*Chapter 14: Extreme Night's 24-Hour Hell*

Cough, cough...

His mask shattered, blood pouring from his mouth, and Kuriarare Kushimaru's strength rapidly declining. Yet, his eyes were fixed on Yoru.

"Yoru... I didn't expect to see you here too. Was that high-intensity chakra battle in the east your doing?"

*[Detected allied B-rank target 'Kuriarare Kushimaru,' side quest triggered.]*

*Quest (1): Rescue Kuriarare Kushimaru and bring him back to the Hidden Mist Village. Quest reward: 5000 points!*

"I was nearly killed by your assassination target and his men. Barely made it out alive, Lord Kuriarare Kushimaru."

Upon hearing the system's voice, healing chakra enveloped Yoru’s hands as he placed them on the stitched wound in Kushimaru’s abdomen.

However, Kushimaru’s condition kept deteriorating. Within just a few breaths, his face turned pale.

"Your eyes... are they injured? Sorry you had to face such an opponent. There was a massive intelligence failure. And Konoha... still has such a trump card... Might Duy..."

"This level of healing won't work. Don't waste your chakra. Also, you successfully distracted the enemy, but now... I have a new mission for you."

Kushimaru grabbed Yoru's hand, stopping him from healing further, and placed his hand on the hilt of the sewing needle sword.

"Take the ninja sword back to the Hidden Mist Village!"

"Lord Kuriarare Kushimaru..."

Yoru furrowed his brow.

"Not just the sewing needle. You must also retrieve Juzo’s executioner’s blade."

"That guy may be a monster, but... you know... I’ve always had faith in you. This mission will be tough, but if anyone can do it, it’s you."

"No matter what... the Mist's ninja swords can't fall into Konoha’s hands..."

Before he could finish his words, Kushimaru's breath stopped completely, but his hand still gripped Yoru’s tightly.

He still held onto the sewing needle.

Staring at the lifeless Kuriarare Kushimaru and glancing at the battlefield that was getting closer, with water flooding the area, Yoru didn’t know what to say.

"How am I supposed to fight that? That’s Might Duy! What am I supposed to do, headbutt him to death!?"

*Rescue mission failed.*

Yoru pulled the sewing needle from Kushimaru’s body, took out a sealing scroll from his waist, and sealed both the sword and Kushimaru's body within it. He prepared to retreat immediately.

But the next moment, the bushes ahead of him exploded, and a terrifying chakra storm roared past.

Even though the blast didn’t directly hit Yoru, it destroyed every tree in front of him, leaving him fully exposed to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and Might Duy.

"I swear to..."

This sudden event froze Yoru in place, his mind racing with frustration.

"You’ve got to be kidding me!"

Looking at the battlefield before him, Yoru sighed and touched his still-mending ribs.

First, a surprise attack on the Uchiha and Sarutobi, then running into Jiraiya and the Konoha jonin squad.

And now, I have to fight Might Duy too?

Am I some kind of special forces general? Dropped straight into a 48-hour nightmare from the start?!

No wonder I wasn’t in the original story. The Mist Village became the weakest of the five, except for Mei Terumi; the rest were all useless.

Who can survive this kind of pressure?

---

Let’s go back to a few minutes earlier.

On the distant battlefield, the battle between the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and Might Duy had reached a extreme state.

The once lush forest was now a vast lake.

Sharp sword slashes and explosions stirred the waters, but even more terrifying was the figure that had been swallowed by a water dragon moments ago!

"Seventh Gate, Gate of Wonder..."

"Open!"

With a loud roar from underwater...

The next moment, a middle-aged ninja in a tight green bodysuit, with thick eyebrows and sharp eyes, burst from the water. The chakra radiating from him was so fierce it made the air sizzle.

In an instant, that figure vanished from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's sight. As he kicked Kuriarare Kushimaru flying, Might Duy punched another swordsman wielding the twin swords, Hiramekarei.

This guy didn’t even have time for last words before he died on the spot.

"Dammit!"

Jinin Akebino swung his explosive sword, Shibuki, at Might Duy, but Duy simply sidestepped it effortlessly.

Kushimaru Ringo also charged in, but Might Duy’s speed was beyond imagination. One moment, he was under Kushimaru’s hammer, and the next, he was in front of Juzo Momochi.

Juzo immediately swung his executioner's blade at Duy, but the attack only struck an afterimage.

"A decoy?!"

Before Juzo could process what had happened, Duy appeared at his side, delivering a devastating kick.

Juzo barely had time to block with his executioner’s blade before being sent flying, the blade shattering in the process.

"Ugh!"

Juzo coughed up a mix of blood and pieces of his organs, his shattered blade useless.

"Lightning Style: Thunder Dragon Tornado!"

But as Duy attacked Juzo, Raiga Kurosuki finally reacted. Crossing his twin blades, he unleashed all his chakra, sending a twisting thunder dragon roaring towards Duy!

Boom!!

Electricity crackled as the thunder dragon swallowed Duy’s figure.

But before Raiga could breathe a sigh of relief, the nearby Fuguki Suikazan's face paled.

"No!"

"Raiga, get out of the way!"

Shouting, Fuguki’s hands formed seals so quickly they left afterimages.

"Water Style!"

"Super Explosive Water Shockwave!"

Fuguki’s cheeks puffed out as he gathered chakra and unleashed a massive torrent of water, crashing towards Duy.

Rumble!!

Thunder echoed across the sky, winds and rain clashed, and the world seemed to tremble.

As the wielder of Samehada, Fuguki had an immense chakra reserve, and this full-powered water jutsu was enough to form a giant lake!

The torrential waves, combined with Raiga’s lightning jutsu, created a perfect combo.

But soon they realized something was wrong.

Despite being hit by the combined attacks, Duy stood there, unharmed, as if the jutsu hadn't affected him at all.

And indeed, it hadn't.

Just as the thunder dragon and water wave hit, Duy's body had begun to emit blue steam.

The sheer force of his chakra had blocked the lightning dragon's assault entirely. In the next moment, he charged forward, through the water jutsu, straight at the two.

And then...

He punched!

The friction from his high-speed punch against the air caused flames to erupt, and the sheer pressure of his chakra condensed around him, combining with the fire to create a peacock-like display of shockwaves over the water!

"Morning Peacock!!!"

*(End of chapter)*