Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
Shin's voice was calm.
But his question made all the shinobi present freeze.
Within a day, transform quicksand 10 meters deep into rock?
How to transform it?
Who will transform it?
Is the daimyo going to do it himself?
The Shadow Guard leader felt it was absurd.
The daimyo he served was the ruler of the Land of Fire, a man with extraordinary political acumen but no ninjutsu himself.
What did this lord want to do?
Was he using an impossible task to test their loyalty, or was he trying to reprimand the Ministry of Works in this way?
The Shadow Guard leader couldn't help but let his mind wander.
The Kurokaze leader's thoughts were more direct.
He also had these suspicions.
But in his view, this was the daimyo setting an impossible task as a test.
If they flinched, or questioned it... then what awaited the Kurokaze clan was complete eradication and extinction.
This was a death sentence.
But he had no choice.
The Kurokaze leader no longer hesitated. He suddenly took a step forward, knelt on one knee again, and declared resolutely, "My lord!"
"As long as you can do it!"
"Even if my Kurokaze clan has to sacrifice our lives, we will definitely build a new city for you within half a month!"
His voice was exceptionally firm.
Although he didn't know how the daimyo would accomplish it, nor did he want to know.
He only knew that this was an opportunity to show his loyalty!
As the leader made his stance, the several Kurokaze shinobi behind him also reacted instantly, kneeling down in unison.
"We are willing to die for our lord!"
The roar made the Shadow Guard leader, who was still weighing his options, tremble. He couldn't help but curse himself for being foolish.
Whether the daimyo was putting on a show or not, this was a test of loyalty!
The Kurokaze clan, these remnants of criminals, saw through it more clearly than they, the Shadow Guard!
Cold sweat instantly drenched his back.
He dared not hesitate for another moment. He immediately knelt down, his head bowed deeply.
"I accept the command, my lord!"
"We will surely complete the mission!"
Shin looked at the two groups of people kneeling before him. He already had a plan in mind.
Loyalty, sometimes, needs to be demonstrated.
He said no more, turned, and walked towards the center of the barren land.
All the shinobi remained kneeling, holding their breath, staring intently at that figure.
Shin stopped.
He didn't form any hand seals. He just gently raised his right hand.
Then, he closed his eyes.
The moment he closed his eyes, the Shadow Guard and Kurokaze shinobi felt as if the world had fallen silent.
A sense of oppression descended from the sky. The surrounding space seemed to be groaning under the unbearable weight.
Then they saw a pitch-black sphere, appearing silently in the daimyo's palm.
As Kurokaze shinobi who had once been active on the battlefield, they had seen too many bizarre forbidden ninjutsu.
But no ninjutsu could bring them this kind of fear that originated from the soul.
On the other side, the Shadow Guard leader was stiff all over.
As a descendant of the Senju clan, he was very sensitive to life force.
But the power contained within this black sphere was so vast that it exceeded his comprehension.
Wasn't the daimyo a normal man?
Why did he... before he could think further, he saw the daimyo release his hand supporting the black sphere.
Then, the terrifying black sphere gently descended and merged into the earth.
The entire process was silent.
One second.
Two seconds.
Nothing happened.
Just as the Shadow Guard leader thought this was merely some clever illusion ninjutsu, a change occurred!
The Kurokaze leader saw that, centered at the daimyo's feet, the color of the sandy ground was rapidly deepening.
From yellowish-brown, it turned brown, and finally deep gray.
"Crack... crunch..."
Squeezing sounds came from beneath his kneeling knees.
He was horrified to discover that the sand beneath his knees was changing.
It was transforming into a solid piece of rock!
"This... this is..."
The Shadow Guard leader's brain had completely frozen.
He watched with wide eyes as the sandy ground petrified, spreading wildly in all directions with an unstoppable momentum!
Wherever it passed, whether it was sand dunes or depressions, everything was instantly petrified!
When all was settled, that quicksand area, several miles in circumference and thirty feet deep, had completely disappeared.
In its place was a vast rocky plain.
A miracle!
This was a true miracle!
"Ah..."
The Kurokaze clan leader's mouth hung open, an unconscious groan escaping his throat. His body trembled like a leaf.
He completely understood.
What test, what power struggle... these were all mere conjectures of them, mortals!
He was the daimyo!
He was the monarch!
And also a god walking among men!
And their Kurokaze clan was fortunate enough to become a tool in the hands of a god.
What an honor this was!
After all this, Shin clapped his hands, looked around, and nodded in satisfaction.
"The foundation, I have laid it," Shin turned and said. "The rest is up to you."
"Remember, half a month."
He walked in front of the Kurokaze leader. "Build it well, and the best location on this land will be the new clan territory for your Kurokaze clan."
"As for the Shadow Guard..."
He paused. His gaze swept over the pale-faced Shadow Guard shinobi. "Do it well, and each person will be rewarded with a year's salary."
Having said that, Shin did not linger, walking directly towards the carriage parked in the distance.
The carriage slowly started, and soon disappeared at the end of the street.
Only two groups of shinobi remained, still kneeling on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
The wind whimpered.
After an unknown amount of time, the Kurokaze leader moved first.
He did not get up, but heavily kowtowed once in the direction Shin had departed.
Immediately after, he suddenly looked up. A fervent look crossed his face, and he roared at his stunned clansmen behind him, "Get moving!"
"Half a month! Our lord only gave us half a month! This is a grace! It is the only chance for our clan's rebirth!"
"Everyone, get moving!"
"Go to the Ministry of Works, go to the city, requisition all usable craftsmen and materials for me!"
"If we fail to complete the mission, we will commit suicide here to repay our lord's kindness!"
The leader's frenzy instantly ignited all the Kurokaze shinobi.
They broke free from their shock. Their shouts shook the heavens and the earth.
"Yes!"
This roar jolted the Shadow Guard leader from his daze.
Looking at the frenzied Kurokaze shinobi, and then at his own subordinates who were still weak-limbed behind him, a sense of shame rushed to his head.
He slowly pushed himself up with his hands, standing up.
Then he turned and ordered, "Deploy personnel!"
"Team One, immediately cordon off the site!"
"Team Two, go to the Ministry of Works to coordinate blueprints and manpower!"
"Team Three, be responsible for external security!"
He paused, looking at his still dazed subordinates, and emphasized his tone. "This is our lord's command! We are Shadow Guard, we execute commands!"
"Yes!"
The Shadow Guard, as if waking from a dream, immediately sprang into action.
In the daimyo manor's study, Takeshi had long been waiting. After serving Shin tea, he said, "My lord."
"The Guardian Shinobi Twelve have arrived in the capital."
"They are currently waiting for your summons at the inn."
Shin took a sip of tea. "Send someone to inform them, they don't need to see me."
Takeshi's movements paused slightly.
To have the newly appointed Guardian Shinobi Twelve wait at the inn without an audience was unusual.
But he didn't ask further. He merely bowed and accepted the order.
Shin continued, "Have them go directly to the construction site in the west of the city."
"Tell them that from today onwards, they are responsible for supervising the progress and safety of the project."
"When the houses are built, I will see them then."
"Tell them!"
"I hope they can understand some things on that construction site."
This order made Takeshi's eyebrow twitch.
Have the Guardian Shinobi guard a construction site?
What kind of operation was this?
Takeshi quickly suppressed his confusion. His lord often acted unconventionally, and it wasn't the first time he had encountered it.
"Yes, my lord. I will arrange it immediately."
In his view, this was a monarch's art of governing subordinates.
But in Shin's heart, this was the first lesson for the entire shinobi world.
He wanted those shinobi to see with their own eyes how shinobi should contribute to the Land of Fire.
He wanted them to understand that in the daimyo manor, the value of a shinobi would no longer be measured solely by killing enemies.
And the Guardian Shinobi were the target of this experiment.