Ebisu had arrived in the morning, but it was not until dusk that his figure finally reappeared at the Konoha camp.
Two sentries stood guard at the entrance.
One leaned lazily against the wooden fence half asleep, while the other squatted on the ground sharpening a Kunai.
Guy's words from before had indeed produced some effect, but after an entire month passed without incident, everyone's vigilance had gradually begun to loosen once more.
The Chunin sharpening his Kunai spotted Ebisu approaching from afar.
At first, he paid little attention.
But in the very next second, his entire body suddenly stiffened.
He rubbed his eyes hard and stared ahead with all his strength.
Ebisu was walking back from the direction of the Mountain Ridge while dragging four fresh corpses behind him.
A long trail of blood stretched across the ground in his wake.
The Chunin abruptly stood up.
The Kunai slipped from his hand and clattered onto the ground, yet he did not even notice.
The sentry beside him was startled awake by the movement, and the first thing he saw was Ebisu dragging the corpses straight toward the camp entrance.
His face instantly turned pale.
"Wha... what is this?"
Ebisu ignored him completely.
He dragged the four corpses directly into the center of the camp entrance and lined them up neatly on the ground before finally straightening his back and gasping heavily for air.
His face was flushed red, and the veins on his arms were still bulging visibly.
Then he pointed directly at the corpses and shouted loudly:
"These are Iwagakure scouts that came to the Mountain Ridge!"
"Guy killed all of them!!"
The two sentries stared blankly at the four corpses for a very long time without speaking.
The commotion quickly attracted the attention of people inside the camp.
One after another, people walked out to see what was happening.
One person.
Then two.
Then three more.
Soon, more and more Ninja gathered near the entrance while staring at the four corpses lying on the ground.
Someone crouched down to inspect them carefully before standing back up with a grim expression.
"They're from Iwagakure?"
Ebisu nodded.
"When did this happen?"
"Last night."
The person asked nothing further.
Instead, he silently glanced toward the direction of the Mountain Ridge.
Although nothing could be seen from there, he continued staring in that direction for a long while.
The news spread throughout the camp extremely quickly.
Not because anyone intentionally spread it, but because the corpses were placed directly at the camp entrance where every passing person could see them clearly.
Some people stopped for only a few seconds before moving on.
Others walked around the corpses entirely.
A few crouched down carefully to inspect the forehead protectors and clothing.
Then after confirming their identity, they would stand up again and mutter:
"They really are from Iwagakure."
Afterward, they would quietly leave.
But by the time each person turned away, the expressions on their faces had already changed.
That evening during dinner, whispers spread throughout the cafeteria.
"Four corpses. Guy killed them by himself."
"How long has he been guarding the Mountain Ridge now?"
"Almost an entire month."
"I heard he doesn't even have a tent."
"He's been living inside a tree hollow."
Someone lowered their chopsticks and stopped eating.
Another person slowly chewed their rice ball in silence.
The captain of Team 5 eventually finished his meal, stood up, and walked over to Choza.
He remained standing there for several seconds before finally speaking.
"That subordinate of yours is impressive."
After saying only that single sentence, he turned and left.
Choza remained silent and continued finishing the rice in his bowl.
That same night, the scar-faced Chunin from Team 3 brought two people with him and headed toward the Mountain Ridge.
Not to replace Guy.
Just to see him.
The three stood at the edge of the open battlefield and looked toward the woods from afar.
They saw nothing.
The entire area was pitch black without even the faintest trace of firelight.
Yet the expressions on all three men were extremely solemn.
After standing there for some time, they quietly turned around and returned.
The next day, even more people went.
This time they visited during daylight.
They stood atop the Mountain Ridge looking into the distance for a long while before eventually stuffing several rice balls into Guy's hands.
From that point onward, every few days someone from the camp would head toward the Mountain Ridge.
Not to help him.
Only to look.
They would go there, take one look, then return to camp and quietly tell the others:
"That kid is still there."
And afterward, they would say nothing more.
But slowly, the atmosphere throughout the camp began to change.
More people started training again.
The sentries on duty stopped falling asleep.
Night patrols became more frequent than before.
And no one spoke anymore about how "the war was almost over."
Because everyone understood something now.
Over there on the Mountain Ridge, someone was still fighting.
Sarutobi Sosuke also saw the four corpses eventually.
He merely glanced at them near the camp entrance before snorting dismissively.
"They're only a few scouts. Why make such a fuss over nothing?"
Then he turned around and returned to his tent.
But this time, nobody laughed together with him.
The guards at the entrance did not laugh.
The passing Chunin did not laugh.
Even the people eating in the cafeteria did not laugh.
Sarutobi Sosuke never noticed any of this.
He simply lifted the curtain of his tent, walked inside, and calmly picked up the tea already prepared for him.
The days passed by one after another like this.
One day.
Then another.
Five days.
Ten days...
The Sunagakure force Guy kept warning everyone about never appeared.
Not even a single scout from Sunagakure showed themselves.
Even the Iwagakure scouts eventually stopped appearing after several attempts.
It almost looked as though both Iwagakure and Sunagakure had completely abandoned Mount Kikyo altogether.
As if all of their forces had already shifted toward other battlefields.
Meanwhile, the grass growing across the open battlefield became taller and taller.
Guy continued maintaining the same daily routine without interruption.
Practicing his blade techniques.
Running while carrying weights.
Conducting reconnaissance.
Memorizing the terrain repeatedly.
Yet as more time passed, the expression on Guy's face gradually became increasingly restless.
Sometimes, he could not even properly sleep during the daytime anymore.
He worried constantly.
What if Sunagakure attacked during the day instead?
What if his judgment had actually been wrong all along?
His nerves became unbelievably sensitive.
Whenever the wind rustled through the grass or a branch moved slightly, his eyes would immediately snap open.
Blade already in hand, he would quietly wait several seconds before finally relaxing again after finding nothing unusual.
But even after closing his eyes, he still could not sleep.
Only one thought endlessly churned inside his mind.
Soon.
Very soon.
They're coming soon.
When Ebisu and Genma visited again and saw the bloodshot state of Guy's eyes, both felt their hearts ache painfully.
Choza also visited him several times during this period.
Once, he even told Guy directly that he was willing to plead with Sarutobi Sosuke personally and ask for Guy to return to camp.
But Guy refused.
At this point in time, he absolutely could not go back.
Not for himself.
And not for the comrades waiting inside the camp either.
He could not leave this place.
Looking at the stubborn determination on Guy's face, Choza eventually released a long, heavy sigh.
Then just as he was about to leave, Guy suddenly spoke very seriously toward his back.
"Captain, you need to eat more."
Choza's body trembled violently.
He did not even dare turn around because he was afraid Guy would see the expression in his eyes.
During this period of time, Choza had indeed lost a shocking amount of weight.
For a member of the Akimichi Clan, such a thing was almost unbelievable.
Clearly, his heart had already become extremely unsettled.
"You really need to eat more."
Guy repeated once more.
Choza nodded heavily before quickly walking away.
From that day onward, Choza began eating frantically again.
Even when he had no appetite whatsoever, he still forced himself to continue eating.
This was his way of venting the pressure inside him.
At the same time, he was also accumulating strength for the persistence Guy continued showing.
For the Akimichi Clan, fat represented power itself.
And Guy's reminder had clearly been referring to exactly that point.
Choza understood perfectly.
Finally, on the sixty-eighth night since Guy first arrived at the Mountain Ridge, an extremely faint vibration quietly transmitted through the ground.
Inside the hollow tree, Guy, who had been lightly sleeping, suddenly snapped his eyes wide open.
"They're here!!"
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