---Ryouma's POV---
Right now, I was having breakfast at Kenta's ramen shop. Steam rose from the massive pot behind the counter, condensing on the wooden beams overhead. Although eating ramen so early in the morning wasn't exactly healthy, there was nothing I could do, his cooking was just that good.
I watched as his practiced hands assembled my bowl, noodles first, then slices of chashu, green onions, and finally that magical broth poured over everything.
I was willing to trade a bit of health for immense satisfaction of my taste buds. After all, you only lived once, so why not enjoy what life could give you, right? It didn't have to be something big, even small things were fine, like eating ramen in the morning.
Clearly, I wasn't the only one who appreciated life's culinary pleasures. Shukaku, who was next to me devouring food like a maniac, had no such health concerns. He hunched over his fourth bowl, eating with the single-minded focus of someone who had discovered food for the first time.
"Slow down. The food isn't going anywhere."
Shukaku barely looked up, speaking between mouthfuls. "Says the human with the pathetic stomach capacity. This body needs proper fuel."
"At this rate, you'll bankrupt the entire supply division."
A grin spread across his face. "Consider it payment for my services. Besides, I never got to enjoy food like this when sealed inside the monk."
After eating my fill, I got ready to leave the camp to check whether any sneaky Kiri ninjas had slipped into the Land of Fire to cause trouble again.
I began mentally mapping out the day's patrol route. The Kiri infiltration patterns had shifted recently, moving further inland before attempting to penetrate our defensive lines. This kind of task had basically become my daily check-in routine. Sweep the borders, check the usual infiltration points, eliminate any threats, and be back for dinner.
It was methodical, predictable work, the kind enemy tacticians dream of exploiting. That was why I deliberately varied my patterns, sometimes doubling back, sometimes skipping areas entirely only to check them at odd hours.
Given that there had been no news of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen for quite a while, I had even gone out of my way a few days ago to visit a major port and marked a commercial ship headed for the Land of Water with a Flying Thunder God mark.
That's right, I planned to be a stowaway. If I couldn't find them in the Land of Fire, then I would just go straight to Kiri.
While walking through the camp, I heard the caw of a crow.
"Caw—caw—"
I raised my arm, and the crow quickly swooped down and landed on it, spitting out a small scroll from its beak.
I took the scroll and let the crow fly off. This was a crow raised by Shisui; usually, it would be used for genjutsu, but sometimes it also delivered intel.
Without hesitation, I opened the scroll, and after reading it, my eyes lit up instantly.
If summarized, the content was quite simple: The Seven Ninja Swordsmen have appeared.
I read the message twice, confirming the location details and timestamps. My heart rate accelerated slightly.
Finally.
During the "Reclaim the Byakugan" mission, Shisui and I had become good friends, and later we had completed several high-difficulty missions together.
So naturally, he knew that I had been searching alone on the battlefield for any signs of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. That was why, during one of his recent missions, he specifically kept an eye out for that kind of intel.
And sure enough, he found something.
The scroll contained more than just confirmation of their presence. He had noted their direction of travel, estimated time of arrival, and an assessment of their apparent mission. He had underlined one passage twice: "This isn't a random raid."
At this moment, I couldn't even describe how I was feeling, but one thing was certain: I was excited.
Ever since arriving on this battlefield, killing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had been my number one goal. Now, I finally had a solid lead.
Although Shisui advised me in the scroll to wait until he finished his own mission so we could go together to chase them down…
I didn't want to wait. What if the delay caused them to vanish mysteriously again? Besides, waiting had never been my strong suit. Especially not when my primary goal was finally within reach.
"The port area, huh?"
I folded the scroll and tucked it away. That particular stretch of coastline wasn't just a tactical location, it was where my father had once sacrificed himself. And now the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had shown up near there again.
Was this fate?
I double-checked my equipment.
Specially designed kunai—check.
Military rations pills—check.
Extra kunai—check.
Lostvayne—check!
I activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and instantly vanished from where I stood. Over the past few months, while sweeping the Land of Fire's coastline, I had left Flying Thunder God marks at intervals.
As long as it was within the Kiri battlefield, I could respond anywhere in an instant.
---Third POV---
"Huff—huff—" Guy leaned against a tree trunk, trying to control his breathing. His green jumpsuit was torn at the shoulder, a thin line of blood seeping through the fabric.
"Why? Why? Why are the Seven Ninja Swordsmen here?!"
At this moment, he felt like the universe was playing a cruel joke on him. He had just received a high-level mission from the village and came to the Kiri frontlines. But no one had told him this mission would involve running into the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen!
It wasn't just him, his two teammates were also filled with regret. Of all the missions they could've chosen, why did they pick this one?
"Did you see those weapons?" Ebisu whispered, trembling. "The big one had a sword covered in scales!"
Genma bit down on his senbon nervously. "This mission was completely misclassified. We should have had at least two jonin with us."
"We just need to avoid detection and—" Guy started, trying to maintain his usual optimism.
"Avoid detection?" Ebisu interrupted. "They're tracking us! They've been following our trail for the past hour!"
Guy's expression hardened. "Then we split up. Three targets are harder to catch than one group."
"Split up? Against the Seven Swordsmen?" Genma looked at him incredulously. "That's suicide!"
"Having all of us captured or killed is worse," Guy replied firmly. "If even one gets back to Konoha with this intelligence—"
His words died in his throat as he sensed movement ahead. Too late. They'd been found.
The three stood frozen in place, their bodies stiff and eyes full of fear as they stared ahead.
Not far in front of them, seven Kiri ninjas wielding all sorts of bizarre and menacing weapons sat casually on large rocks, relaxed and at ease.
Jinpachi leaned forward on his rock perch, resting Shibuki across his knees. "Hahahaha! Kushimaru, look at that little runt in the middle who looks like a kappa. What kind of outfit is that?" He pointed at Guy, as if he had just seen the funniest thing in the world. "Is Konoha so desperate they're sending children dressed as vegetables to fight now?"
"Don't respond," Genma whispered to Guy. "Don't give them anything."
Guy remained silent, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
Kushimaru let out a cold laugh and cruelly said, "Look at the terrified expressions on their faces. I want to cut off their faces and stitch them together, that would be beautiful."
Truly, these two lived up to their nickname: "Heartless Pair."
"Stop messing around and finish them already," Fuguki growled, reprimanding him.
They had an important mission this time. To prevent any intelligence from leaking and alerting Ryouma, causing him to stay out of their way, they had been eliminating every Konoha ninjas they encountered along the way.
"W-What should we do?"
Ebisu's voice had risen an octave, his glasses slipping down his nose from the cold sweat that covered his face. His legs trembled visibly, pride and training forgotten in the face of certain death.
Genma was barely any better. "We… we're going to die…" The senbon in his mouth clattered against his teeth as he repeated the phrase, a mantra of despair that helped no one.
Sigh…
Guy couldn't help but sigh internally at how useless his teammates were being right now. He had always prided himself on facing challenges head-on, believing that hard work could overcome any obstacle. But this... He knew there was no way they could run, they could only try to die with some dignity.
If this is where my path ends, then I'll make it a worthy final chapter. The power of youth won't be extinguished without a fight!
Strangely, he suddenly thought of his father.
The image of Duy appeared in his mind, smiling despite the ridicule, training until his hands bled, always encouraging him to pursue his own ninja way despite lacking ninjutsu talents.
If only Dad were here…
The thought rose in his heart out of nowhere, but he quickly shook his head to dismiss it. His father was a lifelong genin, always stuck doing D-rank missions and constantly rejected by team after team.
Even if he came, he'd just be another sacrifice. Better that he doesn't come.
A pang of guilt followed the thought. It felt like betrayal, even if it was practical.
I'm sorry, Dad. Maybe I really wasn't cut out to be a ninja. I'm sorry, Ryouma… Thank you for cheering me on back then. It's a shame I couldn't see you again on the battlefield.
He quietly played his life's final scene in his mind, then assumed a fighting stance, ready to face the enemy. He spread his feet shoulder-width apart, raised his hands in the Strong Fist style, and took a deep breath.
"Ebisu, Genma, when I charge, run in opposite directions," he instructed. "Don't look back no matter what you hear."
"You can't—" Ebisu started, shocked.
Guy interrupted. "Get the intelligence back to Konoha."
He tensed, preparing to launch himself at the nearest Swordsman, Jinpachi, whose mocking grin made him the natural first target. But just then, a green blur dropped down in front of his team from above, landing in a crouch that sent dust billowing outward.
"Dad!"
He gasped. He rubbed his eyes furiously with both hands, then looked again, and it really was his father.
At this moment, Duy was cloaked in a blazing green chakra aura, it was clear he had activated the Sixth Gate, the Gate of View.
He glanced nervously at the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, who hadn't moved yet, and let out a breath of relief.
"Whew… made it just in time."
"Dad! Why are you here?" Guy asked, both anxious and confused.
He had no idea why his father would suddenly appear here.
In his eyes, his father showing up here was a death sentence. Even if he could open the Eight Gates to boost his strength… the opponents were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, terrifying enemies rumored to be able to destroy a small country in a single night when working together.
But Duy simply turned around and gave him a calm, confident smile.
"Guy, I'll hold them off. You all, run!"
"But Dad, how are you going to—"
"It's alright. I'll activate the Eight Gates Released Formation." With his back to Guy, Duy raised a big thumbs-up. "Self-restraint… now is the time to release it!"