The night passed without incident. Before the sky was fully light, Might Guy was already awake, engrossed in his taijutsu training.
The morning sun filtered into the sparse forest, and Genma Shiranui had breakfast ready.
"Guy, come eat breakfast!" Genma called out to Might Guy, then paid him no further mind.
Having been stationed at the border for several months without encountering a single enemy, they had grown accustomed to a relaxed state of mind.
Might Guy, Genma, and Ebisu's sensei did not curb this mindset; instead, he allowed them free rein.
Perhaps he, too, shared this very mindset.
To guard the border command post against Kirigakure, Might Duy was stationed at its perimeter. As a Genin, Might Duy's duty was to provide security against intruders.
It was a relatively easy job.
A new day dawned, another day full of vitality for Might Duy.
Standing firm at his post, Might Duy's resolute face bore a hearty smile as he performed single-leg squats, up and down.
For him, a day without training meant his entire body felt loose.
Youth, he wouldn't allow himself to waste it like that.
Suddenly, a Konoha ninja, covered in wounds and blood, stumbled into Might Duy's view.
Thump.
The heavily wounded Konoha ninja, upon seeing Might Duy, immediately relaxed his taut nerves and collapsed before him.
"Quick! Quick! Inform the command post! The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist from Kirigakure have appeared and are heading our way!"
With that, the Konoha ninja before Might Duy lost consciousness.
"Senpai, hold on, Senpai..."
Hearing the unconscious Konoha ninja who had collapsed before him, and the intelligence he had delivered with his last breath, Might Duy realized the gravity of the situation. He immediately picked him up and raced towards the command post, continuously shouting words of encouragement.
...
Veigar, who had been traveling ceaselessly, was nearing Konoha's border. A slight weariness was evident on his face from the overnight journey.
However, Veigar didn't stop to rest.
He was worried he wouldn't make it in time to save Might Duy.
Half an hour later, Veigar spotted Konoha's front-line command post in the distance.
...
Meanwhile, after reporting the intelligence he received from the ninja he sent to the field hospital for treatment, Might Duy belatedly remembered something very important.
His son, Might Guy, was on a patrol mission outside the command post.
"Damn it! Guy!"
Filled with extreme worry that Might Guy might encounter the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Might Duy darted away... he ran.
He rushed towards the area where Might Guy was on his mission.
...
On the other side, Might Guy and his team, having just finished breakfast, were preparing to continue their mission. Fully energized, the four-person squad was spread out in four directions, vigilantly monitoring every movement in their surroundings.
But at this moment, Might Guy and his three teammates had not yet realized the danger. Not far ahead of them, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, along with over a dozen other Mist Ninja, were heading their way.
"Hm, looks like there are a few little mice up ahead."
"Kisame, they're yours."
Before Might Guy's team of four could detect the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Fuguki Suikazan, one of the Swordsmen, was the first to sense Might Guy and the others' presence.
"Yes, Senpai."
No sooner had he spoken than Kisame vanished from behind Fuguki, from within the ranks of the Mist Ninja squad.
"Hehe~"
Fuguki looked in the direction Kisame had departed, a cold sneer twisting his face.
He was acutely aware of Kisame's persistent desire to obtain the Samehada from him, but there was no way he would give Kisame that opportunity.
As long as he was alive, Kisame would never get the Samehada.
Jinpachi Munashi, standing next to Fuguki, remarked calmly after seeing Fuguki dispatch Kisame:
"Fuguki-senpai, you should be careful of Kisame."
The seven individuals within the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist didn't have particularly strong relationships with each other; at most, they were merely acquaintances.
Of course, the degree of their acquaintance varied, and Fuguki and Jinpachi were relatively good friends.
Not only Fuguki knew about Kisame's desire for the Samehada, but Jinpachi and others could also guess it from Kisame's occasional fleeting glances of longing.
"As long as I'm alive for one more day, he won't have a chance." Fuguki responded coldly without turning his head.
"Is that so?"
Jinpachi chuckled softly at Fuguki.
No one could guess what he was truly thinking.
Kisame, having received Fuguki's order, separated from the group and quickly located Might Guy's four-person squad.
"So, it's a patrol squad, is it?"
"Then..."
Kisame, hidden from view, immediately analyzed the mission Might Guy's four-person squad was on, and his gaze fixed upon Might Guy's sensei.
Swish.
Whoosh.
With his ninjatō barely drawn half an inch, Kisame vanished from his spot. The next second, he appeared beside Might Guy's Jōnin sensei, his ninjatō now fully unsheathed.
Kisame, as still as a maiden and as swift as a rabbit, instantly completed the kill with his ninjatō before Might Guy's sensei could even react.
On the battlefield, a lack of sufficient vigilance leads to this outcome.
The bisected body instantly collapsed to the ground.
"Easy work."
Kisame's shark-like face twisted into an ugly grin.
"S-Sensei..."
"How... how could this be?"
"Sensei..."
Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu, though not huddled together with their sensei, were still within sight of each other.
This formation was precisely to guard against sudden enemy attacks.
However, Kisame had now swiftly killed their sensei with incredible speed.
Their formation had been completely ineffective, easily broken by Kisame.
The three couldn't believe what they were seeing. Genma and Ebisu simultaneously pulled out several shuriken and hurled them at Kisame in a flurry.
Clang, clang, clang...
However, the shuriken thrown by the two had no effect whatsoever; they couldn't even make Kisame move an inch.
Kisame, with his ugly grin, effortlessly deflected the shuriken thrown by Genma and Ebisu with his ninjatō. He then spoke to the three, whose faces were contorted with grief:
"Weak. Too weak."
"Your Konoha ninja's vigilance is terrible."
Kisame's cold sarcasm made the expressions of grief on Might Guy, Genma , and Ebisu's faces even more painful.
"Ah!"
"Sensei!"
An enraged Might Guy unleashed his full power, launching a flying kick at Kisame.
"Dynamic Entry!"
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]