Ambush on Yoya

Land of Mud.

It was a small country with a seaport. It was neither rich nor poor.

The Land of Mud had no ninja village. Whenever it needed shinobi, it hired them from other countries.

It sided with no nation, focusing solely on neutrality.

Its usual business was serving these traveling merchants.

There were plenty of food, lodging, clothing, and entertainment facilities along the way.

But Yoya was a cautious man. He did not stop along the way and headed straight toward Yugito.

Shamu flew overhead, quietly waiting for Hiruko's people to attack.

Ever since Yoya had left the caravan and set out alone, Shamu had noticed signs of Summoning Beasts monitoring the road.

If Shamu had not seen them a few times before, he would not have known they were Hiruko's Summoning Beasts.

Hiruko's side only had four people in total, but they made a deep impression because all four had very distinctive appearances.

Hiruko had once been tall and well-built. Now, he had practically turned into a squat mummy.

The two male subordinates looked exactly alike, which was one thing, but their faces were downright hilarious.

His only female subordinate had an incredible face and figure, but it was hard to say whether she was even human.

None of the three had names. Their faces simply bore the numbers "one, two, and three."

Named after their Summoning Beasts, they were Snake One, Dog Two, and Bird Three.

Shamu had already spotted Bird Three's Summoning Beast in the sky.

But he had no idea where Hiruko was.

Yoya was hurrying through the forest.

Suddenly, a mass of two-headed snakes flew out from ahead.

At the same time, a giant summoned dog burst out from the side.

A confident smile hung on Yoya's face. "I noticed you long ago."

His