"Can you grill?"
"Uh..."
The Anbu ninja paused for a few seconds, then nodded hard twice:
"Don't worry, Assistant Lord. Grilling is one of my specialties. Just sit back and enjoy."
Under the slightly doubtful eyes of his two coworkers, along with Yan and Hinata, the Anbu who took over the grill started flipping the meat, brushing on oil and seasoning—all in smooth, practiced motions. Clearly a pro.
Holy crap. He really *is* a pro.
Well, that works. At least now Yan could eat something hot himself.
What can you say—bossing people around feels great.
"You two, go hunt a wild deer for the Assistant Lord. Fresh deer meat, sliced and seasoned right away, tastes the best."
"..."
After giving their coworker a long look—now officially the one giving orders—the Anbu headed straight for the forest to hunt.
And that's how the day wrapped up. After a full day of eating grilled meat and stuffing himself, Yan brought Hinata back to the village.
Once back, Yan immediately went to the Hokage's office building to check the info on the Anbu team assigned to protect him today.
"Akimichi… figures."
So the one who grilled meat for them turned out to be from the Akimichi clan—that explains a lot!
Not all of them maybe, but most Akimichi are known for being great at grilling meat.
But a skinny Akimichi?
Now that's a bit strange.
After all, this clan's ninja usually like to bulk up—the bigger their body, the stronger their power.
Might be a good idea to bring this guy along on long trips.
A walking, talking mobile kitchen. He could really save them a lot of trouble.
Meanwhile, as the Akatsuki's plan moved forward, Obito and Black Zetsu also slipped into the Land of Wind.
Together, they secretly took control of some Sunagakure ninja, planning to give the Land of Water Daimyo a big surprise when he entered the Land of Wind.
The Daimyo, completely unaware, traveled calmly, sightseeing along the way as he entered the Land of Wind.
Not long after the Daimyo's group crossed the border, a team of Sunagakure ninja came to meet them.
"Honored guests, we were sent by Lord Kazekage to escort and protect the Land of Water Daimyo. Please follow us."
"Didn't expect the Kazekage to be this proactive. Looks like he really wants to smooth things over with the Daimyo's office."
The Land of Water Daimyo thought Rasa was trying to ease tensions between Sunagakure and the daimyo's administration, which is why he had sent a team in advance for a warm welcome and extra protection.
"In that case, I'll be counting on all of you for the rest of the trip. Let's move."
Once you set foot in the Land of Wind, all you could see was endless yellow sand and dry desert plains. It was not a place anyone would miss.
Add the scorching heat on top of that, and the Daimyo only wanted to reach his destination quickly and meet with the Land of Wind Daimyo.
No matter if it's a major or minor nation, a Daimyo's travels always involve a bloated entourage.
There were well over a hundred people in the group—guards, attendants, maids, and personal servants.
The whole setup was excessive.
Some of the Sunagakure ninja joined the Daimyo's security team, while others spread out to keep watch for any ambushes.
In theory, no one should dare target a Daimyo, but you can never rule out a crazy assassin popping up, so the necessary precautions still had to be taken.
"Sir, there's a group lying in ambush up ahead. Looks like desert bandits."
"Surround them and take them out."
The Sunagakure team leader's expression turned serious.
The Land of Water Daimyo turned his head in surprise:
"Didn't expect there to be desert bandits in the Land of Wind. Looks like Sunagakure's control isn't as tight as I thought."
The Sunagakure ninja responded awkwardly:
"It's due to some issues between the village and the Daimyo's office. Our ninja numbers have been shrinking lately, so incidents like this happen.
Also, the harsh environment in the Land of Wind drives some people to become desert bandits, just like how some turn to piracy out at sea."
"Hmph!!!"
That last line clearly annoyed the Daimyo.
The first half sounded fine, but the second half rubbed him the wrong way.
It came off like: "Sure, we have desert bandits, but you guys in the Land of Water aren't any better—you've got pirates."
Hearing that, the Daimyo let out a cold snort and dropped the topic.
Hearing the fighting in the distance, the Land of Water Daimyo sneered.
"Looks like the ninjas from Sunagakure Village aren't that impressive after all. Can't even handle a bunch of desert bandits. Fine then, I'll help you out a bit."
"You guys, go take care of those desert bandits."
Trying to save face and also take a jab at Sunagakure's Daimyo, he cheerfully sent his own guards out, leaving just a few ninja and regular bodyguards at his side.
In his eyes, what Sunagakure couldn't handle, the ninja from Kirigakure who were traveling with him could easily finish.
"Kill him!!!"
The Daimyo never expected what happened next. Just after he sent his people out, the Sunagakure ninja—who had just been treating him with great respect—suddenly went crazy and charged at him.
Are you guys insane!?
"This is bad! Protect the lord!! Sunagakure is trying to assassinate the Daimyo!!!"
The Sunagakure ninja embedded in the escort team suddenly snapped, terrifying the guards from the Land of Water.
"Aaaah!!!"
With a scream, the Daimyo's left hand flew into the air. The sudden chaos left everyone from the Land of Water in shock.
Luckily, the ninja who stayed behind with the Daimyo reacted quickly. Ignoring their own safety, they rushed forward to block the attack and shielded the Daimyo.
The real show had begun.
Hidden in the shadows, Black Zetsu and Obito quietly left the Land of Wind.
Now it was Nagato's turn to make his move.
As long as Kirigakure kept pressing the issue, and Yagura refused to back down, the Daimyo—who had lost a hand and was severely traumatized—wouldn't let it go. A war between Kirigakure and Sunagakure was almost guaranteed.
The Akatsuki didn't need to kill the Daimyo. Killing him would only make things messier.
Whether war would really break out was still uncertain.
If the Daimyo died, his sons would fight each other for power, and none of them would care about starting a war.
Only if the Daimyo lived—lived in humiliation—could a war truly be triggered.
Fighting broke out. The brainwashed Sunagakure ninja clashed with the Daimyo's defenders.
No one tried to break through the circle to go after the Daimyo again.
"Get me out of here! Hurry and protect me! Take me straight to Konohagakure! Send a request for help right now! I want their protection!"
The sudden assassination attempt almost scared the Daimyo's soul out of his body. Even after losing a hand, he barely felt any pain.