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"City Lord Shangchuan Hanchuan?"
In the lord's residence of Wild Spirit City, Shangchuan Hanchuan jolted awake from sleep.
A cold voice echoed beside his bed.
His eyes snapped open.
A teenage boy stood calmly in the room, looking down at him.
"What—!"
Before the woman beside him could scream, Chen Xing snapped her neck with a single motion. Her body fell lifelessly onto the bed.
"You… what do you want?!" Shangchuan Hanchuan scrambled backward, barely clothed, terror written across his face.
"I am Chen Xing," the boy said indifferently. "Fourth-generation Celestial Shadow of the Celestial Country."
The words struck like thunder.
"The Celestial Shadow?" Shangchuan Hanchuan froze. "You're attacking the Land of Wind?"
His gaze fell to the floor.
Two unconscious jōnin lay there.
His breath caught.
Chen Xing glanced at them. "They still have some use. I spared their lives."
Then he looked back at Shangchuan Hanchuan.
"From today onward," Chen Xing said calmly, "Wild Spirit City belongs to Celestial Village."
Panic filled the city lord's eyes.
"Celestial Shadow-sama, you must understand—this is the Land of Wind. One of the Five Great Nations. Sunagakure is far stronger than your village. You're only bringing destruction upon yourself!"
"This war," Chen Xing replied flatly, "was provoked by your country and Sunagakure. I'm merely acting first."
"Who survives will decide who was right."
"You're insane…" Shangchuan Hanchuan whispered.
Chen Xing stepped forward.
His palm pressed against the man's face.
Shangchuan Hanchuan tried to scream—but his body locked in place.
A purple-black curse seal spread from Chen Xing's hand and sank into his chakra network.
"You—what did you do to me?!" Shangchuan Hanchuan gasped once he could speak again.
"If you scream," Chen Xing said coldly, "you die. Your life no longer belongs to you."
---
The Next Day
The two elite jōnin regained consciousness and immediately attempted to attack.
Chen Xing activated the curse seals.
After tasting the pain, they submitted.
Wild Spirit City appeared unchanged on the surface, but overnight, its guards had vanished—and hundreds of Celestial ninja had quietly taken control of the military camps.
That morning, a chakra hawk carrying Chen Xing's letter flew toward the Wind Daimyō's palace.
---
Land of Wind — Daimyō's Palace
Bang!
The Wind Daimyō slammed his palm onto the table.
Fury burned in his eyes.
"Celestial Village… Chen Xing…"
"What happened, Your Excellency?" a minister asked cautiously.
"Read it yourselves!"
The letter was thrown forward.
As the ministers finished reading, outrage erupted.
"A mere minor ninja village dares seize our city?!"
"This is an act of rebellion!"
"They don't know their place!"
The Wind Daimyō raised his hand for silence.
"Immediately contact the Fourth Kazekage," he ordered coldly.
"Demand an explanation. His intelligence division allowed an enemy to occupy our territory."
"Tell him this as well—Wild Spirit City must be retaken at all costs."
"If he fails," the Daimyō added, eyes narrowing, "this year's funding will be cut in half."
---
Sunagakure — Kazekage Office
Bang!
The Fourth Kazekage slammed his desk.
"That damned Celestial Village!" he snarled. "They dare invade the Land of Wind?!"
He turned sharply.
"Summon the intelligence chief immediately. And call an emergency council—this situation has changed."
"Yes!"
A shadow flickered and vanished.
---
The Kazekage did not know that while Sunagakure prepared its response, Chen Xing's advance force was already moving.
---
Maple Rain Forest — Outside Wild Spirit City
This forest concealed one of Sunagakure's hidden forward bases.
Its existence was known only to a few.
Xiaotajing Second—formerly a Sunagakure shinobi—had revealed it.
Three months earlier, he had been defeated by Chen Xing and bound by a curse seal. Since then, he served as the Fifth Squad Captain of Celestial Village's Dark Division.
According to his intelligence, the base housed:
Three elite jōnin
Ten chūnin
Nearly fifty combat-ready ninja
It was responsible for guarding Wild Spirit City and monitoring enemy movement near the border.
Chen Xing stood at the forest's edge, eyes cold.
This base could not be ignored.
---