"What are you two thinking? Elder Danzo has already said his piece. Hurry up and thank him for his generosity." Hatake Ziyan reminded the two dumbfounded men.
The two came to their senses and gave Danzo a pitying look, thinking, Sure enough, it takes a villain to deal with a villain! Huh? Something about that doesn't sound right. Whatever. Seeing Danzo like this feels great, and that's all that matters!
"Thank you, Lord Danzo!" the two deliberately shouted.
The corner of Danzo's mouth twitched. He warned himself that from now on, whenever anything had even the slightest connection to Hatake Ziyan, he would stay far away. He would never provoke that walking disaster again.
Seeing Danzo's miserable state lifted Hatake Ziyan's spirits considerably. He said to Tsunade and Minato behind Danzo, "There's nothing left for me to do here, so I'll be leaving. See you in Konoha!"
Tsunade was just about to say something when she discovered that Hatake Ziyan had already vanished from his seat. She pursed her lips and muttered, "Stupid Grandpa Ziyan. If you suddenly show up and disappear like that again, I'll tell everyone about every single one of your flaws!"
Beside her, Minato and Danzo abruptly coughed twice, then looked around as though they had heard nothing.
Hatake Ziyan had only just left the camp when he heard Tsunade's words and nearly fell out of a tree. Exasperated, he looked back toward her camp and wondered what gift he should bring her next time. Otherwise, that girl really might follow through on her threat.
Seeing that Tsunade had stopped complaining, Danzo said, "Tsunade, if there's nothing else, I'll head back to Konoha!"
Tsunade glanced at Danzo. She had not expected the old man to be so shameless. Something so humiliating had just happened, yet now he stood before them as though nothing had happened at all.
"What are you planning to tell my teacher about Minato?" Tsunade asked.
"Don't worry. I'll tell Hiruzen that by the time I arrived, Minato had already left for the Land of Water!" Danzo said without so much as blushing.
Tsunade gave Danzo a disbelieving look, as though telling him that his words could not be trusted.
Danzo could tell from her gaze that she doubted him. He could not help thinking, All breasts and no brains, just as expected!
"Tsunade, it's fine if you don't trust me, but you should believe that until I've completed Lord Ziyan's assignment, I won't oppose you on this matter. In fact, I'll even help Minato secure the Hokage position!" Danzo explained.
Tsunade continued to regard Danzo with suspicion, saying nothing.
"Lord Ziyan's assignment is for me to help Minato disband the council of Hokage Advisors after he takes office. If Minato doesn't become Hokage, how am I supposed to complete Lord Ziyan's assignment? What do you think Lord Ziyan will do to me if I fail? So until this matter is settled, I won't work against you!" Danzo could only continue explaining with a dark expression.
Only then did Tsunade nod in acceptance. She turned to Minato and said, "Hurry up and leave! I received a message from Sakumo yesterday. You need to get over there as soon as possible!"
Minato nodded. "Thank you for your help, Lady Tsunade. I'll take my leave!"
At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, three children raced along a forest trail, bounding forward.
"Guy, I've got a feeling something's wrong!" one of them said.
"Genma, did you notice something?" Guy asked.
"I haven't seen anything, but I've just got a bad feeling!" Genma replied.
"Are you scared? We're inside the Land of Fire. What are you afraid of?" the last boy said.
"Ebisu, you're the one who's scared! I really do have a bad feeling." Genma Shiranui turned to Ebisu beside him.
Suddenly, Guy, who was leading the way, stopped. Unable to react in time, Genma crashed straight into him. "Guy, why did you stop?"
"Genma, your feeling was right! Look ahead of us!" Might Guy said gravely.
Only then did Genma lower the hand rubbing his head and look ahead.
Seven men stood before them, each with a different appearance and a different ninja blade in hand.
The most conspicuous was a fat man who resembled a small mountain, though the other six looked peculiar as well. What frightened them most, however, was the tremendous killing intent pouring from all seven.
Once Ebisu and Genma Shiranui got a clear look at the men, they began trembling in fear.
"The Mist Ninja... the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!" Genma Shiranui said in a trembling voice.
"Hahaha! Who knew the seven of us had become so famous? Even a bunch of kids know our name!" said a man with red markings around his mouth and a massive sword resting on his shoulder.
"Juzo Biwa, don't forget what we're here for! Finish them off!" said the man standing at the front.
"Mangetsu, I don't need you telling me what to do!" Juzo said, annoyed at being lectured.
"Which of you wants to do it?" Hozuki Mangetsu turned and asked, looking at the three children before him.
None of the six behind him spoke. Clearly, a few children were not enough to interest any of them.
"Juzo, you do it!" With no one volunteering, Hozuki Mangetsu singled him out.
Juzo Biwa looked thoroughly displeased at being chosen, but he still leaped forward, landing before the three trembling children.
Juzo Biwa slammed the Kubikiribōchō from his shoulder into the ground and said to the three, "Brats, who's first?"
Feeling the thick killing intent radiating from Juzo Biwa, Might Guy fought back his fear and told his two teammates behind him, "Run! I'll hold them off!"
Genma Shiranui and Ebisu could not stop trembling, but they still forced down their fear and said, "We can't let you face them alone. We'll fight together!"
Watching the three display their deep bond as teammates, Juzo Biwa sneered. "Quit wasting time. If you won't attack, I'll finish you off one by one!"
Juzo Biwa abruptly pulled his massive sword free. With a powerful swing of his arm, he swept the Kubikiribōchō straight at the three.
At last, Might Guy regained control of his body. Crossing his arms in front of his face, he shouted in a low voice, "Eight Gates! Gate of Opening, open! Gate of Healing, open! Gate of Life, open! Gate of Pain, open!"
Guy opened four gates in succession, a green glow rising from his body. Enduring the pain, he kicked the Kubikiribōchō back and told the two behind him, "Go! I'll buy you some time! Otherwise, none of us will escape! We're facing seven elite jonin!"
Seeing Guy's power surge, Genma Shiranui and Ebisu finally made up their minds. They told him, "Don't worry. We'll find help right away. Hang in there!"
With that, the two quickly turned and ran back the way they had come.
Before you continue