Little did Yagura know, his wish would soon come true.
Because after infiltrating the Land of Fire, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had set their sights on a supply convoy.
Among the convoy was a Genin named Might Duy, who would give these prideful Seven Ninja Swordsmen a shock they'd never forget.
"Konoha sure looks down on us Mist shinobi, sending a Genin to guard their supplies, with only two Special Jonin as escorts."
Now deep within the Land of Fire, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen felt like fish returned to the sea, finally free.
No more restrictions, no orders to follow, and no need to worry about Yagura's watchful eye.
Planting his Decapitating Great Sword into the ground, Jūzō Biwa grinned, showing his sharp, serrated teeth.
"I can almost hear the screams and cries of our enemies."
Jinpachi Munashi took a deep breath, eyes closed, revealing teeth just as sharp as Jūzō's. Combined with his overly large nose taking up nearly half his face, Jinpachi looked like a patchwork monster.
His comment drew laughter from the others.
"What a shame Takuya isn't in the Land of Fire. I'd love to take down that Konoha prodigy and reclaim Samehada for the village."
Jūzō sneered, "Hoshigaki Fuguki really is useless, losing one of the village's most important weapons."
Though the Seven Ninja Swordsmen seemed unified on the surface, in reality, they were highly competitive.
Seven people with seven special swords; the question of who would lead was always a serious one.
Growing up under the brutal reign of the Blood Mist, none of them were pushovers.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were among the fiercest of the Mist, with blood-stained hands from countless enemies.
Whoever would lead the Seven would inevitably face fierce competition.
Typically, Fuguki was the most dominant among them, almost establishing himself as the leader.
But fate wasn't kind to him. During a patrol mission, he crossed paths with Takuya, and the encounter left him dead, his sword taken by Takuya.
No amount of political negotiation or diplomacy could bring Samehada back.
Even attempts by the Hōzuki clan to summon it using scroll-based summoning had failed.
Takuya had placed too many seals on Samehada; the Mist Village was dreaming if they thought they'd ever get it back.
"Everyone, the target is in sight."
Meanwhile, unaware of the Seven's infiltration, Takuya was already nearing the Mist Village.
If he knew the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were in the Land of Fire, he'd applaud Yagura's decision:
May you run right into a Genin named Might Duy.
Let the shinobi world see just how terrifying a Konoha Genin can be.
Despite increased patrols and stricter defenses due to the war, nothing stopped Takuya from advancing undetected.
With his chakra completely concealed, he was invisible to even the sensory ninjas hidden in the shadows, as long as he didn't make his presence obvious.
"According to the intel Hatake Sakumo gathered, the hidden entrance should be this way."
Every village had secluded entry points for ANBU operatives, and the Mist Village was no exception.
Luckily, Hatake Sakumo had gathered information on this.
Takuya could only tip his hat from a distance, thoroughly impressed.
Collecting this kind of intelligence wasn't easy, and Hatake Sakumo, not being a genjutsu expert, must have worked hard to get it.
Curiously, despite his focus on taijutsu, kenjutsu, and lightning techniques, Sakumo had an impressive knack for gathering intelligence — among the best in Konoha.
Even Jiraiya and Orochimaru wouldn't claim to be better than him in that regard.
"Who's there!"
Of course, an entry point for ANBU operatives wouldn't be left unguarded.
Noticing someone approaching, one of the guards tensed, instinctively raising his head, only to find himself staring into a pair of Sharingan, with three tomoe slowly spinning.
The ANBU guard slumped against the wall, sliding down to the ground, unconscious.
"Smoother than expected."
Stepping over the fallen ANBU guard, Takuya slipped into the Mist Village.
Since his target had gone down without a sound, Takuya decided not to finish him off to avoid getting blood on himself, which would only attract unwanted attention.
Entry points for ANBU were always located in discreet spots within the village. Takuya glanced up at the darkening sky, calmly perched in a tree as he pulled out a pre-made meat pie and began eating.
After filling his stomach, he leisurely placed a kunai on a branch, channeling chakra through it to signal Minato that he could come over.
Back on the island, Minato had been patiently waiting, but with an entire day gone by and no word from Takuya, he was beginning to worry.
Even with absolute faith in Takuya, he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.
Still nothing?
Sitting on a tree branch, Minato kept glancing in the direction of the Mist Village, only to see nothing but thick fog.
The island was shrouded in mist, and all Minato got for his efforts was a whole lot of nothing.
With night approaching, Minato was starting to get frustrated. Judging by the time, Takuya should have reached the Mist Village by the afternoon if he'd kept pace.
It was almost dark, and still no sign.
"Could he have encountered enemies along the way?"
"Should I inform Teacher Jiraiya and Orochimaru?"
Minato's mind began to race with possibilities.
He decided to wait a little longer. If Takuya didn't show by nightfall, he'd inform Jiraiya.
As dusk fell, just as Minato was about to send a message with his toad, he sensed the Flying Thunder God mark activate.
Delighted, Minato followed the signal.
"Grab some food first; then we can start the mission."
Takuya handed him a meat pie as Minato plopped down beside him.
"Why are you only calling me now? I thought you'd run into trouble," Minato said, taking a bite.
"No trouble; just took my time."
Takuya laughed at Minato's overly active imagination.
If he'd run into trouble, he'd have signaled Minato right away instead of casually strolling over.
"Besides, haven't you heard? Dark, windy nights are the best for these kinds of missions."
"Yeah, well, the Mist Village doesn't exactly have a moonlit sky. It's just a dark night for killing here."
"…"
Come on!
Can you not be so snarky?
Takuya glanced up at the fog-covered sky; sure enough, not a trace of the moon.
"People in the Mist Village sure have it rough, can't even catch a glimpse of the moon."
"*Cough!*"
Minato nearly choked on his food, looking around as Takuya chuckled and handed him a water bottle.
After eating and taking a short break, Takuya tucked away his kunai.
"I'll head off on the mission; you stay here. When you feel the mark activate again, come and get me to leave."
"You don't need my help?"
"No. Too many people around will just slow me down. You stay here and rest.
Traveling such a long distance isn't easy, and I might need you to stay hidden. The Mist ninjas might even think I haven't left and end up chasing their tails around the village."
Compared to the original story, Minato, influenced by Takuya, hadn't yet become widely known.
The Flying Thunder God Technique hadn't been exposed, and the enemy had no intel on it.
Takuya thought keeping Minato under wraps for now could give their enemies a surprise down the line.
"What a shame."
Standing atop one of the taller buildings, Takuya looked out over the Mist Village, shaking his head in regret.
If this were Konoha, he could enjoy the night view, but here, you could barely see anything.
Besides the mist, the reign of the Bloody Mist made the streets practically deserted after dark.
And this was just early evening. In Konoha, it'd be one of the busiest times of day.
But here, the Mist Village was silent, like a ghost town, with barely any lights to be seen.