"Stop! If you want to pass, hand over all your money and your horses!"
Just after leaving the Land of Wind and the border trading town, Uchiha Nagi and his group were met by a group of legendary bandits.
A dozen or so men with greedy expressions brandished knives, forks, and clubs. Except for the leader, who carried a samurai sword, the rest looked less like robbers and more like refugees. Their clothes were ragged, their faces were pale, and they were bone-thin. If you didn't look closely, you might mistake them for a group of zombies.
The reason they were so bold as to try and rob Uchiha Nagi's group was, of course, because they were few in number and wore no forehead protectors. It was a well-known custom in the ninja world that every ninja, whether they had betrayed their village or not, wore a forehead protector. Nagi's group had none. Furthermore, the four of them were not traveling with a large merchant caravan. Finally, their group consisted of two children and two adults, and the adults looked small and unthreatening. Only one of the four was carrying a samurai sword. Kimimaro's bone sword was too short, and he was a child, so they didn't count him.
Uchiha Nagi frowned. He wasn't a bloodthirsty person, but if these people were truly seeking death, he wouldn't mind sending them on their way to a better reincarnation.
"Kimimaro, give them some food. Yukihime, give them some money."
"Yes, Sensei."
"Oh..."
When Kimimaro took out a bag of dried rations and threw it to them, their eyes turned green with hunger. But when Yukihime took out the money, their expressions began to change.
"Here, there's over a hundred thousand ryo here. It's all yours." Yukihime extended a hand as fair as jade, counted the money, and handed it over. Although her face was disguised, she couldn't change her voice. The moment she spoke, her voice was as clear as a songbird's. The bandit leader's eyes lit up, and he grinned, revealing his yellowed, blackened teeth.
"And this woman. Leave the woman too, or we'll kill you all."
After taking the money Yukihime had thrown, the bandit leader actually tried to grab her.
"Ah!" Yukihime screamed and quickly stepped back.
Kimimaro leaped in front of her, then looked to Uchiha Nagi, awaiting his teacher's command.
Uchiha Nagi said coolly to Kimimaro, "Kill them all. Leave no one alive."
Kimimaro nodded. "Yes, Sensei."
He immediately unleashed his Water Breathing swordsmanship and prepared for a slaughter. This was the best thing about Kimimaro: he never questioned right or wrong. He simply did as his teacher commanded.
"A ninja! You're a ninja!" The bandit leader had some sense. The moment he saw Kimimaro's movements and swordsmanship, he knew he had picked the wrong target.
"Everyone, attack! Kill them! We'll have meat and grain to eat, the woman to share, and the money to split!"
He threw the money into the air. The refugees' eyes turned red with greed, and they charged towards Uchiha Nagi's group without any fear of death. The leader himself, however, quietly took a few steps back.
"Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!" Kimimaro flicked his left hand, and several chakra-infused bone bullets instantly pierced the bodies of a few refugees. He then followed up with his Water Breathing, using the Third Form: Flowing Dance, a skill that combined evasion and attack with fluid, flowing footwork.
"Aaargh!"
"Ah, my arm! My arm!"
"Mercy, my lord! We'll never do it again!"
But their pleas for mercy didn't stop Kimimaro. As long as his teacher didn't say to stop, he wouldn't. Dismembered limbs flew through the air. The best he could do was give them a quick death, an early release from their suffering.
Yukihime watched, her face pale. She glanced at Kimimaro, then at Uchiha Nagi, and tugged on his sleeve.
"What is it?" Uchiha Nagi asked, a questioning look on his face.
"Um, let them go. Besides, nothing happened to me. You don't have to kill people just to stick up for me. A lesson would have been enough," Yukihime said timidly.
"You're mistaken. I had Kimimaro kill them, but not for you."
Uchiha Nagi was speechless. He really hadn't ordered the slaughter of these refugees for Yukihime's sake.
Yukihime puffed out her cheeks and glared at him. Would it kill him to say something nice to placate her?
"Look at them," Nagi said. "It's clear they haven't been gathered here for just a day. If it were just for food, I could have given them some. But they wanted to capture you. Do you know what would happen to a woman if she were captured by them?"
"Wh-what would happen?" Yukihime swallowed nervously, her small hands clenched tightly.
"They would take her back to be their 'chieftain's wife.' After they were done with her, they would kill her. And maybe not just kill her, but cook and eat her."
"So, if we don't kill them this time, and some ordinary people run into them later, they will suffer," Uchiha Nagi said coolly. "Sometimes, killing one evil person can save a future group of people from disaster."
Yukihime's face went white with fear, and she didn't dare say another word.
In that short time, Kimimaro had already finished, cutting through the dozen or so refugees as if they were vegetables. Although they had scattered and fled when they realized they were outmatched, their speed was no match for a ninja's.
"Sensei, they've all been dealt with," Kimimaro reported.
"No, there's one more," Gaara suddenly spoke up. He extended his right hand towards the distance and clenched his fist.
"Aaargh!"
A scream echoed from the forest. The surrounding birds, startled by something, took flight in a flurry.
After that little interlude on the road, they encountered no more opportunistic bandits. The group continued on their journey smoothly.
If they traveled at a ninja's pace, they could cover several hundred miles in a day. But Uchiha Nagi chose to travel by horse, covering about a hundred miles a day. He was in no hurry. Sometimes, traveling slowly was a better way to conceal one's identity.
Halfway there, Uchiha Nagi suddenly changed direction. Yukihime asked, confused, "Aren't we going to the Land of Fire? This doesn't seem like the right way."
Uchiha Nagi said calmly, "Yes, but before we go, I want to pick up a rock. There's a meteorite that fell from the sky there. I plan to use it to forge a sword."
"A meteorite?!"
"Yes. As far as I know, a village obtained a meteorite that fell from the sky a few years ago. That meteorite is suitable for forging swords."
"Where is it?"
"After they got the meteorite, they renamed their village Hoshigakure, the Village Hidden in the Stars."
Uchiha Nagi was very envious of weapons with special abilities. Orochimaru's Sword of Kusanagi was incredibly durable and could extend and retract. And the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, aside from the useless Executioner's Blade, each had their own unique properties. The most powerful among them was Samehada. That blade, which could absorb a ninja's chakra and grow infinitely stronger, could even counter a Tailed Beast. The story that it was just a small fish that followed the Three-Tails was a bit ridiculous; it was capable of draining the Eight-Tails dry. If it were a follower of the Three-Tails, it would be more accurate to call it a parasite living on the Three-Tails. Or rather, the Three-Tails was its perfect meal.
But many people overlooked one point: the Land of Water was located in the sea, and the sea has always been a forbidden zone for humans. Who knows how many strange species have evolved in the depths of the ocean over tens of thousands of years? Humans have no idea how many large marine creatures have appeared in the vast oceans and deep trenches. And in this world where chakra exists, it's even more likely for mysterious, evolved species to appear among marine life.
The ninja of Kirigakure had probably, by chance, captured Samehada from the deep sea. Then, through some incredible feat, they had managed to forge it into a living sword. Samehada was alive, yet it had been made into a sword. The world of ninja truly was a magical place.
In a cave in the Land of Rain, two people were chatting.
"Sasori, my man, are you heading out?" a handsome young man with long blond hair, his bangs covering one eye, asked. This was Deidara.
He was asking Sasori, who was currently maintaining his puppets—oiling them, loading hidden weapons, and applying poison. These were all routine tasks for a puppet master. After all, puppets were inanimate objects and required maintenance. Damaged parts needed to be replaced frequently, which was very expensive. To be honest, it really wasn't as convenient as Edo Tensei.
Another reason Sasori had joined the Akatsuki was, of course, because he needed money. Being a puppet master was incredibly expensive, and the materials required were also terrifying.
"Yeah. I'm going out to get some materials to strengthen my puppets. After that fight with Orochimaru, I realized the Third Kazekage still has many areas that need improvement," Sasori said, packing his things into a scroll.
When on a mission for the Akatsuki, members had to travel in pairs. But when not on a mission, they were free to go out alone. Sasori had once destroyed a small country with his Performance of a Hundred Puppets just to gather funds and materials, and he had been alone then.
"Oh? Where are you going? Want me to come with you?" Deidara asked.
If any other Akatsuki member had asked where he was going, Sasori would have been suspicious of their motives. But he trusted Deidara. The single-minded Deidara was a blockhead who pursued art for art's sake. He was straightforward and couldn't hide anything. If you were to ask which pair of partners in the Akatsuki got along the best, it would be their art duo. Deidara even affectionately called Sasori "Sasori-danna."
"I'm going to a small village. I heard there's a meteorite there with immense energy. I want to see if I can get it as a material to strengthen my puppets," Sasori said.
"It's such a hassle to always have to go out and collect materials. If you ask me, Sasori, my man, you should just choose the same art as me. A fleeting moment is the truest form of eternal art," Deidara said, tossing out a small clay bird that flew around before exploding into a firework.
"Hmph. Deidara, are you looking to die?"