"Elder Anzō, the thing you're giving us… is it really just this scroll?"
Kyoichi closed the utterly useless scroll in his hands and glanced at Anzō Oniyuzu, who stood beside the conference table. "There's nothing else?"
"Only that scroll," Anzō replied.
"…I knew it. The Kabutowari really is just here to make up the numbers," Kyoichi muttered.
Anzō pretended not to hear him.
Meanwhile, the others had very different reactions.
"The Blood Mist Sword Art… so Hiramekarei can be used like this. That senior was a genius…"
"Lightning Release, Lightning Release, Lightning Release…"
"Huh… it can be combined with Hiding in Mist to set up traps. Still wish I had the Kubikiribōchō. Too bad that old fossil Biwa Jūzō didn't die!"
Evidently, unlike Kyoichi—who got nothing out of his scroll—the others had gained quite a bit.
Kyoichi wasn't upset. From the start, he hadn't cared about obtaining a powerful sword. What he valued was the identity of being one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and the opportunities for tempering himself that came with it.
Compared to studying a sword, he was far more interested in the "mission" Yagura had mentioned earlier.
And from Yagura's earlier exchange with Anzō, it was almost certain this mission was meant specifically for the new generation of the Seven Swordsmen.
"Elder Anzō, what mission does the Mizukage wish to assign us?"
Kyoichi looked at him, giving it a test.
"Be patient. When Mizukage-sama arrives, he'll explain it himself."
Anzō, rigid and uncompromising, clearly wasn't revealing anything.
"…Wait, huh? Let's hope it doesn't take too long."
Kyoichi exhaled lightly, closed his eyes, and leaned back, directing his focus into mentally reverse-engineering a certain secret technique.
Time trickled away—
But not for long.
Soon, Yagura Karatachi and Biwa Jūzō appeared at the conference room door.
"Well? You all got your items?" Yagura asked as soon as he entered.
"Got them. They're just useless," Kyoichi said bluntly.
"Haha! Kabutowari is a special case."
Yagura burst into laughter. As the Mizukage, he knew every detail about the Seven Swordsmen's inheritance.
The truth was, he also believed Kabutowari was something the First Mizukage had tossed in just to fill out the roster.
Of course, criticizing the First Mizukage was something best kept strictly inside one's head.
"Mangetsu, Ameyuri, Zabuza, Mizushiro—how about you all?"
"Not bad," said Hōzuki Mangetsu, the elegant young heir with high standards.
"There are many Lightning Release techniques I've never learned. I like it," replied Ringo Ameyuri, honest as ever.
"Explosions… pretty fun," Mizushiro said with a lazy grin.
Then—
"Can I exchange my Nuibari for the Kubikiribōchō?"
The orderly exchange came to a halt when Momochi Zabuza made his request, staring fixedly at Jūzō.
"Oh? You want my Kubikiribōchō?"
Jūzō grinned, his expression twisted. "Say that again when I'm dead."
"Zabuza, exchanging swords is not permitted," Yagura cut in before things escalated.
He looked at the boy—remembering that this same brat had single-handedly forced a reform in the academy's graduation exam—and added, "And attacking comrades to steal their swords is also strictly forbidden!"
Only then did he snap out of the pride he'd been feeling over this impressively powerful new roster of swordsmen—and realize they were going to be far harder to manage.
"Alright. Since you've read the scrolls, you'll spend the next week studying them carefully. One week from now… you'll have a mission to carry out."
"A mission?"
Mangetsu raised an eyebrow. "Mizukage-sama, can you tell us in advance what kind?"
"Don't rush, Mangetsu."
Yagura soothed him and continued, facing all of them:
"This mission isn't highly classified, so telling you now is fine. Previously… during our war with Konoha, we were defeated. Many comrades died, but many others were captured alive by Konoha…"
"Wait wait wait, Mizukage-sama, don't tell me you want us to infiltrate Konoha to rescue prisoners! That's straight-up suicide!"
Mizushiro shot out of his seat, yelling before Yagura could finish.
He wasn't alone—
Even Kyoichi and the others showed visible surprise.
If they were to infiltrate Konoha to rescue people… that would practically be suicide.
"Mizushiro, shut up and let me finish."
Yagura glared. Mizushiro shrank back down into his seat.
"As I was saying—several of our comrades were captured. These past weeks, I've been negotiating with Konoha to secure their release. After much effort, we finally made progress. But… there are many details that require discussion. And with the distance between our villages, relying solely on letters is too slow."
Yagura looked at all five swordsmen.
"So, to rescue our suffering comrades as soon as possible, I intend to send a diplomatic delegation to Konoha."
"…Eh? You want us to negotiate?"
Mizushiro's eyes went round.
"Mizukage-sama, does anyone here even know how to negotiate?"
Silence.
Everyone looked at him like he was an idiot.
"…Mizushiro, when did I ever say you were negotiating?"
Yagura's smile was cold.
"Then… are we going to break into Konoha's prison?"
Mizushiro whispered.
"Mizushiro, shut up. No more talking."
Yagura rubbed his temples, unsure whether the man was truly dense or simply clowning on purpose.
Taking a deep breath, he continued decisively:
"The negotiations have nothing to do with you.
Your mission is to escort the negotiation team safely to Konoha—and escort them back once the negotiations are complete."