After saying that, Jinpachi Munashi burst into laughter. His already grotesque features twisted into something even more hideous, making him look like a demon that had crawled straight out of hell.
His exchange with Fuguki Suikazan amused their teammates as well, drawing hearty laughter from the other three: Kurosuki Raiga, Chijin Hōzuki, Jinin Akebino.
Just as they were roaring with laughter, Fuguki's expression suddenly changed. In a flash, he whipped out his great blade Samehada, blocking in front of him.
On the other side, Jinpachi Munashi also reacted quickly, raising his massive hammer-axe in front of Munashi.
Clang! Clang! Two sharp metallic clashes rang out.
On Fuguki's side, a long, needle-like weapon had struck against Samehada's wrapped surface, piercing through its bandages. With a loud pop, the wrappings were shredded, revealing the grotesque maw hidden at the base of the blade.
On the other side, a figure appeared before Jinin, hefting a massive sword as wide as a door.
Fuguki, while soothing Samehada, spoke with obvious displeasure.
"Kushimaru Kuriarare, you've hurt Samehada! If you piss it off and it goes berserk, you're the one who'll regret it!"
Jinin Akebino, added:
"It was just a joke. Don't make such a scene. It's fine for us to laugh around a bit, but if you actually trigger an explosive outburst here, Konoha shinobi really will come running."
From atop the treetops, Kushimaru Kuriarare revealed himself with a mocking smirk:
"What's this? Weren't you just boasting about not fearing Konoha's shinobi? Now you're being cautious?"
Beside him, Jūzō Biwa retracted his Kubikiribōchō and sneered at Jinpachi Munashi:
"While we've been busting our backs gathering intel, you lot have been sitting here doing nothing. If you dare to keep spouting such trash, that Shibuki in your hand will change owners sooner or later."
For a while, the seven of them fell into another round of squabbling. It took a good while before Jinin Akebino managed to steer the conversation back on track, asking:
"Since you've returned, I assume you've found a good way to infiltrate Konoha, haven't you?"
At that, Kushimaru and Jūzō stopped arguing and smirked smugly:
"We found a place called the Forest of Death that leads straight into Konoha. There's almost no sign of sealing techniques there—just a few squads that patrol it regularly.
Right now, the ones on duty are a single genin team and one jōnin. They should be easy to handle.
It's the easiest route to slip into Konoha, and it's very conducive for our retreat as well."
Hearing this, the other five finally showed smiles on their faces. Chijin Hōzuki chuckled,
"In that case, let's stop wasting time here! Let's charge in and enjoy a good slaughter!"
The others nodded in agreement. Without further delay, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist rushed toward the Forest of Death.
…
Meanwhile, inside the Forest of Death, a squad of Konoha genin were complaining about how boring their recent missions had been.
Ebisu, wearing his trademark small sunglasses, sat on a rock and grumbled:
"Ah, finally this mission is over. I've been stuck in this forest for a week, and I'm sick of it. At last I can go back and find something more interesting to do, heh-heh-heh."
As he spoke, Ebisu gave a lecherous grin, clearly daydreaming about some alluring pleasures.
Lying on the grass nearby, Genma Shiranui, who had a senbon dangling from his mouth, grumbled, "Although guarding the village is an important mission, but man, I really want to see some action on the battlefield. I heard that Minato-senpai, Kakashi's sensei, has been making waves out there. They're calling him the Yellow Flash now.
Hey, Guy, don't you want to go to the battlefield too?"
Not far from the two of them, Might Guy, with his trademark bowl-cut, was diligently doing push-ups on the ground. While doing push-ups, he said: "I do want to go to the frontlines… but my father says with our current strength it's still too early. We'll need a few more years at least."
Hearing this, Ebisu couldn't help but complain:
"A few more years? How many years exactly? Until you're as old as your dad? He's already that old and still hasn't been to the battlefield."
At those words, Guy's normally simple, honest face darkened with a flash of anger:
"I won't allow you to insult my father like that."
Realizing he had upset his teammate, Ebisu instantly regretted his words. He closed his mouth and fell into awkward silence.
Just then, a calm and gentle voice came from the distance:
"Ebisu, you should apologize to Guy. His father, Might Duy, may not be powerful, but he is still a man worthy of respect."
Hearing that voice, Ebisu's face flushed red. Already feeling guilty, he quickly replied:
"I understand, Hokushin-senpai… I'm sorry, Guy."
That's right, the voice belonged to none other than Uchiha Hokushin, Konoha jōnin and father of Kuugetsu.
In the original story, Guy and his teammates had been stationed here only because Tsunade and Jiraiya had left the village, and Sakumo's death had left Konoha short on manpower. That shortage forced them into such assignments.
But the situation was different now. Thanks to Hoshiyomi's influence, Konoha at this point was far stronger than in the original story, with more than enough personnel to guard its interior.
Thus, Guy and his team weren't here because of manpower shortages—they had been placed here deliberately under Hokushin's leadership, by Tsunade's arrangement.
In Tsunade's view, with a veteran jōnin like Hokushin stationed in the Forest of Death, no real problems should arise. Sending the three youngsters with him was, in truth, less about guarding the forest and more about giving them an opportunity to be taught and guided.
But what Tsunade never expected was that the Forest of Death, where she thought no problems would occur, was currently hiding a very big problem indeed.
Hokushin looked at Ebisu, who had just gone to apologize, and at the thoughtful Genma beside him. He nodded silently. These three kids each had their little flaws, but their hearts weren't bad. On top of that, they were clearly talented. He was certain they would grow into fine shinobi in the future.
With that thought, the urge to teach them grew stronger. Clearing his throat, he said:
"Since you all think this mission is boring, how about I teach you something more interesting instead? Is there any ninjutsu you want to learn? If it's something I know, I can pass it on to you."
At his words, the three youngsters lit up instantly. They crowded around him, chattering away excitedly about the techniques they wanted to learn.
Hokushin smiled at first as he listened to their eager requests. But as the chatter went on, he gradually noticed something was off.
Something wasn't right. The Forest of Death was unnaturally quiet today.
This forest, home to various special beasts kept by the village, was never silent—no matter how still it was, there were always the cries and noises of countless animals.
But today, it was eerily quiet—so quiet it was frightening.
Years of experience as a jōnin sharpened Hokushin's instincts, and they were screaming at him now: something unusual was happening in the Forest of Death.
His smile faded. While continuing to respond to the children's questions as if nothing were amiss, he secretly conveyed coded messages to them, all the while activating his Sharingan to silently scan the surroundings.