After hearing the Old Leader's story, Hyuga Shinichi's team barely reacted. Only Uzumaki Kushina seemed to have goosebumps; she kept rubbing her arms.
The Sunagakure team was another matter. They were a bunch of pampered young men whom Pakura had brought along to gain some experience, and they might not even have been involved in real combat before.
After listening, they all broke out in a cold sweat and sucked in breaths of alarm. Their reaction made Pakura frown deeply, annoyed by how spineless they were.
She immediately snorted and said,
"Hmph! Look at how pathetic you are! It's just a murder case where we don't know who the killer is or how they did it, and you're already this scared. Forget making contributions to Sunagakure in the future—you're bringing shame to the village right now!"
Although Pakura was young, the Second Shinobi World War had already tempered her into a true ninja.
The loss of every member of her squad had affected her especially deeply.
After Pakura reprimanded them, the members of the Sunagakure team all lowered their heads, their faces filled with shame.
Just then, the Old Leader spoke.
"Pakura of Sunagakure, they're young, after all, and haven't experienced anything like this. It's only natural for them to be afraid. All right, all right. Let's keep eating and talking."
As the conversation continued, the Konoha and Sunagakure teams gradually learned more detailed information about the Evil-Slaying Blade.
Their mission from the Land of Iron was to find this so-called "Evil-Slaying Blade."
To ensure the mission went smoothly, the Land of Iron would not only send its own samurai to continue investigating, but also promised to provide the Konoha and Sunagakure teams with lavish meals and comfortable accommodations for half a month.
The early banquet came to an end.