nishiyama Hamaguchi and the others cut off.

Biwa Juzō’s arms trembled slightly; his gaze at Fujinaka Genma was filled with shock. "This brat is no ordinary child—his strength is terrifying."

"If I had been..."

The thought of what might have happened had he been even slightly careless, had he not raised his blade in time to block that kick, sent a chill down Biwa Juzō’s spine.

"In that case, I’d probably have been killed by one kick from this brat!"

Sweat broke on Biwa Juzō’s forehead as he slowly stepped toward Fujinaka Genma.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to move faster—his arms were numb and needed time to recover.

"Juzō, it seems Itachi’ve grown weak!"

Kurogiri Raiga spoke, blue electric arcs flickering over his Raikiri blade. "Let me give this brat a glorious funeral!"

"The White Flash of Konoha deserves such a funeral."

Before Kurogiri Raiga moved, Rikkan Senmaru stepped forward. "I’ll take care of those three brats—stringing them together should be quite nice."

"Fall back!"

Hiyō Mio hissed.

Hibiya and Guy immediately moved.

The three retreated; Kurogiri Raiga and Rikkan Senmaru acted almost simultaneously.

The former crossed his twin blades, lightning crackling as a thunderball coalesced and shot straight toward Fujinaka Genma.

Meanwhile, Rikkan Senmaru charged at Hiyō Mio and the others from the side.

At the same time, the rest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen prepared to attack.

Clearly, Fujinaka Genma’s strike against Biwa Juzō had erased their last trace of contempt.

They hadn’t rushed in together because they believed Kurogiri Raiga and Rikkan Senmaru were enough.

Fujinaka Genma looked at Kurogiri Raiga and Rikkan Senmaru; the senbon in his mouth shot out like a dart, aimed straight at Rikkan Senmaru.

Simultaneously, he raised his left hand, electric arcs converging as the Chidori screamed.

Raikiri versus Thunderball!

Powerful lightning erupted radially outward.

To the side, Rikkan Senmaru turned his head—the senbon grazed past him.

At that exact moment.

Fujinaka Genma’s form vanished from within the lightning, reappearing beside Rikkan Senmaru, above the flying senbon, and brought his blade down.

"What?"

Rikkan Senmaru gasped, barely blocking with his long blade, Needle, while silently weaving steel wires behind Fujinaka Genma to pierce him.

Yet the next instant.

The Raikiri blade, sheathed in white light, cleanly severed Needle—and with a wet *plop*, blood sprayed as Rikkan Senmaru’s left hand was severed.

"Agh!"

Rikkan Senmaru screamed, staggering backward.

"How is this possible?"

"This speed—Lightning Release Body Flicker?"

"Damn it!"

Shocked cries erupted as Nishiyama Hamaguchi and the others surged forward.

Kurogiri Raiga roared, pointing both blades upward—thunder rolled across the sky, and bolts of lightning rained down upon Fujinaka Genma.

But Fujinaka Genma was now enveloped in white electric arcs; he ignored Kurogiri Raiga’s Lightning Release: Falling Thunder, and used Body Flicker to instantly catch up to the retreating Rikkan Senmaru.

As the Raikiri blade came down, Fujinaka Genma hurled the kunai in his left hand toward Tōsōno Ejin, the wielder of the Blunt Sword: Dōkaku.

*Plop!*

A geyser of blood erupted as Rikkan Senmaru’s head flew into the air.

Behind him, lightning bolts struck the earth and trees, reducing them to charred ruins.

As more lightning bolts threatened to engulf him, Fujinaka Genma vanished again, reappearing instantly behind Tōsōno Ejin, catching the kunai.

He had deliberately thrown the kunai off-target—it had passed just above Tōsōno Ejin’s shoulder.

Now.

Behind Fujinaka Genma stood Tōsōno Ejin; before him stood Nishiyama Hamaguchi with Samehada and Munebi Sōhachi with the Exploding Sword: Hade.

Kiri no Kiri, wielding the twin blades, Bichō, lagged behind.

The towering Nishiyama Hamaguchi swung his massive, bandage-wrapped Samehada in a horizontal sweep toward Fujinaka Genma; Munebi Sōhachi swung the Exploding Sword: Hade, unfurling its scroll covered in explosive tags toward Fujinaka Genma.

At the same time, Tōsōno Ejin swung his Blunt Sword: Dōkaku backward toward Fujinaka Genma.

Ducking beneath Samehada’s sweep, Fujinaka Genma lightly placed his hand on Tōsōno Ejin’s foot—the Flying Thunder God seal silently climbed up his small toe.

Just as the explosive scroll was about to detonate, Fujinaka Genma vanished from his spot and reappeared at the location where the senbon had landed.

*Boom!*

The Exploding Sword: Hade exploded, churning dust and smoke.

Tōsōno Ejin, closest to the blast, dodged back over ten meters—barely avoiding injury, he cursed: "Damn it, that guy’s already gone—"

His curse wasn’t even finished when cold sweat poured down his face; his peripheral vision caught a flash of blade.

"How could he appear behind me?"

Before the thought fully formed, Fujinaka Genma, now re-clutching a senbon, brought his blade down from behind.

*Plop!* A geyser of blood spurted as another head rolled free.

Tōsōno Ejin, dead!

"Second!"

Fujinaka Genma murmured, casually flicking blood from the Raikiri blade, a faint smile on his face as he faced the remaining five.

"Now, Itachi can call yourselves the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."

"Though, that title might only last a few more minutes."

Seeing Fujinaka Genma’s smile, even Nishiyama Hamaguchi and the others—men who had killed countless times—felt a chill in their hearts.

Tōsōno Ejin and Rikkan Senmaru had died too fast, too strangely!

"Could this man have mastered the Body Flicker Technique like Konoha’s Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze?"

Biwa Juzō, his arms now recovered, recalled the intelligence he’d once glimpsed and spoke gravely.

"Are Itachi a disciple of Konoha’s Yellow Flash?"

Kiri no Kiri stepped forward, staring at Fujinaka Genma.

Fujinaka Genma gave no reply; his form, wrapped in white electric arcs, vanished from where he stood.

"Beware his kunai and senbon!"

Kiri no Kiri shouted.

Minato Namikaze was already famed throughout the ninja world; every ninja village had studied intelligence on his Body Flicker Technique.

Using kunai as carriers was no longer a secret.

Of course, knowing it was one thing—breaking it was another.

After all, the Flying Thunder God Technique didn’t just mark kunai—it could also mark a person’s body.

*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!*

Kunai rained down, scattering across the battlefield.

Fujinaka Genma’s form reappeared behind Kiri no Kiri and the others—the closest was Kurogiri Raiga, standing atop a large rock.