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That's right.
Just like the train bandits and highwaymen who frequently appeared during the chaotic early years of Sahara Kiri's previous life.
Ever since Konoha gradually handed over cargo transportation to Cat Cat Express and Capsule Corp., and began operating various railways within the Land of Fire, train robbery became a new GDP growth point for the vast number of wandering Ninja and bandits who couldn't find large merchant caravans.
It was the blue ocean and unicorn industry of this era, and even the choice for many Renegade Ninja in the Ninja World to get rich.
However, compared to merchant caravans that would usually only hire one or two Ninja squads, the railway transportation method naturally required a proportional increase in protective personnel.
Not to mention that most of the passengers on these trains were either rich or noble, so they were naturally more willing to spend money.
With the increase in protective forces, the Renegade Ninja naturally banded together along the railway.
A large gang often contained many smaller gangs, and the number of people dispatched at one time could often reach dozens, most of whom were Ninja, with only a small portion being former mountain bandits and displaced people looking for food to survive.
As soon as the explosion sounded, the Konoha Ninja road patrol team on the train all showed expressions of facing a formidable enemy.
Before the people outside could charge, they had already shot out from the train windows or the top of the carriages, scattering in all directions.
Flying Kunai and shuriken rained down everywhere, and occasionally, angry roars could be heard.
However, these wandering Ninja had no time to leisurely demand valuables from the passengers along the carriages.
On the contrary, almost all Renegade Ninja rushed to the luggage car, located in the middle of the entire train, at the first opportunity.
The Konoha road patrol Ninja surrounding the luggage car were all on high alert, and among them was even a Hyuga Ninja, who continuously kept his Byakugan activated, carefully monitoring all movements within a one-kilometer radius, making it difficult even for a mosquito to fly in.
"Boom—"
A whistling Fire Release swept across the edge of the carriage, and large areas of trees along the roadside were burned to charcoal.
Immediately after, Kakashi, who was leaning out of the train window, heard a series of ear-piercing metallic grinding sounds.
"Screech—!!!"
The train, undergoing emergency braking, shook violently for a while.
Although the train's speed was not particularly fast to begin with, the sudden stop still caused many people in the carriage to lose their balance.
The Ninja sitting in the private compartments, however, remained motionless.
Only Obito, whose mouth was covered by Sahara Kiri, looked at their Sensei with an eager expression.
He had been waiting for this moment for a long time!
Sahara Kiri did not reply to him immediately, but instead raised his head towards the outside of the carriage.
Kakashi keenly noticed that an extremely massive amount of Chakra was subtly flowing in Sawara's eye sockets.
Those originally unremarkable clear blue eyes, at this moment, even emitted a brilliant light, unconsciously drawing his gaze.
'Is that Sawara-sensei's rumored "Six Eyes"?'
'I heard it seems to be an exclusive ocular jutsu even superior to the Byakugan and Sharingan.'
Only after confirming that there was basically no threat around did Sahara Kiri turn his head to look at the youngsters, instructing, "You can only watch from a distance, absolutely do not rush forward."
"Yes!!"
Uchiha Obito almost jumped off the berth, flipping over and rushing out of the train window.
The train, having undergone emergency braking, was coiled on the wide tracks.
The carriages, originally arranged in a serpentine fashion, were slightly distorted and squeezed together under the pressure of inertia.
Many panicked noble passengers cautiously glanced outside a few times, then quickly pulled their heads back, all trembling with fear.
Kakashi and Rin also ran out, following behind Obito.
But before they could get close to the Ninja battle group, they saw a Kunai 'whoosh' through the air not far away.
"Puff!"
Obito's gaze unconsciously turned, but his expression froze.
He saw the Kunai, almost a black line, directly pierce into the thigh of a scrawny, emaciated, and greasy child who looked about their age, pinning his running figure to the ground.
"Ah—"
He cried out in agony, only a little blood splattered, staining the leveled ground on both sides of the railway.
But the displaced people behind him completely disregarded his tragic appearance, running over his body as if mad, rushing directly towards the middle carriage.
Although there was a layer of metal in between, they seemed to want to tear open the tightly sealed windows and doors with their fingernails and teeth, but were finally pinned to the ground by Kunai.
Sharp wails filled the hearts of the young people, and their skin unconsciously broke out in a fine layer of goosebumps.
The few road patrol members standing on the middle carriage looked at them with indifferent eyes, and only when they noticed the Konoha headbands on their bodies or foreheads did they lower the shuriken they were about to throw.
Everyone's expression was tense, as if their facial muscles had stiffened.
"Careful!"
Suddenly, they heard the Hyuga Ninja among them shout out.
The blood vessels on both sides of his face bulged, and his white pupils contracted to a point:
"East! Very fast!"
Everyone looked towards the east.
The next moment, they heard a harsh, hoarse laugh suddenly pierce deep into their eardrums.
"Hee—ha!"
"Only these few little guys?"
Almost the instant the words fell, Kakashi suddenly raised his head.
"Whoosh!"
Enveloped in roaring air currents, a slender, bamboo-like figure shot out from the depths of the dense forest, descending from a high place, its long claw blades reflecting dazzling light in mid-air.
"This carriage belongs to me, 'Ghost Claw' Salender!"
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
A Konoha Ninja from the road patrol reacted extremely quickly, slamming both hands on the ground.
A tornado-like stream of water instantly rose from the ground at an incredible speed, surging to block one side of the carriage.
Its immense area was like a giant palm reaching for the sky, intending to strike down the figure from mid-air.
At the same time, the Hyuga Ninja, who had continuously kept his Byakugan activated, suddenly leaped backward.
As he flipped, he had already taken out a folding short gun from the box at his waist, and with a 'click', it snapped into its complete shape.
Chakra was highly condensed in his hand, forming azure bullets inside the gun barrel, constantly aimed in the direction blocked by the Water Wall.
The next moment.
"Boom!"
A pair of giant claws, enveloped in Wind Release blades, easily tore through the Water Release barrier in front of them.
At the same time, the arms swung forward repeatedly, clearing the ground beneath them into a white expanse before they even landed.
The Konoha Ninja scattered, but immediately after, a reverberating sound echoed in their ears.
"Bang—"
Smoke billowed from both sides of the gun barrel, like a cannon, and a beam of light shot out.
With just one shot, it pierced through the figure still shouting in mid-air, the entire central part of its torso exploded into a void, scattering a cloud of blood mist in the air.
The Hyuga Ninja held the extended short gun sideways, stating calmly:
"Secret Art: Piercing Blast Bullet."
Before the corpse in mid-air could fall, the gun barrel in his hand was already pointing behind him.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh"
Looking at the figures emerging from the depths of the dense forest, even Kakashi, standing at a distance, unconsciously took half a step back, his expression grave.
For no other reason, there were too many people.
Furthermore, the guy in the middle, his Chakra level was at least that of a Jonin.
How could a mere Renegade Ninja have such a strong guy?
"Hey, Konoha Ninja."
A tall man with dark skin, surrounded by a group of wandering Ninja, led them out.
Their numbers were at least three times that of the Konoha road patrol team opposite them.
Subtly, they had already formed a surrounding posture.
He greeted them in a low voice, completely ignoring the gun barrel in the Hyuga Ninja's hand, which was capable of turning an ordinary Ninja into minced meat with one shot, and strode to the center of the open space:
"This time, we'll take two-thirds of your toll."
"Consider it a favor from our Renegade Union to you."
"Otherwise, it's hard to say how many of these esteemed passengers in the carriage will survive later."
Hearing his words, Kakashi suddenly noticed that the opponent was wearing a special black robe with purple melon patterns, which stood out significantly among the shabby wandering Ninja.
Besides him, there were several others in the crowd wearing the same attire, clearly belonging to the same organization.
'So this is the Renegade Union that has risen in recent years?'
'No wonder they've gained such momentum in just a few years; there must be many strong individuals like him inside, right?'
Upon hearing this, the Konoha Ninja of the road patrol team all fell silent, staring intently at him.
If two-thirds of the escorted luggage were taken, their mission would certainly fail, and they would likely face demotion and punishment afterward.
However, there were so many enemies, and they were members of the Renegade Union.
A sense of apprehension involuntarily rose in everyone's hearts.
"Who wants to be robbed obediently!!!"
Just as silence fell over the scene, Kakashi heard a sudden shout beside him.
Turning his head, he saw that idiot Obito had already stepped out, glaring fiercely at the dark-skinned man opposite him, clenching his fists: "I was robbed by you guys when I wasn't a Ninja, and I'm still getting robbed by you guys now that I am a Ninja! Then what was the point of me becoming a Ninja?!"
The dark-skinned big man turned to look at him, only then noticing that there were a few children among the Ninja, and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"What an arrogant brat."
"As expected of someone from Konoha."
"In that case."
As he spoke, he stretched out a hand, and a trace of leaping lightning suddenly appeared between his fingers, his expression suddenly becoming ferocious: "Then let's start with you all."
The massive, almost tangible killing intent suddenly swept through like a storm.
Kakashi, standing in place, almost instinctively assumed a fighting stance, drawing the Red Fang short sword that Sawara had given him.
Even Obito and Rin immediately formed a squad to face the enemy, following the muscle memory ingrained in their bodies.
But, almost the instant they took their stances.
The big man opposite suddenly paused in his speech, his eyes glazed over, and his heartbeat seemed to skip a beat.
Kakashi, treating them as formidable enemies, was tensing his body.
Then, he felt a large hand placed on his head, and a reassuring warmth came from the palm, his expression involuntarily freezing.
The voice behind him was as calm and gentle as ever, but the words spoken sent a chill down the spines of the rogue Ninja opposite him:
"Considering you've shown some restraint, today, two-thirds of you will die, and the rest can leave alive."
"Just consider it, giving me face."
Almost the moment that person appeared, someone recognized his identity.
"Clang."
The rogue Ninja in the crowd, their Ninja swords unknowingly fell to the ground, fine cold sweat covered their entire bodies, and even their feet were trembling.
The next moment, hoarse wails abruptly filled the entire crowd, and several figures involuntarily cried out:
"Demon King…"
"Sahara Kiri!!!"
"Run—!"
The moment they heard that name, even the rogue Ninja who didn't recognize the other party couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts, almost wanting to turn and flee.
However, before they could even take a step, several earth walls, even larger than city walls, rose up from the ground with a roar, completely surrounding the area, leaving only one opening in their direction.
Kakashi turned his head and saw Sawara still in his usual gentle and calm demeanor, forming a hand seal.
"Earth Release: Great Earth Flow Wall."
At this moment, the tall, dark-skinned renegade Ninja at the very front was trembling all over, his throat difficultly swallowing, cold sweat slowly trickling down his temples:
"Are you serious, Lord Sawara?"
"Hmm, of course."
Sahara Kiri smiled at him: "However, if the Renegade Union tries to do bad things again next time, it might not go so smoothly."
"I understand."
Every Ninja who managed to escape from Sahara Kiri's hands was a famous figure throughout the Ninja World.
He didn't believe he possessed such ability.
Immediately after, he saw his blade swing fiercely towards his companions behind him.
It wasn't just him; everyone made the same movement in unison; no one wanted to die.
On the contrary, the few Konoha Ninja of the road protection team standing on the carriage all breathed a sigh of relief, but seeing Lord Sawara's appearance, where he could decide the life and death of dozens of people with just his infamous reputation, they couldn't help but feel a little intimidated. At this moment, they all jumped down from above and bowed respectfully to him.
Obito and Kakashi and the others stared blankly at the scene unfolding before their eyes, blood filling their entire vision.
Nohara Rin beside him was unconsciously trembling.
Seeing such a scene all at once was still a bit too intense for children.
"Alright, you all go back first."
As Sahara Kiri's voice sounded, his large hand naturally blocked their view.
"The Train Station is about to depart."
Upon hearing this, Kakashi suddenly seemed to want to confirm something and abruptly looked up, staring intently at Sahara Kiri's face.
What met his eyes was Sawara's still gentle and elegant smile.
This extremely impactful scene contrast inexplicably gave him a strong sense of unreality in his heart.
'Which side, after all, is the true Sawara-sensei?'
'Also… what does 'Demon King' mean?'
'Isn't Sawara's nickname the Second God of Shinobi?'
Even after returning to the carriage, Kakashi still had many small questions in his mind.
Once the railway was repaired, the train restarted.
This time, there was much less talking in the carriage.
Even Obito, that idiot, remained silent for a long time, not knowing what he was thinking.
Sahara Kiri, however, didn't explain much about it.
Every Ninja has two faces; this is a hurdle no one can avoid.
"Sawara-sensei."
Just as he was about to pour himself a cup of tea to moisten his throat, he saw Kakashi beside him suddenly speak, asking: "Why did Renegade Ninja form a Union?"
"Aren't they afraid of the Five Great Nations encircling them?"
"They are clearly fellows who betrayed their Village…"
"No."
Sahara Kiri heard this and still gently shook his head: "To be precise, they should be the group of people who were betrayed by their Village."
Upon hearing his words, even Obito and Rin, who had been silent since earlier, couldn't help but be drawn in, both looking up.
Kakashi's expression was even more astonished.
"You should have already studied the history of the Second Shinobi World War, right?" Sahara Kiri patiently guided, "How did Konoha, as the victorious nation, deal with the Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning?"
Kakashi frowned: "Depriving them of over 40% of mission resources, opening up commerce, free trade, unified technical patent certification between them, opening up mineral and land management rights in various countries…"
As a model Ninja Academy top student, these small knowledge points were basically common sense to him.
"Exactly."
Sahara Kiri nodded in satisfaction: "Then, do you think Sunagakure and Kumogakure, which maintained full wartime readiness before the war, could still maintain how many Ninja positions with their countries after the war ended? Would the remaining Ninja who had no missions to do simply disappear?"
He slowly took a sip of tea and calmly said: "When people have no way to live, they won't stand still and wait to die."
"Not to mention Ninja, who require large expenditures just for daily training."
"Therefore, for Ninja who defect to other countries, all nations currently maintain a hands-off approach, as long as they don't cause trouble within their own country—it should be considered a kind of unwritten rule."
"Over time, it became as it is now."
"…"
Kakashi immediately fell silent.
It turned out that Konoha's significant increase in Ninja numbers, economic leap, and improvement in daily living standards in recent years were not without cost.
It was just all shifted onto other countries.
The suffering that arose from this, falling upon the Land of Fire, also seemed not to be misplaced.
"Sawara-sensei."
Obito, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, looking a bit gloomy: "Are we on the side of justice?"
Upon hearing this question, Sahara Kiri was not as relaxed as before.
He frowned and thought for a moment, then asked in return: "Obito, is it wrong to want your family's life to improve?"
"Of course not." Obito said as if it were obvious.
"What about the families of strangers?"
"Probably… not, right?"
"What about the families of enemies?"
"That's a bit…" Obito scratched his head.
He felt that even if the lives of enemies improved, it should still be correct; who wouldn't want to live well?
It's just that if they were enemies, he felt a slight reluctance in his heart.
"This is the difference between absolute justice and positional justice." Sahara Kiri patted his head, "There are no people without a stance in this world, so there is no absolute justice."
"So, Sensei doesn't know if we are just, but from our standpoint, this is what we should do."
"That's all."
Obito was stunned upon hearing this; the wish to 'become a hero,' unique to children, seemed to be hit by the impact of reality, and he stared at him blankly for a long time.
After a long while, he seemed to make up his mind:
"I understand."
For the next two days, Hatake Squad spent their time on the train, occasionally getting off at stations to stretch their bodies and see the scenery of other places.
It wasn't until the third day that the train crossed the Land of Fire's border and, following a special railway, continued north, entering the Snow Country.
Dense crowds flowed out of each carriage like sardines, then orderly collected their luggage. Only when they saw that the middle carriage was intact and nothing was missing did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The eight members of Sahara Squad and Namikaze Squad were also squeezed among the crowd, no different from ordinary sardine passengers, though they weren't burdened with large bags like others, making it easier to walk.
However, as they exited the platform, they saw several mysterious figures huddled in the corner of the Train Station entrance, who quickly ran over once they spotted them.
"Who goes there!"
Kakashi vigilantly drew his short sword a partial length from his waist.
The few people were startled and quickly took off their hoods, revealing half of their faces.
The moment the thin young man in the middle showed his face, Kakashi immediately sheathed his short sword.
Sahara Kiri looked at him in confusion:
"You are…"
"Soutetsu Kazahana?"
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