Like the Land of Frost, the Land of Iron was buried under snow all year round.
Kazuyama Gekkō had come prepared—wrapped in a thick coat, he didn't so much as shiver no matter how fiercely the wind and snow blew.
"Kazuyama, you've never been here before, right?"
"Mm. This isn't a ninja country—it's a land of samurai."
"Samurai? Like the ones we saw in the Daimyō's mansion? What good are they?"
"No, those were just regular guards. The samurai here can use chakra in battle, just like ninja, but their fighting style is purely that of a warrior—like Sakumo Hatake."
The Hatake clan had once been a samurai family before becoming shinobi, and their swordsmanship still carried the same style. Simple, yes—but never underestimate a samurai.
"And the Land of Iron is famous for its smithing. Their blades and armor are all made in-house."
"Actually, I wouldn't mind having a full set of armor… that would look amazing."
Kazuyama had always been weak to anything that looked cool. It was a universal flaw among men—at heart, they stayed boys forever.
Once inside the Land of Iron's borders, he didn't rush to the center. First, he found several hidden spots to mark with the Flying Thunder God formula—his usual routine. Always secure a retreat before advancing.
Like the Land of Frost, the Land of Iron had only a few large towns—constant snow made small villages impractical.
The town he entered lay in the country's center, and according to intel, the samurai stronghold was just to the north.
First things first—food.
But even before he found a place to eat, he noticed the town was ringed with armed guards.
Samurai, clad in white armor, faces hidden behind gas masks, twin swords hanging at their waists.
"So those are the samurai? Not bad."
"Kazuyama, what's your plan? Try to get them into your scheme?"
Kazuyama bit into a tempura skewer, thinking it over.
Infiltrating the Land of Iron might be worth it—these samurai would end up involved in the next war anyway. But remembering the history between Amegakure and the Land of Iron, he figured persuasion might be smarter. Back in the day, old Hanzō of the Salamander had even managed to offend this country.
If it came to moving against Amegakure, Takigakure alone wouldn't cut it—they'd have no real justification. But if the Land of Iron could be brought into the mix, that would change everything.
The problem was how…
He turned over several plans in his mind, but none felt right—they were all underhanded tricks.
"What are you plotting…?"
"You're planning something big here, aren't you?"
Chōmei could read his thoughts instantly through their mental link.
"What's wrong with that? I take what I want, dump the blame on Amegakure. Easy."
"Come on, everyone knows Amegakure's reputation. Hitting a neighboring country isn't exactly shocking. And Hanzō? That old snake never loses without taking something in return."
Framing others was a tactic Kazuyama had grown fond of—it was addictive.
But Chōmei's next comment gave him pause.
"And what if fighting breaks out later and you're exposed? Then you're done for."
"…Good point. I'll think about it."
The Land of Iron wasn't like a shinobi village. If this went wrong, the backlash could be serious.
"All right, straight negotiation then. Worst case, we use money. If money can solve it, it's not a problem."
Decision made, Kazuyama polished off his meal and headed north.
Before long, the samurai castle loomed ahead.
"Who goes there?!"
"Ah, easy. The name's Suien, from Takigakure. I'm here to see the Land of Iron's general."
Kazuyama had no intention of using his real name. Suien had once been a Jōnin of Takigakure—until Yahiko had him quietly removed for being a natural troublemaker.
Borrowing his name now to stir up a little profit seemed perfectly reasonable.
Suien: … I barely got started rebelling before you had me taken out, and now you're using my identity? Not human.
Kazuyama: What, you wanted to finish rebelling and go after the Hero Water too? Forget it.
"A Takigakure shinobi?"
"What business do you have in the Land of Iron?"
"See the general? Who do you think you are?"
The gate guards' hostility wasn't surprising. The Land of Iron stayed out of shinobi affairs—except during the Second Great Ninja War, when Amegakure launched a sudden attack on them, inflicting heavy losses. Since then, the samurai had little love for ninja.
"Ah, so playing nice won't work?"
"Well then—come on. I've heard the Land of Iron's swordsmanship is impressive. Show me."
Kazuyama smiled faintly. With a casual wave, the wind and snow around him swirled under his chakra, condensing into a flowing blade of water in his hand.
Water Release: Water Fang Blade.
At the sight of him drawing his weapon, the six samurai at the gate unsheathed both swords.
"Hmph! Come to the Land of Iron looking for trouble? Take him!"
"Go!"
The six moved as one, blades wreathed in chakra as they attacked.
Kazuyama's swordsmanship was terrible, but his strength and speed had grown considerably—he had no intention of actually dueling them blade-to-blade.
"Heh, once I drop you guys, your general will have to come out!"
"One swing, one opponent—let's go!"
With the Body Flicker, he closed in fast, bringing his blade down hard.
The first samurai to meet him sneered—Kazuyama's stance didn't look like much.
A second later, his smirk vanished.
This bastard wasn't here for a sword fight at all.
The moment the water blade came down, it split into six streams—no kenjutsu, just a trick.
Water Release: Water Whip.
The samurai had both blades up to block—but there was nothing to block anymore. His "opponent's" weapon had turned into whips, snapping around him before he could react.
In an instant, he was bound tight, wrapped like a rice dumpling.
"Ah, young man—you didn't really think I was going to fight you with swords, did you?"
Kazuyama's smile was pure mischief.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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