Konoha’s Five-Element Ninja

Chapter 40: The Mysterious Blades

Early the next morning, under the gaze of numerous officials bidding them farewell, the Daimyo's procession slowly departed the capital, officially heading toward the border to sign the peace treaty. As one of the guards, Hayama stayed close to the palanquin, on high alert for any unexpected incidents.

The ostentatious farewell ceremony left no doubt about the procession's purpose, making it easy for any observer to deduce their mission. But there was no helping it—nobles demanded grandeur and spectacle; to abandon decorum was simply unthinkable.

Hayama and the others had prepared for this eventuality, and Jiraiya had even lined up performers, ready to stage their act once they were far enough from the city.

By that afternoon, a sudden attack, which ended as quickly as it began, halted their progress. After the 'deaths' of Hayama and Minato, a grief-stricken Jiraiya insisted they hurry to the border without further delay. The Daimyo, confronted with the dire circumstances, had no choice but to comply.

Once the Daimyo's group was safely away, Hayama—who was supposed to have died from shattered internal organs—wiped the 'blood' from his lips and slowly stood up.

Walking over to Minato's 'body,' he gave the man's hand a nudge with his foot, saying, "Stop pretending. Get up and get to work."

Unable to hold back his laughter, Minato sat up, shaking with mirth. He praised Hayama's acting skills, calling him a true professional.

Hayama gave a resigned sigh. "Ninjas have such low standards for humor these days. If I told you ten thousand corny jokes, you'd probably die laughing. Then again, Minato probably wouldn't even get them, so never mind. You're not worthy of hearing them anyway."

Everything was going according to plan. While the Daimyo might be a high-ranking noble, he wasn't the type to risk his life. Hayama's convincing performance had fooled him completely—though Minato's acting left something to be desired.

With one ninja in plain sight and the other hidden, they made quick progress toward the border. If all went well, they'd reach their destination by the next evening.

But, of course, things never went perfectly. Late the next morning, Hayama and Minato encountered enemies—more accurately, the enemies found them.

Although Hayama had mentally prepared for this possibility, he was still annoyed that the Mist ninja didn't seem to take him seriously.

He studied the two Mist ninjas who had revealed themselves without attempting an ambush. Narrowing his eyes, he began plotting how to send them on a permanent trip to the Pure Land. But their appearances were rather peculiar.

On the left was a tall, imposing figure, dressed fairly normally except for the massive weapon strapped to his back—a blade so large it resembled a coffin lid, with a huge hole in the center. Considering that ninjas prized agility, this enormous weapon seemed entirely impractical. Ninja villages had long since abandoned heavy armor in favor of lighter gear, yet this Mist ninja wielded such a cumbersome weapon. Hayama doubted he could even swing it properly.

On the right was another Mist ninja with more conventional weapons—two swords featuring forked blades. However, his appearance was so unattractive that Hayama, who had always considered himself rather plain, now felt downright handsome by comparison.

The two Mist ninja stood there arrogantly, staring at Hayama and Minato as if they were already dead. Their self-assured demeanor suggested great confidence in their own abilities.

Unfortunately for them, Hayama was also confident—though he never underestimated his opponents. Once he committed to a fight, he would go all out.

Lowering his stance into a combat posture, Hayama murmured to Minato, "Let's finish this quickly."

This fight would be fast-paced. The enemy's target was the Daimyo, so Hayama needed to eliminate them swiftly and return to provide support. There was no time for drawn-out battles or prolonged exchanges of jutsu.

Minato threw a few kunai while Hayama quickly formed hand signs.

One of the Mist ninja casually swatted away the kunai and was about to speak when Hayama's jutsu interrupted him.

"Earth Style: Rising Stone Spears!"

To this day, Hayama's most practiced techniques were his Earth Style jutsu, which he had perfected after mastering Earth Chakra nature transformation. The attack sent a dozen gleaming stone spears hurtling toward the Mist ninja with incredible speed. The ninja with the coffin-lid sword snorted and swung his massive blade in a wide arc, smashing the spears to pieces.

Hayama's eyes flickered with surprise. You needed serious skill to wield such a massive weapon with ease. This Mist ninja was clearly a taijutsu specialist.

However, no matter how skilled a taijutsu user was, ninjutsu still held the upper hand—unless the opponent had mastered taijutsu to its absolute peak.

Minato appeared like a phantom behind the Mist ninja, thrusting his kunai toward the man's neck. At the same time, Hayama was already preparing his next jutsu, his fingers deftly weaving new signs.

Despite the surprise attack, the sword-wielding Mist ninja seemed unfazed. Just as the kunai was about to connect, his partner, wielding the twin forked blades, unleashed a surge of lightning from his weapons. A ball of electricity hurtled toward Minato's face, forcing him to retreat. Although caught off guard by the technique, which was performed without hand signs, Minato quickly teleported back to Hayama's side using his Flying Thunder God Technique.

Hayama, understanding Minato's unspoken signal, responded immediately. Releasing a surge of chakra, he created a roaring wave of fire that surged toward the Mist ninja.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!"

But the wide-range, high-power jutsu failed to scorch its targets. A water dragon erupted from the Mist ninja's mouth, dousing the flames entirely.

Thick steam rose and obscured the battlefield. Squinting through the mist, Hayama's body crackled faintly with lightning chakra, ready to act.

Surprisingly, the Mist ninja didn't attack during this advantageous moment. Instead, they stood silently, waiting for the fog to clear.

The Mist ninja weren't in any rush. They were more than happy to take their time. But Hayama had no such luxury—he needed to maintain constant pressure, ensuring there were no gaps in his offense.

As the mist began to thin, Hayama, now crackling with lightning, appeared in front of the twin-blade-wielding Mist ninja. His short sword swept upward in a feint. The Mist ninja parried, only to realize too late that it was a ruse.

With a sly grin, Hayama vanished, reappearing behind his opponent. In a split second, his blade was driving toward the Mist ninja's heart.

But the Mist ninja, thrown off balance by his previous movement, couldn't fully defend himself. In a desperate gamble, he channeled all his remaining chakra into his blade, unleashing a crackling web of electricity.

The electric net enveloped Hayama as he plunged his blade into the Mist ninja. Though his target survived the blow—barely—Hayama's own body was paralyzed by the electrical shock.

The Mist ninja, now gravely wounded, glared at Hayama with killing intent. Despite his injuries, he prepared one final, devastating attack—a barrage of lightning strikes from the sky.

As the bolts descended, Hayama was immobilized, unable to evade. His body, already wracked with pain, seemed on the verge of giving out. Instinctively, his own lightning chakra surged outward, attempting to mitigate the incoming damage.

With a deafening crash, the lightning struck, leaving behind a massive crater. The surrounding trees were set ablaze, smoke and ash billowing into the sky.

Minato, unharmed, teleported away to safety. The remaining Mist ninja wasn't so fortunate. The aftershocks left him scorched and smoking, his hair standing on end and wisps of smoke curling from his open mouth.

Ignoring the incapacitated Mist ninja, Minato rushed back to the crater, desperately searching for Hayama.

After a tense few moments, a hand clutching a scorched sword hilt emerged from the rubble. Minato hurried over, pulling Hayama out like uprooting a stubborn weed.

Hayama's body was charred black, his hair completely gone. He lay there gasping for air, occasionally coughing up blackened blood. Minato knew his internal organs must have taken serious damage.

Wasting no time, Minato retrieved a life-saving serum from Jiraiya and injected it into Hayama. The potent medication quickly began to work its magic, restoring some of Hayama's shattered body functions.

As the serum coursed through his veins, Hayama felt a soothing warmth spread throughout his body. His lungs, barely functional moments ago, regained a hint of vitality. The worst of his internal injuries began to mend, and his skin slowly started to regenerate.

Hayama didn't know exactly what Minato had given him, but he was certain it was a rare, highly valuable medicine—a last-resort remedy.

Though still lying flat on the ground, Hayama was struck by the Mist ninja's determination. After being stabbed, his opponent had resorted to suicidal measures, recklessly summoning lightning in an attempt to kill them both. "Serves them right, being stuck on that miserable island," Hayama thought bitterly. "Maybe they'll finally learn to calm down after this."

As for his own injuries, Hayama wasn't too worried. Thanks to the serum, he was confident he'd survive. But losing all his hair? That was a blow to his pride.