Haruto Saito deliberately revealed himself—this was all part of his strategy!
Hattori Ryuuno and his group abruptly halted and turned around.
"You..." Hattori Ryuuno's eyes landed on a young ninja standing atop a tree branch, draped in a black cloak and wearing sunglasses.
Although Haruto Saito's height had changed, and his hood concealed half of his face, Hattori Ryuuno still recognized him instantly. A mix of shock and excitement flashed across his expression.
Shocked, because Haruto Saito had revealed himself so boldly—was it a trap?
Excited, because he no longer needed to search. Today, he would tear Haruto Saito apart, piece by piece!
"What do you mean 'you'? Are you all slow in the head? Your reactions are so sluggish..." Haruto Saito spoke quickly as he formed hand seals.
In the blink of an eye—
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A terrifying surge of chakra erupted from Haruto Saito's body. The sky darkened as if the heavens were collapsing, and an immense torrent of water cascaded down from above like a celestial flood.
No words, just immediate action!
The battle erupted in an instant!
Haruto Saito had no interest in wasting time with them. Attack first, talk later!
This was the Great Waterfall Technique amplified eightfold!
The flood struck the ground like an earthquake, sending shockwaves through the terrain. The deafening roar of water echoed for kilometers as the earth split apart, and torrents surged in all directions.
"Water Release: Super Wall Armor!"
"Water Release: Myriad Crystals!"
"Water Release...!"
Hattori Ryuuno and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist reacted swiftly, each deploying their own Water Release techniques.
Haruto Saito never intended to deal serious damage with this attack; he was simply creating chaos, setting the stage for an opportunity!
The surrounding forest was utterly annihilated by the raging waters!
Haruto Saito leapt into the air, hurling a Flying Thunder God kunai. His body vanished and reappeared behind one of his enemies. He didn't care who it was—it wasn't Hattori Ryuuno. That was enough.
He swung his blade!
He only had one strike, but the attack merely forced his opponent backward without causing substantial harm.
Then, the counterattack began!
Escape!
Haruto Saito flung another Flying Thunder God kunai and teleported over a hundred meters away. Then he unleashed another devastating technique—a Wind Release: Breakthrough amplified thirty-two times! A ferocious storm erupted, lifting the water from the ground into monstrous waves!
"Secret Technique: Cursed Binding Chains!"
A crimson chain of cursed seals shot toward Haruto Saito, piercing through space itself with incredible speed!
Haruto Saito narrowly dodged.
In that instant, Hattori Ryuuno vanished!
A second later, the water beneath Haruto Saito exploded as Hattori Ryuuno emerged, his blade flashing like a thunderbolt. Hattori Ryuuno was both a samurai and a ninja; his sword strike carried a ten-meter-long arc of energy that screeched through the air, threatening to tear reality itself.
Haruto Saito was stunned. Truly... a monstrous level of strength!
But he dodged!
Vanishing into thin air!
Hattori Ryuuno sneered coldly and immediately pursued Haruto Saito. Haruto reappeared dozens of meters away, only to throw another Flying Thunder God kunai, teleporting once more to maintain his distance before unleashing another powerful jutsu!
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Another one!
Yet again, it had little effect.
But this was all part of Haruto Saito's plan. He had no intention of fighting all eight of them head-on. He couldn't win that fight. Instead, he feigned desperation, making it seem like he was constantly relying on the Flying Thunder God Technique to survive.
This way, Hattori Ryuuno and his team would believe that without teleportation, Haruto Saito was nothing. That he was only barely holding on.
Yes, the Flying Thunder God was formidable, but it wasn't an offensive jutsu in itself.
So, no one feared Haruto Saito!
He was burning through his chakra at an alarming rate!
But that didn't matter. He had recovery cards, and he still hadn't used his Yin Divine Kunai. He wasn't worried!
After ten minutes of this cat-and-mouse game—
The surrounding area had been reduced to a barren wasteland. Haruto Saito had lost count of how many times he had teleported. His chakra reserves were down to less than ten percent, while Hattori Ryuuno and his team had barely spent any energy.
Hattori Ryuuno once again closed in on Haruto Saito with ghostly speed.
Haruto Saito appeared visibly exhausted. His reaction time seemed sluggish. Forced into close combat, he clashed with Hattori Ryuuno briefly but took a slash to his abdomen before he could teleport away again!
"Damn it! You lot just wait! I'm not in top form today. We'll fight another day!" Haruto Saito spat as he threw another Flying Thunder God kunai and vanished again.
Escape!
He was running!
Hattori Ryuuno wasn't about to let him go.
"Chase him! I want him alive!" Hattori Ryuuno ordered.
All eight warriors surged forward at full speed, chasing Haruto Saito!
Normally, they wouldn't stand a chance of catching him. If he had pre-placed a kunai somewhere else, he could teleport miles away in an instant, disappearing without a trace.
But Haruto Saito made it seem like he hadn't prepared such an escape route.
And he was genuinely injured. His chakra was depleted, and he was slowing down. Each teleport required him to stop for a brief moment before throwing another kunai, making him appear vulnerable.
In reality, he was "kiting" them—dragging them along at a controlled pace.
Hattori Ryuuno was terrifyingly fast, leaving only afterimages as he chased Haruto Saito. The others gradually fell behind.
Haruto Saito continued his cycle: teleport, pause, let Hattori Ryuuno close the gap, teleport again...
Everything was under his control.
The previous "battle performance" was just to ensure Hattori Ryuuno didn't grow suspicious. Not that it mattered—Hattori Ryuuno was too obsessed to stop chasing, whether or not it was a trap.
If he could capture Haruto Saito and use secret techniques to extract all of his wealth, then even if the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist all perished, Hattori Ryuuno wouldn't care!
Seven or eight minutes later—
Hattori Ryuuno was the only one still keeping up with Haruto Saito!
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen had all fallen behind. Their varying speeds created gaps between them, separating them completely.
Haruto Saito appeared to be slowing down even further, as if his chakra had nearly run out, making it impossible to teleport any faster!
"Damn you! Die!" Hattori Ryuuno roared.
In an instant, he vanished—reappearing right behind Haruto Saito, likely using some kind of instant-movement technique. His blade flashed like lightning!
"Heh..." Haruto Saito let out a strange chuckle as he suddenly turned around. His blade, Heavy Mountain Edge, swung forward!
Augmented with immense strength, samurai techniques, and its own doubling power—
Their swords clashed!
Boom!
For a brief moment, both warriors froze in midair.
A shockwave burst outward, annihilating everything in close range. Trees, grass, and debris were reduced to dust.