Sōmi leapt backward once again, plunging his right hand into the ground. Chakra surged forth, causing golden sand to rapidly condense and compress within his palm.
When Sōmi withdrew his hand from the ground, he was already gripping a radiant golden staff!
Quickly tossing a military ration pill into his mouth, he barely had time to register its bitter taste before catching a glint of metallic light in the corner of his eye.
"So fast!" Sōmi's heart tightened in alarm.
Clang!
Sōmi raised his staff horizontally to block, just as Kushimaru Kuriarare appeared before him, swinging his long sword, Nuibari, in a fierce downward slash.
Blocked, Kushimaru's masked face betrayed no emotion as the two clashed.
The two engaged in a fierce back-and-forth exchange, Sōmi spinning his golden staff with ferocious momentum. The sound of their weapons colliding rang out continuously, clang clang clang.
Suddenly, Kushimaru pulled out a thin steel wire from the end of Nuibari with his left hand, whipping it forward in an attempt to ensnare Sōmi.
But Sōmi had no intention of allowing Kushimaru to execute his technique. Gripping the golden staff with both hands, he forced the sword back and twisted the staff, tangling the steel wire around it.
After securing the wire, Sōmi raised his left hand slightly, forming a hand seal.
Bang!
In an instant, golden sand shot up from the ground beneath Kushimaru's feet, like ropes attempting to bind his legs.
Grind... grind...
Kushimaru yanked hard, the friction between the steel wire and the golden staff producing a grating, teeth-clenching sound. The wire unraveled from the staff, and Kushimaru leapt into the air, evading the golden sand's clutches.
While airborne, he twisted the steel wire in his hand, causing the trailing wire to graze Sōmi's arm.
"Damn it! This guy is way too agile!" Sōmi cursed internally as blood spurted from the deep gash on his left arm. Though the wound wasn't large, it was deep, and blood poured out like an unbridled torrent.
Steel wires, with their stealthy nature, were incredibly difficult to defend against in close combat.
With a tearing sound, Sōmi ripped off a piece of his sleeve and hastily wrapped it around the wound to staunch the bleeding. Only now did the sharp, searing pain begin to register.
"Ninja Art: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Lightning Release: Thunderball!"
From a distance, the other two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Fuguki Suikazan and Raiga Kurosuki, seized the moment of Sōmi's faltering and unleashed their ninjutsu.
Sōmi could only command his golden sand to rise and block the incoming water dragon, while rolling to the side to evade.
However, to his shock, the two lightning balls speeding toward him were merely feints. As soon as they touched the golden sand, they dissipated into faint wisps of smoke.
Sōmi's heart clenched violently, as if an invisible hand had gripped it tightly.
His temples throbbed, and it felt as though the shadow of death had loomed behind him, its scythe poised to strike.
In that critical moment, Sōmi's mind raced with unprecedented speed, but his body felt frozen, as if time itself had come to a standstill.
"Move! Move, damn it!" Sōmi roared internally, desperately willing his body to respond.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the blinding arcs of electricity below, the dangerous aura locking onto him.
Finally, with all his strength, Sōmi managed to move. His hands stretched out, and his chakra surged into action.
Golden sand beneath his feet rose, forming a wall between him and the incoming lightning.
Boom!
A streak of silver-white lightning shot forth, striking the golden sand wall like a venomous snake baring its fangs.
But the hastily formed wall was too weak. The lightning pierced through and struck Sōmi directly.
"Ahhh!"
Sōmi lit up like a high-voltage bulb, silver light enveloping his body. The electricity surged through him, wreaking havoc on his nerves and muscles.
The pain was excruciating, a numbing agony that consumed his mind.
The current rampaged through Sōmi's body, destroying everything in its path.
Zzzt zzzt!
His body convulsed violently, muscles spasming uncontrollably from the high-voltage shock.
"Hah!"
Moments later, Sōmi exhaled a breath of smoke, his body covered in faint scorch marks. His skin was charred in places, evidence of severe burns.
Thankfully, the golden sand wall had absorbed some of the lightning's power. Without it, he would likely have perished.
"Whoever said 'where there's smoke, there's no damage' was full of crap. I'm practically half-dead here..." Sōmi muttered, still managing to find humor in his dire situation.
Meanwhile, Fuguki Suikazan's Water Dragon Bullet crashed into the golden sand barrier, but the sand, infused with ample chakra, dissolved the water dragon on contact, scattering it into a dazzling spray of water droplets.
Suppressing the tremors in his hands, Sōmi forced himself to form hand seals. He had to escape during this brief lull in the enemy's attacks.
"I really overestimated myself..." At this moment, Sōmi couldn't help but think of Gaara's 'Mother's Protection.'
If his Magnet Release gold sand could develop a will of its own to protect its master, he wouldn't have taken this lightning strike.
Not to mention Naruto's seemingly indestructible resilience. If it were him, this level of attack would probably feel like nothing more than a scratch.
Gathering the last remnants of his chakra, Sōmi poured it all into the ground.
A platform of golden sand rose beneath him, lifting him into the air and propelling him away from the battlefield at high speed, the sound of rushing wind filling his ears.
"That brat's trying to escape! Stop him!" Fuguki Suikazan shouted.
"And how do we stop him? Can you fly?" Raiga Kurosuki retorted, panting heavily. Despite the assistance of his Thunder Blades, the high-intensity ninjutsu he had unleashed had left him nearly drained of chakra.
Kushimaru Kuriarare remained silent, his masked face turned toward Sōmi's retreating figure.
"That kid has immense potential. Letting him go today will surely cause trouble in the future..." Fuguki Suikazan said regretfully, gripping Samehada tightly.
"Every village has its geniuses," Raiga replied dismissively.
"Konohagakure's Yellow Flash, Kumogakure's AB Brothers... they're far more troublesome than this kid!"
"Sunagakure doesn't have the strength to make any real waves. Our mission here was just to give them a warning, so they don't think they can stay uninvolved!"
"Don't forget, our more important task is to deal with Konohagakure!" Raiga added, acknowledging Sōmi's strength but shifting the focus back to their primary objective.
"Indeed... Konohagakure's influence has grown far too strong lately," Fuguki Suikazan sighed as he mentioned the Leaf Village.