"What do you want?"
The bounty hunter Ren looked at the portly man he held hostage with some surprise. Although the man was trembling, his composure hadn't completely crumbled; he wasn't entirely useless.
"Entering this place was not my intention, merely an accident. As long as you let me leave, I guarantee, nothing will happen." Gazing at the densely packed guards surrounding them, Ren couldn't help but swallow hard. Even with his considerable strength, he felt a little intimidated by such overwhelming numbers. Just who in the blazes did I take hostage...?
"Release the Daimyo, and I can guarantee you will be able to leave here unimpeded," a guard of apparently high status said, stepping through the crowd, his voice grave.
Daimyo?! Ren was first shocked, then utterly speechless. He had only sensed that this guy's status was not low; who could have guessed... he had directly snagged the kingfish.
"Alright!" He immediately sheathed his blade. None of the surrounding guards posed a threat to him. Even if these fellows went back on their word, he could always take the hostage again.
"He's bluffing!" Suddenly, a cry of alarm came from within the ranks of the guards.
The guards were startled. Focusing their gaze, they saw, from the enemy's direction, an iron nail shooting straight towards the Daimyo's heart.
Pfft!
The Daimyo's vision went black, and his unconscious body slumped to the ground.
"Bastard!" The captain of the guards roared in fury, looking at the lifeless Daimyo in his arms. "Kill him!"
"It wasn't me!" Ren was also dumbfounded. He hadn't done anything. But recalling the shout from the crowd just now, and the unusual iron nail as a hidden weapon, he seemed to understand something and gritted his teeth fiercely. "Gosuun, I swear, I'm going to be on your case for the rest of my life!"
Not far off, from a hidden corner, Gosuun watched the bounty hunter clashing with the guards, a mocking expression on his face.
Shwoop! Shwoop! Shwoop!
A large number of ninja clad in black, standardized trench coats leaped across the rooftops. This group of inexplicably appearing ninja seemed to have a clear division of labor, forming teams of three and advancing in different directions. Any guards who tried to stop them were unceremoniously struck down.
Gosuun watched this scene with astonishment. Suddenly, a feeling of being watched pricked at him. He instinctively turned his head and saw, on a distant building, a blond youth with his arms crossed, calmly observing him. Although the youth was blind in one eye, for some reason, being stared at by that eye made Gosuun feel a little creeped out.
"Something's not right, better bail!" Although confident in his own strength, the shinobi world was vast; he wasn't delusional enough to think he was invincible.
"Boss, do you know him?" Uzumaki Karin asked curiously.
"We've met once," Naruto Shadow Clone #2 nodded slightly. As an expendable pawn, generally speaking, this guy's performance had been quite satisfactory. Let him use that black blade for a while longer.
BOOM!
A deafening roar. The three of them turned their heads to see several corpses flying into the air.
"My lord, do you require my assistance?" Haku bowed slightly. Although the ones suffering heavy losses weren't their people, allowing the enemy to wreak havoc here still felt uncomfortable.
"No need. I quite like the architecture here," Naruto Shadow Clone #2 said, raising a hand to stop him. "If you two fight here, this entire area will probably be destroyed."
"Boss, be honest, is he one of your men?" Uzumaki Karin, possessing the Mind's Eye of Kagura, could see more than others. The swordsman below was strong, but not a ninja. He had a large amount of chakra but didn't know how to use it, yet he could contend with so many guards simultaneously. It was entirely due to his formidable physical prowess and an almost bizarre regenerative ability, allowing him to fight through sheer toughness. As far as she knew, in the entire shinobi world, only two individuals possessed such terrifying regenerative capabilities: Orochimaru, and their own boss. Obviously, Orochimaru wouldn't waste his time on such a worthless individual. In her eyes, someone possessing such a terrifying physique, chakra, and regenerative ability, yet still being led around by a bunch of small fry, was nothing but trash. Combined with her boss's intrigued expression, the answer was obvious.
"The guy just now was. This one is at most just lucky." Naruto Shadow Clone #2 flatly denied it. His main target for cultivation had been Gosuun; this samurai, he had merely given some Yang Release chakra to as an afterthought. But Yang Release chakra was finite; this terrifying regenerative ability would eventually disappear.
"Leader, it's all cleared up." A Dragon Heritage ninja in a black, standardized trench coat appeared before the three of them.
"Let's go."
Inside a grand, spacious building, a sea of heads bobbed. Everyone present was dressed in magnificent, ornate official robes. If any citizen of the Land of Rivers were here, they would surely exclaim in shock, because gathered here were all ministers whom they rarely, if ever, had the chance to see.
However, at this moment, the expressions of these ministers were extremely anxious and uneasy.
"Who is it?" This was the single question revolving in their minds. Yet, no matter how they tried to pry for information, the ninja guarding them were as tight-lipped as if their mouths had been welded shut, not uttering a single word.
Tap, tap, tap...
The sound of footsteps echoed. Accompanied by approaching greetings, they knew the main figure had arrived!
Gulp—
Those with less experience were already finding it hard to breathe under the tense atmosphere.
"Leader!" Finally, a greeting sounded from the doorway.
Everyone turned to look. A youth, no older than twenty, flanked by two beautiful female attendants, slowly walked towards the highest seat.
Naruto Shadow Clone #2 surveyed the imposing Daimyo's chair, lightly placed his right hand on the armrest, and slowly sat down.
"Bastard! That is the Daimyo's seat!" an elderly minister immediately berated him upon seeing his action.
Pfft!
A flash of light, and the old man's head flew off.
The hall instantly fell deathly silent. They stared in terror at the beautiful female attendant standing before the headless corpse, calmly wiping her blade. Just a second ago, this woman had been standing behind the youth; the next, she was in the midst of the crowd. Such speed was nothing short of ghostly.
"I am fair. I respect everyone's right to speak. You have all worked tirelessly for the Land of Rivers for many years and should rightly have the right to speak," Naruto Shadow Clone #2 said, his hands clasped, resting his chin on them, gesturing slightly with an upward tilt of his head. "I know many of you are dissatisfied with me sitting in this position. That's fine. If you have dissatisfaction in your hearts, you should speak out. It's uncomfortable to keep it bottled up."
"..." Glancing furtively at the stern-faced, silent, coolly beautiful female ninja standing at the front of their group, the ministers grumbled inwardly. Speak? Express dissatisfaction? Respect the right to speak? More like courting death...
"Ten, nine, eight... two, one!" Naruto Shadow Clone #2 counted down, giving them their final chance.
"Very good. It seems that apart from that old fool just now, no one else has any objections to me sitting here." Looking at the silent crowd, he nodded with satisfaction. "Then, let's proceed to the second proposal. The Land of Rivers will change its national title to 'Dragon Heritage.' You still have ten seconds to fully express your opinions."
Hearing this, the ministers instantly wailed inwardly in despair. They had originally thought this organization was here to plunder wealth. They hadn't expected them to be here to dig up their very foundations.
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