Beast Soldier Guard

Wandering ninja were hunters, lone wolves, shadows ordinary people avoided yet had no choice but to fear. They were also the claws and fangs the powerful despised yet needed. But they were prey as well—stray dogs, wild beasts stealing food in the eyes of ninja clans, rot that ninja villages could never fully cut away, vermin that could never be completely exterminated.

Beast Soldier Guard did not care about those buzzing judgments. Might made right; he understood that deeply. For years, he had led the Black Erosion Corps from place to place, plundering, taking commissions, killing... So long as they did not provoke the giant beasts entrenched across the continent—the true ninja villages—they could live ten times better than most wandering ninja. He had thought he had long grasped the rules of survival in the cracks of the Shinobi World, until those murky yellow serpent eyes seized him.

"Mm... What an interesting life." The effeminate voice carried icy curiosity, like a snake's tongue sliding over his spine. "Let me see where your limit lies..."

An invisible force nailed them in place. Their bones groaned under unbearable strain, and even their souls seemed to be dissected beneath that gaze. The strength Beast Soldier Guard had been so proud of, enough to run rampant among the lawless, was no more than a child's toy before that man.

They had been captured, toyed with, and finally discarded like garbage.

"You provided a tiny bit of amusement, at least. Pity, you're merely defective products." The man's voice faded into the distance, leaving behind a bone-deep chill. "If not for those annoying flies chasing me so relentlessly, perhaps you might have had some other use."

Orochimaru, once one of Konoha's Sannin, now a rogue ninja. Even such a terrifying existence could only flee in disgrace when hunted by a ninja village...

"Should we... join a village?" After despairing gasps, someone was the first to speak in a hoarse voice.

In the darkness, the heavy breathing abruptly stopped.

"A small ninja village may be stable, but it's poor as stones in the sand! Would they dare take in people like us?" someone immediately objected.

"A large ninja village? The moment we enter, they'll skin us alive in interrogation! Start as the lowest trash, read everyone's moods, and risk our lives for scraps?"

Whispers gnawed at the silence like venomous insects. Join one? Live under another's roof? Fierce unwillingness churned within Beast Soldier Guard, along with a nearly arrogant idea that had been ignited.

"Then we'll build one ourselves!" Beast Soldier Guard's voice cut through the noise, filled with ruthless, all-or-nothing resolve. "Build a village that belongs to us!"

And so they began searching for a suitable target. Places too remote would not do; there was no money there. Places too central would not do either; they were too dangerous. After weighing their options, the Land of Tea proved suitable. Its homeland lay far from the disputes of the Shinobi World, yet its location made it relatively prosperous, enough to support a medium-sized village.

But they could not approach the Feudal Lord directly.

Beast Soldier Guard chose Wild Tea Slope. He twisted the scattered bandits into a single rope—the Tea Mountain Gang. Then the Black Erosion Corps disguised themselves as pirates and stirred up a bloody storm along the sea route to Nazaki Island. Merchant ships sank, trade was cut off, and panic spread like a plague. At last, an envoy from the Daimyo Palace appeared before them.

"Your strength is extraordinary, gentlemen. The Land of Tea will remember your service in lifting the peril from our sea routes." The envoy's tone was humble, but his eyes roamed over Beast Soldier Guard's face. "However, Konoha Hidden Village has long maintained a close partnership with our country. Replacing them so suddenly will not be a simple matter."

"If you can establish a foothold first and build the village," the envoy lowered his voice, "then matters concerning mission commissions will naturally fall into place. The Feudal Lord promises that he will certainly make things convenient for you."

Yes, make things convenient. Suppress the uncooperative Wasabi Clan, have the Wasuke Clan step forward, and bring the Tea Mountain Gang into the open.

Then where would the money come from?

Building a ninja village required an enormous amount of money! Buying ninja tools, constructing a base, recruiting manpower—all of it required money, every last part cost money. The Black Erosion Corps' meager savings were nowhere near enough. They could only take control of this port and squeeze it from every street and alley, from every merchant and wandering man.

Beast Soldier Guard withdrew his gaze from the window. In the gray, hazy daylight, the outline of the Sea Breeze Pavilion inn in the distance was indistinct. The scar-faced guard captain hurried over and reported in a low voice.

He rose to his feet.

There was only one person in the Sea Breeze Pavilion, so the other two must have gone to protect the messenger.

First Erosion was capable of dealing with an ordinary ninja village's jonin, yet there had still been no word from him. Something had probably happened.

Beast Soldier Guard considered it. First Erosion's safety was uncertain, but with his strength, even if he was no match for the enemy, he should not have died in battle. As for the forces in the city, there was now clearly one Konoha ninja. Jirocho might still be hiding one or two ninja—why one or two? If he truly had that much fighting strength, Jirocho would have made a move against the Tea Mountain Gang long ago.

Should he reinforce First Erosion? Send more forces after the messenger?

No!

If they had failed to intercept them immediately, sending more people now would be too late to stop the messenger.

Rather than putting further effort into interception, it would be better to display their strength.

Then there was only one thing left to do—

Kill that old bastard Wasabi Jirocho! Once he died, that so-called "irrefutable evidence" would become ownerless, a lie fabricated by the Wasabi Family to seize power. The Feudal Lord would have more than enough excuses to toss it into the trash, perhaps even turn around and condemn the Wasabi Family for framing loyal subjects. The source of all this chaos would vanish along with Jirocho's death.

"Gather the men." Beast Soldier Guard's voice was cold, carrying iron-blooded authority that allowed no doubt. "Place the entire city under martial law."

"My lord? What... reason?" The scar-faced captain was startled and cautiously reminded him, sweat pouring more heavily from his brow. "Our forces in the city can't suppress everyone's backlash..."

Their ability to throw their weight around in the city was largely because the other local forces feared the Feudal Lord's "recognition" of the Wasuke Clan and chose to watch from the sidelines. The Tea Mountain Gang, in turn, tacitly avoided directly touching the core interests of those local powers. Placing the entire city under martial law without warning would be no different from tearing apart that fragile balance, and it would inevitably provoke fierce backlash and vigilance from every faction.

Beast Soldier Guard's eyes, sunk deep beneath the shadows of his brow, were like two cold pools. They reflected only the outline of the Wasabi Family's direction beyond the window. The killing intent churning within them was sharp as blades, making the scar-faced captain swallow every word he had yet to say.

"Hmph." Beast Soldier Guard gave a short, contemptuous snort. "I want them on guard."

The scar-faced captain froze, then suddenly understood.

Once the martial law order was issued, those local bosses and guild leaders would first assume that the lawless bandits of the Tea Mountain Gang had gone mad and intended to loot amid the chaos. They would certainly hastily pull all their men back to their own businesses and residences, bolt their doors, and defend them with all their strength. In such an atmosphere of panic and self-preservation, no matter how many allies Wasabi Jirocho usually had, none would be able to lend him aid now.

A surprise attack on the Wasabi Clan required elites—true strength. The ordinary mountain bandits of the Tea Mountain Gang were, aside from blustering and creating chaos to draw attention, nothing more than troublesome cannon fodder in a real clash between ninja. Their sole purpose was to muddy the waters and frighten every "fish" back into its own hole.

"Yes! Yes! This subordinate understands! I'll arrange it at once!" The scar-faced captain did not dare ask another question. He deeply lowered his head, turned, and hurried out. His leather boots thudded urgently against the rotten wooden floor, and the scabbard at his waist scraped harshly against the doorframe.

The shabby room sank once more into dimness and dead silence, with only the wind whimpering through the broken window. Beast Soldier Guard slowly tightened his grip around the hilt at his waist.

Wasabi Jirocho...