Chapter 43: One Dead, Two Fled
The aftershocks of the Daytime Tiger hadn't yet faded. The scorched earth still radiated the heat of the Gate of Shock.
Raiga Kurosuki's hands, gripping his Lightning Blades, trembled slightly. His face was a shifting mask of wariness, shock, and a terror he thought he'd buried years ago.
He would never forget that battlefield during the Third Great Ninja War.
Back then, he was one of the arrogant Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Along with Juzo Biwa, Fuguki Suikazan, and the others, they had cornered three young Konoha genin, forcing them into a desperate situation.
They thought killing three brats would be easy. They hadn't expected a man in a green jumpsuit to charge in.
That man—Might Duy, Might Guy's father—opened the Eight Inner Gates with the resolve to die.
Red steam, like the fires of hell, swept across the battlefield. His taijutsu broke the limits of humanity. Every punch and kick carried earth-shattering power.
Raiga still remembered: Kushimaru Kuriarare's longsword snapped with one punch. Jinin Akebino's hammer shattered with one kick. Jinpachi Munashi's explosive blade was a toy before that power.
In that battle, the Seven Swordsmen were decimated. Four of his comrades died on the spot. Only he, Juzo, and Fuguki managed to escape through sheer luck and jutsu, but they all carried wounds that would never truly heal.
That was the fear of the Eight Inner Gates. A shadow carved into his very bones.
And now, right before his eyes, Might Guy was walking the exact same path as his father.
From the green vapor of the Sixth Gate to the blue steam of the Seventh Gate... that power, constantly breaking limits, was the key that unlocked Raiga's sealed memories.
Especially the image of Guy using the Daytime Tiger to crush everything... it perfectly overlapped with the memory of Might Duy rampaging across the battlefield.
"The Seventh Gate... Gate of Shock..." Raiga muttered. "Just like his father... just as crazy... just as suicidal..."
He thought that after all these years, he had overcome that fear.
But seeing Guy open the Seventh Gate, feeling that familiar, destructive power... he realized the fear had never left.
He was terrified. Terrified he would end up like his comrades, dead under that ultimate taijutsu.
"Retreat... we're retreating!" Raiga suddenly shouted at Zabuza beside him. "We can't beat that guy... If we don't leave, we'll all die here!"
"What are you afraid of?" Zabuza looked at his senior comrade with disdain. "He just opened the Seventh Gate. He can't hold it for long. If we work together, we can win."
Zabuza stared at Might Guy, who was leaning against a tree, panting. He was calculating. Guy was clearly in bad shape. If they attacked now, they could take him out, complete the mission, and eliminate a powerful enemy.
But Raiga acted like he didn't hear him. He was already backing away, his eyes glued to Guy, as if afraid the man would suddenly charge.
"Win? You have no idea what that power means!" Raiga's voice was bordering on hysterical. "You didn't see his father, Might Duy, open the Gate of Death! Seven of us surrounded three kids... and the result? Four of us died under that power! The three of us who survived barely escaped with our lives!"
Zabuza froze. He'd heard of the Seven Swordsmen's disastrous defeat, but he never knew the details.
"But the mission..." Zabuza still wanted to fight. To him, the mission was paramount.
"Is the mission more important than your life?!" Raiga cut him off, already retreating into the distance. "Stay if you want! I'm not dying here!"
With that, he ignored Zabuza, turned, and ran.
Kurenai tightened her grip on her kunai. In her fight with Raiga, her genjutsu had been broken repeatedly by his lightning, and her left arm had been grazed by a lightning blade, still throbbing with pain.
Seeing Raiga run, she immediately looked to Asuma. "Asuma, what do we do? Do we pursue?"
Asuma had one chakra blade still stuck in the ground, knocked from his hand by Zabuza earlier.
He stared at Raiga's retreating back, then at the hesitant Zabuza. His mind weighed the options.
The battle had drained a lot of his chakra. His arm was still numb from clashing with the Executioner's Blade. Guy had just opened the Seventh Gate and was vulnerable. Naruto and the others were all somewhat injured. Pursuing now wasn't the best choice.
"No pursuit," Asuma said, slowly retrieving his blade. "Raiga is terrified. He's moving fast. Chasing him would waste chakra and might lead us into a trap. Don't forget, he's a Lightning Style user. It's easy to set lightning traps in a rainforest."
Kurenai paused, then nodded. "You mean... he might be baiting us?"
"Very likely." Asuma nodded, turning his attention to Zabuza. "Besides, our priority isn't chasing enemies. It's protecting Naruto and the others. Guy is at his limit. Sakura needs time to heal everyone. If we leave, what happens if something else goes wrong?"
Kurenai looked over. Sakura was treating Lee's ankle. Hinata was on watch. Naruto and the others had joined Kakashi to surround Hidan. They really couldn't leave.
"But Zabuza is still there," Kurenai said, frustration in her voice. "Are we just letting him go?"
"Letting me go?" Zabuza sneered at them. "You got lucky this time. If Raiga hadn't run, you'd all be dead. Next time we meet, I won't miss."
Mist rose, and Zabuza vanished from their sight.
Almost simultaneously, Hidan, who was fighting Kakashi, suddenly leaped back, his scythe held defensively. "Hey, hey! Kakuzu actually got beaten by that old guy? You've gotta be kidding me!"
"And those two Mist trash... I knew I should have just sacrificed them to Lord Jashin. Keeping them alive was a waste!"
As Hidan ranted, Kakashi's reinforcements arrived. Naruto, Neji, and Tenten joined the fray.
The three of them ran to Kakashi's side, encircling Hidan.
"Naruto, Neji, listen!" Tenten began explaining Hidan's weakness. "His ability relies on getting his opponent's blood and using a curse ritual to inflict damage. Do not let his scythe or chain cut you! Once you bleed, we're in trouble!"
Hearing this, Hidan didn't panic. Instead, his laughter grew more manic. "So what if you know? As long as I touch your blood, you still die!"
The moment he finished speaking, he lunged straight for the nearest target—Tenten. "Let's start with you, little girl!"