Ambush

"Xin Yin, write two reports and submit them to Lord Kazekage. One should record the facts truthfully, and the other should say these bastards were ambushed by ninjas from Konoha and unfortunately killed!"

Souya glanced a few times at the faintly visible, graceful figures on the bed, then continued, "As for these women, send them back to wherever they came from..."

"Yes!" Xin Yin's face was filled with pleasure and admiration. Born a commoner, he had naturally suffered no shortage of bullying from these clan children in ordinary times.

Now that he had seen someone dare to challenge the tyranny of these great clans, Xin Yin became even more determined to follow in Souya's footsteps.

The wooden bed, which had been trembling slightly, now steadied as well.

"As for you... are you still willing to return to the village?" Souya walked to the corner of the room. There was still a pitiful young girl there, like a frightened little bird.

During the fight just now, Souya had deliberately controlled the Gold Sand, so this place had not been affected.

The girl pulled the blanket wrapped around her even tighter. She glanced at the pile of flesh that had been the young man, and a complicated look surfaced in her eyes—fear, resentment, relief...

In the end, the young girl with the childish face said softly, "No. Daddy sold me here! There's no one else at home..." Her voice was gentle and pleasant.

After thinking for a moment, Souya said, "Then are you willing to go live in a new village?"

"I'll help you find a job, and you can start a new life there."

"Mm..." The girl lifted her long, slender lashes slightly, then nodded.

After Souya and Xin Yin had patrolled the stone houses in the center, Xin Yin could not hold back and said indignantly, "These bastards are too hateful! They actually sold off almost all the grain!"

"Judging by the recent grain prices, the amount of money doesn't match either..."

Souya said calmly, "Just report it truthfully. What to do next is Lord Kazekage's business!"

Suddenly, Souya seemed to notice something. He turned his head to look, and a smile instantly appeared on his face.

"Sasori? What are you doing here?"

The newcomer had bright red hair and wore a loose black robe.

Sasori's expression was indifferent, and he directly explained his purpose. "There's been movement on the matter you asked me to keep an eye on before!"

Souya's smile faded. He turned and gave Xin Yin beside him some instructions.

Then Souya and Sasori both flickered and vanished from the spot, leaving Xin Yin alone.

Xin Yin revealed a resolute expression and thought to himself, Lord Souya trusts me so much. I can't disappoint him either!

Between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, besides the Land of Bears and the Land of Artisans, there were also several small islands floating in the vast sea.

A large number of tools were sold from the Land of Artisans to various countries every day, especially recently, when war was underway.

Orders for Ninja Tools from every country flowed continuously by land and sea to the various nations.

The Land of Fire's war with Iwagakure had been intensifying recently, so it was naturally one of the major buyers.

At the coastal border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Bears, there was a major traffic route here, so many towns had sprung up.

Among them, a place called Nohara City was one of the standouts. It was a large city built on the plains, densely populated, with vast stretches of fertile land around its outskirts and several rivers winding through the city.

Inside the city, in a tavern, even the door curtain could not block out the clamor within, which carried straight onto the street outside.

When the men passing by heard the faint sounds of amorous panting from the tavern's second floor, their hearts felt as if they had been scratched by a cat, and they subconsciously stopped in their tracks.

But the reality of their empty pockets could only make them helplessly lift their legs again and continue onward.

In a secluded private room on the first floor of the tavern sat three people. Two of them were none other than Souya and Sasori. They wore silk-belted clothes and looked just like ordinary sons of wealthy families.

Souya's sitting posture was the most unusual—he was sitting directly on top of the small table.

The remaining person was a middle-aged man in his thirties, and he was actually wearing Kirigakure's forehead protector on his head!

"Kirigakure has already issued the operation order. We are preparing to launch a sneak attack on Konoha, and the vanguard force is very likely to be the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!" the middle-aged man said respectfully, kneeling on the floor.

After hearing this, Sasori turned his head to look at Souya. After all, whenever the two of them acted together, Souya was basically the one who made the decisions, and Sasori could not be bothered to think.

"Let him go back first and continue lying low," Souya said.

With a light wave of Sasori's hand, that Mist Ninja directly got up and went out, his expression normal, without the slightest feeling of being controlled.

This was the terrifying aspect of Brain-Sand Manipulation!

Souya spread out a map and examined it carefully, his slender finger tracing across the terrain marked on it.

After a long while, Souya took a deep breath and said to Sasori, "If the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are defeated and retreat, this route of ours is already the shortest."

"If they want to return to the Land of Water, the port above Nohara City is even more of a place they must pass through!"

"However, if Kirigakure has also set up a Secret Port nearby to receive them, that would be more troublesome..."

"Those Mist Ninja in your hands don't have any intelligence in that regard, so it probably isn't very likely..."

"Since the Seven Ninja Swordsmen have already moved out, we have to take action too. We'll lie in wait at the mountain pass ahead of Nohara City. In an emergency, this place is the best choice."

"If they come through here, behind them will be a stretch of flat, open ground..." Souya spoke with easy confidence.

"How are you so sure the Seven Ninja Swordsmen will definitely be defeated and retreat?" Sasori asked.

"Because Konoha's current strength far exceeds that of the rest of our countries..."

"They were a very special village. Jonin and Kage-level fighters weren't necessarily the strongest there. Sometimes, the combat power a genin unleashed was enough to destroy heaven and earth..."

"As long as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen dared to launch a sneak attack, there was absolutely no way they'd come back in one piece!" Souya said leisurely, his hands folded behind his head, his expression utterly relaxed.

Sasori knew Souya had somehow gotten more information from who knew where, so he merely nodded and didn't ask Souya to reveal the source.

"Let's go, Sasori!"

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen will get there fast, and they'll come back even faster. We have to stop them properly. We can't let them run." Souya suddenly stood up, twisted his neck, and his eyes were filled with anticipation.

Souya couldn't be sure whether the Seven Ninja Swordsmen would run into Might Duy, because the current timeline had already deviated from the original story.

But the general course of events probably wouldn't change. After all, Souya's previous activities had basically been confined to the Land of Wind. As for the other nations, what was meant to happen would still happen.

The sun gradually sank westward, sunset hanging on the horizon and scattering bloodlike radiance. The trees on the ground were stained a vivid crimson.

Atop the tallest tree, two young men were staring intently into the distance.

Suddenly, one of the black-haired young men shuddered and said to the companion beside him, "They're here! Sasori!"