The old man turned, looking at the disciple he had taken under his wing over a decade ago.
More than ten years prior, Salamander Hanzo had all but decimated the Land of Iron.
Mifune was the only one, besides Mizukawa, who had faced Hanzo directly and survived.
Even if it was because Hanzo valued talent and held back.
After that encounter, Mifune received Mizukawa's full tutelage. Having battled Hanzo, his mental fortitude became even more refined, achieving a breakthrough between life and death.
Now in his prime, Mifune's strength surpassed Mizukawa's, and he had become a candidate for general of the Land of Iron.
"Teacher Mizukawa, why have you called for me?"
Mifune asked Mizukawa.
"Our people stationed at the underground bounty station found Kakuzu."
"Kakuzu, the legendary bounty ninja, huh… He's certainly an enemy to be wary of, but Teacher Mizukawa, with your strength and mine combined, even Kakuzu wouldn't stand a chance against us."
Mifune said confidently.
"I know. If it were just Kakuzu and those rogue ninja, with you, me, these two Kusanagi Swords, and over three thousand samurai from the Land of Iron, it naturally wouldn't be an issue. But it's not just Kakuzu and them…"
Mizukawa shook his head.
"Is Teacher Mizukawa worried about the Five Great Ninja Villages? Sand Hidden, Stone Hidden, and Mist Hidden are too far from us; they probably can't arrive yet. Even if they did, Konoha and Cloud Hidden Village would be the most likely to try and seize the Kusanagi Swords. If we can prove to these two ninja villages that the Land of Iron's samurai are capable of defending these two swords, then everything else later on won't be a problem."
Mifune pondered.
"It's not just Konoha and Cloud Hidden Village we need to be wary of."
Mizukawa shook his head.
"The Land of Fire is closest to us, and Konoha must have already received intelligence and most likely dispatched high-level shinobi. Cloud Hidden Village is still uncertain, but this time, we'll also have to face an even more troublesome individual, an opponent who once defeated us."
As Mizukawa spoke, he touched a scar on his body, feeling a faint ache.
He had been severely wounded by Hanzo several times in the past, even almost killed, and the scars on his body had not faded even now.
"Hanzo, huh… I didn't expect him to be on the move. He is indeed a top-tier swordsman, but his Chain Scythe is already a divine weapon forged with Chakra metal. I didn't think he'd also set his sights on the Kusanagi Swords."
He had actually misunderstood.
Hanzo coming to the Land of Iron to steal the Kusanagi Swords wasn't for his own use, but for someone else.
"Kakuzu, Hanzo, Konoha—each one more troublesome than the last."
Mizukawa shook his head helplessly again.
But if he were told to give up these two Kusanagi Swords, it would be very difficult for him to do so.
Some samurai become so obsessed that they value their swords more than their own lives. While Mizukawa and his comrades weren't that extreme, asking a samurai to relinquish a divine weapon like the Kusanagi Sword is almost impossible.
At the very least, they had to fight first to find out, right?
Mizukawa felt that he and Mifune had a chance to defend weapons like the Kusanagi Swords.
Whether from the perspective of strength or status, they believed they were worthy.
Provided they could hold them.
At the same time.
In the underground bounty station.
A ninja, stripped to the waist, with various parts of his body appearing stitched together with thread, dragged a sack full of heads to the counter.
"The total bounty for these heads is 9.55 million Ryo. Count them, then I want to purchase intelligence on the exact location of the Kusanagi Swords, and also the latest bounty list."
Kakuzu looked coldly at the bounty station clerk with his green, bead-like eyes.
The clerk quickly and efficiently counted the heads in the sack, which had been treated with saltpeter.
"Mr. Kakuzu, the total bounty for this batch is 9.95 million Ryo, because the bounty for Yega, the Grass Village B-rank rogue ninja inside, has increased by 400,000 Ryo."
"Mm."
Earning an extra 400,000 Ryo pleased Kakuzu considerably.
"As for the precise location of the Kusanagi Swords, that intelligence is worth 3.4 million Ryo. Six copies have already been sold. Every hour, or whenever a related piece of intelligence is sold, we will adjust its value accordingly. Oh, and I want to inform you that shortly before you arrived, a major client came here and raised the bounty on the Kusanagi Swords to 30 million Ryo per sword."
The clerk put away the sack and smiled at Kakuzu.
Upon hearing this, Kakuzu's breathing hitched, and his five hearts thumped wildly.
Thirty million Ryo!
How long had it been since he'd received such a massive order?!
How many people in the entire Ninja World were worth 30 million Ryo?
And now, there were two 30-million bounties at once!
"Give me the intelligence. Deduct the money from these heads."
Kakuzu said.
"Alright, this intelligence was obtained by bribing insiders within the Samurai City. The two Kusanagi Swords are currently in the possession of Mizukawa, the Land of Iron's general, and Mifune, the general candidate. There are rumors that the latter's strength now surpasses the former's, and it's expected that the position of general will be handed over to him within a few years."
"Currently, the two of them are staying in the heavily guarded Samurai City."
"I understand."
Kakuzu nodded slightly, took the money bag containing the remaining few million ryo in bounty, and turned to leave without looking back.
He needed to seriously consider how to get his hands on those two swords.
Taking the Kusanagi Sword from two Kage-level experts, surrounded by two to three thousand samurai, would be a significant challenge, even for Kakuzu, the Ninja World's top bounty hunter.
However, Kakuzu wasn't afraid of such a challenge.
With his immortal body, unless he encountered a monster on the level of the First Hokage again, who in the current Ninja World could kill him?
"Wait, Mr. Kakuzu!"
Seeing Kakuzu about to leave, the receptionist called out to him again.
"Is there something else?"
Kakuzu turned around, a hint of impatience in his voice.
"The client who raised the bounty to thirty million ryo left a message earlier. If you're the one taking on this bounty, he hopes to meet with you. If you're willing, he's even willing to add an extra five million ryo as a reward."
Such a good deal?
Kakuzu's small, green bean-like eyes lit up again.
Who could be such a generous client?
However, there aren't many forces in the Ninja World that can so easily produce such a large sum of money, and this is the Land of Iron...
...
...
On a rooftop somewhere in Samurai City.
Qingshui concealed all his presence, holding his sword with one hand, sensing every corner around him.
The defenses here were still very strict.
If it were just Mizukawa and Mifune, Qingshui felt that even direct action wouldn't be an issue.
But adding three thousand samurai changed everything.
His goal wasn't to defeat or kill these people, but to steal the Kusanagi Sword.
Even if he could kill a large number of these samurai with a single blow, with Qingshui's physical recovery ability and Chakra reserves, he wouldn't have to worry about ending up like the Third Raikage, fighting an army for an extended period and eventually dying from exhaustion.
But even as cannon fodder, if these people swarmed him, they would still cause considerable trouble. Add Mifune and Mizukawa into the mix, and there's a chance those two could actually escape unharmed from him.
That's assuming they're ruthless enough to sacrifice these three thousand samurai.
Qingshui also worried that if he acted and dragged things out for too long, it would lead to other unforeseen complications.
He wasn't the only one eyeing the Kusanagi Sword, after all.
"It's best to find a way to draw them out, that would make things easier."
Qingshui sat cross-legged on the eaves, watching a squad of samurai walk by, completely oblivious to him, and began to strategize.
In the Land of Iron, the only people he could currently use were Yura and Tiansi.
In Qingshui's perception, Yura's Chakra reserves and refinement weren't low, indicating a good aptitude for Ninjutsu. As long as their combat experience wasn't too poor, their strength should be considered top-tier among Chunin.
Tiansi was also an experienced Special Jonin. While there was still a gap between him and a true Jonin, he could be considered an expert in any force outside the Five Great Ninja Villages.
He could consider having them create some commotion outside. As long as they took his Blood Demon Art Flying Thunder God Kunai, their safety should be assured.
At worst, he could also send a Shadow Clone...
"Hmm?"
As he was pondering, Qingshui suddenly turned his head to look outside Samurai City.
Somewhere in the capital of the Land of Iron, a towering pillar of fire rose, accompanied by deafening explosions.
Someone capable of causing such a massive commotion wouldn't be an ordinary ninja.
It seemed someone else had the same idea as him...
Qingshui stood up with interest, watching the samurai below who were receiving orders and beginning to mobilize.
"General Mizukawa of the Land of Iron, what will your choice be?"
...
"Sensei, what will you choose to do?"
Mifune, fully armored and holding the Kusanagi Sword, asked Mizukawa.
"Prepare to depart, Mifune. Don't bring too many people. Since they've chosen to do this, it means they're not afraid of our numbers.
It seems this time, it's the moment to demonstrate the power of the samurai to these ninja!"
Mizukawa drew his Kusanagi Sword, his eyes gleaming.
The Land of Iron's ability to remain a neutral country and avoid the Ninja World Wars was ultimately due to the impressive strength of these samurai, which earned them recognition of their neutrality from the Five Great Nations.
In the capital city of the Land of Iron.
Dozens of patrolling samurai lay collapsed on a street.
Kakuzu opened the visors of the samurai one by one, comparing them to a bounty book in his hand, occasionally severing the heads of one or two individuals.
"Thirty-seven samurai, and only two of them had bounties, both under a million ryo. These samurai really aren't worth much."
Kakuzu shook his head, looking at the bounties on the samurai.
"But while they aren't worth much, you two, and the swords in your hands, are very valuable."
Kakuzu closed his book and turned to look at the street entrance.
Mizukawa and Mifune, leading dozens of samurai, were blocking the street.
"Mizukawa, General of the Land of Iron, bounty sixty million ryo. Mifune, General Candidate, bounty forty-three million ryo."
Kakuzu watched Mizukawa and Mifune, black threads spreading across his body.
"Kakuzu, rogue ninja of Waterfall Hidden, if you leave now, we will not make things difficult for you," Mizukawa said to Kakuzu, drawing his Kusanagi Sword.
"I don't want to make things difficult for you either. Your heads are very valuable, and there might even be room for their value to increase, so harvesting them now would be a bit of a waste. But if you can just give me those two swords, I'll leave immediately.
Otherwise..."
"Otherwise what? Kakuzu, you might not be able to take our heads just by yourself," Mifune said.
"Otherwise, I won't mind killing all the samurai in this city, except for you two." Kakuzu chuckled.
"Then let's see what you can do!"
A flash of sword light, and Mifune's figure instantly passed Kakuzu, cleaving his body in two.
But at that moment, Kakuzu's body, split into two halves, rapidly sprouted black threads, stitching itself back together, and separating his wrists and arms to attack Mifune.
Another flash of sword light.
"Swordplay: Iai Slash!"
Mizukawa made his move.
But he wasn't the only one.
"Hidden Shadow Many Snake Hands!"
A long-haired figure in a brownish-yellow kimono instantly emerged from underground, multiple giant snakes flying out from his sleeves.
Even though Mizukawa reacted quickly, he was still inevitably bitten by a snake.
"Hehehe, Senior Mizukawa, I suggest you hand over the Kusanagi Sword to me. Otherwise, if this snake venom takes effect, you might not have a pleasant time."
Orochimaru stood amidst the severed pieces of the snake Mizukawa had cut up, chuckling.
Mizukawa didn't reply. Instead, he decisively used his sword to cut away the bitten flesh on his arm, found in a gap in his armor.
"Alright, it seems I'll have to put in more effort."
Orochimaru shook his head regretfully.
"Myriad Snake Net!"
Endless pythons, like a torrent, emerged from the corners of the street.
Snakes are masters of ambush and hunting; this street had long been a battlefield set up by Orochimaru.
And at this very moment, two old schemers were hiding in another corner.
"Senior Hanzo, I never thought you'd be here too."
Qingshui looked at Hanzo beside him with surprise.
A thin film of water covered the old man, with faint ripples flowing over it, completely concealing Hanzo's presence.
This utilized the principle that flowing water can block scent.
And it wasn't just Hanzo's scent that was concealed; his Chakra fluctuations, after passing through this transparent water shield, were also clearly suppressed to the extreme.
This individual, who rose from humble beginnings to become a Kage-level powerhouse, truly had many tricks up his sleeve.
Hanzo looked at Qingshui and uttered two words.
However, his voice was also muffled by the water shield, so Qingshui couldn't hear it.
But judging by the movement of his lips, he was clearly saying "cooperate."
"Alright."
Qingshui nodded slightly at Hanzo.
Both wanted to wait until the fight below had progressed sufficiently before making their move, yet they were wary of each other.
Cooperation at a time like this was the best choice.
Anyway, there were two Kusanagi Swords, which was enough for them to divide.
Turning back, Mizukawa was already gravely wounded at this point, clutching his chest and coughing up blood due to Orochimaru's prior preparations.
His Kusanagi Sword had also fallen into Orochimaru's hands.
The snake venom from before couldn't be removed by simply cutting off a piece of flesh.
Mizukawa's strength had already weakened significantly due to old age and physical decline; his current combat power might not even surpass Rasa's.
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