Keeping a sharp eye on Fuguki's movements, Saitama moved extremely fast. But due to chakra exhaustion, he wasn't quite as quick as he'd been when slicing off his enemy's arm.
And with excessive blood loss, Fuguki Suikazan's face had turned ghostly pale. The killing intent in his eyes seemed ready to boil over, locked tightly onto Saitama.
He channeled his chakra, guiding it around his wounds. Wisps of white smoke began rising from them, the flow of blood slowing down. He used his chakra's intense heat to seal his wounds shut.
After stopping the bleeding, he wasted no words. With a flick of his right hand, Samehada was thrown up and rested upon his shoulder as he dashed forward.
After fending off Jinin Akebino, Saitama took several deep breaths and charged straight at Fuguki.
Ssskreee!
Fuguki's spirit of placing himself in mortal danger would inspire any ninja. But against Saitama, this kind of behavior was nothing more than suicide!
The blade drove into Fuguki's chest as Saitama's left hand crackled with lightning, gripping Samehada tightly to keep it from cutting him.
With Fuguki greatly weakened by serious injuries, his strength had also diminished. Saitama easily seized Samehada.
"Hmph!" Saitama sneered, locking eyes with his enemy.
The moment the blade hit flesh, it lodged itself between Fuguki's muscles, halting its advance.
But that didn't slow Saitama—he sent another surge of electricity through the blade, amplifying the current.
Samehada, held firmly in his other hand crackling with Chidori, let out painful cries as well—though the energy kept getting absorbed, it happened at a relatively slow pace.
"Die!" Jinin shouted, reappearing behind Saitama and slashing downward.
Saitama frowned, then stomped hard on the ground, pulling the knife free before shifting his body elsewhere.
Boom!
The blade struck beneath Fuguki's feet, kicking up clouds of dust.
Coughing violently, Fuguki spat blood, his complexion darkening further as his body pitched forward.
"Damn it!" Jinin grabbed him, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on Saitama.
Dodging the attack barely slowed Saitama down.
Seeing Jinin supporting Fuguki, a spark of realization lit Saitama's eyes—he realized an opportunity presented itself.
Suddenly, thunderbolts crackled all over his body, accompanied by chirping sounds like countless birds.
Saitama vanished once again. Yet, a sinister grin formed at the corner of Jinin's lips.
One enemy severely injured, the other unable to match his speed—Saitama felt confident enough to finish both right here and now.
Saitama reappeared beside Fuguki. From Jinin's angle, there was naturally a blind spot due to Suikazan blocking his line of sight.
Looking at the half-closed eyes of Fuguki, a cold smirk crossed Saitama's face. Carrying the electrically charged blade with loud sizzling noises, he sliced directly toward his throat!
Jinin didn't seem to react yet, while Fuguki had clearly lost combat capability. Saitama already envisioned victory.
At that moment, Fuguki suddenly widened his eyes. With one hand, he formed a ninjutsu seal. Samehada lay abandoned on the ground.
[Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!]
Shouting the technique's name aloud, Fuguki disregarded completely the blade hurtling toward his throat.
A massive water dragon rose behind him, roaring furiously as it surged toward Saitama.
Perhaps due to the one-handed hand seal, Saitama was indeed surprised that the enemy still tried to ambush him at this moment, though he noticed the jutsu's weak power.
Rather than retreating, Saitama advanced forward. He dispelled the electric current on his blade and instead coated it with a thin layer of blue chakra.
This was the result of his recent training — wind-nature transformation. Although his mastery hadn't reached even half the proficiency of his lightning release, he could barely channel the transformed chakra onto the edge of the blade.
The enemy used Water Release, so continuing with Lightning Release would practically be suicide; after all, elemental advantages still mattered.
Fuguki Suikazan remained expressionless upon seeing this. Beside him, Jinin Akebino seemed to have anticipated it too. He released Fuguki and turned his body to face Saitama directly.
Sizzling!
The ninja sword pierced through the head of the water dragon. As Saitama advanced, the dragon split apart entirely and dissolved into two puddles of water.
His blade moved like thunder, reaching maximum speed, mercilessly chopping down toward Fuguki Suikazan, who struggled even to stand upright.
As for Jinin Akebino beside him, Saitama acted as if unaware.
The tomoe in his Sharingan spun wildly. Naturally, Saitama saw Jinin swinging his large sword, but as they closed in, he slid his foot sideways, squatted slightly, dodged the attack, and closed in directly on Fuguki Suikazan.
Sizzling!
Once again, the sword plunged into Fuguki Suikazan's chest. This time, Saitama not only increased the force but also twisted the blade in his hand.
A mocking smile appeared on the corner of Fuguki Suikazan's mouth — whether self-directed or meant for someone else, no one could tell. His eyes began to glaze over, as if he had foreseen his own death from the beginning.
With the blade still lodged inside, Saitama shoved Fuguki backward several paces. But immediately afterward, unwilling to linger, he yanked the sword free and kicked Jinin Akebino's incoming hammer with one foot, using the momentum to create distance.
Only one left!
Saitama fixed his gaze on Jinin Akebino. Nearby on the ground, Samehada seemed to sense Suikazan's death and writhed before slithering onto Fuguki's corpse, then lay still once more.
Jinin Akebino knew clearly that now wasn't the time to show fear — he needed to seize the initiative in combat rhythm, or else he'd end up dead.
If he could drag the battle long enough, eventually someone would notice what was happening here and come for backup.
Resolving himself, Jinin Akebino swung both weapons in his hands and charged toward Saitama, leaping over Fuguki Suikazan's corpse.
Since he couldn't match Saitama's speed, he chose the offensive instead, forcing Saitama to adapt to his pace.
But dreams die hard — reality always bites back.
Sensing the chakra flowing through him, Saitama knew he had more than enough power left to take down one last foe. With sudden acceleration, he rushed forward.
When there were about five meters remaining, Saitama slightly lifted his head, his chest puffing suddenly — as if something were gestating inside.
Then, watching the enemy still charging toward him, Saitama revealed a cold sneer. He felt a rising heat in his throat and spat out an enormous fireball. Immediately after releasing it, he formed rapid hand seals.
[Wind Release – Great Gale Palm!]
Same motion, different results — two totally distinct forces unleashed.
A hurricane-force blast erupted from Saitama's mouth — wild and uncontainable like an unleashed Siberian Husky.
In the blink of an eye, he caught up to the fireball previously spit out. The gusty winds fed the flames, causing the Wind-Fire Ninjutsu to swell rapidly, blazing fiercely!
[Sea of Fire!] Roaring flames surged toward Jinin Akebino.
This technique was none other than the rare Wind-Fire Ninjutsu combination seldom used by Saitama!
Originally thinking it was just a simple fireball, Jinin Akebino's expression suddenly tightened. He slammed his left hammer into the ground, ripping a chunk of earth upward to shield himself.
The flames raged wildly, crashing violently onto that slab of earth large enough to shield Jinin Akebino's body.
Crack!
But this was no ordinary earthen barrier created by Ninjutsu—it lacked the strength needed to withstand such powerful techniques. Within half a second, the entire slab had shattered into fine powder, scattering into the air.
Still, it had bought Jinin Akebino enough time.
Saitama shifted his gaze sideways. Jinin Akebino stood there panting heavily, both weapons slung over his shoulder with the wire connecting them.
"No choice then!"
Jinin Akebino placed both hands behind his back, which were now trembling uncontrollably—charred black, emitting faint wisps of white smoke.
Though he managed to block Saitama's technique earlier, the impact still affected a wide area.
Thinking about Saitama's lightning-fast swordplay, Jinin Akebino felt helpless as well.
Raising his eyebrows slightly, Saitama noticed something odd with his opponent.
Without hesitation, Saitama raised his blade, took a few steps forward, closing the distance with Jinin Akebino.
Likewise, Jinin Akebino swiftly grabbed his weapons again. Though weakened, he refused to give up so easily.
Only now did Saitama notice Jinin Akebino's scorched hands, but he remained expressionless, continuing to advance steadily.
Cold sweat broke out across Jinin Akebino's brow. His injured hands struggled even to grip his weapons, completely unresponsive.
Deng!
Saitama vanished from sight, reappearing right in front of his enemy in an instant.
Crrk!
A single slash struck Jinin Akebino near his throat, spraying blood everywhere!
Jinin Akebino barely managed to bring up his hammer across his chest in defense. Although he dodged slightly at the last moment, he still got hit by Saitama's decisive strike.
His body involuntarily staggered backward a few steps; the glint of death had already appeared in Jinin Akebino's eyes.
Another slash came. Saitama flashed behind him, leaving a long wound across his back, blood quickly soaking his entire upper body.
[Zap!]
Arcs of electricity surged along Saitama's blade, emitting a sharp, chirping hum [like a thousand birds].
[Final Blow!]
Saitama narrowed his eyes, watching Jinin Akebino collapse.
Electricity not only inflicted heavy damage but also caused paralysis!
Already in terrible condition, Jinin Akebino was now completely unable to resist.
His gaze locked on Saitama, a flicker of hope still flickering in his eyes. However, his hands could no longer hold his weapons, and numbness spread through much of his body—he was utterly helpless.
"Heheh!"
A helpless smile curled the corner of his mouth. As if staring straight at his own fate, he shot one final glare full of hatred at Saitama, pouring out all his resentment.
[Crack!]
A flash of blue-white lightning streaked past. A head spun upward into midair, then fell back down, rolling to a stop beside Fuguki Suikazan.
Saitama revealed himself, standing behind Jinin Akebino. Blood still clung to the edge of his blade, dripping steadily onto the ground near Saitama's feet.
...
The many ninja observing this scene remained silent. The Mist ninja also understood well that Saitama had not yet lost his combat ability at this moment, simply watching him cautiously retreat toward Konoha's rear lines.
At this moment, although Saitama's chakra levels were indeed approaching critical depletion, he had certainly not been rendered powerless.
Still, just to be safe, he decided to temporarily fall back for rest and recovery.
The area below his abdomen still ached from Suikazan's earlier kick, never fully recovering.
And there were also minor wounds across his body—though they didn't hinder his fighting ability.
Quickly leaving the battlefield, Saitama spotted the medics hiding at the rear—he strode over to them.
...
Orochimaru and Yagura hadn't actually fought each other this time, but Manda and the Mist's summoned beasts had clashed fiercely.
So one could only say that Manda truly deserves its status as an elite Boss Summon from one of the Three Legendary Clans, defeating four opponents simultaneously, claiming victory in the end while threatening to hunt down their hiding places and wipe them out completely.
Why? One of the opposing summons resembled Tsunade's Katsuyu—and it spat acidic liquid that corroded several patches of Manda's scales, severely damaging his appearance.
"Hehe!" Orochimaru kicked off the meeting with his trademark laugh.
"Once again during this operation, two more members of Mist's Seven Swordsmen have successfully been eliminated by us—an excellent opening for the upcoming battles!"
Orochimaru had already taken full command from Tsunade, assuming battlefield command of the entire operation. Nobody showed any dissent—after all, Orochimaru was an even more experienced ninja than Tsunade, currently a strong contender to become the next Hokage.
"I sensed something strange about Yagura's condition today," Orochimaru continued, licking his lips thoughtfully.
"I had fully prepared myself to fight him, yet unexpectedly, we merely traded blows without either going all out."
"Jiraiya will arrive here within the next few days. Once he arrives, we'll feel completely secure facing Yagura. With his arrival, we'll be able to pin Yagura down right here!"
Tsunade, seated to Orochimaru's left, crossed her arms and gave a slow nod.
The assembled ninja also nodded, surprised that when facing the Mist, Konoha could once again field the legendary trio of Sannin!
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