Damn!!
Seeing dozens of shadow clones suddenly appear before him, Pakkun Jūzō's face immediately turned green. These Uzu-nin haven't changed at all!!
This kind of sneaky fighting style is truly disgusting.
Especially since these shadow clones are also strapped with explosive tags...
The ninjas of Uzushiogakure are truly the disgrace of the shinobi world!!
Watching the ninjas who followed him being taken down one by one by the Uzu-nin's underhanded tactics, Pakkun Jūzō knew this couldn't continue. After all...
If this keeps up, the losses will be too great.
He might really have to defect from the village.
"I wonder how Hoshigaki Fuguki is doing?" Pakkun Jūzō swung the Executioner's Blade and sighed inwardly. "Probably not doing well either!!"
How were they discovered?
They had been so careful, moving stealthily through the trees after coming ashore. How did they get caught?
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Seeing this scene again, Hoshigaki Fuguki had something he really wanted to say.
This time, there were only about a dozen of them. Yet, Uzushiogakure was still using this tactic??
"Drop your weapons, and we'll spare your lives," a Uzu-nin said coldly. "If you keep resisting, the consequence will be..."
"Death!!"
However...
None of the Kiri-nin paid them any attention. As shinobi, they had long been prepared for death. But if they surrendered...
That would mean betraying the village.
And their families would suffer for it.
"Tch, what a pain!!" The Uzu-nin muttered irritably. "In that case..."
"Don't hold back anymore."
...
"You're here?" The clan leader smiled as he looked at Uzumaki Jun, who had suddenly appeared before him. "That space-time ninjutsu of yours is really convenient!!"
"Clan Leader Uncle, why did you call me here?" Uzumaki Jun asked curiously. "It's the middle of the night. I was sleeping."
"Haha, I was worried something might go wrong, so I called you over," the clan leader said with a helpless chuckle. "But it seems unnecessary now."
"Oh??" Uzumaki Jun asked, intrigued. "What happened?"
"Kiri-nin sneaked into our territory," the clan leader replied with a smile. "They've already been intercepted by Muroto Jōmon and the others. No major issues so far."
"Kirigakure!" Uzumaki Jun murmured, stroking his chin. "I didn't expect them to be the first to come."
It seemed Kirigakure, being so far from the mainland, hadn't received the information he had secretly spread through Zetsu...
That the airships were bought from the Akatsuki!
"I wonder if Kirigakure has recovered yet?" A faint smirk appeared on Uzumaki Jun's lips. "I hope they can still afford the ransom!!"
With that, he activated the Body Flicker Technique, intending to check the situation firsthand.
If anything unexpected happened, he could step in immediately...
...
In Uzushiogakure...
The ninja battle couldn't be hidden from the civilians.
The loud explosions shattered the night's peace.
Panicked, everyone turned on their lights, got dressed, and rushed outside to see what was happening.
"Everyone, please remain calm. Do not panic," uniformed civilian police officers shouted. "There are intruders in Uzushiogakure, but rest assured, we will protect your lives and property."
"Officer, who are they?" A middle-aged civilian frowned and raised his hand to ask.
"We don't know yet," the officer replied, furrowing his brow. "But they're likely ninjas from another village. Please stay calm and return to your homes."
"Uzushiogakure will protect you."
"Please trust us."
"But we..." A young civilian stepped forward, about to volunteer to help, but...
They were just ordinary people. They couldn't interfere in a ninja battle. Even though night schools taught chakra control and basic self-defense, they stood no chance against even a genin, let alone a jonin.
In the end...
"Is there anything we can do?" The young civilian sighed helplessly. "No matter what, we are citizens of Uzushiogakure. If there's anything we can help with, just say it!"
"That's right, that's right!"
The other civilians echoed loudly. "We are all citizens of Uzushiogakure. Let us do our part!!"
"Everyone, please calm down," the officer urged. "The situation is unclear. Please return to your homes and wait for updates."
"You've worked all day and must be tired. Go rest early."
He understood what these civilians were thinking. They wanted to protect this paradise, the only peaceful place in the shinobi world. He felt the same, but...
They were just ordinary people.
"Uzushiogakure will be fine," the officer shouted. "Go back and rest. Maintaining order is the best way to help."
Muroto Jōmon, the chief of police, had ordered them to maintain order at all costs. There must be no chaos.
"Let's not make things harder for the officers," an elderly man stepped forward and said loudly. "We should go back and not cause trouble here."
"Trust that Uzushiogakure will be fine."
After some discussion, the crowd agreed. Since they couldn't help, staying here would only disrupt order. It was better to go home and wait.
Watching the civilians disperse, the officer sighed in relief and turned to the old man. "Thank you for your help, sir."
"No problem, no problem," the old man chuckled warmly. "We are all citizens of Uzushiogakure. Maintaining order and protecting our home is our duty." He then gripped the officer's hand firmly, his expression serious. "If there's anything we can do, just say the word."
"Of course, of course," the officer nodded quickly. "Now, please go back and rest too."
"Trust in Uzushiogakure. Everything will be fine."
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
"Mom, mom!" Konan rubbed her eyes and sat up, yawning. "What's going on? It's so noisy!!"
"It's nothing, it's nothing," Konan's mother patted her head gently. "Go back to sleep, Konan."
Just then...
Knock knock!!
The sudden knocking made Konan's mother jump, and she instinctively hugged Konan tighter.
"Hello, is anyone there?" A voice called from outside. "We're officers from the Public Security Bureau. Intruders have entered Uzushiogakure. Please stay inside your home."
"Uzushiogakure will protect you."
Hearing this, Konan's mother relaxed and called back, "Okay, thank you for your hard work."
"No trouble at all," the officer replied. "We serve the people."
Listening to the officer's footsteps fade away, Konan's mother smiled reassuringly at her daughter. "Go back to sleep. You have to wake up early tomorrow."
She had no intention of leaving. Deep down, she believed—no, she knew—that Uzushiogakure would be fine. They would protect everyone.
And...
No one wanted to give up this peaceful, happy life!!
"Mom, are there bad guys outside?" Konan frowned. "They're so annoying."
"It's okay," her mother said, ruffling Konan's hair. "Yes, they are annoying."
"But we'll be fine."
"Uzushiogakure will protect us."
...
"Uncle." Toto came downstairs and saw that his uncle was already awake, yawning as he asked, "What's going on?"
Who was setting off fireworks in the middle of the night?
And right over their fields??
"I heard ninjas from another village invaded," his uncle said with a frown. "The officers just came by and told us not to go outside. We should wait patiently."
Even though the noise sounded close to their home...
Since the officers said so, they trusted them.
But then...
"My experimental fields!!" Toto suddenly remembered something, and his drowsiness vanished instantly. "Damn it!!"
...
Boom—
Pakkun Jūzō dodged a kunai from the Uzu-nin and frowned at the sky. "Thunder??"
Was it about to rain?