Minato's long blade seemed like a child's plaything next to the Cleaver Sword.
Tenkatsu Kubo's expression darkened. Each blow landed with terrifying force.
He hoped his ironclad defense would buy him time against Minato.
The Flying Thunder God technique was utterly unguardable.
"Try this on for size!"
Nawaki charged forward, delivering a straightforward downward chop with no tricks involved, forcing Tenkatsu Kubo into a swift retreat.
He knew all too well Samehada's capabilities.
In the original plot, he probably wouldn't have withdrawn so decisively even when facing a Tailed Beast Ball.
Nawaki's strike missed, crashing heavily onto the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
When he lifted Samehada again, a terrifyingly deep crater formed where it hit the ground.
"Finish this quickly."
Minato and Nawaki exchanged glances before striking simultaneously.
They darted toward Tenkatsu Kubo from opposite directions, passing by him in an instant.
As they did, Pipa Shizou's body was sliced into three pieces, collapsing into a puddle of water that spilled out across the battlefield.
As they did, the body of Shibuki Jakuzo was sliced into three pieces, collapsing into a pool of water that spread across the battlefield.
Knowing he couldn't match their strength, he'd already used a water clone.
"Today I've run into one iron wall after another."
Spitting in frustration, Tenkatsu Kubo reappeared at a distance.
Now that he had regained his composure, Suikazan's death rang like a warning bell in his mind.
He would no longer treat Nawaki and Minato as mere children.
Looking across the battlefield casually, he encountered yet another shocking sight.
Kurirai Hōzuki had been injured—despite having the Hydrification Technique.
"What the hell?! Since when does this brat know so many jutsu?"
[Water Release: Water Gun Technique!]
Kurirai Hōzuki formed his hand like a pistol, firing liquid bullets from his fingertip toward Nagato.
His Hiramekarei sword had already consumed too much of his chakra.
[Earth Release: Earth Dome Return!]
Nagato slammed his palm against the ground. The earth before him flipped upward, forming a large stone slab that blocked each incoming Water Gun.
From the start of the battle until now, he hadn't moved a single step—he was a complete artillery unit.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!]
After forming several Hand Seals, Nagato exhaled a mass of flames from his mouth, splitting into three streams attacking Kurirai Hōzuki from the front, left, and right.
The chakra-infused fire roared like a raging dragon.
"Not this again…"
Earlier, Kurirai Hōzuki had barely escaped this move through his Hydrification Technique, only to be paralyzed immediately afterward by an unexpected Lightning Release attack.
He started to wonder if someone had spilled the beans about his water form's weakness—who else would target it with Lightning Release like that?
Thankfully, Nagato wasn't familiar enough with his abilities and hesitated to press forward out of caution.
Otherwise, Kurirai wouldn't have gotten off this easily.
Realizing evasion wasn't possible again, Kurirai Hōzuki gulped down a large amount of water and activated his Hydrification Technique once more.
Nagato's lips curled into a faint smile upon seeing this.
[Shadow Clone Jutsu!]
Four clones materialized around him. The real Nagato formed new seals and launched another lightning technique—a familiar strategy.
He'd already pinpointed Kurirai Hōzuki's weakness and was determined to exploit it completely.
Missing once could be forgiven as unfamiliarity, but missing twice meant he wasn't worthy of being called a ninja.
[Lightning Release: Thunderbolt!]
Nagato unleashed a sharp lance of lightning from his mouth, aimed directly at Kurirai Hōzuki.
Kurirai Hōzuki found himself unable to solidify fast enough—the return from liquid to solid was much slower than the other way around.
And Nagato didn't even pause, as if this scene had already played out countless times in his mind.
The moment Kurirai Hōzuki, now water-manipulated, was struck by the lightning spear, Nagato's original body and shadow clone had already finished forming different seals.
Kurirai Hōzuki's water-based form was reduced to a clay-like state by the Lightning Release, unable to regenerate and only capable of staying rooted on the spot.
[Five Release Great Combo Technique]
With coordination from four shadow clones, Nagato simultaneously launched five different elemental Ninjutsu—Fire, Lightning, Water, Earth, and Wind—at Kurirai Hōzuki.
This was Hiruzen Sarutobi's ultimate move. It was also inspired by a suggestion from Kawaki.
There was no reason why Hiruzen could do it but Nagato, who was practically cheating, couldn't.
This was the first time Nagato had used it in actual combat, and the power was genuinely shocking.
Even he himself was startled—it was way more impressive than during practice, where he always held back.
Boom!!
The massive explosion roared deafeningly, capturing everyone's attention.
For a moment, the entire battlefield seemed to freeze.
After the mushroom cloud dissipated, nothing remained of the place—no sign of Kurirai Hōzuki whatsoever.
Even the dual swords Hiramekarei were shattered past recognition under Nagato's terrifying attack.
One legendary ninja sword was lost forever; from now on, even if they were fully gathered again, there would only be six members of the Seven Swords.
"Nice job."
Nawaki shouted happily.
Nagato gave him a smile, intending to go assist others, but staggered slightly as he walked.
He had expended far too much chakra—this had been his most grueling battle yet.
Seeing that Minato and Nawaki were both available for support, he simply plopped down onto the ground.
He retrieved a Military Rations Pill crafted by Tsunade from his ninja tool pouch and popped it into his mouth.
It melted instantly upon entering his mouth, spreading warmth through his body as his strength slowly returned.
At least temporarily, he was out of fighting capability unless someone provoked an intense emotional surge to awaken his Rinnegan.
"If Nagato's already wrapping up, then I must look pretty weak as his senior."
Minato joked self-deprecatingly, though his face showed no real embarrassment.
Seeing Nagato perform so brilliantly, he felt only joy.
Even he couldn't confidently claim to walk away unharmed from such an overwhelming technique just now.
"At least admit you're inferior. Now go back and fight harder."
Nawaki teased Minato and flew toward Tenkatsu Kubo, who was still dazed.
Two of the Seven Swords were gone—the tide of victory began to turn decisively.
Under the fierce attacks from Minato and Nawaki, Tenkatsu Kubo's body quickly bore multiple wounds.
Letting out a cry of pain after Nawaki slashed him, Tenkatsu Kubo immediately lost half his chakra.
The absorption ability of those barbed hooks clearly paled in comparison to wide-area absorption techniques.
Minato seized the opportunity and flashed forward. Struggling to raise the Cleaver Sword to block again, Tenkatsu Kubo faced the Rasengan.
That Rasengan blew straight through both the Cleaver Sword and Tenkatsu Kubo himself, shattering them completely.
Blood sprayed across the massive blade. Strangely enough, this twisted ninja sword started slowly regenerating as it absorbed the blood.
Yet Minato didn't notice any of this—even if he did, he might have merely muttered, "Interesting."
"It's almost over."
Minato and Nawaki cast one final glance at Nagato. Confirming he was unharmed, they headed to the next battlefield.
The Snow Clan had finally been reinforced. Though they had a Kekkei Genkai, their mastery of it was still rudimentary.
Even their clan leader was no more formidable than a strong ant when facing true experts.
Raiga Kurosuki drove both his swords into the ground. All Snow Clan members within range were now marked as targets.
Branch-like arcs of blue lightning surged from the swords in a continuous barrage, unleashing relentless strikes.
This was one of his signature techniques — [Lightning Coffin: Thunder Feast].
Luckily for the Snow Clan, ice doesn't conduct electricity—otherwise, those hiding behind the ice walls would have already been fried.
Still, their current predicament was little better—they could only defend themselves in chaotic disorder.
The clan leader wanted to step forward and unleash a secret jutsu but never got the chance, constantly suppressed by Raiga's overwhelming pressure.
He had once admired the might of the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist. Even their wind-based techniques had failed to defeat Raiga.
Now three of the Seven were gone, leaving him cursing his own weakness.
If you enjoy Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade, please add it to your favorites: (m.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>