MTLNOVEL Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Follow Me, Westward We Go
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Fuguki Suikazan stared at the two figures who had suddenly appeared before him, his expression a mix of confusion and surprise. His eyes lingered on the blue-haired young man standing before him, who looked oddly familiar. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a wanted poster and compared it to the man in front of him.
"Are you the Third Kazekage?"
"That's right," Jinghang replied calmly.
"Hahaha! There's a road to heaven, yet you refuse to take it. But hell has no gates, and you've come knocking yourself!" Fuguki burst into laughter, his voice shrill and grating, like the cry of an owl in the dead of night.
"Your laugh is really unpleasant, you know that?" Jinghang retorted, visibly annoyed. Without hesitation, he launched an Iron Sand: Drizzle attack at Fuguki.
However, despite his large, pig-like frame, Fuguki moved with surprising agility, dodging the attack with ease. In one swift motion, he drew his massive Samehada blade and swung it toward Jinghang. Jinghang quickly formed a long black iron staff to block the strike, but to his dismay, his chakra was immediately drained into the blade.
The Samehada, now unwrapped from its bandages, revealed its grotesque form: a mouth filled with sharp teeth and a tongue that licked the air as if savoring a delicious meal. The black iron staff in Jinghang's hands, stripped of its chakra-infused magnetic properties, disintegrated back into a pile of iron sand that scattered to the ground.
"Be careful, everyone! That fat guy's sword is strange—it can absorb chakra!"
Jinghang clicked his tongue in frustration. The Samehada was indeed troublesome. In the future, it would be wielded by Kisame Hoshigaki, the so-called "Tailed Beast without a Tail," a man capable of single-handedly defeating the Four-Tails, Son Goku. Fuguki, Kisame's predecessor and leader, was clearly no ordinary opponent.
The Samehada's ability to absorb chakra and replenish its wielder made it a formidable weapon. Unless faced with someone like Might Guy, whose taijutsu prowess was unmatched, defeating Fuguki would be no easy task.
Wait a minute—Might Guy? And isn't his father right here? Jinghang's eyes lit up with realization. Might Duy had already opened the Seventh Gate, and he was standing by, ready for action.
"Duy, this fat guy is yours. I'll handle the other six!"
Might Duy didn't hesitate. With an exaggerated series of flips, he landed in front of Fuguki, striking a dramatic pose. He gave Jinghang a thumbs-up, as if to say, Leave this to me, before the blue steam surrounding his body intensified.
"The Blue Beast of Konoha has arrived! Prepare yourself!" Duy declared, assuming his signature taijutsu stance.
At that moment, Tsunade appeared behind the group, signaling to Jinghang with an "OK" gesture. It seemed she had successfully coordinated Konoha's forces to complete the encirclement.
Heh, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist… Today, your luck has run out!
"Even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the elite of Kirigakure, couldn't escape our encirclement completely. Three managed to flee, but the rest… well, they weren't so lucky." Jinghang sighed as he looked at the four corpses sprawled on the ground.
Once Might Duy engaged Fuguki Suikazan, Jinghang's task became significantly easier. His Magnet Release was practically a natural counter to sword-wielding ninjas (with the exception of the Samehada). In no time, the six remaining members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were in disarray. Any attempts to retreat were thwarted by Tsunade, Pakura, and the others, who had already cut off their escape routes.
The tide of battle quickly turned against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
At first, Fuguki hadn't taken the scruffy, bearded Konoha ninja in front of him seriously. But after exchanging a few blows, he realized this man was incredibly fast and strong. What's more, all of his attacks were purely taijutsu-based, leaving the Samehada unable to absorb any chakra.
This frustrated Fuguki immensely. How could someone whose chakra was leaking so visibly not have any for the Samehada to absorb?
As he hesitated for a split second, his opponent struck a strange pose and shouted, "Daytime Tiger!"
A massive blue-and-white tiger head roared toward Fuguki with overwhelming force.
Hah, finally using ninjutsu, huh? Watch as my Samehada absorbs every last drop!
"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"
A gigantic shark-shaped projectile surged forward to meet the tiger head. Fuguki grinned wickedly. The Great Shark Bullet Technique could absorb the chakra of any ninjutsu it collided with. The scruffy ninja was about to be torn to shreds!
But as the tiger head and the shark collided, something unexpected happened. The Great Shark Bullet was instantly shredded to pieces, and the tiger head transformed into a powerful shockwave that struck Fuguki squarely in the chest.
"How… how is this possible? This… this isn't ninjutsu?" Fuguki coughed up a mouthful of blood, clearly suffering severe internal injuries.
"That's right—it's not ninjutsu. It's taijutsu!" Might Duy stood tall, his blue aura gradually dissipating as he explained.
"This isn't chakra flow, either. It's evaporated sweat!"
Perched on a tree branch, the two young spectators, Hidan and Might Guy, watched with stars in their eyes, utterly awestruck.
Fuguki spat out another mouthful of blood and threw the Samehada into the air. As it unfurled, it wrapped itself around him like a cloak, transforming him into a hulking, shark-like monster.
"Retreat!" the monster roared, charging toward Duy with incredible speed before breaking through the encirclement.
The remaining members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen scattered in different directions to escape.
By the end of the skirmish, only Zabuza Momochi, Fuguki Suikazan, and Raiga Kurosuki had managed to flee. The rest were killed in action. On the Konoha and Sunagakure side, there were no casualties—well, almost none.
Might Duy lay on a stretcher, looking nothing like the mighty warrior he had been moments ago. His body emitted a foul odor, and his face was pale as he lay limp and exhausted.
"Will your dad be okay?" Hidan asked, his eyes filled with concern. Beside him, Might Guy clung to the stretcher, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Can you two not be so dramatic? He's just exhausted, not dying," Tsunade said, exasperated as she administered fluids to rehydrate Duy.
"You're too reckless, opening the Seventh Gate right from the start. If you keep this up, you'll end up crippled. You're staying on that stretcher for the next few days, no arguments!"
Jinghang picked up the Kabutowari (Helmet Splitter) and gave it a few test swings. Satisfied, he said, "What a fine blade!"
He pulled out an empty scroll, performed a sealing jutsu, and stored the weapon inside. Taking out a brush, he wrote the character "Double" on the scroll in bold strokes. Beneath it, he added "Explosion," "Blunt," and "Sewing."
"You really don't waste anything, do you?" Tsunade remarked, clearly unimpressed by Jinghang's looting.
"Here," Jinghang said, tossing the scroll to Tsunade. She caught it, her expression puzzled.
"Send this back to Konoha and have the Hokage issue a joint statement with Sunagakure condemning Kirigakure's despicable actions. Make it clear that we will hold them accountable. This will force the Mizukage to think twice before making any moves, ensuring Konoha's eastern border remains secure for the time being."
Tsunade was momentarily stunned. Jinghang smiled at her and said, "I told you, you have the potential to become Hokage. And being Hokage requires a broad perspective!"
"Everything's gone… It's all gone!" The villagers wept openly as they surveyed the ruins of their homes.
"What's your name?" Jinghang approached one of the villagers.
"My name is Takeuchi Ou, sir," the man replied, wiping away tears.
"What a pity," Pakura said, her voice filled with sympathy. "With winter approaching, these people will freeze or starve to death without their village."
Jinghang thought for a moment, then broke into a smile.
"Brother Takeuchi, are these all your people?"
"Yes, sir, they're all my brothers and family," Takeuchi replied, gesturing to the group of villagers.
"And how many of you are there in total?"
"Twelve, including the children."
"Alright, all of you, come with me!"
"Huh?" Takeuchi looked confused.
Jinghang donned his green Kazekage hat and said with a smile, "I'm the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure. In the west, we're building a new village. I'll provide food, shelter, jobs, and protection. You'll have new homes, new fields, and new lives. Will you come?"
Takeuchi's confusion turned to joy. He ran back to his people, shouting excitedly. Moments later, the group was cheering and bowing in gratitude before Jinghang.
Jinghang nodded and pointed dramatically to the west. "Follow me, westward we go!"
The villagers cheered as they followed him.
A little girl approached Jinghang, holding a crystal in her hands. With a sweet smile, she said, "Sir, this is for you."
Jinghang accepted the crystal and picked up the girl, examining the pink gem with a small flower inside.
"What's your name, little one?"
"My name is Guren Takeuchi," the girl replied.
"Ah, Guren. A wonderful name!" Jinghang beamed, his smile as wide as a cat that had just caught a canary.