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With a "boom," Haori, carrying Yashamaru, leaped from the Yatagarasu, which had lowered its altitude, and landed on the ground behind Might Dai.
"Dai-sensei?" Haori asked.
Haori suddenly appeared, and the enemy's gaze passed through Dai, lingering on Haori and Yashamaru for a moment before returning to Dai.
Because of Guy, Haori and Dai knew each other, but this was the first time Haori had seen Dai like this. So, when he was in the air, he had to identify and hesitate before finally confirming the other person's identity.
"That voice, Haori?" Dai didn't turn around, but he could tell who had arrived just from the voice.
On Might Dai now, simply sensing his chakra strength showed that he had surpassed his limits, and had easily surpassed the Kage level… So, the jutsu he was using now was obvious:
Eight Inner Gates.
"Dai-sensei, can you still stop the Eight Inner Gates?" Haori's tone held a strange emotion. He had already realized something.
The enemy on the other side was not only powerful, but they also outnumbered them. In this situation, Dai had no choice but to unleash all of his strength.
Actually, as long as Dai was in the Seven Gates state, if he combined his efforts with Haori, they would have no problem fighting the enemy or escaping.
But unfortunately, it was too late to say anything now.
"Open, Rest, Live, Injury, Limit, View, Shock… Death. To be precise, this state should be called the 'Eight Inner Gates Formation'…" Because he was in a special state, Dai's voice sounded slightly different than usual. But Haori could still hear the calmness and composure in it.
"So, until I die, my chakra won't stop, and the jutsu won't stop either."
Or rather, when his chakra stops from this extreme state, it will also mean the end of his life.
The Eight Inner Gates indeed had reason to be classified as a forbidden jutsu. It wasn't just because of the extreme burden it placed on the ninja's body during training and use, but also because once the Death Gate was opened, it meant that death became an irreversible process.
In that sense, this jutsu was no different from Deidara's C0.
So, Haori could see Dai's end, but he was helpless.
The Dai in front of him, with crimson steam erupting from his entire body, mixed with the chakra flowing to the limit around him, this extreme state of exponentially increasing his own strength, gaining instantaneous power, but life seemed to be the only thing that could be exchanged for it.
Death was a foregone conclusion.
Dai's hair had been dyed dark red, the same as the red mist that erupted from his body. It was all his blood.
A decisive technique, this was it.
"Then… I just need to witness this, right?" Haori said. In this state, Might Dai probably wouldn't need his help when facing the enemy.
Even if his enemies were the Kirigakure Seven Ninja Swordsmen… except for the two that Haori had killed in two separate instances, the remaining five from the same generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had all gathered here.
But there was nothing to fear. Might Dai, having opened the Death Gate and entered the Eight Inner Gates Formation, his enemy was not the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, but his own body's extreme burden and chakra.
If his chakra could hold out until the end, then it wouldn't just be Dai who was destined to die.
Probably no one could withstand his attack. Probably even the Sharingan wouldn't be able to catch his movements.
"Well, the Eight Inner Gates Formation is the only technique I've trained for 20 years. Now, everything I wanted to protect has been protected. So, 20 years of effort have yielded a return and value beyond my imagination."
Dai's tone held… joy.
Because Guy and the others had safely left this place.
"But… only in this state do I realize that what I can do now is not just to restrain and delay… I wonder if I can withstand the Kirigakure Jōnin group."
The "withstand" in Dai's words was not just about withstanding. It actually meant "defeating."
"So, you just need to watch."
The power of the Eight Gates state and the Seven Gates state were on different levels. So, Dai, who had never entered this state before, was not accurate in his estimation of the Eight Gates' ultimate strength.
The delay he had originally mentioned was clearly an underestimation of himself.
So, facing the formidable enemy, he didn't persuade Haori to leave like he had persuaded Guy and the others. Because he felt like he could handle them.
Even though he was just a Genin, and the enemy was five elite Jōnin.
"Do you need me to set up a barrier? To prevent… these people from escaping?" Haori said.
The next part was Dai's battle. He wouldn't interfere, but to prevent anyone from escaping, he could set up a sealing barrier.
As a ninja, this occasion should be the best curtain call for Dai. So, Haori didn't want anyone to ruin this stage.
"No need. Just watch. A barrier isn't necessary. My speed now is probably faster than anyone can escape."
This conversation between the two sounded unrealistic to Yashamaru. Although the Konoha ninja in front of her had ridiculously strong chakra, even if he were facing a Tailed Beast, a group of ninjas like the Seven Ninja Swordsmen shouldn't be impossible to handle. But in their conversation, it was as if the other side was destined to die.
"Then…"
Haori didn't say anything more. He just took Yashamaru and stepped back, leaving Dai to face the enemy alone.
"The fate of Konoha ninja, Might Dai, will be witnessed by fellow Konoha ninja, Uehaishi Haori!"
"To be able to witness the birth of the 'strongest,' Uehaishi is truly honored!"
Indeed, the strongest. In the current shinobi world, who could stop the Eight Inner Gates?
And throughout this whole time, Might Dai didn't turn around. As Haori's voice fell, it also signaled the beginning of the battle.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen seemed to be waiting for Might Dai to be ready. They hadn't attacked before, but because of Haori's arrival, they had changed their strategy.
Haori retreated a sufficient distance, then leaned Yashamaru against a rock. He stood beside her, watching the battlefield.
"Who is he?" Yashamaru asked. She hadn't heard of any Konoha ninja this strong before.
"Before today, he was just an ordinary Genin."
"After today…" Haori couldn't think of how to describe it for a moment. Then, he looked at Yashamaru, and a word appeared in his mind. "Yes, he should be a hero."
...
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were the first to move.
They could feel Dai's strength at this moment. Originally, the battle should have been a tough, hard-fought attack. But Haori's appearance had caused them to change their strategy.
Dai had stepped forward to protect his comrades. Now, new comrades had appeared in front of him.
So, if anyone attacked Haori, Dai would inevitably come to the rescue. And the rest of them could aim for a fatal blow when Dai showed an opening.
The Long Sword Sewing Needle, Jūzō Biwa.
Judging from his physique and the weapon he used, this person was a ninja who was very good at speed.
He was indeed very good at speed. Although Haori had pulled back a sufficient distance, he almost instantly appeared in front of Haori as he launched his attack.
That blade, which was said to pierce and sew everything, was only ten centimeters away from reaching Haori's heart.
But Haori didn't even look. He didn't react at all.
Because at this moment, in this situation, all high-speed attacks were… showing off.
No one was faster than Might Dai.
Before Jūzō Biwa could feel that he had "succeeded," a sense of fear that was enough to engulf all his spirit suddenly struck him!
Was it an illusion?
No, it was just Might Dai's crimson figure appearing directly above him.
And Dai's attack was simply the Konoha Powerful Whirlwind.
In Haori's eyes, his right leg slammed into Jūzō Biwa's back. The immense force sent the other person's body crashing to the ground!
"Boom!"
The ground instantly caved in, centered on the point where Dai's attack landed.
Then.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The immense force transmitted by this powerful attack was too much for the ground to bear instantly. After Dai's attack stopped, the ground caved in from the inside out, creating concentric circles of craters.
The Konoha Powerful Whirlwind in the Eight Gates state had a speed and power boost. This attack was probably like Saitama-sensei's "ordinary series," with an extraordinary level of destructive power.
This was a fatal blow. In just one strike, Kirigakure Jōnin Jūzō Biwa didn't get back up.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen's strategy was good. Dai did come to the rescue.
But where was the so-called opening?
---
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