If You're Killed, You Die

Although Erika had witnessed Jingū Kiraku's forceful methods and aggressive style many times before.

Hearing his words still made her pupils contract.

"Leader, you mean...?"

"We'll go after those nobles. We've raised them for so long—it's time they paid a price."

Jingū Kiraku's tone was calm, yet it carried biting killing intent.

This was the solution he had come up with.

Over the past few years, these nobles and merchants had continually driven up food prices, reaping enormous profits.

As a result, all the Land of Rain's grain and wealth had ended up concentrated in their hands.

Once they caught the scent of war, they had fled outright with vast amounts of treasure, with no intention whatsoever of staying behind to live or die alongside the Land of Rain.

Since that was the case, they could not blame Jingū Kiraku for showing no mercy.

Fortunately, although these people had fled, their grain reserves could not escape. They could only entrust their retainers or agents with selling them.

That would conveniently make up for Hidden Rain Village's food shortage.

"But... wouldn't this provoke Daimyo's displeasure?"

Erika had her concerns and offered a quiet reminder.

"Daimyo?"

Jingū Kiraku raised an eyebrow and let out a disdainful sneer.

"You mean that useless bastard, debauched beyond measure and only interested in fooling around and indulging himself all day?"

Such a blunt insult left Erika somewhat dumbfounded.

Though many people held no favorable opinion of those nobles, Jingū Kiraku was the first to openly curse them out like this.

"If he doesn't care whether the Land of Rain lives or dies, why should I care what he thinks?"

A terrifying killing intent flashed through Jingū Kiraku's eyes. Then, in an extremely forceful tone, he ordered:

"Pass down the order. Hang every merchant and noble who maliciously inflated food prices from the streetlamps!"

"Confiscate all their assets and use them as military funds!"

Sensing the firmness in Jingū Kiraku's words, Erika knew that the Land of Rain was about to undergo a drastic change.

Yet at the same time, she felt a little excited.

Because the new leader seemed to be fulfilling his promises, step by step.

Perhaps the Land of Rain truly could have a bright future—

If they could win this war.

Watching Erika's departing figure, Jingū Kiraku fell into thought.

To be honest, if he merely wanted to confiscate their property, he had plenty of better options.

For instance, he could have Amemura lead the Rain Ninja in disguising themselves as a band of mountain bandits and directly plunder every last bit of grain from these nobles.

Jingū Kiraku had even thought of a name for the bandits: the Ma Bandits.

Their leader would be called Zhang Mazi!

If Daimyo ordered him to suppress the bandits, perhaps he could even make another profit...

Or he could coerce and tempt these noble lords into obediently offering up their grain, making everyone happy and keeping the peace while making money.

But what would be the point of that?

The wool came from the sheep...

The grain that was looted or forcibly surrendered would only become an even greater burden, falling back onto those innocent people.

Therefore, what Jingū Kiraku intended to do was use the current chaos to tell everyone—

No matter who you were, if you were on my turf, you followed my rules.

Otherwise, wait to be hung from a streetlamp!

As for whether Daimyo would be displeased?

Jingū Kiraku did not care in the slightest.

The Land of Rain was already rotten to this extent. How much worse could it get?

Even if Daimyo really brought in some reinforcements, it was no different from having too many lice to bother scratching.

He had already fought Konoha. Fighting a few more would make no difference.

At worst, he could become an outlaw and head into enemy territory to wage guerrilla warfare.

Of course, the chances of that happening were minuscule.

The ninja world's current situation was tense, and every nation was preparing for war.

A minor country's Daimyo was not enough to make them disrupt their own plans.

There was only ever one kind of relationship between nations—

That was interests.

If you could not offer enough benefits, not even ghosts could be bothered with you.

Besides, only a few nobles had died.

In these chaotic wartime days, that was perfectly normal.

If it really came down to it, they could settle accounts after the war ended...

Thus, under Jingū Kiraku's orders, numerous Amegakure Ninja fanned out in every direction.

With thunderous force, they arrested a large number of merchants who had maliciously driven up grain prices to profit from the national crisis, as well as the domestic representatives left behind by those nobles who had fled.

All of them were sentenced to hanging for the Crime of Reselling National Strategic Materials, and all their property was confiscated.

Even as they were hung from the gallows before Amegakure Tower, their faces remained utterly bewildered.

What was happening?

Born nobles, they simply could not comprehend the situation before them.

Was it not only natural to squeeze and exploit the common people?

Their families had done so for generations.

Why did that damned Amegakure Leader have to destroy the unspoken understanding everyone had cultivated for so long?

Wouldn't it be nice for everyone to make money happily together?

Countless questions burst forth in their minds.

Only when the ropes around their necks slowly tightened did they finally realize one fact—

They were going to die.

An indescribable terror instantly filled the merchants' hearts, and they struggled as they roared in fury:

"Damn you, Jingū Kiraku! We're nobles! Noble nobles!"

"You dare hang us? Just wait for Lord Daimyo to settle the score with you!"

"Lord Daimyo won't let you off! You damned lowborn mongrels!"

Jingū Kiraku showed no reaction to their curses and accusations.

He even felt like laughing a little.

They were merely the dying barks of defeated dogs.

He raised a hand, signaling Amemura to begin the execution.

Watching those nobles, strung up in a row, who usually held themselves so high and mighty, Amemura could not help swallowing.

When he had decided to follow Jingū Kiraku, he had never imagined the world could be this thrilling!

But looking at those bastards struggling...

This felt so damn good!

With a glimmer of excitement in his eyes, Amemura faithfully carried out Jingū Kiraku's order.

As the ropes continued tightening, fear finally appeared on the nobles' faces.

"Don't kill me..."

"Please! Spare me."

"I know I was wrong! Don't kill me!"

Their earlier roars and curses had vanished, replaced by utterly undignified pleas for mercy.

But the cold ropes would not answer their prayers. They only lifted them into the air, inch by inch.

"Isn't it a little too late to realize your mistake now?"

From atop Amegakure Tower, Erika spoke with a hint of mockery.

But Jingū Kiraku, beside her, shook his head.

"They don't know they were wrong. They just know they're about to die."

Hearing that, Erika looked at the side of her leader's face and fell silent.

Below, as the people watched corpse after corpse hanging high in the air, terror frozen on their faces, they finally realized something—

So nobles would die if they were killed...