After receiving a piece of intelligence from the Daimyo of the Land of Rice, Orochimaru studied the information while comparing it to the topographic map of the country.
"Orochimaru, if possible, please focus on driving them away, especially the Kumo-nin..." The Daimyo of the Land of Rice hesitated before reminding him.
Even though his country was the victim, the Daimyo feared that killing too many invaders would provoke the great nations into sending large forces to retaliate. Being unable to fight back after being attacked was the sorrow and helplessness of a small country.
"I know my limits..." Orochimaru replied without looking up.
"Time is limited, Ryun. We'll split into two teams. You take half the men to deal with the bandits from the Land of Earth, while I handle the Kumo-nin from the Land of Lightning."
Orochimaru pointed at the map as he gave orders.
"The Cloud Village has four jōnin and over a hundred low-to-mid-rank ninja. Shouldn't we prioritize eliminating this bigger threat first?" Ryun suggested.
"No, we don't have time to deal with them one by one."
"..."
"Fine. Be careful, then. The Cloud Village's combat strength is no joke, and you can't use your signature techniques (summoning jutsu)." Ryun reluctantly reminded him.
This time, they were representing the Land of Rice. Whether facing enemy nations or Konoha, they couldn't reveal their true identities, or they would invite endless trouble in the future.
"Mm. You be careful too. Among the Iwa-nin, there's one jōnin and a suspected member of the Explosion Corps. Their strength shouldn't be underestimated..."
"I know..."
After discussing the intelligence and map for over an hour, the master and student each led a hundred ninja, splitting into two teams to head toward their respective targets.
Ryun's target was the bandit ninja from the Hidden Stone Village. These guys, knowing the Land of Rice was militarily weak, had rampaged through the country, burning, killing, and looting as if no one could stop them.
Their methods were even filthier than ordinary bandits, showing no trace of the dignity expected of ninja from a great nation. They disregarded morality and humanitarian principles, clearly bullying the weak.
The Land of Lightning's invasion of the Land of Rice was mainly about occupying land and cities, along with some robbery—their primary goal was to teach the Daimyo a lesson and force him to submit.
The Land of Earth's invasion, however, was purely for slaughter and plunder. They took everything of value, even abducting women. Their actions were despicable and cruel.
The Daimyo of the Land of Rice loathed these bandit tactics and explicitly stated that these beasts didn't need to be spared—kill them if possible!
"Brother, ahead is Kazeha Village. Yesterday, this village was occupied by the bandits from the Land of Earth. Those bastards should still be there now!"
A jōnin from the Land of Rice proactively explained to Ryun.
Though the mysterious figure before him was short and slender, the Daimyo had personally appointed him to lead the team, ordering everyone to follow his commands.
"What's your name?" Ryun glanced at him and asked plainly.
His voice had been altered to sound like an adult's, with no trace of childishness left.
"I'm Itō..." the jōnin replied calmly.
"Should we send someone in first to scout the enemy's situation?"
"Unnecessary. I'm in a hurry. We'll charge straight in. Kill any Iwa-nin on sight!"
"Uh..."
As he spoke, Ryun had already led the hundred ninja to the village entrance. With a wave of his hand, he ordered the Land of Rice's forces to launch a frontal assault.
Inside Kazeha Village were only a few low-level Iwa-nin, numbering just twenty. Facing the overwhelming force of the Land of Rice's ninja, they were quickly pushed back.
Among the Iwa-nin were six chūnin, whose strength was noticeably higher. They fought back fiercely.
Seeing this, Ryun took action himself. Using the Body Flicker Technique, he instantly killed one of the resisting chūnin with his sword. The other stronger Iwa-nin were swiftly cut down by him, and the battle ended without suspense.
"Leave a small group to tend to the wounded and clean up the battlefield. The rest, follow me to the next location." Ryun instructed the jōnin.
"Yes!"
Jōnin Itō responded respectfully, then quickly went to assemble the team.
Ryun had already demonstrated his strength, proving himself superior. Naturally, the jōnin named Itō acknowledged his authority.
The Iwa-nin acted with utter lawlessness. Groups of 10-20 would raid villages, while groups of over 50 would dare to occupy entire towns.
Ryun's team cleared three villages in succession, killing or capturing around fifty Iwa-nin.
Among these fifty, no jōnin were found. The Hidden Stone Village had tens of thousands of low-to-mid-rank ninja, but truly powerful high-level jōnin were rare.
"Sir, we've arrived at Mizukawa Town. This is the stronghold of the Iwa-nin bandits. There are nearly a hundred of them inside, including two jōnin. Their numbers aren't much smaller than ours..."
Jōnin Itō warned with a grave expression, wanting to ask how they should proceed.
"Mm. I'll charge in from the front alone first. After that, you lead everyone in from the flank. Aim for a quick victory..."
Ryun chose the simplest and most direct method.
"Huh? You're going in alone?"
Jōnin Itō was stunned. Was this guy not afraid of death? Even if he was strong, this was reckless!
"Yes. Take the men and circle around."
Ryun strode straight toward Mizukawa Town, his calm demeanor making it clear he wasn't joking.
"Sir, you—"
Jōnin Itō tried to speak, but Ryun shot him a cold glance.
"I'm in a hurry. Don't make me repeat my orders."
Clearing three villages had already taken a day. Finishing the Land of Rice's mission would likely take another 1-2 days, and returning to the Land of Rain would take 2 more. He had no time to waste.
"Everyone, follow me!"
Jōnin Itō had no choice but to obey Ryun's command, leading the men to prepare for a flank attack.
"Who are you? Stop!!!"
Ryun walked boldly into Mizukawa Town, and his presence quickly alerted the Iwa-nin inside.
His response to these Iwa-nin was a barrage of explosive-tagged kunai.
BOOM!!!
The violent explosions shook the entire town, drawing all the Iwa-nin toward him.
Gripping his sword, Ryun used the Body Flicker Technique to close the distance, cutting down the surviving Iwa-nin from the explosion.
Then, he hid, preparing to ambush the first wave of reinforcements.
Within two minutes, two squads of ninja arrived at the scene. Ryun silently unleashed a barrage of poisoned needles, instantly killing two genin and poisoning three others.
Facing the enemy's horrified expressions, Ryun raised his sword and charged forward.