The old man turned around and looked at the last disciple he had taken in over a decade ago.
More than a decade ago, Hanzō of the Salamander almost brought down the Land of Iron.
And Mifune was the only one besides Suikawa who faced Hanzō directly and lived.
Even if it was because Hanzō valued talent and spared him.
After that, Mifune received Suikawa's full training, and after his battle with Hanzō, he further refined his own spiritual will, achieving a breakthrough between life and death.
The current Mifune is in his prime, his strength even greater than Suikawa's, and he has already become a candidate for general of the Land of Iron.
"Suikawa-sensei, what do you need me for?"
Mifune asked Suikawa.
"Our people stationed at the underground bounty station have discovered Kakuzu."
"The legend among bounty ninjas, Kakuzu... He is indeed an enemy worth being wary of, but Suikawa-sensei, with our combined strength, even Kakuzu would not be able to defeat us."
Mifune said confidently.
"I know, if it were just Kakuzu and those rogue ninja, with you, me, these two Kusanagi Swords, and the three thousand samurai of the Land of Iron, there would naturally be no problem, but it's not just Kakuzu and them..."
Suikawa shook his head.
"Is Suikawa-sensei worried about the Five Great Nations? Suna, Iwa, and Kiri are too far away from here, they shouldn't be able to arrive in time, and even if they do, the most likely ones to come and snatch the Kusanagi Swords would be Konoha and Kumo. If we can prove to these two great ninja villages that the samurai of the Land of Iron have the ability to guard these two swords, then everything else afterward will not be a problem."
Mifune pondered.
"What we need to be wary of isn't just Konoha and Kumo."
Suikawa shook his head.
"The Land of Fire is closest to us, Konoha must have already received the information, and has most likely sent out experts. Kumo cannot be determined yet, but this time, we will also face an even more troublesome figure, an opponent who once defeated us."
As Suikawa spoke, he touched the scars on his body, feeling a faint pain.
He had been seriously injured by Hanzō several times in the past, even almost killed, and even now, the scars on his body have not faded.
Hanzō came to the Land of Iron to snatch the Kusanagi Sword, not for himself, but for someone else.
"Kakuzu, Hanzō, Konoha, each one more troublesome than the last."
Suikawa shook his head again helplessly.
But asking him to give up these two Kusanagi Swords was also very difficult for him.
Some samurai become so obsessed that they value the sword more than their own lives. Although Suikawa and the others were not that extreme, asking a samurai to give up a divine weapon like the Kusanagi Sword was almost impossible.
At least they had to fight before they knew, right?
Suikawa felt that he and Mifune had a chance to guard weapons like the Kusanagi Sword.
Whether from the perspective of strength or status, they both believed they were worthy.
Provided that they could guard it.
At the same time.
Inside the underground bounty station.
A ninja who was naked from the waist up, and whose body looked as if it had been sewn together with thread, dragged a sack full of heads and walked to the front desk.
"The total bounty for these heads is nine million five hundred and fifty thousand ryō. Please count them, and then I want to purchase information about the exact location of the Kusanagi Sword, as well as an updated list of bounties."
Kakuzu looked coldly at the front desk staff of the bounty station with his green beady eyes.
The latter deftly counted the heads in the sack, which had been treated with saltpeter.
"Kakuzu-sensei, the total bounty for this batch is nine million nine hundred and fifty thousand ryō, because the bounty for the Kusagakure B-rank missing-nin, Yega, has increased by four hundred thousand ryō."
"Mm."
Earning an extra four hundred thousand ryō pleased Kakuzu quite a bit.
"As for the exact location of the Kusanagi Sword, the information is worth three million four hundred thousand ryō. So far, six copies have been sold. Every hour that passes, or every time a copy of the relevant information is sold, we will adjust the value of the information accordingly. Oh, I would like to remind you that not long before you came in, a big customer came here and raised the bounty for the Kusanagi Sword to thirty million ryō per sword."
The front desk staff put away the sack and smiled at Kakuzu.
Upon hearing this, Kakuzu couldn't help but feel a tightness in his chest, and the five hearts in his body thumped.
Thirty million ryō!
How long has it been since he received such a big order!
How many people in the entire ninja world are worth thirty million ryō?
And there are two thirty million ryō bounties at once!
"Give me the information, deduct the money from these heads."
Kakuzu said.
"Okay, this information was obtained by us bribing an insider in the City of Samurai. The two Kusanagi Swords are now in the hands of Suikawa, the general of the Land of Iron, and Mifune, the general candidate. There are rumors that the latter's strength has now surpassed the former's, and it is expected that the position of general will be handed over to the latter within a few years.
Now the two are staying in the fully guarded City of Samurai."
"I understand."
Kakuzu nodded slightly, took the money bag containing the remaining few million ryō in bounty, and planned to leave without looking back.
He had to think carefully about how to get those two swords.
To take the Kusanagi Sword from the encirclement of two high-level experts with Kage-level strength and two or three thousand samurai, even for Kakuzu, the number one bounty hunter in the ninja world, would be very challenging.
But Kakuzu would not fear such a challenge.
With his immortal body, unless he encountered a monster of the level of the First Hokage again, who in the current ninja world could kill him?
"Wait, Kakuzu-sensei!"
Seeing Kakuzu planning to leave, the front desk called out to Kakuzu again.
"What else is there?"
Kakuzu turned around somewhat impatiently.
"The client who raised the bounty to thirty million ryō left a message before, saying that if you were to take this bounty, he would like to meet you, and if you are willing, he can add an additional reward of five million ryō."
Is that so?
Kakuzu's pair of small green bean eyes lit up again.
Just what kind of big customer is it?
However, there are not many forces in the ninja world that can so easily take out such a large sum of money, and this is the Land of Iron...
...
...
City of Samurai, somewhere on a rooftop.
Shimizu restrained all his aura, held a sword in one hand, and sensed every corner around him.
The defense here is still very tight.
If there were only Suikawa and Mifune, Shimizu felt that it would be nothing to just take action directly.
But adding three thousand samurai is different.
What he has to do is not to win or kill these people, but to steal the Kusanagi Sword.
Even if these samurai could be wiped out with a single move, Kiyomizu's physical recovery ability and chakra reserves meant he didn't have to worry about ending up like the Third Raikage, fighting a long, bloody battle against an army and eventually dying from exhaustion.
But even as cannon fodder, if these people swarmed him, it would still cause a lot of trouble. Plus, with Mifune and Suikawa, there was a chance these two could actually get away unscathed.
That was assuming they were ruthless enough to sacrifice these three thousand samurai.
Kiyomizu was also worried that if he took action, the prolonged time would cause other variables to arise.
He wasn't the only one eyeing the Kusanagi Blade.
"It's best to think of a way to lure people out, that way it'll be easier to act."
Kiyomizu sat cross-legged on the roof, watching a squad of samurai walk by below, completely unaware of him, and began to calculate.
In the Land of Iron, the only people he could use right now were Yura and Tajima.
In Kiyomizu's perception, Yura's chakra reserves and refinement weren't low, indicating he had good attainments in ninjutsu. As long as his combat experience wasn't too terrible, his strength should be considered top-tier among chunin.
Tajima was also a veteran special jonin, and while there was a certain gap between him and a true jonin, he could be considered a master in any force outside the five major ninja villages.
He could consider having them create some commotion outside. As long as they carried his Blood Demon Art Flying Thunder God kunai, it should ensure their safety.
If worse came to worst, he could release a shadow clone too…
"Hmm?"
While pondering, Kiyomizu suddenly turned his head to look outside Samurai City.
Somewhere in the capital of the Land of Iron, a pillar of fire soared into the sky, accompanied by a deafening explosion.
An ordinary ninja couldn't cause such a big commotion at once.
It seemed someone else had the same idea as him…
Kiyomizu stood up with interest, watching the samurai below receive orders and begin to move.
General Suikawa of the Land of Iron, what will your choice be?
…
"Teacher, what do you choose to do?"
Mifune, fully armed and holding the Kusanagi Blade, said to Suikawa.
"Prepare to depart, Mifune. Don't bring too many people. Since they've already chosen to do this, it means they're not afraid of us having more people.
It seems that this time, it's time to show these ninjas the power of the samurai!"
Suikawa drew his Kusanagi Blade, his eyes gleaming.
The Land of Iron was able to become a neutral country, avoiding the Great Ninja War, ultimately because the strength of this group of samurai was recognized by the five great powers, granting them neutral status.
Inside the capital of the Land of Iron.
Dozens of patrolling samurai fell on a street.
Kakuzu opened the masks of these samurai one by one, comparing them to a bounty book in his hand, occasionally beheading one or two of them.
"Thirty-seven samurai, but only two have bounties, and the bounties are all below a million ryo. These samurai really aren't worth much."
Kakuzu shook his head, looking at the bounties of these samurai.
"But even if they aren't worth much, you two, and the swords in your hands, are worth a lot."
Kakuzu closed the booklet and turned to look at the entrance of the street.
Suikawa and Mifune, with dozens of samurai, blocked the street.
"General Suikawa of the Land of Iron, bounty of sixty million ryo, General Candidate Mifune, bounty of forty-three million ryo."
Kakuzu looked at Suikawa and Mifune, black threads spreading over his body.
"Kakuzu, a rogue ninja from Takigakure, if you leave now, we won't make things difficult for you."
Suikawa drew his Kusanagi Blade and said to Kakuzu.
"I don't want to make things difficult for you either. Your heads are worth a lot of money, perhaps there's room for appreciation. It's a pity to harvest them now, but only if you give me those two swords will I leave immediately.
Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what? Kakuzu, just you? You might not be able to take our heads."
Mifune said.
"Otherwise, I don't mind killing all the samurai in this city except for you two."
Kakuzu grinned.
"Then we'll see if you have the ability!"
A flash of sword light passed, and Mifune's figure instantly separated from Kakuzu, splitting his body in two.
But at this moment, Kakuzu's body, split in half, quickly sprouted black threads, stitching it back together, and separating his wrists and arms, attacking Mifune.
Another flash of sword light passed.
"Swordsmanship · Iai Slash!"
Suikawa made his move.
But it wasn't just him who made a move.
"Hidden Shadow Multi-Snake Hand!"
A long-haired figure wearing a brown-yellow kimono suddenly emerged from the ground, with multiple giant snakes flying out from his sleeves.
Even though Suikawa reacted in time, he was still inevitably bitten by a snake.
"Heh heh heh, Senior Suikawa, I suggest you hand over the Kusanagi Blade to me, otherwise, if this snake venom takes effect, you might not feel so good."
Orochimaru stood among the pieces of the python that Suikawa had chopped into sections, smiling.
Suikawa didn't reply, but decisively used his sword to cut off a piece of flesh on his arm, located in the gap of his armor, that had been bitten.
"Oh well, it seems I'll have to put in a little more effort."
Orochimaru shook his head regretfully.
"Myriad Snake Net!"
Endless pythons, like a flood, drilled out from the corners of the street.
Snakes are masters of ambush and hunting, this street was a battlefield that Orochimaru had prepared long ago.
And at this moment, there were still two old schemers hiding in a corner on the other side.
"Senior Hanzo, I didn't expect you to come here too."
Kiyomizu looked at Hanzo beside him with surprise.
This old guy was wearing a thin layer of water film, with faint ripples surging on it, completely concealing the aura on Hanzo's body.
This used the principle of flowing water to isolate odors.
And it wasn't just the odor on Hanzo's body that was concealed, the chakra fluctuations on his body were also significantly suppressed to the extreme after passing through this transparent water cover.
This kind of person, born from humble beginnings, but able to grow into a powerhouse comparable to the Five Kage, truly has a lot of cards up his sleeve.
Hanzo looked at Kiyomizu and spat out two words.
But the sound was also isolated by the water cover, and Kiyomizu couldn't hear it.
But looking at the shape of his lips, he was clearly saying "Cooperation."
"Okay."
Kiyomizu nodded slightly to Hanzo.
Both of them wanted to wait until the fight below was almost over before making a move, but they were wary of each other.
Cooperation was the best choice at this time.
Anyway, there were two Kusanagi Blades, enough for them to split.
Turning back, Suikawa, because of Orochimaru's prior arrangement, was already seriously injured, clutching his chest and coughing up blood.
And his Kusanagi Blade had already fallen into Orochimaru's hands at this moment.
The previous snake venom couldn't be removed just by scraping off a piece of flesh.
Suikawa's strength had already weakened to a certain extent due to old age, and his current combat power might not even be comparable to Rasa.
