Chapter 180: Fall of the Swordsmen

~Kenta~

Kenta stood with his four remaining comrades, his guard remaining up while he cautiously drew his tanto from it's sheath while eyeing the mist around them, with him being prepared to take out the next opponent that would reveal themselves.

"There should be four of them left if Sakumo and Duy are dealing with the three. That makes this an even battle for all of us. Be prepared to deal with whoever reveals themself and do so as fast as possible so that we can quickly assist each other." Kenta said as his blade suddenly began to emit a massive amount of heat.

Suddenly and without warning, a massive blade burst through the mist in an attempt to cleave through the group, though Kenta blocked it with his own and knocked the blade to the ground.

"Found you." Kenta said as his Sharingan spun, with his using it to trace back where the blade was sent from.

Kenta immediately performed the Body Flicker to move in the place that the blade came from, with him seeing the man widen his eyes before sending a flaming slash toward his shoulder, causing him to jump back while wincing due to the wound.

The man eyed Kenta warily while avoiding his eyes as he seemed to be silently weighing his options.

"Juzo Biwa. The newest member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. I'm afraid you won't have the opportunity to grow in your new role." Kenta said.

Right after finishing, Kenta burst with immense speed, using his flames to enhance even further as he attempted to decapitate him and end the battle instantly.

Juzo dodged, yet the searing heat from the blade seemed to burn his throat just by being near it. 

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!!"

Juzo spat a massive dragon towards Kenta, yet he seemed unbothered by the attack, with him merely smirking before leaving signs of his own.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!!

Kenta sent a powerful blast of fire that engulfed the area they were in into flames, devouring both Juzo's Jutsu and the man himself, turning him into nothing more than a charred corpse.

'Looks like I overdid it. I forgot not everyone can counter me with monstrous Water Release like Tsuna can.' Kenta thought while sweatdropping at his actions.

However, he immediately became serious again as departed to aid whoever needed his help.

~Shiro~

'Oh, it seems that the battles are going to end quickly. Why? Because we easily outclass the Swordsmen of The Mist in terms of combat prowess.' Shiro thought to himself as his bugs locked on to his target.

"I'll finish this quickly." Shiro said to his comrades before quickly running toward the enemy.

However, just as he arrived near the man, he was forced to quickly dodge as an axe hit the spot he previously was.

"Oh?" Shiro said questioning the man who attacked him, with him calmly analyzing him while staring at the vicious smile on his face.

"An Aburame? You bastards never show the right expressions when I kill you." Jinin Akebino said while grinning.

And just like that, Jinin had managed something that very few had accomplished and something that even fewer would dare to attempt: Pissing off an Aburame.

Just as the man was about to begin the battle, he suddenly found himself unable to mold his chakra, after which he felt excruciating pain.

"My insects were quietly entering your body through the gaps within your pores. They are a new variant that possesses the ability to drain chakra. However, I've instructed them to not just devour your chakra, but to also devour you. 

From the inside out."

Shiro merely walked away while the seasoned shinobi began to beg for him to kill him, the insects beginning a cycle of devouring him and laying eggs to increase their number to increase the speed of the process.

'I wonder if the others need help?' Shiro pondered while the screams seemed to leave him unbothered.

~Dan~

Dan looked at his surroundings and gave a small smile to Akari, with him then turning his attention towards the signature he sensed that seemed to be attempting to hide.

"Be safe." Akari said, making Dan pause slightly before going towards his target, intending to finish the battle swiftly.

Dan traveled a small distance before stopping, where he looked to find Kushimaru Kuriarare, with him shooting him a cold smile.

The man was viewed by many as one of the most cruel members of the Swordsmen, and that was worth acknowledging for someone who came from the Bloody Mist.

Dan wasted no time in enhancing his movements with Wind Release, allowing his kunai to become even sharper and his movements to become even swifter.

Kushimaru sent the needle towards him, though Dan was able to dodge the attack as he continued his assault.

Kushimaru grew cautious as he jumped back, unable to decipher the intentions of Dan as he simply charged at him with little care for his own safety.

Just as he did, another Dan emerged from the ground and tackled him in his back, leading to Kushimaru stabbing the Dan that grabbed him in the back, though it merely turned into smoke.

'A clone?' Kushimaru thought to himself, though before he could react, another version of Dan emerged from a tree and ran directly into him and through his blade, making him halt his actions.

Kushimaru then suddenly stabbed himself in the neck with the sewing needle, killing himself while widening his eyes in realization.

A ghostly version of Dan then emerged from the corpse, with him glancing at Kushimaru's body before heading back to his own body.

He could only hope that Akari was safe from the swordsmen she had to deal with.

~Akari~

Akari stood still as she waited for the final member of the swordsmen to emerge after having already sensed his position, ready to engage and defeat him to end the battle.

It didn't take long for him to emerge as she detected him move in front of her, as if fully underestimating her capabilities.

"Well, looks like I get to have fun with the little Kunoichi. Don't worry, I won't make you suffer too much." The man, who she identified as Jinpachi Munashi, said while grinning at her menacingly.

"I believe you are misunderstanding something. The only reason I didn't engage earlier is that I simply didn't wish to allow you to get involved in the other battles or escape since I knew you were watching me. Now, allow me to demonstrate why many view me as the successor to the Sarutobu Clan's talent." Akari stated before biting her thumb and slamming her hand into the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!!"

The smoke cleared to reveal one of the most dangerous summons none to the Shinobi World: Monkey King Enma.

"Looks like you need some help, little Kari. Let's finish this quickly." Enma said as he and Akari both headed towards Jinpachi, with him immediately sending Paper Bmbs toward them in an attempt to separate the two.

"Enma, Transform!" Akari shouted.

Enma changed from his normal form into an Adamantine Staff, with him flying into her hands to continue the battle.

Akari, instead of engaging closely, extended Enma at immense speed at him, with Jinpachi barely able to dodge the blow.

"Enma, Widen!"

Enma suddenly grew in length, the newfound size knocking Jinpachi back into one of the trees, injuring him in the process.

However, before the two could continue the intense battle, a flaming sword suddenly pierced Jinpachi's head through the tree, killing him instantly.

"You know I didn't need any help right?" Akari said with a small smile while Enma released his transformation.

"Yes. But Dan would probably try to possess me if I allowed you to get hurt during the battle." Kenta said with a smirk.

However, before the two could continue, an immense explosion went off in the distance, making both head off in the direction.