The sun climbed higher. The late autumn sunshine wasn't scorching, and with cool breezes blowing down from the mountains, it should have been quite pleasant.
But the civilians of the Land of Rivers hurried to take shelter in their shabby homes. Those who knew what was happening had already spread the news of the Land of Wind's invasion far and wide.
With the border entirely under the control of Sunagakure's shinobi, even the more enterprising merchants had no way to leave the country.
The villages near the Valley Hidden Village felt the full force of the war. The village stood on high ground, and thick smoke kept billowing into the sky above it.
There were explosions, and faint screams...
There was no doubt: the battle had reached its fiercest stage.
One particularly bold civilian ventured out of his shelter. As he looked toward the high ground, he saw a vast flood of gold dust pouring down from the sky like the Golden River Waterfall, its terrifying force engulfing everything above.
The Valley Hidden Village had become a golden lake, its surface covered in glittering grains of sand.
A gigantic Golden Cloud floated overhead. Dozens of Sunagakure Ninja stood upon it, most of them staring down in stunned silence.
The young man at the front of the cloud raised both hands. The gold dust below began to flow slowly, but it defied gravity, rising instead of falling.
Soon, gold dust danced across the sky. Sunlight caught it, casting dazzling, dreamlike golden reflections that made the eyes swim.
More and more gold dust gathered in the air. The young man formed Hand Seals, and the dust began to spin, intertwining and overlapping like a whirlwind of gold.
Gradually, the gold dust grew denser. The young man changed his hand signs, and countless black markings suddenly appeared in midair, wrapping around the gold dust that had formed into a long rod.
In the blink of an eye, all the gold dust had vanished. In its place hung a golden staff covered in black runes.
"Clean up the battlefield and count our losses!" The young man caught the staff as it flew toward him, then slung it diagonally across his back and spoke calmly.
"Yes, Lord Souya!" A young Sunagakure Ninja beside him immediately dropped to one knee and answered respectfully.
He had heard of Souya's reputation as a genius, but seeing him display such terrifying Magnet Release firsthand had won the young shinobi over completely.
Souya had spent a long time experimenting before he succeeded in condensing and sealing a large quantity of gold dust so he could carry it with him.
After all, one drawback of Magnet Release was that its user first had to infuse the ground with Chakra before a battle, breaking down and recombining the minerals to create the sand they needed. Only then could they unleash their grand techniques.
That preparation time could prove fatal when facing a surprise attack!
For someone like Souya, without enough gold dust to control, Magnet Release was far weaker than high-level elemental ninjutsu.
The Sunagakure Ninja on the Golden Cloud leaped down onto the high ground. Ruins stretched all around them: whole swathes of houses had been crushed, and fallen trees lay half-buried in the dirt.
Only patches of dark red blood kept seeping through the earth, bearing silent witness to the despair of those buried beneath it.
The Sunagakure Ninja worked quickly. Before long, the young shinobi who had spoken earlier returned to Souya, admiration clear in his voice. "Lord Souya, all 369 shinobi of the Valley Hidden Village have been killed. We've suffered only five casualties!"
"We're searching the hidden rooms and taking inventory of the valuables!"
Souya stood beside the high ground, his eyes narrowing slightly as he gazed toward the distant Land of Fire.
Below the high ground stretched a lush forest, dotted here and there with earthen mounds and crisscrossed by ravines. Yellow-brown soil speckled the green landscape.
Two broad rivers flowed past the foot of the high ground. Their waters were crystal clear, shimmering in the light, and now and then fish leaped joyfully from the surface, as if tying two silver ribbons embroidered with red carp around the high ground.
A gentle breeze brushed his face, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees. Souya took a deep breath, then said admiringly, "Xin Yin... This is the kind of place we should live!"
"Yes, Lord Souya!" The young man beside him was excited, too. Compared with this place, the harsh environment of the Land of Wind was like a world apart.
Here, they could breathe deeply without worrying about dust getting into their mouths and noses.
"Have the logistics forces come over!"
"Once we've confirmed there are no hidden traps left in the Valley Hidden Village, rebuild the defensive fortifications."
"That tower is well-positioned. Until the Barrier Team sets up a warning barrier, post guards there day and night and keep a constant watch on Konoha's movements!"
"As for the civilians who already lived in the Land of Rivers, those willing to stay should be registered and given a year's worth of food to put them at ease. They'll be exempt from taxes for three years, and their land will remain theirs for three generations!"
"Seal the borders for three days. Any civilians who want to leave can go after that!"
"Anyone who causes trouble or refuses to obey orders will be killed!"
"Send people to survey the mineral resources first. Mark the locations, write up a report, and submit it to Lord Kazekage!" Souya let his mind drift for a moment, then rapidly issued one order after another.
Xin Yin acknowledged him in a low voice, then vanished with a swish.
The wind picked up. The forest below the high ground rustled, branches swaying in the breeze.
Souya remained where he was for a while longer, then turned and headed toward the "ruins" of the Valley Hidden Village.
Box after box of valuable goods and banknotes had been sorted and laid out in the center. Many had been recovered from hidden rooms. Two shinobi stood guard with their backs to the boxes.
When they saw Souya, they greeted him respectfully. "Lord Souya!"
Souya gave a slight nod. The two shinobi resumed their posts, their expressions settling back to normal, though they stood a little straighter.
He opened the boxes one by one and examined their contents. When he finished, he couldn't help reflecting that even a small village like this possessed an astonishing amount of wealth.
No wonder the country's civilians lived such difficult lives...
In a Ninja World torn apart by war, strength alone was the foundation of everything. Wealth without the power to defend it was nothing more than a fat lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
"Lord Souya!"
A Sunagakure Ninja with injuries and a sallow face hurried toward him from a distance, shouting hoarsely.
Two other shinobi supported him on either side.
"What happened?" Souya turned and asked.
"Kirigakure attacked our border! Lord Pakura sent me to ask for reinforcements!"
"Kirigakure sent the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!" He forced himself to deliver the message, then broke into a violent coughing fit.
The Sunagakure Ninja present looked utterly shocked, and some showed a hint of fear.
After all, the name of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was steeped in blood.
Powerful, strange, brutal... At the mention of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, ordinary shinobi instinctively associated them with those words.
Before you continue