The peaceful Hidden Rain Village.
A woman's scream shattered the morning tranquility.
The large crowd of war refugees gathered at the Hidden Rain Village entrance began to riot.
They charged toward the village gates like madmen, and simultaneously, their bodies began turning white, transforming into pale, half-faced monsters.
At the guard post entrance, Sakumo calmly observed the scene before him.
Though he was a gatekeeper, he was also one of the Hidden Rain's high-ranking officials.
He knew exactly what these strange half-faced monsters were.
White Zetsu...
Massive numbers of White Zetsu clones...
Some of them charged toward the innocent refugees nearby, others quickly merged into the ground, while still others fearlessly assaulted the Hidden Rain Village gates.
"Ikegawa-maru, notify the Guard Division. Have the nearest Second Squad support the village entrance. Tell the rest of the Guard Division to mobilize completely—bring full gear and spread throughout the village to protect the civilians!"
After calmly giving orders, Sakumo swiftly drew the ninja blade from his back and appeared in the center of the massive village gate with a Body Flicker Technique.
At the same time, large numbers of White Zetsu clones charging toward Sakumo shrieked as they clustered in groups of two or three, their white flesh writhing.
In an instant, ugly, menacing venus flytraps appeared, their grotesque maws constantly opening and closing.
Seeing this, the unperturbed Sakumo raised his blade and charged forward.
These hideous monsters might frighten others, but they were completely ineffective against Sakumo.
He had seen far more terrifying things as a child, and as an adult, he regularly dealt with all sorts of bizarre puppets from the Hidden Sand Village.
Whether something was ugly or beautiful—to him, it was just the difference between one slash or two.
Silver light flashed.
The fastest-charging White Zetsu clone immediately had its head separated from its body, the ugly head rolling to one side with a gurgling sound.
For a moment, blade light flashed chaotically at the village entrance under the gentle drizzle.
White Zetsu might be formidable through their Transformation Technique combined with Mayfly Technique, but don't forget—the Hidden Rain Village also had White Zetsu.
Whether at the village entrance or underground, their defenses against White Zetsu were the most comprehensive.
However, the Hidden Rain Village gates were simply too wide. Facing large numbers of White Zetsu determined to charge inside, Sakumo found himself somewhat overwhelmed.
This guy was an assassin—his single-target killing ability was exceptional, but his AOE crowd-clearing capability was somewhat lacking.
Taking advantage of Sakumo being tied up, one cunning White Zetsu slipped past the village entrance and rushed into the village.
The next second...
With a light "bang," the White Zetsu clone that had charged into the village was instantly sent flying back out.
Then, ten fully armed Guard Division members rushed out of the village entrance, holding strange black sticks in their hands.
Sakumo, who had been cutting through the White Zetsu, saw this scene and immediately pushed off with his feet, instantly disengaging from the battlefield.
After simply wiping his blade clean, Sakumo stood behind the Guard Division and lightly snapped his fingers.
"Open fire!"
"Open fire!" A red-haired youth who appeared to be a captain repeated the command, instinctively pulling the trigger on his black stick.
Immediately, their chakra flowed through the handle into the black stick.
The next second, flames erupted as a small red sphere shot out from the hole in the black stick, flying toward the White Zetsu group.
Facing these tiny red spheres, the White Zetsu clones showed no fear.
Such small things—could they really kill anyone?
Clearly, the result was completely beyond all the White Zetsu's expectations.
These fingernail-sized, unremarkable red orbs suddenly exploded the moment they contacted the White Zetsu bodies.
Massive roars accompanied by searing flames suddenly engulfed a White Zetsu's figure...
...
On the other side of the village at the market, Rinjin was carrying a shopping basket and haggling with a difficult old lady.
Suddenly, his ears twitched slightly as he looked puzzledly toward the village entrance, muttering quietly.
"Huh? Why do I hear explosions? Is someone causing trouble at the village entrance?"
Across from the vegetable stall, the old lady holding radishes was getting impatient.
"I say, Lord Daimyo, do you still want these two radishes or not?"
Hearing this, Rinjin immediately snapped back to attention, apologetically smiling while nodding repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, yes! How can you stew ribs without them!"
"Three pounds, forty-five ryō."
"Make it cheaper—you haven't even removed the radish tops. Thirty ryō!"
"Oh my goodness, my dear Daimyo, who haggles like that? If you're going to say that, I'll just give you these radishes!"
Hearing this, Rinjin's face instantly darkened.
"Give, give, give—why don't you give yourself to me while you're at it! Forget it, knowing the market rules and still pulling this routine is pointless."
He pulled out his turtle wallet and handed the vegetable vendor a fifty-ryō coin.
Seeing this, the plump vegetable vendor beamed as she took the coin, even brushing Rinjin's hand in the process, taking advantage of the moment.
"Here, five ryō change."
Taking the money, Rinjin irritably stuffed the radishes into his basket. Just as he was about to leave, he saw a Guard Division squad rush into the market, spreading out in an orderly fashion throughout the area.
Seeing this, Rinjin immediately stepped forward and stopped a young Guard Division member.
"Rokurō, what's going on?"
Hearing this, the Guard Division member named Rokurō immediately stood at attention and answered seriously.
"Lord Daimyo, there are large numbers of white unidentified humanoid creatures attacking at the village entrance. Lord Sakumo ordered all squads to spread out and protect the villagers."
"White unidentified humanoid creatures? The kind with half faces?"
"Yes!"
Getting confirmation, Rinjin's eyes immediately narrowed.
White Zetsu clones attacking the village?!
Uchiha Madara was ready to make his move?
Using large numbers of White Zetsu clones to tie me down? To prevent me from interfering with his plans?
With this thought, Rinjin's lips immediately curved into a mocking smile.
Just then, Rokurō, busy with his duties, suddenly called out loudly.
"Lord Daimyo, I still have patrol duties!"
"Go on, go on." Rinjin waved dismissively.
Hearing this, Rokurō immediately ran toward the other end of the market carrying his black stick.
However, the very next second, his collar was grabbed. Rinjin pointed at the black stick in his arms curiously.
"What's this thing? Is the village so poor it's only issuing you fire pokers??"
Hearing this, Rokurō immediately grinned and turned around, cradling the black stick in his hands.
"This is a fireball launcher! Just input chakra and it compresses the chakra into fingernail-sized fireballs that shoot out. It can only fire one shot at a time, but its power is only slightly less than Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique. They say it's the latest research result from the laboratory."
Hearing this, Rinjin was slightly stunned and instinctively questioned.
"That's it?"
"That's it!"
Rokurō nodded emphatically, then smiled brilliantly.
"Sir, times have changed!"
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