"Declare war?"
Hearing Mifune's words, Yuzuru couldn't help but smile. "You think you're worthy of that?"
The open mockery in his tone made Mifune and the samurai behind him seethe with rage.
To samurai, honor was everything.
But these ninja before them didn't even spare them a shred of respect.
Damn it!
"Mifune-sama, let us kill these arrogant bastards! A samurai's honor cannot be tarnished!"
"These idiots don't know their place. They must pay for their words!"
"Mifune-sama, give the order!"
Hearing his subordinates shouting behind him, Mifune's frowned tightly.
If possible, he truly didn't want to provoke ninja.
He raised his hand, stopping his men, and spoke again: "Once blades are drawn, they show no mercy. We don't know how many will die if this turns into war. Whatever ambition you have, I advise you to abandon it."
"I can promise you this — no matter what happens in the outside world, the Land of Iron will remain neutral. We will never participate."
Yuzuru snorted. "That's only because you're too weak."
"When samurai gain the power to defeat ninja, I doubt you'll remain as 'neutral' as you claim."
"And besides… the only ones who will die are you."
Mifune's eyes sharpened. "Are you implying… we're not strong enough?"
"Of course," Yuzuru replied calmly. "You're not."
The blunt certainty almost made Mifune lose control.
This young brat… was getting far too arrogant!
Even a clay statue has some fire in it, let alone Mifune, who possessed powerful swordsmanship.
He placed his hand on his blade, making one last attempt. "Even if you're strong, you can't defeat all of us before your chakra runs dry."
"If you start a war, the entire ninja world will turn against you."
"Even the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had to compromise with us. So I advise you to leave."
"I've already lost my patience," Yuzuru waved his hand. "Kill them."
The moment the word dropped, A, Sakumo Hatake, Killer B, and Fugaku Uchiha — already prepared — rushed into the samurai ranks.
A moved the fastest, tank-like arms smashing through over a dozen men in an instant.
"Hahaha! Samurai honor? What a joke! A bunch of fame-hungry frauds! Aren't you the ones who started copying our chakra refinement?"
Sakumo spoke not a word, but lightning wrapped his blade in purple arcs. Every swing claimed a life.
Fugaku activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, weaving through the crowd with the Uchiha's refined blade techniques.
Seeing them charge in, Killer B suddenly lit up with inspiration and sang, "Follow Yuzuru into battle, swagger with style, you didn't want our protection — so the samurai are destined to meet their end!"
"Baka-yarō, kono yaro."
Finishing his rap, Killer B cloaked himself in chakra and dove into the fray as well.
Though samurai had begun enhancing their strength with chakra over the years, their fighting style was still far too rigid compared to ninja.
Within moments, dozens were dead at the hands of A, Killer B, Sakumo, and Fugaku.
Seeing this, Mifune's rage erupted, his eyes locking onto Yuzuru.
"You bastards… damn you!"
His aura surged, rising sharply until it hit its peak.
A flash of steel sliced upward.
"Sword Technique: Void Sever!"
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal rang out, and Mifune's eyes widened suddenly.
Yuzuru held his sword in one hand, easily blocking the attack.
"Mifune, have you ever experienced defeat?"
His voice was calm, but the scarlet eyes staring back at Mifune radiated a crushing pressure.
Mifune retreated several steps, sweat dripping down his face.
Not even against Hanzo the Salamander had he felt such despair.
From Yuzuru, he felt an unmovable force — like a mountain.
"I... I have lost."
He didn't attempt another strike. Instead, he collapsed to his knees.
To a samurai, the opening strike was the strongest — and he had poured everything into that blow.
Yet it was blocked effortlessly.
There was no point in continuing.
Hearing the screams of dying comrades behind him, Mifune said in a low voice, "I will take my own life as atonement. Please… spare my men for the sake of samurai honor."
"You must be joking," Yuzuru's expression turned cold. "From this moment on, the ninja world will no longer have samurai."
Mifune rose again, placed his hand on his blade, took a steadying breath.
"Sword Style: Iaido Slash!"
The moment he moved, Yuzuru moved as well.
"Kamui: World-Cleaving Slash."
Their figures collided with explosive force.
Empowered by space-time jutsu, Mifune's long sword Kurosawa instantly shattered, and his body was split in two.
Yuzuru didn't even look at him. He simply waited for the battle to end.
In less than half an hour, nearly a thousand samurai had been slaughtered by Fugaku and the others.
A walked over, still unsatisfied. He glanced at Mifune's corpse. "Shame. I wanted to have a little fun with him."
"Just an ordinary Kage-level," Yuzuru replied. "Fighting him wouldn't bring you joy."
A clicked his tongue.
Just an ordinary Kage-level?
Probably only Yuzuru could say such a thing.
Fugaku, Killer B, and Sakumo returned to his side. Fugaku asked, "Yuzuru, what do we do next?"
Yuzuru thought for a moment, then said, "The four of you bring men to fully occupy the Land of Iron. Kill every remaining samurai."
These people were stubborn to the core. Leaving them alive would only cause trouble later.
"Yes!" Fugaku replied immediately.
A asked, "And you, Yuzuru?"
"Me?" Yuzuru muttered briefly, then answered, "I'm heading to the Land of Hot Water. There are some rebels there I need to wipe out."