Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist

The man who would become the First Mizukage, Byakuren, first gained his fame by forging and wielding seven powerful swords which he used to gather the shinobi clans of the Land of Water under his banner and build the The Village Hidden in the Mist.

Kubikiribouchou the Seversword can repair itself and its wielder by consuming the blood of its victims. As it cuts through enemies, it draws out the blood from their wounds and absorbs it into the blade where it can restore itself to its original form when damaged and heal its wielder of their own injuries. As long as the wielder keeps bleeding their enemies, it will use their blood to heal them so that they can keep fighting regardless of many wounds they take.

Kiba the Thunderswords run lightning chakra through its blades as long as it is in the hands of its wielder. The chakra vibrates at such speeds that its sharpness is unsurpassed by any other weapon, and that chakra can be controlled and released directly as a conduit for lightning ninjutsu. Someone with no skill for lightning nature transformation could cast lightning ninjutsu like an expert through it while someone with that skill can go above and beyond.

Nuibari the Longsword possesses a sharpness second only to the Thunderswords. It is designed to effortlessly pierce through its enemies and stitch their bodies together in bloody bundles. The wire can control the sword like a guided missile when thrown and it can extend indefinitely to prevent the wielder from becoming anchored by all the pierced bodies that might limit their movements.

Shibuki the Blastsword can produce an unlimited number of explosions. After each blast, the explosive formula is re-applied to the emptied tags and cycled around so that each blow is accompanied by an explosive finish. The sword is durable to the point that it is completely unharmed no matter how many blasts it creates and all of the force is directed away from the wielder towards the enemy.

Kabutowari the Bluntsword can break through any defence. The axe and hammer are strong individually but unremarkable. But when the axe first hits an obstacle and the hammer strikes the axe, the force is automatically amplified until it reaches the point where it can break through. No matter how powerful the defence, the Bluntsword will shatter it. It’s an subtle power that is not especially impressive when used against standard weapons and armour but shines when up against something truly tough.

Hiramekarei the Twinsword can store and emit chakra in the shape of solid weapons. The chakra can take the form of a sword, hammer, mace – whatever the wielder can imagine – which surpasses the abilities of standard weaponry. The more chakra stored within the sword then the greater the size of the weapon it can emit, whether the chakra is given during the battle itself or collected other time in preparation for one.

Samehada the Greatsword is the most terrifying of the seven swords and the last one that was forged. It is made from the scales of a monstrous shark that once terrorized the seas around the Land of Water, creating a sword that shreds and ravages its victim. Its power to cut and absorb chakra came from that very same creature, allowing it to drain the energy of its enemies and slice through their techniques, even sustaining itself on the chakra of its wielder so that few were capable of using it.

As Samehada fed on the chakra of countless humans, the life that once resides in its flesh was rekindled with limited sentience. And with that sentience came new abilities as it learned to control its own form and powers; stretching and bending its shape, increasing its size, growing a fang-filled mouth, transferring chakra to and heal and restore others, and even fusing itself with its wielder to combine their powers.

But at the cost of having these new abilities, Samehada also became able to choose who could wield it and would only those with chakra that matched its tastes to use it.

Byakuren was already an old man by the time he became Mizukage. It earned him respect, as an elderly shinobi must be a formidable one, but he knew that he needed to pass his swords on to someone worthy.

When no other swordsman was skilled enough to wield all seven swords like himself, Byakuren selected seven disciples with the greatest talent that his country had to offer. Even those who weren’t ninja turned from their lives as samurai or mercenaries to be given the chance to learn from him. He taught them to each master one of the blades that would become their inheritance and would take the secrets of their creation to his grave.

It was during the First Shinobi World War that they made their presence known. They sharpened their teeth in honour of their master and terrify their enemies, were brutal and merciless to their enemies and their swordsmanship put even samurai to shame. By the war’s end they were recognised worldwide as the infamous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Just as the seven swords fell to them, it became tradition for the swords to be passed from one generation to the next as their wielders died in battle. The Swordsmen never retired from their service and were committed to only knowing a life of battle. Those who aspired to become one of the Swordsmen would sharpen their teeth themselves to symbolize their ambition and commitment to that cause.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen continued to plague the other hidden villages in each war and the sight of them together on the battlefield was often synonymous with Kirigakure’s victory. At least until they suffered an unbelievable blow in the Third Shinobi World War where four of them were killed when a Konoha genin sacrificed themselves. Suikazan Fuguki, Akebino Jinin and Kuriarare Kushimaru survived but were forced to retreat with their dead comrades’ swords. But from this defeat, the strongest generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was born and became a nightmare for their enemies during the rest of the war.

Unfortunately, the group only fell from glory here under the Fourth Mizukage’s reign as its members died off, became traitors or deserted. Once Terumi Mei became the Fifth Mizukage, only Hoozuki Mangetsu was still a member of the group and worked to collected the remaining swords.

But, ultimately, he was killed in battle and all but one of the seven swords was lost to Kirigakure.