-Chapter 8-

-Chapter 8-

-1 hour later-

I landed on a tree branch without a sound and raised my hand to signal everyone to stop.

“What does that mean?” said Danzo, slightly tense.

‘It’s his first war too,’ I thought, finding some comfort in Danzo’s discomfort, who would become an iconic figure in the future.

“Nothing, I just have something to do.”

“What?” Danzo asked almost immediately in a pressing and suspicious tone that I didn’t appreciate.

I didn’t show any discontent and replied calmly:

“I need to see the Daimyo, wait for me here.”

“Why do you need to see the Daimyo?” he asked in an even more pressing tone.

This time I narrowed my eyes to show my displeasure and said:

“It’s confidential.”

“This isn’t part of our agreement,” Danzo said in a superior tone that slightly irritated me, because even though I didn’t come from a large village, I was the leader of mine, not him.

“I know what our agreement is, and believe me, Danzo, I’m doing everything in my power to uphold it. So if you want this agreement to work as well, just let me talk to the Daimyo, I won’t be long... okay?” I said calmly but in a tone that left no room for negotiation.

“You have 10 minutes before we continue,” he said, taking a small breath, probably realizing he had gone too far.

“That’s more than enough,” I said, nodding.

As soon as I finished speaking, I activated and pushed my instant movement technique to its peak, covering around a hundred meters every second.

I entered the capital without announcing myself, moving quickly and stealthily.

“Halt, state your identity,” said a samurai.

At the gates of the Daimyo’s manor, I was stopped by a hundred samurai who had spotted me.

I must admit, one of my biggest surprises in this life was the samurai.

In my previous life, I always wondered why and how beings like Kage, powerful enough to change the fate of the world, were so easily subdued by lazy fat cats.

I got my answer in this world: each country trained its own samurai to ensure the protection of the nobles they had sworn to serve.

Their mission was sacred, and the honor they derived from it was such that they could commit suicide in case of failure or dishonor, like the samurai of feudal Japan.

“My name is Kojiro Uzarima and I am the new Kusakage. I’ve come here to have an audience with the Daimyo,” I said in a neutral tone.

“The Daimyo is resting,” said the guard without even bothering to announce me.

“He’ll rest later, this is important,” I said in a firmer tone, as I didn’t have much time.

“The Daimyo’s rest is just as important,” he said almost robotically.

Realizing that I wouldn’t be able to see the Daimyo unless I forced my way into his palace, I nodded and said:

“Very well. I will immediately open the borders of our country, and I will recall all the ninjas of Kusagakure to the village to defend it. I hope the Daimyo will always have time to rest after that.”

“You don’t have the right to command the ninjas of Kusa; the Daimyo hasn’t even accepted your candidacy,” said the guard, who seemed well-informed.

“I don’t need it. I’m just informing you that until I see the Daimyo, the village of Kusagakure will no longer be under his authority.”

I pretended to leave, but the samurai stopped me:

“Wait, I will go inform the Daimyo of your arrival.”

“You have one minute before I return to Kusa,” I said, knowing I had already lost precious time.

He ran into the manor, and a minute later, he returned and gestured for me to follow him.

Once inside, I saw that in the throne room, not only was the Daimyo present, but also some of his ministers.

I looked at the Daimyo with anger and directly asked in a rather aggressive tone:

“Where are the supplies for the village of Kusa and the troops from Konoha?”

“We have no more food,” said a man I didn’t know, in a condescending tone.

“You’d better find some by the end of the day, or I’ll come and take the food from your children’s mouths,” I said, directly threatening him, which seemed to shock everyone in the Daimyo’s throne room.

Angry at being put in his place, he turned red and said:

“You dare to threaten me? I am the minister of...”

He didn’t finish his sentence, as I planted a kunai in his throat, and as he choked on his own blood, I said:

“Listen to me carefully because I will only say this once. I want the food and supplies you are hoarding in all your granaries to be sent to Kusagakure and the 10 fortresses defending the Land of Grass against the invasion from the Land of Earth by the end of the day. Have I made myself clear?”

“You can’t kill me, Daimyo are untouchable in all countries. If you kill me, you’ll become the enemy of the entire world,” said the Daimyo, slightly nervous, in a tone of false bravado.

“I know, but as I said before, I am not your enemy. I am the last barrier between you and the ninjas of Iwa. If you think your samurai can protect you from what’s coming, I have no objection to staying quietly in my village and waiting. But while you all wait here, your stores, your coffers, your granaries, and even your daughters and wives will be pillaged and violated by the Land of Earth,” I said, trying to reason with him after instilling a good dose of fear.

Sensing that I wasn’t crazy and that my arguments held weight, he tried to debate with me, saying:

“We can’t trust the Land of Fire. They have done nothing but throw us crumbs in exchange for our so-called alliance. We live in poverty while they swim in all kinds of wealth.”

‘Poverty, you say... you found the money to build yourself a damn palace and bathe in opulence. It’s your people who suffer from poverty, but your poverty boils down to not being as rich as your peers,’ I thought.

Despite my feelings, I agreed with him, saying:

“I completely agree with you, and that’s precisely why I’m doing everything in my power to develop our military strength. So we are no longer the dogs of the Land of Fire, but important allies, or a very dangerous enemy to make. I won’t be able to do it if I keep getting stabbed in the back every time I undertake something.”

He hesitated for a few seconds before nodding and then said:

“I understand. From today onwards, you will have my full support, but I expect conclusive results for the Land of Grass. Otherwise, you will be deposed, and without delay.”

I ignored the end of his sentence and thanked him, saying, “Thank you, Daimyo.” Then I quickly left the premises. I didn’t linger, disappearing the next second, and ran at full speed toward the convoy waiting for me near the capital.

Once I arrived, Danzo, leaning calmly against a tree, glanced at me and asked:

“Is it settled?”

“The Daimyo is no longer a problem,” I said without stopping, taking the lead of our men.

“Very well, let’s go. We don’t have a minute to lose, and we’ve already wasted enough time unnecessarily,” he said before catching up to me.