Chapter 17: Stuck in the Quagmire

The battle between the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and Might Duy completely alarmed the Leaf Village.

Although they didn’t know the exact outcome or the extent of Duy's actions, the terrifying aftermath of the battle made them understand that even if the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had won, they couldn’t have escaped unscathed!

To ensure that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were eliminated, the Leaf Village continuously sent ninjas to hunt them down. This led to Yoru and his group constantly encountering Leaf ninjas while retreating.

If Yoru had been alone, even in his severely weakened state, with his chakra almost depleted and only a fraction of his combat strength remaining, he could have relied on the strange techniques of the Demon Path and Shunshin to easily evade these pursuers.

But the problem was...

Yoru was dragging along three severely injured ninja swordsmen!

If it came to a fight, even setting aside Yoru’s condition, the three swordsmen were doomed for sure.

Under normal mission conditions, Yoru might have learned a thing or two from Kisame about "dealing with" teammates. But now that the battle with Might Duy was over and the mission completed, Yoru had to consider the bigger picture and preserve Mist's remaining forces.

Therefore...

Yoru had no choice but to fend off the Leaf Village ninjas' scouting attacks while dragging along the three heavily wounded ninja swordsmen, constantly maneuvering along the border, waiting for them to recover.

But this strategy only dragged Yoru deeper into a quagmire.

The more he struggled, the deeper he sank.

---

*One day later, at the Fire Nation border...*

Inside the main tent of the Mist Village's encampment, several figures stood before a large sand table, their expressions grim.

Guided by Hozuki Mangetsu, they had just received the details of the Leaf Village's front-line deployment and the shocking news that Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin had crossed the border and arrived at the front lines.

At first, they didn’t believe it.

Based on information from the intel squad, Jiraiya had only recently left the Rock Village front lines and shouldn’t have been able to reach the Mist Village battlefield so quickly.

But yesterday, Jiraiya led a team of Leaf Jonin straight into the frontlines and directly confronted Yagura.

With Jiraiya, a top-tier fighter, on their side, Leaf Village's morale soared, and their combat strength dramatically increased. The Mist forces not only failed to capture Tsinan Town, but they also barely managed to retreat, suffering heavy losses!

"Jiraiya’s already on the front lines—where are the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?!"

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen only entered the Fire Nation border a few days ago, but our target, Jiraiya, has already appeared on the front lines! I have no idea what those idiots in the intel squad are doing!"

A burly ninja with two red dots between his brows slammed his fist on the sand table in frustration. He was a Jonin from the Kaguya Clan. Jiraiya’s appearance had cost his clan several prominent warriors, a devastating blow for their bloodline clan.

"I reported Jiraiya’s intel to you all early on, but you chose to ignore it, even claiming that it was just an excuse for our team's failure."

Although Hozuki Mangetsu’s face was hidden behind a white mask, his cold, mocking tone was unmistakable to anyone who heard it.

"Furthermore, we didn’t fail our mission. Not only did we successfully destroy several large supply warehouses in Tanada Village, severely disrupting the Leaf Village's supply lines, but Lord Yoru also killed Nara Shikaku, one of the Leaf’s top strategists!"

"Yet the valuable intel we risked our lives to obtain regarding Leaf's front-line deployment was cast aside by you fools! All you cared about was leveraging your numerical advantage to forcefully take Tsinan Town before the Leaf reinforcements arrived. How could you not fail with such a plan?"

"What did you just say?!"

The Kaguya Jonin glared at Hozuki Mangetsu.

"I said, you're all brainless fools!" Mangetsu retorted, his mocking tone making the already tense atmosphere in the tent even heavier.

For those with simple minds and strong bodies like the Kaguya Clan, such words were nothing less than adding fuel to the fire.

"You little Hozuki brat, you're asking for death..."

"Enough!"

A stern voice interrupted, coming from the small, youthful figure seated at the head of the table. Despite his childish face, Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, held undeniable authority. His cold command stopped the impending infighting.

"This was indeed a failure on our part. Our misjudgment of the situation and intel not only wasted the efforts of our elite squad but also resulted in a disastrous defeat on the battlefield."

"But now is not the time for assigning blame. If all we do is point fingers, we might as well retreat back to the Water Nation and give up!"

At his words, everyone in the room fell silent.

The Water Nation was a harsh environment, with the Mist Village situated on a remote, isolated island, surrounded by the sea. Its resources were so scarce that it could be compared to the barren deserts of the Wind Nation.

All they had left was fishing.

And under the oppressive "Bloody Mist" regime, what hope did they have for developing a prosperous fishing industry?

War, invasion, and seizing the opportunity presented by the Leaf Village's weakened state after its fierce battles with the other three great nations were the only hopes for Mist Village’s survival!

"Jiraiya’s appearance has boosted Leaf’s morale, but this isn't an unsolvable problem."

"Although Sand Village has already surrendered, the battles on the Rock Village front are still ongoing, and Cloud Village's army remains stationed at the border. Both of these will heavily divert Leaf’s forces."

Yagura scanned the room, his voice deep. "Despite the setbacks due to intel errors, as long as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen return and our reinforcements arrive by tomorrow, we’ll still hold the advantage in this war!"

The Leaf Village’s forces were currently divided between three fronts, each requiring a general.

Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, commanded the Rock Village front, while Danzo from the Leaf's black-ops oversaw the Cloud Village border.

Even the Leaf’s brightest star, the "Yellow Flash" Minato Namikaze, was busy fighting on both the Lightning and Earth fronts, leaving the Mist Village front unattended for now.

In this situation, even with the abundance of talent in Leaf Village, they were stretched thin.

As long as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen returned and the Mist Village’s main forces arrived, they would have the upper hand both in terms of elite power and overall numbers.

Even with Jiraiya, Leaf wouldn’t be able to hold Tsinan Town!

Hearing Yagura's words, confidence began to return to the faces of those in the tent, and their eyes gleamed with renewed hope.

Only Hozuki Mangetsu’s face remained shadowed and cold.

He had immediately requested reinforcements upon returning with the intel, only to be accused of false reporting.

"Jiraiya and a squad of Leaf Jonin? Nonsense! The intel says they just left the Rock front; stop making excuses!"

Frustrated, Mangetsu had no choice but to set out with Yuyuri and the others. But by the time they arrived, Jiraiya and Yoru were nowhere to be found.

Now, a day later, Jiraiya had already appeared on the front lines, but Yoru remained missing...

"Emergency! Emergency battle report!"

Suddenly, a Mist Village ninja burst into the tent, his face pale and filled with panic.

Yagura’s face darkened. "Calm down. What happened?"

The Mist ninja took several deep breaths. Despite the pale mask covering his face, everyone could sense his fear and confusion.

"Scouts report that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen encountered an unknown Leaf powerhouse deep within the Fire Nation, suffering heavy casualties. Lords Biwa Juzo, Fuguki Suikazan, and Kurosuki Raiga were severely wounded and were saved by Lord Yoru. They are currently recuperating near Kumamoto County."

"Meanwhile, Leaf forces have caught wind of this and are sending elites toward Kumamoto!"

"What?!"

Everyone in the tent was shocked, staring in disbelief at the Mist ninja.

Their once-proud Seven Ninja Swordsmen—had they been ambushed by a Leaf powerhouse shortly after entering the Fire Nation? And now they were on the verge of being surrounded and killed by Leaf forces?

"Wait!"

Yagura’s voice was grave. "Juzo Biwa, Fuguki Suikazan, Kurosuki Raiga... What about the other four?"

"Well..."

The Mist ninja sighed. "Based on intercepted Leaf intel, it seems the other four swordsmen have likely..."

"Died in battle."

(End of Chapter)