Daimyo Manor, study.
Chiba Ran sat beside the desk.
A secret report urgently sent by Minato Namikaze lay spread before him.
The report detailed the reactions of Konoha's ninja clans to the two plans.
The Uchiha were fanatical.
Ino-Shika-Cho remained wary.
The Hyuga submitted.
Everything was as expected.
As long as the right orders were given, these ninjas' reactions were plain to see.
Then his gaze fell upon the end of the dossier.
The Shimura Clan's situation was recorded there.
Chiba Ran had not actually decided how to deal with this ninja clan.
Perhaps Danzo's death had put pressure on them.
Seeing the words "at your disposal" beside the list of names, Chiba Ran could not help but smile.
There was one final sentence in the dossier.
"Do the descendants of condemned traitors still have a path to serve the nation?"
The amusement in Chiba Ran's eyes deepened.
Interesting.
People driven into a corner could see their place more clearly than those great clans that had always sailed smoothly.
Minamoto, the steward standing nearby, sensed the change in his lord's mood and immediately lowered his head, softening his breathing.
Whenever his lord wore that expression, it meant someone's fate was about to be rewritten.
"Minamoto."
"Your servant is here."
"Tell me, how should I deal with them?"
"Your servant is foolish and dares not speak rashly."
"I told you to speak. I pardon you!"
Minamoto did not dare delay and hurriedly said, "My lord, according to the law, although the principal traitor has already been executed, his clan should likewise be stripped of its title, have its property confiscated, and be demoted to commoners, never to be employed again for the rest of their lives."
A most standard answer.
"Demoted to commoners?"
Chiba Ran considered it, then shook his head. "Too wasteful."
Training a ninja required a great deal of resources, let alone an entire ninja clan.
He walked before the enormous map of the Shinobi World, his gaze lingering over the Land of Fire for a moment.
An idea had already taken shape.
If the Hidden Guard were to serve as eyes, someone had to serve as the blade.
The Hidden Guard could not be both eyes and blade, or they would grow too powerful to control.
The Shimura Clan—these ninjas burdened by sin and stripped of their future—were undoubtedly the best material for a blade.
He would not tell anyone about this idea.
After all, when a ruler could not keep secrets, he lost his ministers.
With that in mind, Chiba Ran returned to the desk, picked up the Imperial Brush, and took a blank scroll.
The brush tip fell, leaving only a few words.
He sealed the scroll and handed it to a Hidden Guard standing nearby.
"Send someone to Konoha. Give this to Minato Namikaze and have him personally read it aloud to the Shimura Clan."
The Hidden Guard took the scroll, and his figure vanished.
From beginning to end, Chiba Ran did not explain a single word to Minamoto.
Konoha, Hokage's Office.
Minato Namikaze slowly unfolded the daimyo's letter.
Its contents left him completely stunned.
There was only one sentence in the entire letter: "By decree, every member of the Shimura Clan is to depart within three days for the Land of Fire Capital, there to await judgment."
No rebuke.
No plan for punishment.
Only that one sentence.
Await judgment?
Were they to exterminate the entire clan as a warning to others?
Or did he have another use for them?
Minato Namikaze could not fathom the thoughts of that young ruler at all.
Forget it. No point thinking about it!
He only needed to act as a messenger. Thinking too much would accomplish nothing.
He quickly composed himself and had the Anbu summon Shimura Ken.
Before long, Shimura Ken was brought in.
The old man looked deeply uneasy, though hope still shone in his eyes. "Lord Hokage, Lord Daimyo, he..."
Minato Namikaze said nothing and merely pushed the daimyo's letter before him.
Shimura Ken accepted the scroll with trembling hands.
When he saw the sentence written on it, his aged body swayed violently, and all color drained from his face.
Go to the Land of Fire Capital...
Await judgment...
It was over.
Everything was over!
The last trace of luck, the final sliver of hope, was utterly crushed at that moment.
He could practically see the men, women, old, and young of his clan losing their heads at the execution grounds of the Land of Fire Capital.
Thud!
The scroll slipped from Shimura Ken's hand. Nothing but despair remained in his cloudy old eyes. "Lord Hokage..."
"Is there... no other way?"
He trembled, his voice sounding like a delirious murmur.
Minato Namikaze watched him in silence, then could only gently shake his head.
The light in Shimura Ken's eyes went out completely.
He neither wailed nor begged for mercy. Supported by his clansmen, he left the Hokage Building.
He looked exactly like a walking corpse.
Once the news returned.
The entire clan was instantly swallowed by despair.
There were no wails.
No curses.
Only silence so oppressive it reached the extreme.
A young ninja suddenly drew a kunai, seemingly intending to end his life.
But the father beside him slapped the kunai away.
"If we're going, then the whole clan goes together!" the father growled hoarsely.
They knew that before absolute power, any struggle was futile.
That afternoon, the Shimura Clan began selling off their property.
They did not choose to flee.
Instead, they exchanged all their wealth for dried provisions and clean water.
Because they knew that countless eyes outside were watching them closely.
The only thing they could do was pack their belongings, take the women and children, and set out on this journey toward death.
Three days later.
Dawn had barely broken.
A group of more than three hundred people silently walked out through Konoha's gates.
There were ninjas in the group, ordinary people, elders, and even infants still in swaddling clothes.
Every face was ashen.
This was a procession walking toward the execution grounds.
On the official road leading to the Land of Fire Capital, the group moved forward slowly.
The atmosphere was so stifling that it was hard to breathe.
No one spoke.
Only the heavy sound of footsteps and wagon wheels rolling over the dirt could be heard.
The occasional cry of an infant gradually quieted beneath its mother's soothing.
They were every member of the Shimura Clan.
At the front of the group was Shimura Ken, his beard and hair completely white.
He wore a brand-new set of plain clothes, but the back that had always been straight was now bent.
Every step was unbearably heavy.
Because he was leading his entire clan toward an unknown ending, one that would very likely be destruction.
The clansmen behind him had hollow eyes.
Fear had long since been worn away by the long journey, leaving only the numbness of resigning themselves to fate.
At last, the towering walls of the Land of Fire Capital appeared on the horizon.
When they entered the city gates, the guards checked their documents and waved them through.
Once inside the city, an official stopped them.
"The Shimura Clan?"
"Yes, my lord!"
"The daimyo has issued an order. Follow me."
With that, the official led them through the bustling streets.
They were not taken to the administrative hall where criminals were judged.
Nor were they taken to a prison for inmates.
In the end, they were brought to a wide Training Ground in the outskirts of the city.
High walls surrounded the Training Ground on all sides, with a single heavy iron gate as its only entrance.
When the last Shimura clansman entered the Training Ground.
Rumble!
The iron gate slammed shut behind them, cutting off all contact between inside and outside.
The ground trembled. An infant was startled into loud sobs, but his mother tightly covered his mouth, leaving only muffled whimpers.
Everyone's bodies stiffened.
Their final retreat had been completely cut off.
More than three hundred people crowded together, confined within the empty grounds as they awaited an unknown judgment.
Time passed bit by bit.
The sun overhead grew ever more scorching, sweat soaking through their clothes, yet not a single person dared move.
No one knew how much time had passed.
A small door on the other side of the Training Ground creaked.
The door was pushed open.
A figure walked in against the light.
He wore simple black casual robes with no ornaments on his body, and his steps were neither hurried nor slow.
Yet the instant he appeared, the entire Training Ground fell silent.
The man walked slowly to the center of the grounds and stopped.
He did not speak. He merely swept his calm gaze across everyone present, his handsome face devoid of expression.
An indescribable pressure descended upon them.
Everywhere his gaze passed, the Shimura clansmen lowered their heads, even their breathing becoming cautious.
His imposing presence made people afraid to look directly at him.
It was him!
Chiba Ran, Daimyo of the Land of Fire!
Before you continue