Chapter 6
The men and women of the rebel army were waiting impatiently for the night's entertainment. It wasn't really much, but it helped boost the group's morale nonetheless. The torches were already lit, and everyone was anticipating a good show. The five prisoners were led to the pit where their keepers shortly pushed them in. Kunai were thrown down at them, the knives embedding into the ground near their feet. And there, standing in front of them, was Kagura twirling her scythe with a wicked smile on her face. She waited patiently for the enemy shinobi to free themselves of their restraints and grab the kunai that was made available to them. She could see the fear in their eyes, and reveled in it. But then she noticed something amusing: one prisoner was actually glaring at her.
"That's a new expression." said Kagura, nonchalantly. "Usually, everyone we toss into this pit would be pissing their pants by now."
"What's the point of being afraid?" retorted the prisoner, his anger burning hotter with each syllable. "You're just going to kill us anyway. It's the only thing that you monsters know how to do."
"We're the monsters? You're the ones who aligned themselves with Akira, a blood-sucking backstabbing parasite that's even worse than Yagura. I'm a saint compared to you traitors."
"I would rather be on his side than associate myself with the likes of you! Mei was a fool to believe that you and Sentaro had changed! I mean, just look at yourselves! It didn't take long for you two to return to your former selves, did it?!"
"Well, what did you think was going to happen? That Sentaro and I were going to act rationally after watching our best friend and comrade get betrayed? That I was just going to stand by, and allow you traitors to escape without taking any form of vengeance? If you thought that, then you really are a fool." Kagura retorted evenly.
"Fuck you, Kagura! Don't you dare speak of vengeance! Your victims are the ones who deserve retribution, not you!" the prisoner roared back. Grasping two of the kunai, the man charged straight towards Kagura, whom just calmly remained where she stood. As he was about two steps away from his target, the man thrust his arms forward, aiming for the heart. The kunoichi responded with a lightning fast spin of her scythe, the red blade becoming an indiscriminate blur. The man skid to a stop, his gaze drifting to his arms, or more specifically the bloody stumps of what remained of his appendages. Looking down at his feet, the man was horrified to see his severed arms, the hands still clutching the kunai. Before he could even scream, something erupted from his chest in an explosion of blood and gore. As he hacked up a glob of blood, the last thing that he saw before he passed away was the red scythe's blade stained with his life fluids.
The sight of their fellow prisoner's grisly demise was enough to drive three of the remaining men into action, the trio charging toward the bloodthirsty woman with roars of rage. Kagura just smirked at the attackers, and swung her scythe hard, flinging the dead man at her opponents. The body crashed into the middle shinobi, sending both of them flying back. The other two continued on, circling around the woman in hopes of overwhelming her with their numbers. Kagura just simply began spinning her weapon overhead, her smile never once leaving her face. The man in front of her made the first move, throwing the kunai at her heart. In a quick flourish, the female Enkai brought her weapon down to block the small knife, which gave the other man the opportunity to attack from behind, intent on burying the kunai in the base of the kunoichi's neck.
"Pathetic," she muttered, as she swung her blade back, the weapon punching through the man's side, piercing his lungs and heart; he died instantly. Further enraged by the violent display at the hands of Yagura's sister, the prisoner in front of her threw caution to the wind and charged at her with his fist cocked back to strike. Kagura responded by swinging her scythe like a hammer, slamming the two bodies together with great force, followed by a spinning kick that sent the two bodies flying. Not yet satisfied with her handiwork, she whipped out a dagger, channeled some of her chakra into it, and then chucked with a flick of her wrist. The blade flew clean through both of their throats and embedded into the rock behind them. The second man died a slow and painful death, choking on his own blood. Her attention then turned to the shinobi who was knocked back by the first dead body, his hands forming the last hand sign necessary for his jutsu.
"Doton: Doryuso!" Parts of the ground formed into long, sharp spears that shot at Kagura. But even that wasn't enough for the woman to lose her cool.
"Tatsumaki Kabe." With a swipe of her scythe, a wall of tornadoes appeared and shielded her from the earthen attack. When both techniques finally died down, the Kiri shinobi was stunned to see that his opponent was no longer there. He only got a glimpse of red, before he was split in two. Without a word, Kagura stood up to her full height and walked over the bisected remains and made her way towards the last prisoner. The shinobi was practically scared stiff, trying to look for a way out of the pit.
Kagura pouted at the scared man. "Really? You're not even going to try and fight me? That's just so boring." A few members of the crowd chuckled at the prisoner's expense.
"P-Please, I have a family back home: a wife, a son, and a daughter on the way." he begged. "Spare my life, I beg of you!"
"Spare you?" asked Kagura, condescendingly. "Did you spare any of our men when they were captured? Why should I show you any mercy just because you have a family? They had families too, you know."
"I-I was just following orders…"
"Not my problem. Besides, we don't keep prisoners." she said with a grin. Rearing her scythe back, she swung her weapon with the intention of beheading the man that feebly attempted to shield himself.
"Ougi, Tenga Gaeshi!" The scythe crashed against a blue shield, the force of the impact knocking her weapon out of her hands where it landed a few feet behind her. Kagura jumped away to gain some distance just as the prisoner's defender landed across from her. To her surprise, the interloper turned out to be Naruto, and he was accompanied by some strange girl who was helping up the man she was about to kill. She was about to attack the girl, but the dark look on Naruto's face actually sent a chill down her spine and put all the people around the pit on edge. The blonde's eyes swept across the group, taking in every single person in attendance of the "show". His attention turned back to Kagura, having already retrieved her scythe.
"Saito doesn't know about this little show, correct? The old man preached about harmony and finally unifying Kirigakure when he first met me. He would have never accepted such mindless bloodshed like this. So tell me, where is he?" Kagura just scoffed at him, giving her scythe a brief twirl before resting it on her shoulder. The condescending look that she gave Naruto only served to make him angrier.
"You know, when Saito first came to support us, we had just captured a group of Akira's men. He actually attempted to get them to change sides." The woman began to chuckle. "The poor bastard kept trying to get them to see the errors of their ways, refusing to accept that he was wasting his time. After a while of watching him make a fool of himself, we just had to get him out of the camp so that he wouldn't see us...dispose of them. When he came back, we made up a story about how we blindfolded them, led them away from the camp, and then just set them free. You know, to make him feel better."
"You seem quite proud of yourself." snarled Sayuri.
"Why shouldn't I be?" Kagura's tone was dead serious. "These bastards killed Kiri's only hope for peace, and for what? Because one man couldn't get over his unrequited love? For absolute power? They don't deserve to be forgiven for helping Akira become the Mizukage. And for their treachery against Mei, death is the only punishment fitting for their crimes." The crowd erupted into a cacophony of rowdy cheers. Naruto remained silent as he reassessed his surroundings, rolling his shoulders and cricking his neck. With a flick of his wrist, the Mari-Blade was in a battle-ready position.
"Sayuri, take this guy and get as far away from the camp as you can. I'll join you shortly." he said as quietly as he could.
Sayuri looked at him with surprise. "And just leave you here? What are you going to do?"
"Stall them long enough so that the two of you can escape. Just be ready to move on my signal."
Finally, Kagura had enough of the lack of action. "What are you planning, boy? You don't honestly think you can defeat me, do you?" she asked mockingly.
"This isn't about defeating you. I'm just taking this prisoner with me and leaving. You might think that you're justified in your methods, but all that you and Sentaro have managed to do is become a rival tyrannical force to Akira's. With the way you and your gang are doing things, your rebellion against the current Mizukage will only drive this village closer to complete ruin. I seriously doubt the vision that Terumi Mei had for a better Kirigakure was to have the people live in fear of her."
The kunoichi glared murderously at Naruto, her grip on her scythe tightening until her knuckles turned white, the killing intent rolling off her in waves. "You know what? I'm glad that you're leaving. I was getting sick and tired of your self-righteous attitude, acting like you know everything. But if you and your friend think that I'll let the two of you leave with my prey, you're as stupid as you look."
"I've been called that my entire life, but lucky for me, I have an ace up my sleeve."
"Oh, and what's that?" Kagura's condescending smirk never left her face, so sure of her victory.
Naruto simply crossed his index and middle fingers. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A large plume of smoke emerged from the blond, covering the entire pit. When it cleared, Kagura and her spectators were met with the sight of an army of blond teenagers. As one, the clones attacked, engaged everyone around the pit. Kagura was shocked by the sudden development but was not so easily caught off guard. She blocked Naruto's diagonal slash and pushed him back with little effort. She swung her scythe in an arc with the intent on killing the boy, but Naruto blocked it by the staff, the younger shinobi having to quickly duck when she pulled the weapon toward her in an unexpected attempt to behead him from behind.
With a quick spin of his blade, Naruto swung his weapon in a wide arc, which Kagura parried before she attacked with the butt of her scythe. Naruto was to put back on the defensive as he narrowly dodged the strikes aimed for his head. Using the blond's distraction to her advantage, Kagura swung her scythe at the former Konoha nin's side, only for her opponent to suddenly vanish and reappear behind her. Kagura whipped her scythe behind her, intending on ending the annoyance the same way she killed that one prisoner, but Naruto stopped the blade with the flat side of his Mari-Blade. He pushed the weapon away and lashed out with a kick, only for Kagura to leap into the air, front-flipping continuously as she descended back towards the ground. Naruto leapt out of the way as Kagura brought the scythe down like an axe, the added momentum from her movements augmenting her own strength, driving the red blade deep into the ground.
Naruto rushed her in attempt to take advantage of the opening in front of him, when Kagura pulled the scythe free in a feat of strength, a piece of the ground still embedded on the blade. She brought her weapon across like a hammer and slammed it into Naruto's form, sending the boy flying along with the rocky debris, where he hit the ground hard and dispelled in a puff of smoke. Confused and shocked that she had been fighting a shadow clone instead of the original shinobi, Kagura was completely blindsided by the brutal kick to her side that sent her skidding back. Using the scythe to balance herself and stop her backward slide, she was surprised to see another Naruto standing before her. Feeling something warm and wet dribble down her chin, she wiped at her mouth and noticed that the back of her hand was stained with her blood. The very notion that someone younger than her managed to make her bleed further enraged the sadistic woman.
"I'll admit that you've got some moves, brat. But that won't help you anymore!" spat Kagura, all the while channeling large amounts of chakra into her weapon. Seeing the woman's scythe begin to glow was enough for Naruto to determine that she was gearing up to use a very powerful technique. Luckily for him, there was no need for him to see just how much damage Kagura's attack would do; he had stalled the enemy long enough. Naruto stood up straight and formed a single hand seal, before disappearing in a puff of smoke, followed by the remainder of the shadow clones. Kagura growled as her eyes darted all over the campsite, but she could not locate Naruto, his little partner, or the prisoner anywhere!
"FIND THEM!" The ferocity of her voice snapped everyone who wasn't hurt or tired into action. Kagura let out a frustrated sigh as she made her way back towards her tent, all the while thinking of the little white lie she was going to have to tell Saito.
XXX
Naruto, Sayuri, and the prisoner they saved stopped beside a river in order to catch their breath. The escape went off flawlessly, except for one small hiccup: when Naruto had created his clone army, Sayuri utilized the smokescreen as a distraction to grab him and the prisoner, pulling them both with her as she melted into the ground. Despite the additionally passenger, Sayuri managed to get everyone to the rendezvous spot she picked out yesterday.
After getting his breathing back to normal, Naruto looked at Sayuri, confused by her actions. "I thought I told you that we would meet up later."
She turned to face the blond, her serious gaze staring directly in his eyes. "Hey, I saw an opportunity when you made your personal platoon, and I took it. Not that I don't trust your skills or anything, but Kagura would have destroyed you in a fight."
"I could have taken her, she's not that tough." Naruto replied with a pout. She just smirked and shook her head. She then turned her attention to the prisoner that they had saved. Naruto followed her gaze, making the man gulp in fear.
"W-What do you two want with me?" he asked nervously.
Naruto's serious gaze softened. "Well, for starters, how about you first give us your name?"
XXX
Sansei landed near the old abandoned barn that he'd found, having just gotten off from his new job as a bouncer for a local bar. He was quite good at his job, being able to easily deal with rowdy ninjas and civilians alike. The owners immediately liked him for his skills and lack of fear, and he was able to discreetly acquire some information about the village from customers. It wasn't much, yet it was still important enough to share with his comrades. But as he entered the barn, he was surprised to see his sister, Naruto, and an unknown man waiting for him. He gave them a brief glance before quickly closing the door.
"I take it that things didn't go well at the camp?" he asked.
"That's the understatement of the day." Sayuri suddenly caught a familiar scent wafting off her brother. "Why do you smell like a tavern?"
"I got work as a bouncer. I managed to get a little information about the village's current situation from some of the patrons and a few Kiri ninja. After what's been said, I can say that it's a good thing that we didn't join the rebels. From what I've heard, they're not going to last much longer anyways." Sansei then pointed at the new guy, his eyes gazing at him suspiciously. "But before we discuss anything else, who is this?"
"This is Otomo Katsuhiro." answered Naruto. "Let's just say we helped him out of a jam earlier, and we're going to help him out of another one, in exchange for some information. But first, why don't you tell us what you have so far, Sansei."
"I actually managed to get some good intelligence in just two days. In the eyes of the people, Akira is a tyrant who's even more twisted than Yagura. He rules Kirigakure as well as every neighboring village through fear and has most of the ninja under his thumb; anyone that even contemplates resisting him is dealt a punishment worse than death." Sansei sighed as he recalled the next bit of information. "Akira doesn't just kill those who try to oppose him; the Godamie goes after their families, friends, and anyone that's even remotely associated to that person. Word among the Kiri nin is that he's extremely paranoid."
"What about the rebels?" asked Sayuri. "According to Naruto, they don't have enough supplies to accomplish their revolution."
"The rebels are considered to be just as monstrous as Akira, what with their wanton cruelty towards prisoners being quite infamous. A staggering majority of the population believe that the rebels are simply fighting to replace one tyrant for another; they don't trust any of them, and they resent the fact that the group is demanding that the people help support them in their quest to overthrow Akira."
Naruto couldn't help but wince. "I'd gathered as much after we saw what Kagura did to the prisoners. And I wouldn't put it past them to extort the people into helping them; from the looks of things, Saito's support is just barely scraping them by."
"That's all I've got so far." He then turned to Katsuhiro. "So, what's this jam that we are helping him out of?"
The man let out a distressed sigh. "It's my wife. She was once a member of the treasury department when she began to inquire about some payments that Akira was making. Her boss, who is an avid supporter of the Mizukage, told him what she was asking questions. I had barely gotten her and my family into hiding before Akira sicced his personal hitmen on her. But they're still in Kirigakure, and I need to get them out of the village immediately."
"So, we're going into Kirigakure to get his family?"
"No, Sayuri, I am" clarified Naruto. "Apparently, her boss kept two records of those payments, and his wife knows where one of them is hidden. I'm going to get his family out of Kiri and find that ledger. If we can figure out what those payments are for, we might be able to gain an advantage over Akira."
"Thank you! Thank you so very much!" said Katsuhiro happily, as he vigorously shook the young man's hand, tears of joy flowing from his eyes. Naruto just nodded and began to collect the necessary information for his upcoming mission.
XXX
"I can't believe that you would go so far as to do something this foolish! Just because you and Naruto didn't see eye to eye was no reason for you to send him to Kirigakure on reconnaissance!" shouted Saito.
"Hey, don't yell at me, Saito!" roared Kagura. "You're the one who brought him here to help, so that's what he's doing. His Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is the perfect tool for this kind of mission! I put him where he can be the most useful to our cause, and I don't regret it!"
"Enough!" Sentaro exclaimed, abruptly ending the argument, before turning to Kagura. "No matter how we look at the situation, Naruto is doing his part to help. I don't like how things came to be, but what's done is done." He then turned to the older Kiri nin. "You, Saito, should have told us that you brought others back along with the Uzumaki."
"They knew of your reputation and wanted nothing to do with either of you. Naruto had them watch his back and gather information. Consider them allies loyal to him, not us."
Sentaro sighed tiredly. "Fine, that seems reasonable enough. Now that we have cleared things up, could you please give us some time alone, Saito? I need to talk to Kagura about making decisions without my consent." Saito just looked at Kagura and shook his head in exasperation as he left the tent. The two remained silent long enough to make sure that the man was far away before speaking. "The boy's a lot more skilled than we originally thought."
"I didn't expect him to know such a jutsu, let alone how many of those things he could make. His chakra must be as big as Kisame's!" added Kagura.
"Do you think that he'll come back to attack us in retaliation for what he saw last night?"
"Doubtful. The fool was only concerned with saving that one guy. If anything, he wouldn't do anything to hinder us anymore."
"Be that as it may, I think that it's best that we don't take any chances. Have everyone pack up and be prepared to move to the secondary location. Tell them to leave no traces." ordered Sentaro. Kagura nodded and left to get everybody ready, unaware of how close Saito was hiding as she walked by. The veteran had stayed behind and out of sight because of a nagging feeling that he had been having that was telling him that something was wrong. He was always a good listener and could easily discern lies from the truth. So, when Kagura told him that she sent Naruto in a mission, Saito immediately knew that something was wrong. Now that he knew that Naruto had left the camp willingly, he could only conclude that something else was going on with the rebels, and he was being kept in the dark about it. He was determined to get to the bottom of it all, but first, he had to get back in touch with the trio.
XXX
It had been two days since Naruto left his group for Kirigakure, which meant that he had most likely infiltrated the village by now. Sayuri was keeping herself busy by cleaning her weapons, whilst Sansei and Katsuhiro were playing a game of cards. Her brother was still working at that bar he found, and she, too, had found a small job. After winning the game, Sansei turned his attention to Sayuri.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready for work?"
"I've still got an hour before my boss opens shop." answered Sayuri.
A brief silence settled in, before Sansei spoke again. "I have to say, when you were with Naruto at the rebel base, I didn't expect you to save him as well as this guy." Sansei gestured towards Katsuhiro, who was reshuffling the playing cards.
Sayuri scoffed at her brother's insinuation. "It was a lapse of judgment on my part. His jutsu provided me the perfect cover, and he just happened to be close enough for me to grab him as I made my escape." Sansei just turned to stare at his sister with disbelieving look. Sayuri didn't look her brother in the eye, knowing that he was staring at her with that look; the same look that irritated her to no end. She tried to ignore him for as long as possible, until she finally got annoyed with her brother staring at her back.
"Alright, I admit it! You were right, and I was wrong! Happy?!" Sansei just smirked and turned back to Katsuhiro for their next game. Suddenly, the three heard the door open and immediately readied their weapons.
But when the intruder stepped inside, Sayuri was incredibly surprised to see that it was Jubei. "Take it easy, bro, he's not an enemy." she said. Sansei nodded but kept his guard up nonetheless; it never hurt to be too cautious. Sayuri, on the other hand, looked at Jubei in confusion. "What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be keeping tabs on Naruto?"
"I was, but my mission parameters have changed. I am now tasked with helping you in any way that I can." replied Jubei.
"Are you saying that the Sairento clan is going to help us?" asked Sansei.
"Yes, but not with warriors. My father does not wish to face Akira unless it is absolutely necessary. Right now, I'm all that you've got. My elder brother's information network, however, is at your disposal." The two Dochu silently stared at each other for a brief moment, before they nodded.
"Welcome aboard." Sayuri finally said, shaking Jubei's hand. They then proceeded to fill him in on what had happened in the past few days.
XXX
Naruto arrived at the house where Katsuhiro said his family was hiding. He had snuck in the village earlier that day, making sure to keep a low profile. His plan was to wait until dark to make his move, since there was supposed to be heavy cloud coverage at night, which would make sneaking everyone out a lot easier. He stealthily entered the home and made his way to the basement. Reaching the locked door, he knocked twice, and then spoke the password that Katsuhiro had given him.
"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, and breathed in the face of the foe as he passed. And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, their hearts but once heaved, and forever grew still." He waited for a while, before the door was opened a crack, revealing a woman with brown hair. And even though she tried to hide it, he could tell that she was holding a kunai.
"Are you Hamada?"
"W-Who are you?" the woman asked.
"I was hired by Katsuhiro to get you and your family to safety. I was also told about the ledger that had gotten you in your current predicament." replied Naruto. Hamada stared into his eyes, looking for any signs of deceit, before opening the door after seeing none there. Now that the door was wide open, Naruto could see that the woman was pregnant and had a little two-year-old boy standing behind her.
"He told you about that?" questioned Hamada.
"Yes, and I really need to know where it is."
"It's in the treasury department, locked in the safe. But my former boss keeps a copy inside his desk." Naruto nodded and created two clones.
"These clones will get you both out of the village. I have two more watching the house that will provide additional protection as you and your son make it to the safe area that I marked beforehand; from there, we'll make our escape from Kirigakure. But first, I need to know how to get to the treasury." Hamada simply nodded and began to explain how to find the building as they got ready to leave the area.
XXX
Naruto entered the treasury department through the roof since it was the easiest point of entry. After making sure that the family was packed and on their way out of the village, Naruto immediately set off toward the place. He made no sound as he landed on the floor, and quickly snuck into the director's office. Picking the lock on the door, he stealthily entered and crept over to the man's desk, where he quickly began to pick the locks to his drawer. After picking a total of three different locks, he found the copy of the ledger that Hamada had described: a small red book with gold trim.
Pocketing the book, Naruto returned everything to their proper place, making sure that the drawers and office door were locked. He then proceeded to quickly make his escape out the way he came, as silent as a ghost. Once he got a good distance away from the building, Naruto crept into a dark alley. After confirming that he was the only person there, he created another shadow clone, infusing it with enough chakra so that it wouldn't dispel for a long time.
"Alright, I need you to learn the layout of the village until you know it by heart. If we're going to make any leeway on freeing Kirigakure, we're going to need a detailed map." ordered Naruto.
"Got it." answered the clone. The two placed their hoods on and made their way out of the alley, going in different directions.
XXX
Within two days, Naruto returned with Hamada and her son. The moment Katsuhiro saw his family safe and sound, he engulfed them in a massive hug, joyful tears flowing freely down his cheeks. The blond was somewhat wary to see Jubei there waiting for him, but when the Sairento explained his task, Naruto was more than happy to have another skilled set of hands working with them. After little while and a few more tears, the group quickly got to work. As Hamada opened the ledger to the appropriate page, everyone hovered close by to read over her shoulder.
"Okay, these were the numbers that I questioned the director about." she explained, pointing to few large transactions. "If I had to guess, they are records of payments being made to several different people. And with the amount of money that's being paid, I can only assume that Akira's buying something crucial to his agenda."
"Well, this director of yours was no genius. Look right here, he's marked where these payments are going to: Cha no Kuni, Umi no Kuni, Tsuki no Kuni, Haru no Kuni, Nadeshiko no Sato; he isn't hiding anything." Sayuri commented.
"Do you know what these payments are for?" Sansei asked.
"No, I don't, but I can tell you about at least two payments, because I happened to be there when they went down." She pointed at two specific entries. "This payment is to a woman known as Suikazan Ren, leader of the Shark Men."
"Who's that?" questioned Naruto.
"Ren is the daughter of Suikazan Fuguki; she's a pirate, and a dangerous one at that. My family and her Shark Men have had several nasty encounters in the past." answered Jubei.
"What's her issue with your family?"
Jubei just chuckled at the blond. "Let's just say that Ren doesn't know the meaning of boundaries. She and Yoko can't stand each other and have constantly tried to kill each other. Even to this day, they're still at each other's throats." Jubei's explanation only confused everyone else, but no one pushed the matter any further. Somehow, they knew that it just wasn't their business.
"...Right." drawled Hamada. "Moving on, this second entry is for the weapons that Akira has been buying. I don't know much about the types of weapons that were bought, except that they were crafted from Haru no Kuni."
Naruto looked concerned. "That could be a huge problem. Haru no Kuni is widely renowned for their advanced technology, especially when it comes to their weaponry. If Akira has obtained weapons from there, then I can see why the rebels are being beaten so badly. But I personally know Haru no Kuni's daimyo and I'm positive that she wouldn't allow these sales to happen. In fact, one of her first acts when she came into power was to have Haru's main weapon cache destroyed."
"Is there any chance that these weapons could be duplicated by someone?" pondered Sansei.
"It's possible, but the only person who might have an idea of how to do so is dead. I killed her a year ago."
"What I don't understand is why Akira's not getting his weapons from here? Kokushoku Kinzoku Roji is loaded with blacksmiths." Sayuri added.
"That would be because of Hozuki Ishikawa He's one of the few members of the Hozuki clan still alive and is the leader of Kokushoku Kinzoku Roji. Word is that when Akira pressured him for weapons, Ishikawa threatened to sink Kirigakure to the bottom of the ocean. And considering that he's more than capable of following through with his threats, Akira quickly backed off. But don't expect any help from him, Naruto. Ishikawa doesn't care about anything or anyone aside from the people of his town, and thus, won't sell to anyone who is aligned to either Akira or the rebels." explained Katsuhiro.
"Is there anyone here that we can count on for help?" Sayuri asked with a frustrated sigh.
"Well...there is Sanzouba Genji." Everyone looked at Katsuhiro in confusion, prompting the man to continue. "He is known as Kirigakure's True Hero. When Akira was going to sell the scroll containing the remaining swords of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shu to Kumogakure, Genji stole it and practically declared war against Akira. That's why there are Kumo ninja patrolling our lands; they're tasked with killing Genji and retrieving that scroll. But they haven't had much luck, for the True Hero is known to be a powerful shinobi and is capable of wield all seven swords with great ease, just like Hozuki Mangetsu."
"Well, that's good and all, but how are we going to find Genji if he's constantly on the run from Kumo nin?"
"We'll worry about that later, Sayuri. Right now, we have more pressing matters to attend to." Naruto said, getting everyone's attention, before he turned his attention to Jubei. "We need to know more about these payments and find out what exactly Akira's planning. Can your brother do that for us?"
"Yeah, I'll be sure to pass on your request to him." The Sairento then turned to the Otomo family. "I can also lead you to my clan's compound. You'll be safe from persecution there, I guarantee it."
"Good. Because when you return, we're going to put my plan into action." said Naruto.
"And what, pray tell, is your plan?" The dead serious look on Naruto's face made everybody flinch, especially Sayuri.
"We're going to show Akira the consequences of terrorizing the innocent people of Kirigakure. And when we're done, his oppressive control over Kirigakure is going to crumble before his very eyes. Get ready guys, we're about to go to war, for the sake of the people."
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