At this moment, Yōichi stepped forward, catching only a glance from Sakumo, who recognized Yōichi's identity due to his Sharingan and the fact he was with his son, making it clear there was no one else but Yōichi.
Sakumo trusted Yōichi as a friend, not a foe, understanding there must be a deeper meaning behind his intervention.
Sakumo slightly loosened his grip, allowing the daimyo of the Land of Rivers to walk towards Yōichi, then slowly raised his sword, eyeing Fujiwara sharply.
"Our target is the daimyo. As long as you release the daimyo, we will naturally release your teammates," Fujiwara said, not wishing for a direct confrontation with Sakumo.
He vividly remembered Sakumo's reign of terror in the Land of Wind, where he assassinated targets like a reaper, including the sons and daughters-in-law of Elder Chiyo, two of the most talented puppeteers in the Sand Village, all falling to the White Fang's blade.
Now, although they had numerical superiority, a battle might not result in capturing the White Fang, and the daimyo's safety could not be guaranteed.
With a crackle of faint lightning around Sakumo and the daimyo not yet secured, Fujiwara ordered, "Release them!"
Upon his command, the Sand shinobi released Sakumo's teammates. Despite their injuries, they retained their mobility.
"Quick, save me, protect me, call everyone, bring all the guards!!" The daimyo of the Land of Rivers stumbled towards Yōichi, recognizing him and Kakashi as guards summoned by the internal officials, and sought refuge behind Yōichi, crying loudly for help.
Though the Sand ninjas came to his rescue, he dared not trust them, relying only on his own guards.
"Hurry, someone, anyone! Guard, what's your name? I'll definitely repay you, sob sob," the daimyo pleaded.
"Don't worry, Lord Daimyo, you'll have the chance to repay me," Yōichi said with a smile. Observing Sakumo's teammates consuming soldier pills, he drew his sword and swiftly sliced the daimyo's neck.
Like a bolt of lightning in the night, it was dazzlingly fast.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn, including Sakumo, Fujiwara, and even Kakashi, who couldn't understand why his teammate suddenly killed the daimyo of the Land of Rivers.
Then, Yōichi took a deep breath and shouted with all his might, "Fujiwara, I've completed the assassination of the daimyo of the Land of Rivers as per Rasa's request. From now on, I owe nothing to the Sand Village!"
This shout, amplified by chakra to carry far, left Yōichi's throat feeling sore and swollen, likely affecting his ability to use Fire Style jutsu for a while.
After the shout, Yōichi plastered several explosive tags on the daimyo's head, tossed them towards Fujiwara and his men, and urgently whispered to Kakashi, "Run now!"
With a bang, smoke bombs were deployed, and a figure enveloped in lightning swiftly escaped. Kakashi followed, activating his Lightning Release to hasten his escape over the wall.
The explosion of the explosive tags caused a loud boom, but Sakumo was the second to react, immediately using Earth Release to create a protective wall and ordering, "Retreat! Earth Style: Earth Flow Rampart!"
A thick earth wall rose rapidly under Sakumo's control, collapsing towards Fujiwara and his ninjas.
After deploying the jutsu, Sakumo chased after his retreating teammates.
Fujiwara, reacting the slowest among them, was shocked that the daimyo's guard would kill the daimyo, especially since the daimyo had sought refuge with that guard, only to be beheaded.
The subsequent explosive tags didn't injure them much but hindered their pursuit.
After defending against the explosions, Sakumo's earth wall trapped them.
Breaking through the wall, Fujiwara's group heard shouts from outside: "The Sand ninjas killed the daimyo!" "Rasa sent someone to kill our daimyo!" and similar accusations.
"Nonsense!"
Rasa was currently refining his Magnet Release; how could he have ordered the assassination of the Land of Rivers' daimyo?
"Chase them! Don't let that guard or the White Fang escape! Chase!!"
Fujiwara, furious, realized the Sand Village had been schemed against. The commotion at the daimyo's mansion would lead many to blame the Sand Village for the daimyo's death.
Even if a few knew the Sand Village had helped, it was too late; the daimyo was already dead.
Catching the few who knew the truth wouldn't allow the Sand Village to clear its name in front of the entire shinobi world.
Boom!
The mansion continued to explode in several places. Fujiwara, after calming down, ordered, "Chase the one who killed the daimyo of the Land of Rivers! We must capture them alive!"
In his initial anger, he had lost sight of reality; it was unrealistic to capture both parties. Now, they could only try to capture the murderer to persuade the next daimyo of the Land of Rivers to ally with the Sand Village.
They couldn't afford to be blamed for this!
However, it was already too late. Yōichi had set his sights on the daimyo's treasury from the start, hypnotizing many with his Sharingan over the past few days to obtain detailed maps of the mansion.
Moreover, Sakumo used Earth Release to buy Yōichi time, allowing him to spread rumors throughout the mansion about Rasa's alleged assassination order, using shadow clones disguised as guards and internal officials.
Regardless of the evidence, the Land of Rivers' daimyo was dead, and if someone shouted it was Rasa's doing, the blame would stick.
--------------------------------
"Captain, I can't go on," said Ryosuke, pale and exhausted from running while wounded, despite consuming soldier pills. Now, he had reached his limit.
The rest, except for Sakumo, were in a similar state, depleted after a battle and struggling to maintain their pace.
"Let's rest in the forest ahead."
Upon reaching a secluded forest, Sakumo summoned a ninken with the Summoning Jutsu and ordered, "Pakkun, keep watch. Alert me if anyone approaches."
"Got it, but it seems like Kakashi's scent is nearby, along with another unfamiliar scent," Pakkun noted, sniffing towards another direction.
The team was surprised, with Ryosuke expressing confusion mixed with realization, "Captain, Kakashi is your son, isn't he? Why is he here? The one who killed the daimyo of the Land of Rivers just now is..."
"I don't know either. Let's talk about it later," Sakumo sighed, relieved, then continued, "At least the mission is barely considered complete."
The death of the Land of Rivers' daimyo had threatened to expose their identities. However, Uchiha Yōichi's actions complicated matters, leaving it unclear who was to blame for the daimyo's death, providing the Fire Country's daimyo with an ambiguous yet serviceable explanation.
(End of Chapter)