074, Iwagakure Destroyed, War Begins

"Ri...muru, you... you..."

The bleak earth seemed to be weeping. The Mist shinobi had long since dispersed, leaving only a mountain-like heap of corpses amid the desolate ruins. The Tsuchikage knelt halfway atop the mound, staring numbly through tears at the boy before him...

After sending three separate units to carry out different orders, the entire village became lonely once again, aside from Ye Xiaoqian and the others. Rimuru did not stop the villagers from fleeing or surrendering. Unlike the shinobi who insisted on resisting, most ignorant civilians were much like those of ancient times. They did not care who ruled them. Submissive by nature, they only cared what each ruler could bring them—good or bad.

But those shinobi who had stubbornly held on, those whom the Tsuchikage had truly regarded as family, as the most important people in the village, had all died at his hands in their resistance.

"You..." His tears had long run dry. In the end, the Tsuchikage could only tremble as he wearily tried to break free from his restraints and roared in fury, "You'll die a horrible death!!"

"A horrible... death..."

The scene was so tragic that even Ito Rei, who had been brought back through Impure World Reincarnation, could not bear to watch. She rushed over weakly and began pleading for mercy.

"That's already too much for you?" Rimuru looked at the Tsuchikage, whose vacant eyes made him seem completely driven mad. Glancing at Ito Rei, who was tugging on his clothes behind him, Rimuru said softly, "There's worse still to come."

"Lord Tsuchikage, your son Kitsuchi still hasn't shown himself. Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"

At those words, the Third Tsuchikage imperceptibly turned his head. Clarity gradually returned to his eyes, though the hatred within them remained. Unable to stop