Under Hiruzen's questioning, Fugaku presented a mountain of "evidence" to him. It meticulously detailed a series of events that had occurred since Veigar's return to Konoha, along with Fugaku's suspicions and interrogation records.
Looking at the "evidence," Hiruzen's head began to ache again, because he himself was the orchestrator behind that very "evidence."
"Fugaku, I know all about these matters."
"I can guarantee that Veigar is not a spy, so release him."
Hearing Hiruzen's words, Fugaku's expression shifted, becoming incredibly unsightly.
Life is like a play; it's all acting.
He left. Veigar left.
This time, he followed directly behind Hiruzen.
Rumors, they spread without effort.
Before long, Veigar arrived in the Hokage's office, still trailing behind Hiruzen.
Hiruzen, sitting back in his chair, snatched up a report from his desk and tossed it towards Veigar.
"First, take a look at this intel. I want you to undertake this mission."
Veigar effortlessly caught the thrown scroll, observing Hiruzen, who was staring calmly at him, and promptly unrolled it.
Upon seeing the information on the scroll, Veigar's pupils constricted sharply.
"Traces of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist have appeared on the border."
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was an inheritable title within Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in the Mist, in the Land of Water.
Though their numbers were only seven, every single one of them was an elite of Kirigakure.
Furthermore, each possessed a ninjatō with unique abilities. When these seven worked together, they could conquer a small nation overnight.
Every one of their missions was a high-difficulty assignment personally sanctioned by the Mizukage.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist who appeared on the Land of Fire border this time were:
Jūzō Biwa, wielding the Kubikiribōchō, the Decapitating Carving Knife.
Fuguki Suikazan, wielding the Samehada, the Shark Skin sword.
Jinin Akebino, wielding the Kabutowari, the Helmet Splitter.
Ringo Ameyuri, wielding the Kiba, the Lightning Blades.
Jinpachi Munashi, wielding the Shibuki, the Splash Blade.
Kushimaru Kuriarare, wielding the Nuibari, the Sewing Needle.
And finally, the mysterious ninja wielding the Hiramekarei, the Twin Swords. Apart from those within Kirigakure, this ninja's name was completely unknown to others.
The only known fact was that his strength was the greatest among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
But this wasn't the reason for Veigar's profound shock. It was because Veigar knew that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist's landing on the Land of Fire border would ultimately lead to Might Guy's father, Might Duy, the Eternal Genin of Konoha, activating the Eight Gates Formation.
At the cost of his own life, he would ultimately kill four of them, with the remaining three escaping heavily wounded.
Frowning, Veigar said, "I'll take this mission."
In Veigar's heart, he didn't want anything to happen to Might Duy.
"Hoo~~"
Hiruzen exhaled and said, "In that case, you should depart immediately!"
Veigar nodded and replied, "Yes."
After accepting the mission, Veigar didn't leave immediately. Instead, he continued to address Hiruzen:
"Lord Third, I hope that after completing this mission, I can take an extended leave of absence."
Veigar's request for leave gave Hiruzen another headache, but after some thought, he nodded and agreed, "You may."
Veigar nodded again and said, "Then I'll go prepare."
With that, Veigar left the Hokage's office.
In just one hour, Veigar had prepared everything. After restocking some ninja tools, especially kunai, he took his mission scroll and left Konohagakure, rushing towards the Land of Fire border.
From Konohagakure, at Veigar's speed, reaching the Land of Fire border would take at least over a day, and that was if he traveled at full throttle.
Normally, it would take a little over two days.
Although Kirigakure hadn't yet declared war on Konoha, battle-ready ninja were already amassed on the Land of Fire's border.
This was also why the Leaf Village, supposedly the number one ninja village, had insufficient ninja numbers. In these turbulent wartime periods, early preparations were, of course, necessary.
At the location where the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist appeared, among the ninja stationed on the border were Veigar's friends and classmates: Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu, forming a squad.
Just as Veigar was speeding towards the Land of Fire border, hoping to save Might Duy, the squad composed of Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu on the border, was carrying out a patrol mission under the leadership of their sensei.
They had conducted many patrol missions like this one before, under their sensei's guidance, and had never encountered any problems. It had always been smooth sailing.
But they didn't know yet that this time, significant danger was approaching step by step.
Even while on a mission, Might Guy remained true to his ideals, diligently training.
"998, 999, 1000!"
Might Guy, having passionately completed a thousand frog jumps, was extremely excited, prompting Genma Shiranui, who was beside him, to give him a sharp flick on the head.
"Guy!"
"Stop training! We're on a mission."
"Unprovoked," Genma Shiranui had given him a flick on the head, and Might Guy immediately clutched his head, shouting defiantly, "Youth doesn't permit laziness!"
Both Might Guy's sensei and his teammates, Genma Shiranui and Ebisu, looked at Might Guy with a sense of exasperation.
"Oh my goodness."
"Who's going to rein in this hot-blooded idiot?"
Genma Shiranui and Ebisu looked up at the sky in exasperation.
As classmates for many years, and later becoming Might Guy's teammates, Genma Shiranui and Ebisu had long known Might Guy's personality, but they still really wanted to beat him up.
Easy to say, but if they actually tried to fight him, they might not be able to win.
Although Might Guy wasn't skilled in ninjutsu or genjutsu, and even lacked intellectual prowess, his taijutsu was far beyond their reach, truly top-notch.
So, they could only playfully tease him with words and secretly wish for a natural force to take care of Might Guy.
Sometimes, Might Guy's personality really made one want to hit him.
"Alright, stop messing around."
"We're on a mission, Guy. Put your training aside for now!"
Their sensei looked at the bickering Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu, saying with a stern face.
"Yes, Sensei!"
While he might not listen to his two teammates, Might Guy, always a "good boy" when it came to his teacher, immediately responded loudly.
"You're too loud, Guy!"
Might Guy's loud response prompted Ebisu to roar back at him.
It's unclear if Ebisu noticed that his own voice was just as loud, if not louder, than Might Guy's.
Meanwhile, Genma Shiranui watched Might Guy and Ebisu with a face full of black lines.
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]