In the dim forest, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen appeared casually in various poses—standing, lying down, sitting, or squatting—scattered across the ground, piles of rocks, tree branches, and other spots. From above, they looked down at the six Konoha genin lying on the ground. Their smiles were remarkably alike: relaxed yet cruel, like cats preparing to toy with mice. Though the seven seemed to be positioned carelessly, their locations had perfectly sealed off every possible escape route for the six below.
If Nawaki had seen this scene, he would have felt a powerful sense of déjà vu. In the original story, Guy's three-man squad had also been surrounded by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and plunged into danger. But because of Nawaki, the transmigrator, fate had already been altered. Through a strange twist of circumstance, Asuma and the others had been dragged into it as well. Who knew what changes this would bring?
Faced with the enemies who had suddenly appeared, the six young ninja on the ground immediately scrambled to their feet and stood back-to-back, cautiously taking up defensive positions.
"It's the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure! We're surrounded!" Ebisu warned, his face pale.
"Mist Ninja? What are they doing in Konoha?" Asuma's expression turned grave, all his earlier ease gone.
"They suddenly appeared and chased us all the way here. We were going to ask you to return to the village with us and report this, but we didn't expect them to catch up so quickly!" Genma Shiranui explained, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"You were being chased? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Ibiki Morino asked with a dark expression.
"You never gave us the chance to speak! First you insisted on checking the passphrase, then Asuma wouldn't stop talking." Ebisu replied irritably.
Ibiki and Asuma awkwardly shut