Carrying the bizarre, bandage-wrapped weapon slung over his shoulder, Kisame stepped into the daimyo's mansion.
Inside, all resistance had been crushed.
"Report: We've searched the entire premises. The daimyo is nowhere to be found."
A masked Kirigakure shinobi respectfully relayed the information to Kisame.
"Hiding, huh?" Kisame's face twisted into a grin, revealing his shark-like teeth. Though he was smiling, the oppressive aura radiating from him sent shivers down the spines of the surrounding Kirigakure shinobi.
"Ao." Kisame turned to the man with the eyepatch standing behind him and issued a command.
"Yes, sir…" Ao nodded, pulling back the eyepatch to reveal the Byakugan embedded in his right eye socket.
This Byakugan had been taken during the Third Shinobi War from an unfortunate Hyūga clan member of the main family. Afterward, under the Fourth Mizukage's authority, the Byakugan had been transplanted into Ao's eye. Since then, no main-family Hyūga had dared step onto the frontlines again, and Ao had earned the moniker "Byakugan Killer."
In this mission, Ao had been assigned as Kisame's support, signifying Kirigakure's complete submission to Konohagakure. Though Hokage hadn't intervened in the matter, Ao had been pondering whether it was time to return the Byakugan to Konohagakure.
"Byakugan, activate!"
Ao raised two fingers in a hand sign. The veins around his right eye bulged ominously as the Byakugan lit up.
Within moments, a sly grin spread across Ao's face. Waving a few Kirigakure shinobi over, he stomped forcefully on a floorboard.
With a resounding crash, a hidden passageway was revealed beneath the floor.
Receiving a nod from Kisame, Ao and several shinobi darted into the passageway.
Before long, amidst muffled groans and cries of pain, the shinobi emerged from the tunnel. Unlike before, they carried several battered, tear-streaked figures over their shoulders.
Among them was the unconscious, overweight body of the Land of Hot Water's daimyo, carried single-handedly by Ao.
"You filthy Kirigakure scum dare to defy your superiors?!" one minister of the Land of Hot Water spat out a mouthful of blood as he glared daggers at Kisame. "You'll regret this!"
"Oh?" Kisame chuckled derisively, stepping forward until he was face-to-face with the minister.
"What… what are you planning to do? I warn you—the Land of Iron will—AAAAH!"
Before the minister could finish his threat, Kisame twisted the man's raised finger with a sickening snap. His blank expression made the act even more chilling.
"What a disgusting display."
Kisame's voice carried a quiet menace as he casually gestured across his neck. Understanding immediately, the shinobi holding the minister set him down. Before the man could scream, a swift blade flash ended his life, his head severed cleanly.
The scarlet blood streamed from the smooth wound, pooling at their feet.
"Ugh…!"
The sudden, brutal execution left the remaining nobles trembling uncontrollably. The urge to scream caught in their throats, muffled by their own hands.
Some even lost control of their bladders, much to the disgust of the shinobi holding them.
"Mercy, please! Don't kill me! I have money—lots of it! I'm the finance minister! I'll pay—fifty billion ryō, no, a hundred billion ryō! Whatever you want, just spare me!"
"Please, shinobi-sama! I've invested in every entertainment district in the Land of Hot Water. I can offer you the most beautiful women! Even my mistress—she's stunning! She's yours, just let me live!"
The pathetic pleas tumbled from their mouths as they scrambled to offer whatever they could in exchange for their lives.
Hearing the astronomical sums, the surrounding Kirigakure shinobi exchanged uneasy glances.
Could money really come this easily?
And just how wealthy were these nobles, anyway?
"Hokage-sama's orders were to completely eradicate the power of the daimyo and nobles across the shinobi world," Kisame said flatly. "I have no interest in your bribes. Besides, once you've lost, all those things already belong to us, don't they?"
His calm statement extinguished any hope the nobles had, while simultaneously igniting fervor among the shinobi.
"No! You can't do this!"
"Where is the Land of Iron's reinforcements?!"
"You'll all pay for this!"
One by one, the remaining nobles were executed, their blood mingling with the first victim's.
As for the daimyo of the Land of Hot Water, he never awoke to realize he had been beheaded.
Under Kisame's decisive leadership, the first nation had fallen. After a brief rest, the Kirigakure forces surged forward to the next target, with Konohagakure shinobi swiftly moving in to claim the conquered territory.
...
Land of Sound Border
Mifune, the general of the Land of Iron, let out a weary sigh as he glanced back at the several hundred elite samurai following him. His small mustache fluttered in the breeze.
As a neutral nation, the Land of Iron had always refrained from interfering in shinobi conflicts. Yet, as a samurai, Mifune could not simply stand by while daimyos were slaughtered.
The Land of Hot Water's defenses were weak, they wouldn't last long. But confronting three villages, including Konohagakure, with this small force was suicidal.
Would his words alone be enough to convince them to retreat?
The thought troubled him as he prepared to quicken the march.
"General, there's someone up ahead!" a samurai at his side warned.
"Someone?" Mifune squinted, spotting a lone figure in the distance.
...
"Finally."
Madara Uchiha slowly rose from the rock he'd been lying on, stretching lazily.
Blocking reinforcements from the Land of Iron was a minor task, something unworthy of his involvement. However…
Hashirama was busy with his grandchildren. Izuna was preoccupied with his Sharingan. Tobirama was nowhere to be found.
With no one around to entertain him, Madara had decided to take on this task himself.
"Hmph. The so-called strongest samurai, huh? Convenient—I've picked up a bit of swordsmanship myself…"
Dusting off his cloak, Madara walked calmly toward the approaching samurai army, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
Fanfic finished on Patreon (Last chap 162.)
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