Chapter 24: If You Can't Win, Run
Kurosuki Raiga's consciousness wasn't controlled—his body was still fully aware.
He could clearly see the corpse of Kushimaru Kuriarare lying not far away, as well as his other comrades launching a siege against Uchiha Dali.
Yet, bizarrely, his body simply couldn't move.
No matter how much he struggled, it was impossible.
In that instant, he realized—he had indeed fallen into a genjutsu.
And it was an extremely dangerous one: the Golden Bind Genjutsu.
"Golden Bind Genjutsu, huh…"
Cold sweat covered Kurosuki Raiga's face.
Against a formidable opponent, being unable to move could only lead to one outcome.
Kushimaru Kuriarare's fate was right in front of him. He had no intention of becoming the next.
After all, he was an elite jōnin of Kirigakure.
Facing imminent death, at the critical moment, Kurosuki Raiga used the lightning coursing through his Lightning Swords to stimulate his own body, disrupting his chakra flow.
Finally, he was freed.
Regaining control of his body, Kurosuki Raiga immediately leaped backward, not daring to counterattack Uchiha Dali, who was chasing after him.
"This guy has the Sharingan! Don't look into his eyes!!"
He shouted to his comrades—then turned and fled.
But just as he was about to vanish into the forest, two kunai shot after him, overtaking him mid-flight and striking his body.
"Urgh!"
Kurosuki Raiga let out a muffled groan, his body staggering as he almost fell from the tree. But in the end, he steadied himself and continued his escape.
Uchiha Dali could have pursued him, but at that moment, the remaining five members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had already surrounded him from different directions, launching a joint assault.
This forced Uchiha Dali to abandon the chase and focus on the battle at hand.
"We should go after that guy!!"
Might Guy shouted excitedly.
Even Genma Shiranui was eager to give chase, invigorated by Uchiha Dali's overwhelming strength.
"No, that's too dangerous."
Might Duy quickly stopped the two reckless young men.
"If the enemy has set up an ambush ahead, we could be walking into a trap…"
After speaking, Might Duy's gaze returned to Uchiha Dali. In his eyes, there was now a newfound respect for the young Uchiha.
"As expected of Konoha's most prestigious clan… His Body Flicker Technique has reached perfection."
Ebisu stared at Uchiha Dali in awe.
At this moment, Uchiha Dali was using his advanced Body Flicker Technique to toy with the five remaining members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Jinpachi Munashi, Biwa Jūzō, Jinin Akebino, Kagura Karata, and Fuguki Suikazan—all elite jōnin of Kirigakure—were exerting their full strength in an attempt to land a hit on him.
But each time, they were just a fraction of a second too slow.
Each time, their attacks narrowly missed.
It was infuriating.
Even more frustrating was the fact that they couldn't afford to relax—not even for a second.
If they showed the slightest sign of weakness, Uchiha Dali would immediately exploit it, leading to their doom.
Though only a short time had passed, they had already brushed against death multiple times.
If this weren't a five-on-one battle, they knew that any one of them facing this Uchiha alone would be doomed.
"Damn it! Who the hell is this kid?! Why does he also know that Body Flicker Technique—the signature move of Shisui?!"
Fuguki Suikazan gritted his teeth, glancing in the direction where Kurosuki Raiga had fled.
At that moment, the thought of retreating crossed his mind.
Five of them were struggling so much against just one Uchiha… If something went wrong, he might not make it out alive.
The same thought occurred to Biwa Jūzō.
Despite his reckless demeanor—always acting as if he would attack at the slightest provocation—he wasn't a fool.
Retreating against an unbeatable foe was the wisest decision.
However, Jinin Akebino, Kagura Karata, and Jinpachi Munashi were different.
Rather than retreating, they grew fiercer, relishing the challenge Uchiha Dali posed.
"This guy's Body Flicker Technique must consume chakra! No matter how fast he is, he'll have to slow down eventually! We'll just exhaust him!"
"Better not let my blade hit you! It'll blow you to pieces in an instant!!"
Jinpachi Munashi grinned wickedly as he swung his Explosive Blade: Shibuki.
One side of the sword was a normal blade—the side he was currently using to attack Uchiha Dali.
But the other side was covered in explosive tags, ready to unleash devastating explosions at any moment.
The more enemies there were, the more effective this technique became.
Killing dozens of people at once wouldn't be an issue.
Hearing Jinpachi's words. Jinin Akebino became even more excited. He dashed to Uchiha Dali's side from behind, swinging his massive hammer-like weapon, the Blunt Blade: Kabutowari.
However, his real killing move wasn't the hammer itself—it was the scythe-like blade connected to it by a chain.
As Jinin Akebino, Jinpachi, and Ameyuri pressed on like madmen, Fuguki Suikazan seized an opportunity.
He suddenly leaped back.
"The enemy is too strong! Fighting a Uchiha like this puts us at a disadvantage. We should retreat!"
After leaving behind those justifiable words, he turned and fled, vanishing dozens of meters away in the blink of an eye.
Seeing Fuguki Suikazan retreat, Biwa Jūzō immediately followed suit.
Leaving behind his own seemingly reasonable excuse, he said, "Our goal isn't to engage Konoha's elites in a deathmatch, but to deplete their forces. Let's go!"
And with that, Biwa Jūzō disappeared into the forest.
"They ran away… They just abandoned their comrades! The Kirigakure shinobi are truly cold-blooded."
Ebisu frowned at the sight.