"They're pretty cautious, running off to such a remote place."
"Without our thorough preparations, they might've actually escaped."
Kurirai Hōzuki glanced toward Minato's group heading toward the harbor and muttered with irritation.
Tracking down that red-haired kid had cost them quite a bit of effort.
"Just finding them was easy enough. What's so special about that kid?"
Tenkatsu Kubo fixed his gaze on Nagato but couldn't see anything remarkable about the boy whose hair covered his eyes.
"That's none of our concern. Just bring him back."
Fuguki Suikazan tried to recall any information he had on Minato and his companions but came up empty.
Among them, he was known as the most cautious and calculating.
"Take a good look — those behind them are from the Snow Clan. These Anbu are completely useless."
Jinton Guren recognized the leader of the Snow Clan.
"Looks like it. The Konoha ninja must be here to rescue them."
"How should we handle this?"
"The traitors too — kill them all."
With just a few words from each member, the fate of Minato's group was decided.
They didn't know the Anbu were already wiped out, nor did they see these people as real threats.
As for the Snow Clan, their survival was just luck.
The Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist wasn't just a title — it represented elite Mist shinobi trained specifically for the highest-tier missions.
They had the strength and confidence to ignore the Anbu entirely.
[Water Release: Hidden in Mist Jutsu]
As they formed hand seals, thick mist spread rapidly, astonishingly fast and wide.
"Enemy attack!"
Minato immediately took a defensive stance, though he could no longer see his comrades.
"Senior apprentice, my sensing ability has been disrupted."
Nagato instinctively used his sensing ability but detected no one.
Everything was now uncharted territory for them.
"It must be Mist ninjas."
Nawaki stated the obvious, yet everyone nodded in agreement.
"You're right, Lord Nawaki. Leave it to us."
The Snow Clan's leader understood the Hidden Mist Technique well — he himself could use it — and naturally knew how to counteract it.
[Wind Release: Typhoon Path Jutsu]
Ice Release is formed by combining Wind and Water Releases, and every member of the Snow Clan is proficient in Wind Release.
Together, their Wind Release instantly dispersed the dense fog, revealing seven figures charging forward through the clearing mist.
"The Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist..."
The clan leader turned pale. Having once belonged to the Mist Village, he certainly understood how formidable these seven individuals were.
"I've heard a little about them."
Minato gave his response. He'd met far too many powerful figures for something like this to surprise him much.
How strong could they possibly be compared to his teacher?
"That moving sword looks pretty interesting."
"It's just its owner looks kinda weird."
Nawaki couldn't help but comment on the swordsman's appearance as his eyes were drawn to Samehada in Fuguki Suikazan's hands. Even wrapped in bandages, the blade twisted like a living creature.
"What weird? More like ugly."
Konan wasn't one for subtlety. She voiced her reaction plainly.
She usually surrounded herself with handsome men and beautiful women — she'd never seen someone this grotesque before.
Fuguki Suikazan charged forward, clutching Samehada before him, ready to absorb any incoming ninjutsu.
His obese figure matched his face, as wide as a washbasin, filled with jagged teeth.
Two buns shaped like rasengan draped over his shoulders, and two long strands of hair hung down his chest. He was grotesquely hideous.
"Haha, then leave this ugly freak to me."
Nawaki laughed loudly, weaving hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
He wanted to test their strength first and see how strong these people really were.
"Lord Nawaki, jutsu won't work on him!"
The clan leader called out a warning. Nawaki still didn't understand the situation.
He opened his mouth wide and forcefully expelled a massive water dragon made entirely of water toward Fuguki Suikazan.
"Worthless."
Fuguki Suikazan's lips curled upward slightly. He swung Samehada and chopped directly at the head of the water dragon.
Minato's group watched in shock as the entire water dragon was completely absorbed.
"Absorbing ninjutsu? So that's the ability of that sword?"
Nawaki finally understood and became even more interested in Samehada.
"That's right. Each of these seven swords possesses a unique ability."
"We must be careful."
After saying that, the clan leader led his clan members into a defensive formation.
If not for Minato and the others being there, they would have most likely chosen to retreat.
"This is getting really interesting."
Excitement sparkled in Nawaki's eyes. He had decided—he wanted this sword.
"Now it's our turn."
At this moment, the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist drew closer. Having absorbed the chakra from Nawaki's Water Release, Fuguki Suikazan struck back instantly.
[Ninja Art: Needle Hair Barrage!]
Suddenly, his orange hair hardened and shot outward like razor-sharp needles, rapidly shooting toward the group.
[Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome!]
The Snow Clan finally made a move—rows of ice walls blocked all the flying hair needles.
"Just like Big Bro Jiraiya uses his hair in attacks, though this is far weaker."
Nawaki couldn't help but think of Jiraiya. Not many ninja used hair-based attacks.
But the strength was clearly far inferior to Jiraiya's—it seemed like Fuguki hadn't perfected the technique yet.
"Stop chatting and fight!"
Minato glared at Nawaki in annoyance—how could he still have time to think about irrelevant things at a time like this?
After speaking, the ice walls vanished, and he rushed forward first.
"Fools without self-awareness."
The Seven Swords all respected the young boy's bravery for not running away.
"Oh…!"
[Fanfic note: Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade – please add to your favorites: (m.]
"Wait for me!"
Nawaki followed closely behind, drawing the long blade from his back.
Yahiko's group also moved into action.
The battle officially began.
Minato raised his hand and immediately launched a barrage of Special Kunai.
The Seven Swords scattered, dodging while deflecting several kunai with their blades.
Minato instantly disappeared from the Seven Swords' vision and reappeared next to Tenkatsu Kubo.
Who else, since he was closest to where the kunai landed.
He slammed a Rasengan straight into Tenkatsu Kubo's face.
"So fast."
Tenkatsu Kubo felt the enormous energy within the Rasengan.
He lifted his Cleaver Sword to block it head-on, bracing the hilt with both hands.
Boom!!
An earsplitting explosion roared, leaving a deep fissure across the blade of the [Cleaver Sword].
Minato and Momohaku Juzo both staggered backward several meters.
Aware of Samehada's chakra-absorbing properties, Nawaki engaged Fuguki Suikazan in close combat.
By applying the [Weighted Rock Jutsu] to his [Long Blade], he managed to overpower him momentarily.
For a moment, Fuguki Suikazan found himself at a disadvantage, struggling to comprehend how this was even possible.
How could this brat possess such overwhelming power? It simply didn't make sense.
Kurirai Hōzuki wielded his twin blades, [Hiramekarei], continuously conjuring chakra spheres and launching them outward.
The weapon allowed for long-range assaults, but Nagato blocked each one effortlessly.
Konan and Yahiko squared off against Jinton Guren, the user of [Exploding Blade: Flying Droplets].
After several exchanges, Jinton Guren noticed that Konan's techniques bore striking similarities to his own signature sword technique.
Jinin Akebino, the wielder of the [Dull Blade: Kabutowari], and Kurirai Hōzuki, master of the [Long Blade: Needle], were both engaged by the Lion Trio.
The battle raged fiercely, seesawing between both sides.
Finally, Ruiga, the master of the [Lightning Blade: Fang], confronted the entire Snow Clan.
His wide-area techniques were ideally suited for battling groups.
If you enjoyed 'Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade', please consider bookmarking this story: (m.
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