"You, you all..."
No matter how slow the daimyō of the Land of Waves was, he had now realized something was wrong.
Cold sweat poured from him as he tried to drag his large legs and run outside, but he found himself unable to move. He could only watch helplessly as the assassins beside him questioned the ninja he had hired.
"Have all the intel been collected?" Gensou asked without surprise.
The leader of the group immediately presented a scroll and said, "Clan leader, all the intelligence on the Land of Waves has been fully gathered."
Gensou nodded, took the scroll, and began reading it.
Moving Jomae Village to the Land of Waves had been a snap decision, but that didn't mean they wouldn't gather relevant intelligence afterward.
The internal structure of the Land of Waves, its factions, geography, diplomatic relations, and so on—none of it could be ignored just because it was a small country.
After all, with Jomae Village settling here in the future, they had to completely control the Land of Waves.
At that time, the daimyō of the Land of Waves felt he had done too many evil deeds, and the few samurai around him might not be enough to suppress the increasingly rebellious commoners. So, he decided to hire ninja.
Given the relationship between the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire, the daimyō initially intended to hire ninja from Konoha.
However, after hearing that it was to suppress ordinary civilians, Konoha, now led by Tsunade, who had a reputation to protect, refused the request.
The daimyō had no choice but to hire another ninja organization, and by "coincidence," he ended up hiring the Team Highrock.
The daimyō of the Land of Waves was pleased with this ninja organization, rumored to even dare to target the Fourth Raikage for a mission. He entrusted many matters of his country to them.
As a result, the Team Highrock, having infiltrated, gained a deep understanding of the internal workings of the Land of Waves.
No powerful organization is built overnight; it always has deep roots behind it.
The Team Highrock, known in the ninja world as the "ninja who hunt ninja," had once taken on a mission targeting the Fourth Raikage. They killed one of his guards, and if not for the chance encounter with Tsunade, who treated the Raikage and his guards from a secret technique, the results would have been even more remarkable.
An organization like this naturally wouldn't have members from common origins.
In fact, the Team Highrock's foundation lay with the Hagoromo clan.
Five members of the clan, each skilled in fire, earth, wind, water, and lightning chakra nature transformations, could combine to use the "Explosive Beetle" secret technique, which even the Fourth Raikage fell victim to. This made the Team Highrock, aside from Jomae Village, another powerful weapon of the Hagoromo clan.
Jomae Village managed intelligence, while the Team Highrock handled the killing.
The Hagoromo clan had survived in the ninja world for so long thanks to these two forces.
The outside world didn't know that since its inception, the Team Highrock had gone through several generations of members.
Some retired due to injuries, while others died on missions.
Regardless, to use the "Explosive Beetle" secret technique—something only a few Hagoromo members could master—the Team Highrock always maintained a five-member team.
The current generation of the Team Highrock, who had once caused the Fourth Raikage so much trouble, had remained unchanged.
A few minutes later.
After quickly finishing the scroll, Gensou rolled it up and tapped the daimyō of the Land of Waves on his fat head, laughing lightly:
"You've really done it all—pointing at deer and calling them horses, seizing wealth by force, forcing good people into prostitution, hunting people for sport... you've committed every possible evil."
At this moment, the daimyō realized he could speak.
Forcing down his unease, he tried to maintain his dignity as the daimyō and explained:
"As the daimyō, it is within my right to decide life and death matters in my land. You are merely ninja; just be good weapons and stop worrying about things that don't concern you."
"Is it about the money? I can double the payment I offered!"
Neither Gensou nor the Team Highrock moved.
Seeing this, the daimyō gritted his teeth and, with great reluctance, said:
"Not enough? Fine, I'll triple it! But that's the limit. You ninja are so greedy!"
Still, what awaited him was the same unnerving silence.
Finally, the daimyō of the Land of Waves couldn't control his fear anymore, raising his voice to shout:
"I am the daimyō! If something happens to me, all the daimyō and the five great ninja villages will not let you go!"
Gensou watched quietly and finally spoke.
In a calm voice, he said, "I've killed quite a few daimyō in my time."
"What?"
The daimyō thought he had misheard.
Gensou kindly clarified, "I mean, don't worry, I'm quite experienced in killing daimyō."
The daimyō of the Land of Waves: "..."
"You're mad! You're all mad! Guards! Somebody help!!!"
Seeing Gensou's calm face, as if he had indeed killed many daimyō, the daimyō of the Land of Waves shook his head frantically and shouted for his guards with all his might.
But inside the hall, the musicians and dancers continued their performances, while the guards were nowhere to be seen.
Ignoring the daimyō's tearful and snotty face, Gensou gave his orders to the Team Highrock: "Prepare to handle the daimyō's aftermath. Afterward, let his four-year-old son take over."
"Yes!"
The Team Highrock responded in unison.
"Mad! They've all gone mad!"
The daimyō, who heard his own death being calmly discussed, was in a stupor. The world suddenly felt too strange, too insane.
Even at Gato's most arrogant, he never intended to take his life.
These people in front of him… they were all completely insane!
The daimyō wanted to say more.
But Gensou had lost interest. He picked up the daimyō's recently emptied wine cup and slammed it onto his head, embedding it deeply. Blood splattered everywhere.
With a thud, the once mighty daimyō rolled his eyes and fell, no different from the commoners he had killed.
"Announce that the daimyō drank too much and died of alcohol poisoning," Gensou said as he dusted off his hands. After giving his final instruction, he casually walked away.
Only after Gensou's figure disappeared did the five members of the Team Highrock stand up. They glanced at the daimyō's body, then at each other.
In truth, they weren't as calm as they appeared.
They had never imagined killing a daimyō, and this was their first time witnessing it in person.
Even now, the five were still in shock.
Although they had heard stories of their clan leader casually killing daimyō and nobles during the Warring States period, seeing it firsthand was a completely different experience.
The Team Highrock could only admire their clan leader's prowess.
In retrospect, they could understand why the clan leader had been ganged up on at the Valley of the Gods.
Soon, the leader of the Team Highrock coughed a few times, waking up his teammates: "Ahem! Now, let's handle the daimyō's affairs as the clan leader instructed."
"Yes!"
The usually unruly Team Highrock had been tamed.
They had no choice.
The 'chicken' used to warn the monkeys was far too shocking.
(End of Chapter)
With Sasuke's team returning, all the former members of Jomae Village had relocated to the Land of Waves without a single one missing.
During the meeting with Sasuke and his team, Gensou noticed their gazes on him carried a different meaning than before. However, as long as it wasn't malicious, he didn't bother to dwell on it. After dismissing the team with a wave, he continued to focus on the fusion of his Truth-Seeking Ball.
Inside the now-quiet office.
Gensou extended his hand, and as before, a black sphere quickly formed under the power of Yin-Yang Release, with the forces of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements being infused into it.
Compared to the early attempts where the black sphere would explode within moments, the current version of the Truth-Seeking Ball could now hold together for half a minute in his hand.
Even though it would still explode afterward, he was now able to extract the chakra of each element from the black sphere before it blew up, preventing another catastrophic explosion.
Despite the progress, there were still many flaws.
During the half minute it lasted, the seemingly complete black sphere didn't unleash the same power as a true Truth-Seeking Ball, nor could it freely change its form.
Additionally, in previous experiments, even when the sphere struck a reanimated body, the body would still regenerate.
Thus, Gensou hadn't yet incorporated this technique, which had shown some promise but wasn't fully mature, into his combat system.
However, this didn't mean it was useless.
With each attempt, he made progress in mastering the fusion of seven chakra natures.
Each step forward brought him closer to unlocking the secrets of the Bloodline Selection.
Gensou believed that once he completed the Truth-Seeking Ball, the path to mastering the Bloodline Selection would fully open to him.
In a way, the incomplete Truth-Seeking Ball in his hand was like a measurement tool for the completion of the Bloodline Selection.
Like a data system, it gave him accurate feedback, whether he made progress or an error in his research.
So, what was he waiting for? Time to get back to forming that ball!
On the other side.
After leaving Gensou's office, Yuikei, Jin, and Sasuke exchanged quick glances.
'So, what do you think? Is there something between the clan leader and Izumi?'
'I've only been in one relationship. I don't have enough experience to tell.'
'Sasuke, what about you?'
'I have no experience. Captain, do you see anything?'
'I don't dare to look.'
'…'
Standing nearby, Izumi noticed the three men glancing at each other and immediately guessed what they were discussing. Her face darkened with exasperation.
"Can you all be any more childish?" she said before turning away, not bothering to stick around.
Seeing this, the three men stopped their silent exchange.
With the person in question gone, there was no point in continuing the conversation.
Jin was the first to wave goodbye. "My wife's waiting for me at home, so I'll head out first."
"Tomorrow, I'll be cooking myself, so don't forget to bring my sister over," Yuikei reminded Jin before turning to Sasuke.
"Sasuke, you come too. I'll introduce you to my youngest sister. If you prefer someone a bit older but not by much, I've got two other sisters for you. And if you're into someone much more mature, I've got another sister who's perfect for that. Don't worry about dowries or anything. Our family is pretty open-minded."
Yuikei was willing to negotiate anything as long as all his sisters found suitable partners.
Before Sasuke could decline, Yuikei had already turned and left, moving so quickly that he didn't give Sasuke a chance to respond.
Sasuke could only swallow his words of refusal and think to himself: "Is this... a matchmaking event?"
Having lost his family at a young age, he wasn't very familiar with the customs of such social interactions.
'If Mom were here, she'd probably give me plenty of advice if I were going to something like this tomorrow. I wouldn't feel so lost.'
For a moment, Sasuke found himself missing his mother.
But as a group of children ran past, laughing and playing, Sasuke quickly lifted his head and closed his eyes, suppressing the sudden surge of emotions.
A few moments later, he returned to his usual calm demeanor. Watching the children run off into the distance, Sasuke pursed his lips and began walking away.
In the past, with nothing else to do and no one at home, he would have spent his time at the training grounds.
But now, for some reason, he felt like going for a walk.
"Next stop... the Land of Waves."
Sasuke's thoughts wandered back to his mission in the Land of Waves, recalling Zabuza, Haku, and his time with Naruto.
He decided to pay a visit.
Sasuke arrived at the village's edge.
Though the village's location in the sky had its advantages, it wasn't convenient for traveling to and from the ground.
Back when it was the Sky Ninja Village, people had to wear flying gear to descend to the surface.
But now, with Gensou—essentially a treasure trove of the ninja world—around, they had created an elevator-like barrier powered by wind chakra for easy transport.
Sasuke arrived at the so-called "Sky Elevator." After the guards gave him a brief explanation, he stepped into the center of the formation.
In an instant, Sasuke shot downward, straight and fast.
Activating his Sharingan, he saw that while the air around him seemed empty, there was, in fact, a strong current of wind encasing the center, ensuring travelers wouldn't be thrown off course.
As the ground drew closer, an upward gust of wind slowed his descent, cushioning his landing.
Soon, Sasuke's feet touched the ground.
Looking around, he found himself at one of Jomae Village's hidden outposts, situated in a remote area, meaning few people besides the village's ninja visited.
Sasuke set off in the direction of Naruto Bridge.
On the way, he passed by Zabuza and Haku's graves and paused for a moment.
It was through Zabuza and Haku that Sasuke had first learned what a ninja bond was.
Though that bond had faded over time, new bonds had since formed, and they were numerous.
After paying his respects, Sasuke resumed walking toward Naruto Bridge.
When he arrived, he saw that the tax collectors were no longer there. Though some parts of the bridge were draped in black cloth, it couldn't conceal the vibrant and bustling atmosphere.
Sasuke stood watching for a long time.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps reached his ears. He turned around, his gaze sharpening for a moment before he vanished.
"Huh? That person just now... seemed familiar. Am I seeing things?"
Feeling much better than he had in recent days, Tazuna made his daily trip to Naruto Bridge. He was about to admire his "child" when he caught a glimpse of a familiar face.
But it was gone in an instant.
Tazuna rubbed his eyes, chalking it up to his imagination.
As one ages, it's hard not to admit your limits.
Just like the daimyō, who insisted on drinking.
And look where it got him—dead.
Tazuna fully believed the daimyō had died from drinking too much.
As for that mysterious ninja who had once asked him about the daimyō...
Coincidence!
Everything was just a coincidence!
(End of Chapter)
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