Sure enough, anyone who could become a jōnin—let alone an elite jōnin—was never simple.
Might Guy might seem straightforward, but that didn't mean he lacked brains.
Right now, his easygoing manner made it convenient to ask probing questions, pretending to be clueless while secretly gathering information.
Even if he crossed a line, people wouldn't take his curiosity too seriously and would simply brush it off.
Of course, what he really wanted was to uncover the secret behind Kusagakure and Itsuki's involvement.
"It's difficult to explain," Itsuki said cautiously, glancing around as though torn between gossip and fear of being overheard. "But since you are honored guests from Konoha, I'll tell you quietly. Please don't spread this around."
Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten exchanged looks before promising to keep silent.
Then, Itsuki told them about the so-called 'human pill.'
Karin and her mother Kana were of the Uzumaki clan, born with powerful chakra vitality.
Kusagakure had discovered that by biting into their flesh and absorbing their chakra, others could restore their vitality and heal injuries.
Simply put: if injured, one only had to bite them to recover.
No matter how severe the wound, as long as the victim wasn't dead, they could be saved.
The price was the Uzumaki's chakra consumption—a small matter for most shinobi.
But with Kusagakure's heavy war casualties, the demand became endless. Severely injured ninja consumed enormous chakra just to survive.
Kana had been drained relentlessly, with no chance to recover, until she finally died. Karin, however, inherited her mother's physique and could continue serving as Kusagakure's "pill."
Who could have foreseen that a powerful outsider would suddenly appear, take Karin, and even steal away Kana's "corpse"?
"This has nothing to do with the neighboring country," Itsuki whispered, feigning concern.
"That man must have heard about the human pill and came to kidnap them. Kusagakure lost its treasure and suffered heavy losses. This war is already as good as lost. If you ever find news of the pill, I beg you—inform Kusagakure. You will be handsomely rewarded."
By then, they had arrived at Kusagakure's gates.
Itsuki bowed lightly. "I'll take you no further. Safe travels—and I hope we meet again."
But Gai's team was left shaken.
The idea that Kusagakure had imprisoned Uzumaki clan members and raised them like livestock was outrageous.
Even Might Guy, who had witnessed the cruelty of war and knew the darkness of the ninja world, felt his worldview shatter anew.
Tenten had already known about Karin's plight, but hearing it directly from Itsuki left him furious.
Still, they represented Konoha. They couldn't act recklessly. Otherwise, Kusagakure would already be paying for their crimes.
With heavy hearts, they exchanged only a few polite words with Itsuki and turned to leave.
But before they walked out of sight, a small figure burst from the woods and launched an attack on Team Guy.
The assailant was small, about Tenten's size, dressed like a Kusagakure Anbu. At a glance, their strength seemed no higher than a genin or chūnin.
They opened with a volley of shuriken, then charged in with a kunai.
With such weak power, even a surprise attack was doomed to fail.
Itsuki, watching from a distance, froze. What the hell?
"Anbu from Kusagakure?" Neji's Byakugan flared as he knocked away several weapons with his Gentle Fist.
Lee batted others aside with swift kicks, frowning. "Why attack us alone like this?"
"Doesn't matter—let's catch her first!" Tenten unfurled a scroll, summoning a storm of weapons to block the remaining barrage.
From the figure's build, it was clearly a girl about Tenten's age.
But regardless—she had attacked them. That made her an enemy.
Guy vanished in a blur and appeared behind her, striking her neck with the side of his hand. The girl dropped instantly.
Such poor performance—yet she dared attempt murder?
At that moment, Itsuki and several Kusagakure shinobi rushed over from the gate, having also seen the fight.
Tenten and the others stiffened, wary.
Neji's voice was sharp: "What is the meaning of this? Does Kusagakure intend to declare war on Konoha?"
A Kusagakure shinobi raised his hands quickly. "Misunderstanding! We don't know what happened, but our village has no intention of harming Konoha—or becoming your enemy!"
Lee narrowed his eyes. "Then explain this. That's one of your Anbu, isn't it?"
Given what Itsuki had told them about the human pill, their hostility toward Kusagakure was already burning. Even the smallest spark could ignite war.
Itsuki, meanwhile, stood aside with cold amusement—almost hoping a fight would erupt.
Guy hefted the unconscious girl and dropped her at the Kusagakure shinobi's feet. "We need an explanation."
"Please, give us a moment. We'll get to the bottom of this," the Kusagakure ninja said, sweating nervously. They could not afford conflict with Konoha—not now.
He hurried forward and removed the girl's mask, revealing a delicate young face.
"Ryūzetsu?!"
The Kusagakure shinobi froze in disbelief.
They had thought perhaps an enemy disguised as their own had staged the attack to provoke conflict. But this was their own comrade!
Itsuki's eyes narrowed. He recognized the name: Ryūzetsu. A character from the Blood Prison story, wielder of the forbidden technique Dragon Life Reincarnation, able to trade her life for another's. But she was still far too young.
And Ryūzetsu wasn't the type to pick fights meaninglessly. So why this reckless attack?
Soon, she was roused by Kusagakure shinobi.
When pressed, she turned her face away stubbornly. "I have nothing to say. The mission failed. Kill me or cut me up if you want."
"Do you understand what you've done?!" the Kusagakure leader thundered. "You'll bring disaster to this village! Have you betrayed us?!"
"Disaster?" Ryūzetsu snapped, her eyes blazing. "How dare you even say that! You forced Aunt Kana to become a human pill—that's what brought ruin!"
"Even if I hadn't acted today, how long could Grass Village last? Ten days? Half a month? This village is already at the edge of destruction—and it's your fault!"
"What did you say?!"
Every Kusagakure ninja present—except Itsuki—erupted in anger.