In an instant, Senju Haruto was shielded by Yugito and Kii.
Yugito was no ordinary jinchūriki. Like Killer B, she was a perfect host, not only on friendly terms with her tailed beast but also capable of freely drawing upon its power.
Frankly, these wandering ronin never stood a chance. If she hadn't been blindsided due to a lack of intel on the Akatsuki—forced into a desperate fight against the unreasonable immortal duo, Hidan and Kakuzu—she probably wouldn't have been captured by Tobi at all.
Kii, despite being only in his teens, had exceptionally sharp sensory abilities. Without even focusing on any one opponent, he could effortlessly track the ronin's movements, predict their attack patterns and directions, and relay the information to Yugito.
With her formidable taijutsu and the might of the Two-Tails, Yugito overwhelmed the ronin in just a few swift, decisive strikes.
"Ninja…"
The lead ronin drew his katana, channeling Wind Release chakra into the blade until it hummed with cutting energy.
Because the Land of Iron maintained neutrality, samurai here rarely crossed blades with ninja. But now, he decided, it was time to show these shinobi the true strength of a samurai.
Pedestrians fled in all directions, fearful of being caught in the sweeping arcs of sword energy. Even Ichikaku and the others looked visibly uneasy.
"You see now what kind of trouble that weapon brings, don't you?" Kii said as he blocked another attacker, his voice cool. "If you want to leave here alive, you'd better hand it over."
"No, thank you," Haruto replied politely—though he hadn't expected that trying to get a simple scabbard would draw this much attention.
Whatever the case, he had no intention of wasting any more time on this farce.
Let's just end this quickly, Haruto thought, slipping Shiranami back onto his hip. He pressed his palms together, ready to use Wood Release to deal with the ronin.
But just as his chakra began to gather, the official samurai of the Land of Iron burst onto the scene.
"Stop!"
Haruto glanced at the newcomer—it was none other than Rikaku, the samurai who had guided them earlier.
"Lord Rikaku!"
Ichikaku immediately called out in greeting, while the lead ronin scowled.
"It was these ninja who suddenly interfered," the ronin said sharply.
"I don't need you to tell me that," Rikaku replied in a low voice. He turned to Ichikaku. "Explain. Now."
Even with Rikaku's arrival, the ronin didn't look concerned. To them, this was an internal Land of Iron matter, and no matter the reason, ninja from the Cloud Village had no right to intervene.
"Heh…"
Yugito let out a cold laugh.
"So that's your justification for trying to take a weapon from a child? Ridiculous."
As she spoke, she kept Haruto behind her.
Now it was Rikaku's turn to be confused. Samurai culture was deeply ingrained in the Land of Iron, as were its blades and armor—so what kind of sword could cause such a scene?
He called for the person involved.
Haruto emerged slowly from behind Yugito. During the fight, he'd stepped back into a blacksmith's workshop, unknowingly moving into Rikaku's blind spot.
The moment Rikaku saw Haruto, his expression froze.
If Yugito and Kii had fought with the ronin, both sides might share some blame.
But if the samurai of the Land of Iron had tried to steal Haruto's weapon, that was a different matter entirely.
After all, Haruto wasn't just anyone—he was the personal guard of the Third Hokage, and an honored guest of the Land of Iron.
If word of this reached the Hokage, the consequences could be disastrous.
More importantly, though the Raikage and the Hokage were both Kage, their influence was not the same. In the shinobi world, only Sarutobi Hiruzen was recognized as the "Shinobi Hero."
This incident was no small matter.
After a tense few seconds of silence, Rikaku bent deeply at the waist, bowing a full ninety degrees toward Haruto, eyes fixed on the ground.
"My deepest apologies!"
If this spread, even Lord Mifune would be put in an awkward position.
"I humbly ask, Lord Haruto… please consider this incident as if it never happened."
But Rikaku knew words alone weren't enough.
Taking a deep breath, he drew the sword at his waist. Before anyone could react, steel flashed in the air—
—and the lead ronin's left hand dropped to the ground.
"Ahhh!"
The ronin's scream tore through the street. Staggering back in horror, veins bulged on his forehead as sweat poured down his face.
"Lord Rikaku…"
Everyone was stunned—not just the maimed ronin, but Ichikaku, the blacksmith, Yugito, and Kii as well.
Just who was this Senju Haruto?
"Forget it," Haruto said, glancing at Rikaku. He understood that even a ronin was still part of the Land of Iron's fighting force. By taking his hand, Rikaku was sparing his life.
Besides, Haruto had come here for the Dual Kage Summit. A mere ronin wasn't worth losing his temper over.
"That will do."
With that, Haruto walked past Rikaku without another word, leaving the scene.
It took Kii and Yugito a good while to recover from their shock.
"Wait…"
Kii's voice was troubled. As a skilled sensory ninja, he had felt something during the fight—an immense burst of chakra, strong enough to match Yugito's in an instant.
But before he could pinpoint its source, it vanished. At first, he thought it had come from Rikaku.
Yet when Rikaku struck down the ronin, that overwhelming presence wasn't there.
Could it have been… that kid's chakra?
Kii sucked in a sharp breath and turned to Rikaku.
"That kid—who is he?" Kii asked urgently.
"Senju Haruto?" Rikaku glanced in the direction Haruto had gone. "He's the personal guard of the Third Hokage. He just arrived in the Land of Iron."
"What?!"
Kii and Yugito stared at each other in disbelief.
They would never have guessed that the young "kid" before them was actually the Hokage's personal guard.
**********************************************************************************************
Hey everyone! Want to read ahead and unlock up to 100 early-access chapters? 📖Plus, enjoy even more exclusive novels! Join my Patreon now and dive into the adventure!
patreon.com/Rawink00