The Seven Ninja Swordsmen had already made their decision. Naturally, the other jonin had no objections, nor were they qualified to raise any.
Having made up their minds, the group hurried toward Uchiha Mai's location. A little over two hours later, they reached their destination.
More precisely, they reached a spot one kilometer away from it.
Uchiha Mai sat at ease on the branch of an enormous tree, leaning lazily against its trunk. Beside him stood the graceful, lovely Mei Terumi, who had been "forced" to serve as his maid.
He made no effort to conceal his powerful, uncanny chakra, letting it spread unchecked in every direction. Every fish, insect, bird, and beast within a kilometer was so intimidated that it could not move.
Even from a kilometer away, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen could feel the power of that chakra.
It far surpassed that of a regular jonin. Even Mizukage Yagura fell slightly short by comparison.
Of course, that only referred to the quantity and aura of his chakra, not his actual strength. Mizukage Yagura was not necessarily weaker than Uchiha Mai.
"That brat... He really has gotten stronger since last year."
Jūzō Biwa frowned, his wariness of Uchiha Mai growing.
Yagura had, after all, served as Mizukage for years. His individual strength surely surpassed that of Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and the others, yet Uchiha Mai's chakra aura was a shade stronger still.
"Wasn't that to be expected?"
Suikazan Fuguki curled his lip disdainfully and said calmly, "Even the Mizukage has no chance of winning against all seven of us together.
"So what if Uchiha Mai is stronger than the Mizukage? We're elites who fought our way through mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.
"It's time he learned to respect his seniors."
The others nodded, still intent on accepting Uchiha