"Stand down, Ebito."
Just then, a calm voice came from behind, reaching Jinin Akebino's ears clearly.
Along with it came the sound of Karatachi Yagura leaping off a warship and landing heavily on the sea.
"Konoha was clearly prepared. If you charge in alone again, even Lord Mizukage wouldn't be able to save you!"
Karatachi Yagura's tone was blunt, with a trace of mockery.
At those words, Jinin Akebino's face flushed red. Anger surged through him, and he immediately opened his mouth to argue.
He was hardly known for his good temper. Or rather, under the Third Mizukage's rule, the Bloody Mist Village had few even-tempered ninja at all.
As a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, he could never accept having his strength belittled like this, much less being scolded in that tone.
But just as Jinin Akebino was about to unleash a stream of curses, he abruptly realized that the voice belonged to their commander, Karatachi Yagura.
Yagura might have looked young, with a deceptively babyish face and a child's build, but anyone who could rise to prominence in the Hidden Mist Village was no kindhearted soul. His methods were brutally ruthless.
As far as Jinin Akebino knew, an ANBU ninja had once secretly tried to undermine Yagura. Before long, that ninja had vanished without a trace, and there had been no word of him since.
Another ANBU ninja who was at odds with Yagura had secretly spread rumors about him in the village. Once Yagura found out, he went straight to the ANBU base and blocked its entrance. Even with ANBU chief Suikazan Fuguki standing right there, he had put on a performance of "Pick it up. I told you to pick up your arm."
If the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were