Kakuzu appeared in the prison cell with ten individuals in tow.
Kin rested his chin on his hand as he observed the ten people behind Kakuzu.
"How is your mastery of the barrier technique?"
Given the time Kin had spent traveling to and from Hidden Grass, it should have been enough for these individuals to fully learn it. After all, the barrier technique wasn't overly complex, and the selected ninjas had a thorough understanding of jutsu.
"Sir."
Kumā knelt on one knee before Kin.
"All ten of us have fully mastered it. Ordinary ninjas would find it nearly impossible to break through."
Before arriving, they had tested it with Hanzo.
Unless one possessed overwhelming destructive power—the kind capable of threatening Kage-level fighters—the barrier couldn't be breached.
As for why they didn't ask Kakuzu, their squad leader, to test it…
Nine out of the ten believed Kakuzu, their battalion commander, would simply kill them on the spot.
The tenth was absolutely certain they'd die—Kakuzu would definitely seize the opportunity to finish them off!!
In the end, they had no choice but to ask Lord Hanzo to test it.
Fortunately, Hanzo was cooperative. Otherwise, they would've had to brace themselves for certain death by asking Kakuzu.
"Good."
Kin nodded in satisfaction.
"I'll send you outside the village now. Begin preparing the barrier."
"Yes, sir!" the group replied in unison.
The ten figures slowly sank into the darkness, their bodies disappearing entirely from the room, leaving only Kakuzu and Kin behind.
Kakuzu watched greedily as the darkness retracted back into Kin's body.
"Can I learn that technique?"
Kin had once promised that if their merits were sufficient, they could exchange them for any jutsu he possessed.
"This one? You can't learn it."
Kin shook his head.
The foundation of this technique was the Heavenly Demon Art, which he had fused with the Flying Thunder God and the Dark Walker Technique. It had already diverged from the original Flying Thunder God, becoming a unique variation that only he could wield.
"However, this was developed from Konoha's Flying Thunder God Technique. If you want, you can exchange merits for it and research it yourself."
Hearing that he'd have to research it himself, Kakuzu reluctantly abandoned the idea.
If he had this technique, tracking down bounty targets would be much faster. But studying ninjutsu wasn't his forte.
He knew about the Flying Thunder God, created by Tobirama Senju. To this day, the only person in Konoha who had mastered it was the man before him—Uchiha Kin. That alone spoke volumes about its difficulty.
"Now, Hidden Grass is in your hands."
Kin stepped forward and patted Kakuzu on the shoulder.
"I'll deal with the Daimyo of the Land of Grass."
After all, he was just a shadow clone, limited in power—roughly equivalent to a Jōnin. His contribution to the destruction of Hidden Grass would be minimal.
"You'll be fine, right?"
Kin eyed Kakuzu with slight hesitation. The original Kakuzu would have only had a sixty-forty chance against Hidden Grass, given that he'd be facing an entire village.
"Relax. Even if I have to drag it out, I'll wear them down."
Kakuzu, however, was brimming with confidence. His new technique made him fearless in group battles—the longer the fight dragged on, the stronger he would become.
It had to be said:
Anything Uchiha Kin created was guaranteed to be top-tier.
"Then it's all yours."
Kin's figure began to sink into the shadows, starting from his legs, then his torso, and finally his head, until even the darkness vanished. The cell was now empty except for Kakuzu.
Kakuzu stood still for a moment.
The barrier would take some time to set up.
Just then, a patrol of Grass ninjas arrived at the cell and immediately noticed that the prisoner had been replaced.
This was supposed to hold a nobleman called "Mr. An."
"Who are you!?"
A Grass ninja demanded sharply.
Kakuzu's green eyes locked onto him.
Black threads suddenly erupted from his body, swiftly binding the Grass ninjas and yanking them toward him. The ninjas were powerless to resist, crushed violently against the iron bars until their bodies began to deform.
Finally, the bars gave way, snapping apart as the Grass ninjas were dragged inside. In the next moment, they were pulled into Kakuzu's body.
Despite absorbing four or five Grass ninjas, his body showed no signs of swelling—remaining the size of a single person.
Kakuzu raised his hand, and fragments of bone, flesh, and torn clothing fell to the ground.
"This technique is truly useful."
The Dead River Technique.
Meanwhile, another group of Grass ninjas patrolled the outskirts of the village.
Hidden Grass was now under strict lockdown, with every corner being searched to prevent Shirataki from escaping—along with whoever had taken her.
The idea of the Flying Thunder God never crossed their minds. After all, that was Konoha's patented technique.
"For the sake of a tool, is all this really necessary?"
One of the Grass ninjas grumbled in dissatisfaction.
No one cared about that tool's life or death, yet they were making such a fuss over her disappearance.
The patrol leader glared at him.
"Without her, what will you do if you're gravely injured? Just wait to die?"
Hidden Grass had no medical ninjas. Shirataki was their only source of healing.
Now, only Konoha possessed medical ninjas, and Hidden Grass had no idea how to train them.
"Uh…"
The complaining ninja scratched his cheek.
He often went to that tool for minor injuries sustained during training. If he were seriously wounded, he'd need her even more.
Though still displeased, he resumed searching diligently.
"That tool actually dared to run away. When we find her, she'll pay for this."
Some of the Grass ninjas cursed under their breaths.
This was wasting so much of their time.
As they continued their search, a figure suddenly emerged from the shadows beneath them, seizing the leader's ankle.
"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"
The leader was swiftly dragged underground. At the same time, another figure darted past him, and a head suddenly soared into the air.
"Enemy—!"
Another Grass ninja tried to shout, but a kunai had already slashed across his throat.
Clutching his neck, blood gushed uncontrollably from the wound.
By the time his body collapsed, Rain ninjas had appeared all around.
"The perimeter is clear."
The other ninjas reported to their leader, Kumā.
Kumā nodded.
"All units, move to your designated positions. You have three minutes. Begin the hand seals at exactly three minutes."
"Yes, sir!" the group responded in unison.
"Scatter!"
The ninjas quickly dispersed, darting into the distance like shadows.
Kumā remained in place, staring at Hidden Grass Village not far ahead as he waited.
An operation to annihilate an entire village might seem cruel to many. In this era, a village was a ninja's home.
Watching someone else's home destroyed naturally evoked a sense of shared sorrow.
But some felt the exact opposite.
Kumā was one of them. Participating in a mission to wipe out a village filled him with nothing but excitement—an emotion he could barely contain.
He wanted to destroy every hidden village, just like Hidden Rain.
Three minutes passed.
Kumā swiftly formed hand seals, and a beam of light shot skyward from his body.
Simultaneously, nine other beams erupted around Hidden Grass Village.
The ten beams expanded in the sky, forming a massive dome that encased the entire village.
"Barrier Sealing Technique!"
The plan to annihilate Hidden Grass Village—
Had begun.
...
Read 50 advance at patreon.com/CNBLUE
(End of Chapter)