In this battle, the Cloud ninja went all out. To maximize their numerical advantage, they launched a full-scale attack, covering all fronts without focusing on any particular point. Their strategy spread out their massive forces over a battle line that stretched more than 30 kilometers.

Without doing this, they wouldn't be able to fully utilize their advantage in numbers.

Ninjas' high mobility meant they couldn't just cluster together for a brawl. Take the battle between Uchiha Itachi and Troy as an example; they were constantly on the move. Eventually, Troy was lured into a trap and captured.

This is just one case. Similar battles were happening across the long front line.

Unless there was a vast power gap between combatants, allowing a quick victory, most ninja duels—especially between those of similar strength—could span several kilometers. This was true even if they followed a curved path, and if the fighting stretched out in a straight line, the battlefield could get unmanageably long.

Not to mention Susano'o.

Using Susano'o, Soen dominated the battlefield, single-handedly suppressing over a thousand Cloud ninja under the direct command of the Fourth Raikage. He operated within a five-kilometer radius, essentially making that entire zone his playground. Ninja warfare often involved fighting over vast, open areas rather than engaging in narrow, head-to-head encounters.

The terrain of the Land of Hot Water, mainly hills and plains, made it easy for Cloud ninja to attack from any direction. The Fourth Raikage personally led part of his forces to block Uchiha Soen, while Cee led another unit targeting Uchiha Itachi and Kimimaro. Elsewhere, other elite Cloud ninja were battling the Konoha forces.

Even Todai, usually kept in reserve as a strategist for the Raikage, was fighting on the front lines.

Lava Release: Rubber Ball

Todai's Lava Release formed a pale yellow rubber ball, encasing an unconscious Konoha ninja from the Hyuga clan. The ball left openings for the ninja's nose and mouth to ensure they didn't suffocate.

"That's the fifth one," Todai exhaled.

The captured Hyuga ninja was carried away by the Cloud forces, joining four other rubber-encased captives being held in the rear, as living captives couldn't be sealed in scrolls.

Todai's Lava Release, a bloodline limit unique to his lineage, was responsible for these rubber prisons. Unlike the Lava Release used by Iwagakure, which took a different form, Todai's version created and controlled rubber as a battle tactic.

Though its offensive power wasn't particularly high, this didn't mean it was useless. Todai's Lava Release was highly versatile, providing defense, binding, and even counterattacks. He adapted its properties based on the situation, efficiently defeating one enemy after another. The only noticeable downside was its lack of raw destructive force.

For example, the Lava Release: Rubber Ball could be used both defensively and to restrain opponents, making it invaluable for capturing enemies alive—an essential goal in this battle.

"Lord Todai, would you like to take a break?" one of his subordinates asked.

Their group had been in continuous combat, with Todai personally defeating five Konoha jonin—one from the Hyuga clan, one from the Inuzuka clan (accompanied by their dog), another from the Nara clan, and two from smaller Konoha families.

Despite the intensity of these battles, Todai only showed slight signs of fatigue, with sweat forming on his brow and his breathing heavier but still controlled. He was clearly still capable of fighting.

Todai shook his head. "Now's not the time for rest. We haven't caught any big fish yet. These small fry won't help us trade for the Eight-Tails." He was still looking for more valuable targets. Ideally, he wanted to capture seven or eight Uchiha clan members, which would give him leverage for negotiations with Uchiha Soen.

But so far, he hadn't encountered a single Uchiha.

Just as he was considering whether to join Cee in the pursuit of Uchiha Itachi, a new opponent appeared before him. This one had white hair, violet eyes, sharp teeth, and pale skin that looked as if it had never seen the sun. What caught Todai's attention the most was the forehead protector.

It wasn't from Konoha—it was from Kirigakure.

"Looks like I've found a big fish," Todai muttered to himself.

The new arrival was Hozuki Mangetsu, wielding the sword Hiramekarei. He grinned menacingly, tightening his grip on the sword. His pale hands revealed prominent veins as he prepared for battle. Todai quickly realized this wasn't an ordinary opponent.

Capturing enemies alive was much harder than simply killing them—a fact every ninja knew.

"... Hiramekarei? The prodigy of Kirigakure, Hozuki Mangetsu?" Todai recognized the name.

"Tch!" Mangetsu's grin faded, and he clicked his tongue in irritation. "So you know who I am… how annoying." He hated fighting against smart opponents like Todai, who always kept a sharp mind during battle to avoid falling into traps.

Knowing his sword and his family's secret techniques meant Todai probably already knew most of his moves, or at least suspected them. Mangetsu would have to assume Todai had studied him.

As Mangetsu's alertness rose, Todai found himself in a bit of a dilemma. He had read about Hiramekarei and the Hozuki clan in old documents, and knew that Mangetsu had inherited the twin sword. But that was the extent of his knowledge. Information on Kirigakure had always been scarce, and knowing Mangetsu had Hiramekarei was already impressive.

Todai could only make educated guesses about Mangetsu's abilities based on historical records.

The real extent of Mangetsu's skill, however, would have to be discovered during the fight.

"Take this!" Mangetsu, impatient as any young warrior, made the first move.

And that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Being aggressive wasn't always a weakness.

"First strike doesn't always lose," as the saying went. Mangetsu attacked swiftly, swinging Hiramekarei at Todai. Hiramekarei, despite being called a twin sword, was a single weapon. No—actually, it was two swords fused together into an odd shape. Though it wasn't as long as the Executioner's Blade, it was much wider.

It had no sharp edge, with smooth, rounded sides. When both swords were combined, the weapon resembled a flounder, which is likely why it was named Hiramekarei.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Dozens of pale blue chakra needles shot out in an instant, turning Todai into a human pincushion!

[Blood Mist Sword Technique: Bone Extraction]

This was the technique used by Mangetsu Hozuki.

Hiramekarei's ability was quite unique. After absorbing enough chakra, it could launch chakra-based blades, cannons, or spikes for both close-range and long-range attacks. It was the only sword among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's weapons capable of long-range strikes.

At this moment, Mangetsu was using Hiramekarei's power for a lightning-fast assault, so swift that Todai couldn't react in time! However—

Todai wasn't an opponent that could be taken down so easily.

"A substitution, huh?"

Despite being pierced by chakra needles all over his body, Todai didn't bleed a single drop. It was clearly not the real body. The next second, as his chakra balance was disrupted, Todai transformed back into a light-yellow rubber figure, collapsing limply to the ground.

Simultaneously, a dark-gray fist erupted from the ground, smashing into Mangetsu's right ankle!

Unlike most of the Cloud Ninja, Todai had inherited the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, which gave him the natural ability to control both fire and earth chakra types. Interestingly, he had learned lightning chakra later on in his training. As one of the most intelligent figures in the Hidden Cloud Village, Todai had focused intensely on honing his Kekkei Genkai since childhood, and along with it, he had trained both his fire and earth techniques to extremely high levels!

His mastery of the Earth Release's subterranean stealth techniques was a testament to his incredible skill.

Before Mangetsu could realize it, Todai had already switched places with his substitution, leaving behind the clone to draw Mangetsu's attack while the real Todai hid underground, waiting for the perfect moment to strike!

The punch landed squarely on Mangetsu's right leg, causing him to stumble. His leg below the knee was shattered — literally, in a physical sense — bursting into a spray of water. However, the water quickly flowed back, reforming Mangetsu's right leg.

"Hiramekarei: Release!"

Despite his leg being shattered and reformed, Mangetsu didn't let it affect his counterattack. Hiramekarei released a bright chakra sphere that slammed heavily into the ground, shattering the bedrock and forming a massive crater.

Hiramekarei's destructive power was on full display.

Unfortunately for Mangetsu, Todai wasn't an easy target.

Having refined his Earth Release Hardening Technique to a high level, Todai was able to partially withstand the blow from Hiramekarei and successfully escape, reappearing next to the rubber dummy that had been riddled with chakra needles.

And so, the first round of their clash came to an end.

Both had tested each other with probing attacks and realized that their opponent was more troublesome than expected. Mangetsu raised an eyebrow; Todai's Earth Release skills were formidable. However, what concerned Mangetsu more was the hidden trump card Todai had yet to play—the five spheres lying just a short distance away!

Mangetsu had no intention of becoming the sixth target, or worse, being killed outright!

But still...

A fight where he could potentially lose or even die had its own unique thrill, didn't it? Sure, battles that guaranteed victory had their fun, but after experiencing too many of those, they tended to get a little dull. Sometimes, you needed a change of pace!

A smile appeared once again on Mangetsu's face.

In contrast, Todai's forehead creased even further, and his gaunt face took on a grim expression. Hiramekarei's power and versatility were exceedingly dangerous. Coupled with the Hozuki Clan's famous Hydrification Technique, physical attacks were ineffective against Mangetsu. That rendered most of Todai's Earth Release techniques useless.

Moreover, because of water's fluidity... even using Lava Release would likely have trouble pinning Mangetsu down.

"Lightning Release, then?"

Todai recalled that the documents mentioned the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique was countered by Lightning Release. Lightning would paralyze the Hozuki's body, preventing them from fully liquefying. However, that was the extent of the weakness—it wasn't enough to guarantee Mangetsu's defeat. On top of that, Todai wasn't as proficient in Lightning Release as he was in Earth and Fire techniques.

Earlier, Todai had used his Hardening Technique to enhance his punch's power. It wasn't that he didn't want to use Lightning Release for a sneak attack; it was just that he couldn't use both Earth Release Stealth and Lightning Release simultaneously. Lightning Release chakra naturally counteracts Earth Release chakra, making them impossible to use together, at least not at Todai's current level of mastery.

So, he had to use the Hardening Technique to test whether Mangetsu had mastered the Hydrification Technique—and the result was not promising. Mangetsu's mastery of the technique was far beyond Todai's expectations. Not only was he nearly immune to physical attacks, but his rapid recovery was also astonishing.

Against such an opponent, if he couldn't land a critical blow and end the fight instantly, a prolonged battle would lead to his defeat!

Todai had already come to this realization.

"Hey, Cloud Ninja, what's your name? You're a decent opponent. Tell me your name!" Mangetsu asked, casually holding Hiramekarei and not rushing to seize the initiative in the second round. Instead, he questioned Todai. Although Konoha had provided a list of Cloud Ninja elites, Mangetsu hadn't had time to read through it before the Cloud Ninja attacked.

So, he had no idea who Todai was.

"I'll tell you my name when you stop bouncing around."

Todai wasn't cooperating at all. As a cautious man, he wouldn't reveal his name so easily. He understood all too well that a name was a key—it could connect to hidden secrets. Knowing someone's name could expose a chain of secrets, even if most were superficial. But who's to say there wouldn't be unexpected revelations?

"Such a boring personality!"

Mangetsu smirked.

Then, Hiramekarei swung, and once again, shining chakra needles flew through the air.