Elsewhere.
At this moment.
Within the stealthily advancing Mist Ninja force.
"Why make such a fuss over a mere Kusagakure?" Raiga Kurosuki, with long green hair, thick eyebrows, and two swords strapped to his back, bared his sharp teeth in a vicious grin. "Sneaking around like this—just follow my plan and assassinate that Grass Ninja Village Leader directly! Third Hokage is being way too cautious!"
"Shut up!" Jūzō Biwa, carrying a massive cleaver-like blade on his back, shot Raiga Kurosuki a gloomy glance. "Have you forgotten that assassination operation in Konoha?"
Even now, the memory still filled him with lingering fear. That terrifying guy... had defeated all seven of them in an instant.
They had been the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!
An assassination unit that struck fear throughout the ninja world!
And yet... only three of them remained.
"If we fail again... we'll truly become a joke!"
As soon as he finished speaking.
Raiga Kurosuki seemed to recall something terrifying as well, and his expression darkened. "That guy was beyond all reason!"
Who could have imagined that such a terrifying guy had only been a Konoha genin?!
It was practically a scam!
"There was only one of him, and he's already dead. All we need to do now is assassinate the Grass Ninja Leader!"
"That Grass Ninja Leader isn't simple either." Jūzō Biwa frowned slightly. "To toy with the Five Great Ninja Villages for this long, and even get the Rain Ninja Village Leader to agree to join forces with him—that isn't something just anyone can accomplish!"
"Has that beating completely crushed your nerve? How laughable. Since when did the Seven Ninja Swordsmen need to fear the leader of some tiny ninja village?"
"I just don't want to fail again!"
"I said it! We can't fail!"
"That's what we thought last