"It seems they are allies from the village. What happened?"
Seeing that Tobitake Tonbo recognized them, the Anbu captain lowered his guard and halted his attack.
"Lord Anbu, please save my father! He's fighting the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!"
Seeing those masks, Guy felt as though he had finally found his savior. Everyone present was stunned. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen? What were they doing here?
"Say no more. Lead the way."
After carefully sensing the trio to ensure they weren't enemies in disguise, Tonbo approached them. He wove hand seals and tapped each of them on the shoulder.
Guy, Ebisu, and Genma felt a strange sensation; suddenly, their physical strength seemed to flow back into them, making their previous exhaustion feel like a mere illusion. Hearing Tonbo's command, they nodded to the Anbu and turned to lead the way.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
"relay the intel to Lord Hokage. Request immediate backup."
When dealing with shinobi of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's caliber, the Anbu captain had to take it seriously. They were the absolute elite of Kirigakure. Tonbo gave a mental thumbs-up; this decisive leadership made the team feel secure.
"Understood."
An ANBU summoned a messenger hawk, strapped the intel to its leg, and sent it soaring back toward Konoha.
Screech!
"We're here... but the battle seems to be over."
They finally reached the battlefield. It was a scene of absolute devastation, with everything within a hundred-meter radius completely pulverized.
"Father!"
Guy immediately spotted Might Duy lying on the ground and lunged forward. Tonbo followed close behind. That familiar green jumpsuit was shredded, leaving only enough to cover the essentials. Duy's body was charred like coal, and his eyes were wide and white, staring upward. One look was enough to tell that he had exhausted every drop of his life force in this fight.
"Let the senior rest in peace," Tonbo said, patting Guy's shoulder.
He truly admired Duy's sacrifice. Consequently, he had no intention of reading the man's memories to steal the Eight Inner Gates. Besides, the village would never permit it.
"Kuriarare Kushimaru, wielder of the Longsword Nuibari... Akebino Jinin, wielder of the Blunt Sword Kabutowari... Munashi Jinpachi, wielder of the Blast Sword Shibuki... and Augustus, wielder of the Twin Sword Hiramekarei."
The Anbu captain and his team looked at the four corpses and the legendary blades beside them, their faces masks of disbelief.
"Who exactly was he?" they whispered, looking at Might Duy with profound shock.
"Stay alert! Three are missing; they might still be alive," the battle-hardened Anbu captain barked, snapping back to reality.
Everyone immediately went on guard, scanning the surroundings for any remaining hostiles. Hearing the order, Tonbo suppressed his emotions and pushed his sensory range to its limit. After a minute, he confirmed he couldn't find any enemies.
"Captain, no enemies detected," he reported.
"The surroundings are clear. The other three have likely fled," the other sensory ninja added, pooling their findings.
The Anbu captain nodded. "Clean up the battlefield. Do not leak any of this intelligence."
"Yes, sir."
"As members of the Analysis Team, we are prepared for this. We'll handle the bodies," Dokuraku Mawashi suggested. The Anbu captain agreed.
Tonbo pulled out a sealing scroll and unfurled it. It was covered in intricate formulas with the character for "Corpse" written in the center.
Snake—Tiger—Boar...
Upon completing the seals, the formula spread over Might Duy's body, covering him before slowly drawing him into the scroll. Tonbo tied the scroll and handed it to the Anbu captain. The others finished securing the enemy corpses. Meanwhile, the Anbu took possession of the four Ninja Swords, sealing them and strapping them to their backs.
Guy and his teammates could only watch in silence. Guy's eyes were bright as he looked at the Anbu. Plucking up his courage, he stepped toward the captain. "Lord Anbu, can I join the Anbu?"
"Hm? If you want to join, you must first become a Chunin and then apply to the Hokage. I don't make those calls," the captain chuckled. Seeing that Guy's father had killed four elite Kirigakure Jonin single-handedly, he figured the boy had immense potential. If he were Hokage, he'd recruit him in a heartbeat.
Tonbo was speechless. Ebisu and Genma shared the look.
"Guy," Tonbo interjected, "don't waste the Anbu's time. The priority is getting these bodies and weapons back. We can talk about the rest in the village. It's not safe here."
"Right."
"Move out! Back to the village! Maintain defensive formation!"
Swoosh!
Though grieving, Guy knew his duty. He and his teammates followed closely.
"Oh, right," Tonbo said to the three of them as they moved. "About that jutsu I cast on you earlier—once we're back, make sure to rest for a full day. Let your bodies recover. Absolutely no training."
"What kind of jutsu was that? Are there side effects?" Ebisu asked nervously. One moment they were dead tired, and the next they felt like they had infinite energy.
Genma frowned, analyzing the sensation. "It wasn't an elemental jutsu, nor was it medical ninjutsu. My body feels fine right now... wait, was it a Genjutsu?"
"Aha! As expected of Genma. Calm and sharp as ever," Tonbo smiled. "Exactly. It's a Genjutsu I call Self-Inflation. It sends a false signal to your brain, tricking your consciousness into believing you are in peak condition. In this state, your brain unconsciously squeezes your cells for every drop of energy. It's a form of overdrawing your physical reserves, so you need time to repair the damage!"
The two honor students immediately understood the principle. Only Guy remained confused. Knowing Guy's personality, his teammates put all their effort into convincing him that he needed a "day of rest" to mourn his father properly, finally halting Guy's urge to immediately start training in the name of youth.
Might Guy... such a simple, sunny guy, yet surprisingly sensitive—more so than Kakashi, Tonbo thought, watching him from the corner of his eye.
Guy had already accepted the reality of his father's death. He wasn't just brushing off his teammates' words; he was actively responding to show them they didn't need to worry about him. This mixture of burning passion and quiet consideration made him a remarkable man.
As for the jutsu, Self-Inflation, it was just a crude Genjutsu Tonbo had developed as a form of self-hypnosis. It worked well on allies, but it wasn't yet viable against enemies, as it required the target to trust the caster to some extent.
Swoosh!
As the classmates chatted, another Anbu squad appeared ahead—the requested backup. Soon, they were back within the safety of Konoha. After filing their reports, everyone headed home.
Was the Analysis Team finished for the day? Yes. Tonbo had hoped for a chance to analyze the Jonin corpses to gain some high-level experience, but it seemed that wasn't in the cards. After completing his task, he headed straight to Ichiraku Ramen for a giant bowl and a chance to check in on Ayame.
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