The shinobi of Takigakure rarely moved about in the outside world in order to maintain secrecy, so most of them were unaware of the major events that had occurred in recent years.
When they heard Shibuki say that Yuzuru Uchiha had defeated an army of ten thousand ninja all by himself, their first reaction was disbelief.
In their understanding, no matter how strong a ninja was, there had to be limits.
Ten thousand ninja—even if each one only spat once, that alone should be enough to drown someone.
But when several other Takigakure jōnin stepped forward to confirm Shibuki's words, the shinobi of the village finally sucked in a cold breath, their eyes showing a faint trace of relief.
'Fortunately, they had not acted impulsively earlier. Otherwise, their group of over a hundred would probably not have been enough for him to kill.'
Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Shibuki turned his gaze back to Yuzuru Uchiha.
This time, his face carried an ingratiating smile. "Lord Yuzuru, may I ask what brings you to Takigakure?"
Yuzuru Uchiha spoke lightly. "I'm simply here to inform you that from now on, Takigakure and the Land of Waterfalls will be incorporated into the Land of Lightning. I will send people to oversee unified administration."
As expected…
Shibuki let out a silent sigh.
The moment he realized Yuzuru's identity, he had already guessed this would happen.
Seeing Shibuki fall silent, Yuzuru raised a brow. "I've said what I came to say. Do any of you have objections?"
At that, Shibuki gave a bitter smile. "Lord Yuzuru, we will follow your arrangements."
Even ignoring the powerful Kumogakure behind him, Yuzuru Uchiha alone was beyond what Takigakure could oppose.
If they refused, the only path remaining would likely be death…
"By the way, Lord Yuzuru," Shibuki asked cautiously, "who do you plan to assign to oversee Takigakure?"
Yuzuru pointed at Kakuzu, standing at his side. "For now, matters concerning the Land of Waterfalls and Takigakure will be handled by Kakuzu."
Hearing this, Shibuki and the Takigakure shinobi all showed expressions of anger.
A Takigakure traitor—placed above them?
Was that not outright humiliation?
Finally, one Takigakure jōnin shouted angrily, "Don't think we're like the other small nations who'll just let you trample over us. The foundation of Takigakure is not something they can compare to!"
He pulled a clear glass vial from his robes and drank its contents in one gulp.
"Yatori!"
Shibuki tried to stop him, but it was already too late.
As Yatori swallowed the liquid, his aura surged drastically.
Under the pressure of immense power, the veins across his muscular body bulged, and his entire skin flushed dark red.
"It's the Hero Water! Yatori drank the Hero Water!"
"This is madness. The Hero Water can multiply one's strength dozens of times, but it also inflicts irreversible damage. Once its energy is exhausted, Yatori will die."
"If he even lasts that long. According to the village records, most people explode on the spot after drinking Hero Water."
"Yatori, you're doing great! Endure it! Show this arrogant man the true strength of Takigakure shinobi!"
Hope reignited among the villagers.
If Yatori could withstand the Hero Water's corrosive effects, his strength would soar to terrifying heights for a short time.
He was already a jōnin. With the Hero Water's boost, perhaps he really could defeat this so-called Yuzuru Uchiha.
Even if they still couldn't escape being conquered by the Land of Lightning, at least they could force the enemy to withdraw such humiliating demands.
Under everyone's expectant gaze, Yatori threw his head back and roared, then grinned fiercely.
"Hahahahaha! So this is the power of Hero Water? How incredible!"
"Now I can do anything. Prepare to regret your arrogance!"
As he spoke, his chakra erupted once more, the overwhelming wave making every Takigakure shinobi tremble.
This aura no longer resembled a human's—more like that of a wild beast.
"Die!"
With a deafening shout, Yatori vanished from sight.
His terrifying speed made the Takigakure shinobi widen their eyes once again.
So fast!
With this power, he would surely win the fight!
In just an instant, Yatori was already before Yuzuru, raising his arm high.
Boom!
As Yatori's fist struck down, a shockwave erupted, whipping up a violent gust of wind.
A piercing scream followed—then a black figure shot backward like a fired cannonball.
Crash!
The solid rock wall split with countless cracks as Yatori's body slammed into it, head hanging limply. His life force had vanished.
"Yatori… is dead?!"
"Impossible! He drank the Hero Water!"
"He killed Yatori in one hit—even in his enhanced state? Is this guy really human?!"
The turn of events was so sudden that everyone in Takigakure froze on the spot.
No one had imagined that the man they placed all their hopes on would die instantly at Yuzuru Uchiha's hand.
Yuzuru's strength had surpassed anything they could comprehend.
So this… was the true weight behind defeating ten thousand ninja alone?
Even Kakuzu couldn't help but feel shaken.
He had seen it clearly—Yuzuru had used nothing but raw physical strength to send Yatori flying.
He wasn't even a sensory-type shinobi, yet Kakuzu could still tell that in terms of pure physical power, Yuzuru Uchiha might surpass even the Third Raikage.
"Does anyone else have objections?"
Yuzuru's tone was still calm, yet every shinobi of Takigakure lowered their heads.
Wiping cold sweat from his face, Shibuki was the first to kneel. "Takigakure is willing to follow all of Lord Yuzuru's commands."
With him as an example, every other Takigakure shinobi also knelt, submitting completely.
Yatori had been annihilated even after drinking Hero Water—continued resistance was meaningless.
Being stepped on was still better than being dead.
Seeing this, Yuzuru nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Then this matter is settled."
"If anyone still refuses to cooperate… don't blame me for slaughtering them."
Hearing this, the shinobi bowed their heads even lower.
Seeing their obedience, Yuzuru did not continue pressing them. Instead, his tone softened slightly.
"Actually, you need not feel humiliated about Kakuzu becoming your overseer."
"The truth behind what happened back then is more complicated than you think. Kakuzu was forced to defect from Takigakure."