"Stop right there! If you want to pass, hand over all your money and your horses too!"
After leaving the Land of Wind, Uchiha Nagi and his group had just stepped out of a small border trading town when they encountered a group of legendary bandits.
A dozen or so men, their faces contorted with greed, wielded knives, forks, clubs, and sticks. Apart from their leader, who held a katana, the others looked less like robbers and more like refugees.
They were dressed in rags, their faces were pale, and they were bone-thin. If one didn't look closely, they might seem more like zombies than refugees.
The reason they were so bold as to block Uchiha Nagi and his group was, of course, because they saw that the group was small and none of them wore headbands... As is well-known in the Ninja World, all Ninja, whether they have betrayed their Village or not, wear headbands. Yet, Uchiha Nagi's group didn't have a single one.
Furthermore, their group of four wasn't traveling with a large merchant convoy. Lastly, there were two children and two adults among them, and the adults looked small in stature, lacking intimidation. Only one person among the four carried a katana.
Kimimaro carried a bone sword, but it was too short, and he was a child, so they didn't count him.
Uchiha Nagi frowned. He wasn't a bloodthirsty person, but if this insignificant group truly sought death, he wouldn't mind helping them along to a better reincarnation.
"Kimimaro, give them some food. Yukihime, throw them some money—"
"Understood, Teacher~"
"Oh..."
When Kimimaro took out a pack of his dry rations and threw it to them, their eyes turned green.
But when Yukihime took out the money, their gazes began to change.
"Here, there's over a hundred thousand here, all for you..." Yukihime extended her fair, jade-like hand, counted the money, and handed it over. Although her face was made up, she couldn't use voice transformation jutsu.
The moment she spoke, her voice was like a nightingale's. The refugee leader's eyes immediately lit up. He opened his mouth, revealing black-and-yellow teeth... "And this woman, leave this woman too, or we'll kill you all..."
After taking the money Yukihime threw, the refugee leader actually stepped forward, trying to grab her.
"Ah—" Yukihime shrieked, quickly retreating a few steps.
Kimimaro leaped, blocking Yukihime, then looked at Uchiha Nagi, waiting for his Teacher's command.
Uchiha Nagi calmly said to Kimimaro, "Kill them all, leave no one behind..."
Kimimaro nodded, "Understood, Teacher..."
He immediately unleashed Water Breathing sword art, stepping forward, ready to slaughter. This was the best thing about Kimimaro; he didn't question right or wrong, he just did what his Teacher told him to—
"Ninja, you're a Ninja..." The refugee leader still had some discernment. Seeing Kimimaro's movements and sword art, he knew they had hit a tough spot.
"Everyone, attack! Kill them, and we'll have meat and food to eat! We'll all share the woman, and the money too..."
Then, scattering the money into the air, the refugees' eyes turned red. They charged at Uchiha Nagi's group without any fear of death, while the leader quietly retreated a few steps... "Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets—" Kimimaro waved his left hand, and several bone bullets formed from Chakra instantly pierced through the bodies of several refugees.
Then, he unleashed Water Breathing and advanced, using Third Form: Flowing Dance, a technique that combined evasion and attack with footwork as fluid as water.
"Ah..."
"Ah, my hand, my hand..."
"Mercy, Sir, we won't dare again..."
However, their pleas for mercy did not stop Kimimaro. As long as his Teacher hadn't spoken, Kimimaro wouldn't stop.
Limbs continued to fly, and all Kimimaro could do was give them a quick, merciful end.
Yukihime watched, her face pale. She glanced at Kimimaro, then at Uchiha Nagi, and pulled on his sleeve.
"What is it?!" Uchiha Nagi asked with a puzzled expression.
"Um, let them go, please. Besides, nothing happened to me. There's no need to kill people just to get revenge for me. A lesson would be enough..." Yukihime said cautiously.
"You're mistaken. I'm not having Kimimaro kill them for you..."
Uchiha Nagi was speechless. He truly wasn't having Kimimaro kill these refugees for Yukihime... Yukihime immediately glared at Uchiha Nagi, pouting. Would it kill him to humor her and say something nice—
"Look at them. They've clearly been gathered here for more than a day. If it were just for food, I could give them some. But they also want to capture people. Do you know what would happen to a woman if they captured her?" Uchiha Nagi asked.
"What... what would happen?" Yukihime swallowed nervously, her small hands clasped tightly.
"They would take her to be their bandit chief's wife, then kill her after they're done. Maybe not even kill her, but cook and eat her directly..."
"So, if we don't kill them this time, and some ordinary people really encounter them later, they will suffer..."
Uchiha Nagi said calmly, "Sometimes, killing one villain can save a group of people who are about to face disaster in the future..."
Yukihime's face turned white with fright, and she dared not speak again.
In this short time, Kimimaro had already slaughtered all dozen or so refugees as easily as slicing melons and vegetables. Although they saw they were no match and scattered to flee, Kimimaro's speed was simply beyond what ordinary people could achieve.
"Teacher, all dealt with—" Kimimaro returned to report.
"No, there's still one..." Gaara suddenly spoke, then extended his right hand towards the distance and squeezed hard.
"Ah..."
A scream echoed from the forest. The surrounding birds seemed startled and took flight... After this small interlude on the road, there were no more insignificant bandits to block their way and rob them. The group successfully continued their journey.
If they traveled at a Ninja's pace, they could cover several hundred li in a day, but Uchiha Nagi chose to travel by horse, covering about a hundred li a day. He wasn't in a hurry; sometimes, traveling slowly made it easier to conceal their identities.
Halfway through their journey, Uchiha Nagi suddenly changed direction. Yukihime asked, puzzled:
"Aren't we going to the Land of Fire? This direction doesn't seem right~"
Uchiha Nagi said calmly, "Hmm, before we go there, I'm going to pick up a stone. There's a meteorite that fell from the sky there, and I plan to get it to forge a sword..."
"A meteorite?!"
"Yes, as far as I know, a Village obtained a meteorite that fell from the sky a few years ago. That meteorite is suitable for forging swords..."
"Where is it~"
"After they obtained that meteorite, they renamed themselves the Star Hidden Village..."
Uchiha Nagi greatly envied weapons with special abilities. Orochimaro's kusanagi sword was incredibly durable and could extend and retract. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, excluding the useless kubikiribōchō, each had their own unique characteristics, with Samehada being the most powerful.
That Ninja sword, which could absorb a Ninja's Chakra and grow infinitely stronger, could even restrain a Tailed Beast. To say it was a small fish by the Three-Tails' side was a bit of a stretch; it could drain the Eight-Tails dry.
If it were the Three-Tails' minion, it should be called a parasite living on the Three-Tails, or rather, the Three-Tails was entirely its prey.
However, many people overlooked one point: the Land of Water is located in the vast ocean. The ocean has been a forbidden zone for humans since ancient times. Who knows how many unique species have evolved in the depths of the ocean over tens of thousands of years?
Humans have no idea how many large marine creatures have appeared in the vast ocean and its deep trenches, especially in this world where Chakra exists. Marine creatures are even more likely to undergo mysterious evolution.
The Hidden Mist Village people might have accidentally captured Samehada from the deep sea, then, defying the laws of nature, forged it into a living sword under impossible circumstances.
Samehada was alive, yet it was forged into a sword. The world of Ninja truly is wondrous.
— — — —
In a cave in the Land of Rain, two people were chatting—
"Brother Sasori, are you planning to go out?" A handsome young man with long golden hair, one eye obscured by his bangs, asked. This was Deidara.
He was asking Sasori because Sasori was repairing his puppet, oiling it, installing hidden weapons, and applying poison. These were common tasks for a Puppet Master.
No matter what, puppets were inanimate objects, so they required maintenance and frequent replacement of damaged parts, which was very expensive. To be honest, it really wasn't as convenient as Edo Tensei... Another reason Sasori joined Akatsuki was, of course, because of the expense. Puppet Masters were undoubtedly very costly, and the materials they needed were also incredibly rare.
"Ah, I'm planning to go out and get some materials to strengthen my puppet. After my last fight with Orochimaro, I realized the Third Kazekage still needs a lot of reinforcement..." Sasori packed his items and stored them in a scroll.
When Akatsuki members went on missions, they had to go in pairs, but when not on missions, single outings were permitted. Sasori once single-handedly annihilated a small country using Puppet Performance of a Hundred Mechanisms to gather funds and materials, and he was alone then too.
"Oh, where are you planning to go? Do you want me to come along?" Deidara asked.
If any other Akatsuki member asked him where he was going, Sasori would definitely be suspicious of their intentions, but he completely trusted Deidara. The single-minded Deidara was a foolish person who pursued art, straightforward and unable to hide anything. Among Akatsuki's duos, their artistic pair had the most pleasant relationship.
Deidara even affectionately called Sasori "Brother Sasori"—
"I'm going to a small Village. I heard there's a meteorite there with immense energy. I'm going to see if I can get it as material to strengthen my puppet," Sasori said.
"Always having to go out to collect materials, it's such a hassle. In my opinion, Brother Sasori, you should just choose the same art as me. Instantaneous beauty is eternal art." Deidara threw out a small bird, which flew in a circle and turned into a firework.
"Hmph, Deidara, do you want to die..."
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