Chapter 73

Even if it means shedding blood, we must overturn this flawed world and establish a brand new sky.

Countless people are looking forward to the arrival of a new era.

Because of the oppression of the Five Great Nations, they have no voice, yet they utter a silent cry.

But when exactly am I?

Have they forgotten the hope and faith in their hearts?

Without realizing it... I seem to have turned into a decaying middle-aged man.

Ugly... eroded by time, it has become decadent.

Am I... getting old?

"Pass on the order!"

Hanzō suddenly stood up and shouted.

A glint slowly appeared in his eyes.

"Pass down the order: if the invaders want to fight, then fight! From this moment on... we Amegakure will never retreat another step!"

Outside.

They heard a roar coming from the tower behind them.

A slight smile finally appeared on Akito's expressionless face.

This kind of performance is what truly deserves the title of "Demigod".

Everything is in order.

Hanzō's conviction... has returned.

The Land of Rain, the future will be bright!

Not long after.

Asuka entered, carrying several scrolls.

"Grandpa asked me to bring this to you."

"Um?"

The Akito took the scroll and opened it.

They discovered it consisted of some basic Taijutsu.

"D-rank Taijutsu... Konoha Whirlwind."

"Rank D Taijutsu... Konoha Gale"

Looking at the Taijutsu recorded above, Akito asked curiously, "Aren't these Konoha's Ninjutsu?"

"That's true."

The Asuka nodded.

"In our past battles with Konoha Ninja, we've captured quite a few. From some of them, we've extracted some Taijutsu and Ninjutsu techniques... Grandpa initially wanted to give you Ninjutsu scrolls, but I think... Taijutsu suits you better."

"That's thoughtful of you."

The Akito nodded to her in gratitude.

The Asuka understood its meaning so quickly.

Indeed... there's a sense of unspoken understanding.

Ninjutsu is something that not everyone can learn.

Guy only knows the Summoning Technique; he doesn't know any other Ninjutsu.

Might Duy doesn't know any Ninjutsu at all.

And as it turns out, even with Chakra, a huge number of ordinary people will not be able to learn any Ninjutsu.

So...

Taijutsu are the key to popularizing everything.

For example, D-level Taijutsu only require a certain level of physical fitness.

This is something that most people will be able to learn once the Dark Chakra spreads.

The Akito looked at the scroll in his hand and said, "Learn the barbarians' techniques to control the barbarians."

Seeing that he didn't seem to mind, Asuka breathed a sigh of relief.

But...

What does this sentence mean?

"It means learning the enemy's strengths or skills, and then using those skills to defeat the enemy."

The Akito raised their heads.

Asuka sensed that the other person's tone seemed much gentler at this moment.

It's no longer as cold as it used to be.

Is this... proof of the gradual development of their relationship?

"What would you like to eat for dinner tonight?" As if possessed, Asuka asked.

"Whatever, oh, I don't eat cilantro."

The Akito casually remarked something, then lowered his head to look through the scroll.

The Asuka gazed at Akito, then silently departed.

Outside the door.

They saw the Asuka come out.

Guren looked at her and said, "You seem very happy..."

"Really?" Asuka looked at her temporary teammate.

"Yes, he... he must be someone very important to you," Guren said earnestly.

"..."

The Asuka... did not refute.

And all of this was observed by Ryu.

The diplomatic declaration of war for Amegakure, written by Hanzō himself.

It was presented to Konoha, Sunagakure, Iwagakure.

Looking at the Demigod whose attitude suddenly reversed and became tough.

The reactions from all three parties were remarkably consistent.

Sunagakure...

"Ha, Hanzō has brought this upon himself!"

Rasa was not angry at all; on the contrary, he seemed very happy.

This means that they can join forces with Konoha to attack Amegakure.

Once we destroy Amegakure, we can take half of the land.

The future of Sunagakure will be promising.

Of course, we also need to consider the possibility that Konoha might turn against us later.

But by then...

The Land of Rain has become a chaotic place, which is obviously much better than during Hanzō's reign.

The plundering of large amounts of resources will be more beneficial to Sunagakure.

Konoha...

Hiruzen Sarutobi saw this message.

They agreed to Danzo's proposal once again.

"Let's draft diplomatic paperwork and discuss the attack on Amegakure with the Kazekage."

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew.

The war, which is costly and exhausting for the people, cannot be dragged on any longer.

It's time for a final result.

Originally, allying with Amegakure would have allowed them to slowly but surely weaken Konoha, leading to a peaceful evolution in which Konoha would have gained benefits.

But now Hanzō has suddenly reversed his attitude and clearly wants to continue dragging things out.

If you won't let me have a good life, I won't let you have a good life either—a mutually destructive struggle?

Konoha is a large and powerful family; there's no need for them to play this game with someone who has nothing to lose.

"In the end... must we still fight?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and summoned Danzo and the others.

Danzo at the Hokage's office, a chilling smile on his face, "It's time to close the net. Go contact the spies..."

Iwagakure...

Kitsuchi presented the Twin Blades: Hiramekarei, to the diplomats from Kirigakure.

After going through many twists and turns and spending even more money, Iwagakure retrieved the Twin Blades: Hiramekarei.

This also shows the sincerity that Iwagakure is expressing to Kirigakure.

They learned that Hozuki Mangetsu had been killed.

The diplomats from the Kirigakure appeared very angry.

Not only that, they almost lost the Twin Blades: Hiramekarei, but thankfully they've retrieved it now, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to go back and explain themselves.

Outside, Suikazan Fuguki walked in. "We will form an alliance with your village, and the breakthrough to end this great war... lies in Amegakure!"

16. Falling into a trap

Night.

The Asuka brought dinner.

They saw Akito practicing Konoha Style Taijutsu.

"Thanks for your hard work."

The Akito breathed a sigh of relief.

After an afternoon of practice, I became proficient in these D-level Taijutsu.

They were already able to perform the movements quite well.

A strong physique combined with skillful Taijutsu can unleash even greater power.

Seeing the abundance of food before him, Akito nodded. "The menu has changed?"

"I made this myself. Do you like it?"

"..."

The Akito thought for a moment, then picked up his chopsticks.

"This dish... is a bit bland. This dish..."