After another day of travel and one final night of rest, Guy's team finally arrived at the Fire Daimyō's estate.
Because Might Guy, full of youthful fervor and unorthodox thought processes, was notoriously unfit for political matters, the Third Hokage had specifically arranged for Neji, a refined and disciplined heir of the Hyuga Clan, to handle the diplomatic handover on Konoha's behalf.
"A shinobi from the renowned Hyuga Clan, Konoha's most prestigious family?" After a series of formal exchanges, Neji's composure and poise left a strong impression on the Fire Country's representatives.
"Excellent. Truly a promising young man."
Despite being praised by the Fire Daimyō's senior officials, Neji remained calm and courteous, bowing slightly with measured humility, a clear display of his clan's noble bearing.
Elsewhere, Guy and the others waited in silence, looking somewhat idle. When it came to tedious formalities, Guy was notoriously out of his depth, so he simply sat cross-legged, eyes shut as if meditating. This was actually on orders from the Third Hokage: during the official briefing, Guy was to sit still and remain silent. He could pose as solemn and aloof if needed, just don't embarrass Konoha.
As always, Lee mirrored his mentor. Mistaking Guy's silent pose for some sort of specialized training, Lee adopted the same upright posture with a look of intense focus. Only Tenten, who knew him best, could tell this was just Lee being Lee.
Sitting quietly and doing nothing wasn't really Tenten's style, but with everyone else so well-behaved, she had no choice but to play along.
More than an hour passed before Neji's diplomatic exchange with the officials finally concluded. With the ceremonial niceties out of the way, they could finally move on to discussing the actual mission.
"Guy-sensei, Lee, Tenten. Come here for the briefing," Neji called back.
This was a formal commission assigned to Team Guy. Kirito, not being a shinobi, had no official role in the mission and had only accompanied them at Tenten's personal invitation. Naturally, he was not required to be present for the debriefing.
"Whew…" Tenten exhaled softly, grateful to be free from the formalities. As she stood, she cast a glance at Guy and Lee, who were still sitting upright, each with a faint drool line trailing from the corners of their mouths.
She sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. Poor Neji… all the hard work he'd put into establishing a competent image for Konoha's shinobi in front of the Fire Daimyō was probably undone in an instant.
Meanwhile, Kirito, who had nothing to do with the upcoming proceedings, wandered the grounds of the estate on his own.
The surrounding architecture was serene and refined, white walls and black tile roofs formed a classical garden setting that seemed to exist entirely outside the chaos of the world.
As he strolled aimlessly, Kirito found himself immersed in blooming flowers, lush greenery, and winding pebble paths. Beyond, elaborately carved pavilions and corridors curved gracefully beneath red pillars and white walls, everything here exuded an ancient, poetic elegance.
His eyes wandered, taking in each new scene like snapshots from a moving lantern show. It struck him just how different this was from the "bustling" Konoha. Compared to this, the Hidden Leaf was nothing more than a remote countryside village.
Eventually, Kirito stopped before a traditional two-story building. With its sweeping roof ridges and intricate corner carvings, it was guarded by stone carvings of legendary beasts. Beneath each beast hung a wind chime that rang softly with the breeze, blending with the distant strains of koto music to create a calm, haunting ambiance.
The courtyard wasn't large, but it was complete: artificial lakes, ornamental rocks, and miniature mountains designed with elegant precision. Every piece had a role. There was nothing repetitive here, each path, each bend, each carved stone evoked the feeling of "a different view with every step."
Kirito couldn't help but be stunned. Compared to this, even the grand Hyuga estate back in Konoha felt crude.
He wasn't an architect, but even he could tell that whoever lived here held immense power in the Fire Country.
Still, that had nothing to do with him. After appreciating the building a bit more, Kirito turned to leave.
But just then, his ears twitched.
With his assassin's heightened senses, Kirito picked up the faint sound of weapons clashing, sharp, metallic echoes ringing out from somewhere inside the building ahead.
His brow furrowed.
This was the Fire Daimyō's estate, an elite, high-security compound. Combat shouldn't be happening here. And yet, there it was: the sound of swords striking steel, growing clearer and more frequent.
Kirito stopped. He stood before the doors, hesitating briefly.
But curiosity, and caution, won out. Something wasn't right.
There was fighting inside.
And Kirito decided he had to check it out.
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters