The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist have arrived!
In truth, Haruto Saito did not recognize all the current members of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, as he had personally slain two of them before. The group had since undergone changes, and though their overall strength had slightly diminished, they remained formidable adversaries.
Haruto's expression darkened.
He realized that it wasn't just that the existence of Gutian Village had been exposed—his enemies had gathered detailed intelligence on the village. Otherwise, why would such a powerful force be converging on them? However, despite their numbers and strength, they could not destroy Gutian Village outright. After all, the village had its own elite warriors.
Haruto Saito, Hattori Ryuuno, and Jūzō were among the strongest.
Hattori Ryuuno alone was more than capable of going head-to-head with the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Meanwhile, Haruto and Jūzō might be able to annihilate the hundreds of Mist ninja rushing toward them. In this world, where supreme warriors could battle entire armies single-handedly, such feats were not an exaggeration.
So, Haruto was not overly concerned about the Seven Swordsmen or the elite Mist ninja accompanying them. The real problem was that if a battle broke out in Gutian Village, it was inevitable that the village itself would suffer damage.
However, these were minor issues compared to his greatest concern—who was leading this attack?
There had to be a commander. It couldn't be the Seven Swordsmen. They lacked the authority to command high-ranking figures like the Captain of the Kiryū Clan's Elite Guard, the Patriarch of the Kaguya Clan, or the Commander of the Mist's Security Forces.
The Kiryū Clan's Captain was a key figure, trusted by the Kiryū Clan's leader. The Kaguya Patriarch was one of the Mist's top leaders. The Security Forces Commander was among the highest-ranking figures in the village, equivalent to a military general.
The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist couldn't command them.
Additionally, while the Kiryū Captain, Kaguya Patriarch, and the Security Forces Commander held different ranks and belonged to different factions within the Mist, none of them held supreme command over the others. Though the Security Forces Commander had the highest rank, even he couldn't give direct orders to the other two.
This meant that the Mist force was missing a key figure—a true leader, a supreme commander!
Whoever was leading them had to be a high-ranking figure within the Mist. It was either a retired elder ninja of great power or one of the top officials within the Mist's leadership.
There was no other possibility.
"Has one of the Mist's advisors arrived? Or... has Feiyu come personally?" Haruto Saito muttered to himself.
The composition of the attacking force was too unusual—too many powerful ninja gathered together. Coupled with the deep enmity between Haruto and the Mist, the identity of their leader was becoming increasingly clear.
After all, Haruto had slain Hattori Ryuuno!
He had also destroyed three of the Mist's military divisions!
That kind of blood feud could not be ignored.
---
The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist charged forward without bothering to conceal their presence. They were not planning an ambush—they were launching a direct assault!
Haruto narrowed his eyes as he watched them speed toward Gutian Village. Then, in a flash, he disappeared.
Inside Gutian Village.
Haruto materialized in a dark alley and immediately pressed his palm to the ground.
Chakra Sensory Technique—activate!
His awareness expanded across a hundred-kilometer radius.
However, this time, he focused primarily on Gutian Village itself. He had a strong suspicion that the Mist's commander might already be inside the village. If their leader was still en route, Haruto would have sensed them earlier.
But his search yielded no results.
Haruto had anticipated this possibility. The enemy could be hiding in a tall building or an elevated structure, beyond his sensory reach.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, frustration creeping into his voice. He clenched his teeth before vanishing again.
No more time for searching!
The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist would arrive in just a few minutes. While Haruto possessed powerful sensory techniques, if the enemy had taken extreme measures to conceal themselves, tracking them down would take too long. Wasting even a few minutes searching for their leader would leave him no time to prepare.
A battle was inevitable.
His priority now was to set up defenses!
---
Beneath the Gutian Village Palace, in the underground training hall.
Thousands of students were still undergoing their lessons. Teaching at this hour was Jūzō, alongside several ninja from Gutian Village, the Hidden Leaf's Black Ops, and its Espionage Division, all engaged in intelligence work.
Haruto suddenly appeared in the middle of the hall and shouted, "Prepare for battle! The enemy is here!"
Haruto had long anticipated an attack on Gutian Village. Knowing this day would come, he had developed a structured emergency response system.
Upon hearing Haruto's declaration, the usually emotionless Jūzō showed a rare flicker of emotion.
Throughout the underground training halls and connected subterranean tunnels, every individual heard Haruto's voice and understood what it meant.
Twenty seconds later, the village's alarm blared.
A sharp siren echoed throughout Gutian Village—an unfamiliar sound in the shinobi world. The noise came from the palace, a unique feature of the structure. Other than those familiar with Gutian Village, no one in the shinobi world knew what this sound signified.
But the warriors of Gutian Village, Haruto's subordinates, and the students in training understood its meaning all too well.
---
In the bustling streets of Gutian Village.
Standing by a high-rise window, Feiyu scowled at the sudden piercing siren. He did not understand its significance, but he could tell from the confusion on the streets that the civilians were equally perplexed. However, within moments, the situation shifted.
Though Gutian Village did not boast an overwhelming number of shinobi, it had its share. Aside from those guarding the village walls, there were four to five hundred patrolling the streets daily to maintain order.
Within seconds of the alarm sounding, these shinobi emerged and began evacuating the populace.
"Move to the bunkers!"
"Take cover! Enemy forces are inbound!"
"Go, now! Get to safety!"
The eerie siren, coupled with the organized evacuation by the village's shinobi, quickly spread the realization that an attack was imminent. Chaos erupted in the streets. Some villagers rushed home or back to inns to gather their belongings, unwilling to leave without their possessions.
From his vantage point in the high-rise, Feiyu's expression darkened.
They had been discovered!
"Heh..." Feiyu chuckled softly.
So what if they had been found out?
It wasn't entirely unexpected. After all, it was no secret that Haruto Saito possessed chakra sensory abilities. The Mist's intelligence division had long analyzed this fact.
Feiyu was merely irritated that it had happened sooner than he had hoped.
Being discovered only gave Gutian Village a few extra minutes to prepare. Nothing more.
And so what if they were ready? Feiyu knew Haruto Saito's strength well. This was always going to be a head-on clash. If victory was guaranteed, Feiyu would not have bothered to come personally. He was here because Haruto was strong—strong enough to have killed Hattori Ryuuno.
To defeat Haruto Saito, either overwhelming force had to be used, or Feiyu himself had to step in.
This was going to be a brutal battle, regardless of Gutian Village's preparations.
But Feiyu was confident.
He was going to kill Haruto Saito with his own hands!