This answer!
Tenten wanted to hear it personally from Neji's own mouth, or rather, see it with her own eyes.
Raising her head, Tenten's gaze fixed on Lee and Might Guy ahead, and she couldn't help but think to herself.
Guy-sensei and Lee probably have the same thoughts as me.
The whistling wind continued to rush past their ears.
Lee, following closely behind Might Guy and moving quickly, glanced with his peripheral vision at Tenten, who was slightly behind.
By now, sweat covered Tenten's forehead, yet she remained silent, gritting her teeth as she tightly followed the group.
Compared to the others, Tenten, being a girl, had a naturally slightly weaker constitution.
Even Lee, who specialized in taijutsu, was feeling a hint of exhaustion from such hurried travel, let alone Tenten.
"Guy-sensei, maybe we should take a break."
While moving rapidly, Lee looked up toward Might Guy and spoke softly.
Hearing the voice from behind, Might Guy turned his head to glance at the three behind him, then stopped on the trunk of a large tree.
"Why did we stop, Guy-sensei?"
Tenten asked with confusion, still catching her breath, as she looked at Might Guy who had suddenly halted.
"In a while, the sun will set. We probably won't make it to the Land of Hot Water today, so we might as well rest here for now."
"Nighttime isn't suitable for traveling."
Might Guy rubbed his shoulder, revealing his gleaming white teeth.
"But Neji right now..."
A flash of anxiety appeared on Tenten's face, but before she could finish speaking, Might Guy had already placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Tenten!"
"There might be a battle waiting for us tomorrow. If we don't rest well, we won't be able to give it our all."
A brilliant smile appeared on Might Guy's face as he spoke in a gentle tone.
Tenten paused for a moment, then a serious expression appeared on her face, her voice filled with determination: "Understood, Guy-sensei!"
Before long, the sky had grown dark.
Might Guy and his group quickly began setting up camp in the forest.
Although it was called resting, the three of them weren't actually resting.
Lee was doing handstand warm-ups to the side, while Tenten continuously checked the various weapon scrolls she carried.
As for the Hyuga genin on the other side, he had activated his Byakugan, scouting the surroundings.
For shinobi like them, staying up all night didn't have much of an impact.
Might Guy glanced at his three disciples, a hint of helplessness flashing through his eyes.
However, Might Guy didn't stop the three of them, because a ninja must always be prepared for battle.
Might Guy looked up toward the direction of the Land of Hot Water, an enigmatic glint in his eyes.
Within the Land of Hot Water.
At the entrance of the Jashin cult's cave.
Compared to Team 3's situation of camping directly in the forest, Yuto and Neji's circumstances were clearly much better.
When the two emerged from the depths of the Jashin cult's cave, the sky had already darkened.
Yuto showed no signs of being in a hurry to travel, so the two of them simply took advantage of the cave's convenience and set up camp there.
At the entrance of the cave, traces of blood dripped continuously along an imperceptibly thin wire to the ground.
Below the wire, a massive wild boar had been split cleanly in two by this barely visible steel wire.
A rich scent of blood emanated from the bisected wild boar, permeating the surrounding area.
Yuto happily skewered half of the wild boar meat on a wooden stick, then used a Fire Style ninjutsu to ignite the firewood he had already prepared.
He placed the wild boar meat on the stick directly over the fire to roast.
Standing to the side, Neji watched this scene somewhat blankly, the corner of his mouth twitching involuntarily.
At first, Neji had thought that Lord Yuto was borrowing his Longsword: Nuibari to set up traps, to be alert for any wandering ninjas that might appear.
Now it seemed that setting up traps was correct, but only for catching wild game.
He really was still too naive.
With Lord Yuto's strength, why would he need to be alert about any wandering ninjas?
However, for one of the famous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to be used for catching wild game, it felt like a tremendous waste of talent.
Neji looked up at Yuto, who was roasting the meat with an excited expression on his face, and at the Longsword: Nuibari that had been casually tossed aside, a pained look flashing across his face.
If the other members of the Seven Swordsmen, who regarded these seven swords as their very lives, were to see this scene, he wondered what they would think.
Although Neji hadn't possessed the "Longsword: Nuibari" for very long, through just brief training, he already understood why these seven swords were sought after by so many ninjas in the Hidden Mist Village.
Even why these seven swords were famous throughout the entire ninja world.
Each of the Seven Ninja Swords possessed unique abilities. Leaving aside the other swords for now, the "Longsword: Nuibari" in Neji's hands not only possessed sharpness incomparable to ordinary kunai, but also had wire that could extend almost infinitely.
For Neji, who excelled at fine manipulation, mastering this ninja sword wasn't difficult.
With the help of Neji's Byakugan, using the wire connecting the sword was like the chakra threads used by the Hidden Sand Village to control puppets. This made the sword's attack range not only far, but its destructive power was also immense.
Moreover, these extended wires also possessed sharpness no less than kunai.
Therefore, the user of "Longsword: Nuibari" didn't need to worry that the wires they controlled would be cut by enemies.
In fact, enemies wouldn't dare to easily touch these wires, given that with their sharpness, they could effortlessly sever any fingers that touched them.
Neji walked over and picked up the Longsword: Nuibari that Yuto had casually thrown to the side, somewhat painfully wiped the blood from the wire, then hurriedly stored it away.
Neji was afraid that Yuto would borrow his sword again to skewer the roasted wild boar meat.
This was something others might not do, but Neji knew that Lord Yuto was definitely capable of doing it.
As Yuto roasted the wild boar meat, his peripheral vision glanced at the nervous Neji. Seeing the Longsword: Nuibari being put away, a regretful look flashed through his eyes.
Come to think of it, the shape of the Longsword: Nuibari really was quite suitable for skewering meat.
Under the heat of the Fire Style ninjutsu, before long, a rich aroma of roasted meat wafted through the entire cave.
Although this fragrance still couldn't mask the bloody scent permeating the air from the dead wild boar, neither Yuto nor Neji paid any attention to this.
Hey everyone,
I need to tell you what's actually happening.
I just got hit with mass cancellations. On top of being buried in academics until the 9th. I'm in deep financial trouble right now—like, genuinely don't-know-how-I-cover-next-month trouble.
I want to do more for you. I have another Naruto fic ready to drop the moment this academic hell ends. But I can't keep creating if I can't survive.
I'm not powerless about the work—I know I can deliver for you. But I'm powerless to stop the bleeding alone.
If you've ever thought about supporting, this is the moment. Not "someday." Now.
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