As skilled assassination shinobi, they didn't ask questions, asking too much could risk exposing their mission. Their orders were clear: quietly take the Uzumaki clan away.
Exchanging a glance, their Lord raised his hand and gave a subtle signal to begin the operation. "Move, "
But before he could finish, Charlie struck first. Being in the Land of Fire meant lingering too long could draw unwanted attention from Konoha. It was better to swiftly and quietly take the prisoners away.
Who these shinobi were didn't really matter. Even if they belonged to Konoha, Konoha probably wouldn't acknowledge them.
So, they were treated as irrelevant enemies. Forming hand signs with both hands, Charlie calmly declared, "Shikigami no Mai: Kami Ryu no Jutsu" (Paper Dragon Technique!)"
Suddenly, everyone gasped as a gigantic dragon, entirely made of paper, appeared in the night sky. It let out a fierce roar that sent a chill through the onlookers.
Elder Yojin clutched his chest, eyes wide in disbelief as he stared at the massive paper dragon. "That jutsu..." he whispered, clearly shaken by the sight.
Despite the three mysterious boulders that had just appeared to save him, preventing his sacrifice and buying precious time for his clan, his body was badly worn from long-term wandering and lack of rest. The intense battle they had just fought left him still feeling weak and unwell. Yet, when he looked up at the dragon before him, his cloudy eyes widened in shock as he whispered, "It's like Lord Hashirama's Wood Dragon jutsu."
At that moment, the group of assassination shinobis also fixed their gaze on the paper dragon, suddenly recalling something important. Their shock quickly turned into caution. Nodding seriously to one another, they sprang into action, facing the charging dragon, they unleashed their own ninjutsu.
"Suiton…!" (Water Release.)
"Katon…!" (Fire Release.)
"Doton…!" (Earth Release.)
A chaotic barrage of jutsu struck the dragon, but their attacks only left a few superficial scratches. In an instant, the dragon charged forward, sweeping its tail and knocking down several jonin with a single blow.
Seeing this, the Kusa shinobi and the Uzumaki clan let out relieved sighs, eyes wide as they continued watching the figure soaring in the sky. One of the Uzumaki muttered in awe, "So this is The lord of the Kusa shinobi? No wonder he dared to take in the Uzumaki clan."
Even the rest of the shinobi, who had been following along, felt reassured by the display. Maybe coming to the Land of Grass wasn't such a bad choice after all.
"Shocked? The person standing before you now is the hero who ended the chaos in the Land of Grass, The lord who rebuilt it, the strongest Daimyo in the history of the Kusagakure Shinobi. He will lead the Land of Grass..."
At that, Mujie, that shameless guy, seeing his Lord show such power, jumped up and raised his hands proudly. "Isn't it amazing!"
Before he could finish, Charlie shot him a sharp glare. "Shut up!" he snapped.
Seriously, what was there to brag about at a time like this? The strongest Daimyou in the history of the Kusagakure Shinobi? Bull shit! "Everyone, retreat!" he commanded.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Mujie snapped back to reality and quickly ordered the Uzumaki clan behind him and the other shinobi who had come with The lord, who appeared to be from the Chinoike Clan, to move. "Move, move! Let's get out of here!"
But Yoji hesitated and said quietly, "Lord, he, "
'He actually called him "Lord" now.'
Before he could finish his sentence, Mujie interrupted sharply, "If I say run, you run! What good is standing around? Trust your Lord! See? I'm already running!"
The Kusagakure Shinobi's habit of casually throwing teammates under the bus was as natural as ever. Charlie was left speechless, almost tempted to abandon Mujie and fight on his own. But there was a more urgent threat, the assassination shinobi right in front of them.
The squad leader barked, "Use Water Release! This jutsu is weak against water!"
Analyzing the enemy's weaknesses is crucial for any shinobi. Earlier, The lord had noticed that Charlie's secret technique seemed to falter when exposed to water, the parts soaked simply turned into soggy, useless paper.
Sure enough, no sooner had he spoken than he caught a fleeting change in Charlie's expression. Though it disappeared quickly, it was enough for a seasoned shinobi to confirm his suspicion.
It made sense, there's only one true god in the shinobi world, the First Hokage of Konoha. Charlie was just a powerful shinobi whose technique resembled that of the First Hokage. Without hesitation, The leader called out, "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!"
(Water Dragon Bullet Technique!)
With this crucial information, the rest of the squad didn't hesitate. They scattered quickly, surrounding the giant paper dragon and furiously forming hand signs to unleash their Water Release jutsus.
They believed this would be enough to bring down the paper dragon. Knowing the enemy's weakness, they thought victory was close. But just as the lord was about to claim success, he noticed something strange.
The nervous Kusa shinobi suddenly wore a cold, sharp smirk. "Retreat!" he ordered.
But it was already too late. "Shikigami no Mai: Mugen Shi no Ken!" (Infinite Paper Sword!)
The scattered paper instantly reformed into countless sharp swords that stabbed fiercely at the nearby shinobi. While ordinary Paper techniques are weak against water, Konan had later modified her paper to be waterproof.
Of course, the Konan they knew was still a little girl just starting at the academy. Charlie, however, could modify it himself, after all, the secret scrolls he had were quite detailed.
Waterproof paper did have its weakness though: oil. It was a trade-off. To quickly take down these jonin-level assassination specialists, Charlie had deliberately exposed the paper's weakness to water, baiting them into using Water Release.
Facing so many jonin, Charlie knew it wouldn't be easy to take them all down quickly. And what if they tried to escape once they realized they couldn't win? That's why he had planned from the start to keep them trapped right where they were.
Watching the shinobis struggle, caught in the paper swords, he glanced toward Mujie and the others who had already fled. Without hesitation, Charlie floated out several explosive tags and stuck them onto the targets.
The assassination shinobis noticed immediately, their faces darkening with concern. But before they could react,
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At Charlie's signal, the explosive tags detonated, ending the battle in a flash of light and a series of loud explosions. Everyone watched in stunned silence, instantly understanding what had happened.
'Explosive tags!'
As they thought back to the fight, it became clear this had all been part of the plan from the very beginning, orchestrated by The lord of the Kusagakure Shinobi. Their minds replayed Mujie's earlier words about their Lord, the strongest in the history of their village.
No wonder he had the courage to recruit wandering shinobi and even kidnap the exiled Chinoike Clan from the Land of Lightning.
In that moment, their confidence grew. At least their new Lord's strength gave them hope. Maybe what he said was true, the Land of Grass would truly accept them.
Elder Yojin stood up and began to speak, "Lord Mujie… "
But before he could finish, Mujie smiled and waved him off with quiet confidence. "Trust The lord. He's an outstanding Kusa shinobi. If danger comes, he'll run faster than any of us, "
Before he could say more, "Bang!"
He was suddenly kicked down. Behind him, paper shaped into a figure appeared.
Charlie looked at him with a calm, unreadable expression, then turned to the Chinoike and Uzumaki clans who watched him with a mix of hope and worry. He understood exactly what they were waiting for.
Smiling, he opened his hands and said, "Welcome to the Land of Grass! Now… let's go home!"
The Uzumaki and Chinoike Clans smiled back, their faces lighting up as they looked to their Lord and shouted together, "Yes! Lord!"