"Don't worry. Those inherited teachings will be stored in the village. As long as someone has made enough contributions and is loyal, they'll be able to study them."
Tamura Hiroshi placed the tile inside a Sealing Object Spell on one of the plates of his armor and made his promise.
Hearing Hiroshi's assurance made the two men feel a little better. But looking at the village reduced to ruins, they couldn't help feeling distressed.
"In the end, we still couldn't save the village!"
"Damn Konoha!"
Looking at the devastation, Masahiko Uzumaki couldn't help thinking of the culprit behind it all, and he felt even more guilty.
He had been the one to allow those three people into the village. Who could have guessed they'd cause such a disaster?
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, and the others won't get away with this."
Uzumaki Ashina was consumed by hatred. He would wait for those two down below.
Masahiko said nothing more. The chakra sustaining his body slowly faded; he had reached the end of his life.
"Grandfather!"
Uzumaki Kushina cried even harder. She could see that her grandfather was at death's door, and she was about to lose him.
But she didn't cry for long. Tamura Hiroshi stepped forward and knocked the girl unconscious with a Hand Blade.
"You damn brat!"
Seeing his granddaughter treated like that, Masahiko Uzumaki had been about to close his eyes, but now they flew open. He looked as if he couldn't rest in peace—but there was a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.
This way, Kushina wouldn't have to grieve as much.
"Our Kumogakure must never suffer the same fate."
Yozuki A and the others came over. Looking at the two dead elders, they grew even more resolute.
They had to remember the tragedy that had befallen Uzushio Hidden Village. They could never let the same thing happen to Kumogakure.
"Of course not!"
Tamura Hiroshi was just as resolute. Kumogakure was his foundation, and he would never let anyone destroy it.
At that moment, cries rose one after another. The Uzumaki clansmen who had been evacuated earlier had returned. Seeing the village reduced to ruins, and the severed limbs of countless clansmen scattered throughout it, they were overwhelmed with grief.
For a while, the entire Uzushio Hidden Village was filled with weeping, and the whole village was shrouded in sorrow.
And there was hatred, too—hatred for Konoha.
They had been allies, yet now they'd been betrayed by one. Anyone could imagine how much they hated them.
"An entire village, gone in the blink of an eye."
Tamura Hiroshi couldn't help but marvel. Shinobi warfare was truly terrifying, especially when it came to the unexpected. One careless mistake could mean total defeat.
It was like during the Third Shinobi World War, when Kirigakure's strongest squad charged into the Land of Fire—only for Might Duy to suddenly appear and kick them into the ground. The three who survived had their spirits broken and fell into ruin.
The key to this whole affair had been that young man from the Aburame clan. They were all strategic-level assets.
"That must have been Aburame Shikuroo, Aburame Torune's father. Did he become one of Lord Danzō's lackeys, too?"
He had a good idea who it was. Aburame Torune hadn't been born yet, so it could only have been his father. The timing fit, too.
"Shinobi warfare is unpredictable and changes in an instant. It's terrifying!"
Looking at the severed limbs littering the ground, Tamura Hiroshi felt a chill run down his spine.
That was also why he'd specially crafted a long sword, so he could keep his distance from his enemies in battle. He didn't want to get too close to foes like this. It was too dangerous.
"Our Kumogakure shinobi are worse at these unconventional tactics than those from the other villages. We can be at a real disadvantage."
Fukai shared his feelings. Kumogakure shinobi were better at fighting head-on, but they lacked ways to deal with these strange techniques. If they faced someone who used them, they'd be at a serious disadvantage.
"We need to acquire more knowledge to make up for our shortcomings, and not just from the Uzumaki clan."
Yozuki A understood Kumogakure's strengths and weaknesses. They had to build on their strengths, but they also had to find a way to make up for their weaknesses. The best way was to acquire what they needed from outside.
The plan they'd made regarding the Uzumaki clan was part of that, but it wasn't the end. They needed more.
As Tamura Hiroshi chatted with the two men, he had Samehada devour the chakra lingering in the corpses—especially those of Uzumaki shinobi.
The Uzumaki clan's chakra was not only abundant but also contained an astonishing amount of Life Force. Samehada loved this high-quality chakra and eagerly devoured it.
Yozuki A and Fukai grew increasingly wary as they looked at the bodies scattered across the ground.
Konoha had wiped out the vast Uzushio Hidden Village and two thousand Sand and Iwa shinobi without anyone noticing. It was truly terrifying.
Compared to Konoha's methods, Kumogakure's earlier battle to annihilate the Kirigakure Ninja Army was nothing.
It was no wonder Konoha was known as the strongest village!
Tamura Hiroshi, too, marveled at Konoha's strength. It had so many Ninja Clans, all of the highest caliber—far beyond anything the other villages could match.
The other Four Great Shinobi Villages had plenty of shinobi, but few top-tier experts. Konoha, meanwhile, could produce powerful shinobi in batches, even Kage-level Experts.
Even after Konoha F4 had repeatedly made things worse and caused the two founding clans to disappear, Konoha was still the strongest village. The Fourth Shinobi World War had practically become Konoha's one-man show. Its deep reserves were enough to make anyone jealous.
"Hm?"
Fukai suddenly looked up at the sky. Tamura Hiroshi and Yozuki A sensed something was wrong and looked up as well. They saw a figure in the distance rising into the air and flying away.
But the figure's movements were unsteady. Clearly, they weren't in good shape.
"That's the commander of the Iwagakure Ninja Army!"
Tamura Hiroshi pulled out a telescope and immediately recognized him. He was the Iwa shinobi commander who had needled them during their earlier meeting.
Had he been in too poor a condition to retreat right away, and only now gathered enough chakra to fly away?
"Brother A, I think he could use your help. Don't let him fall to his death."
Tamura Hiroshi thought this was a good chance to kick someone when they were down. He, Tamura, never held a grudge—he just got even right away.
Yozuki A gave him a puzzled look. What did an Iwa shinobi's death have to do with him?
He'd be happy if more Iwa shinobi died.
Tamura Hiroshi explained seriously, "I remember you and Third Teacher both have Earth Release. If you could get your hands on Iwagakure's techniques for reducing gravity, or even flying, you'd probably move faster, which would surely boost your combat strength."
During the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Third Tsuchikage and Fourth Raikage had fought together. The Third Tsuchikage had used the Ultra-Light-Weight Rock Technique on the Fourth Raikage to reduce his weight, allowing his speed to soar.
For a Raikage who specialized in Lightning Release Nintaijutsu, an increase in speed meant an increase in combat strength.
If the Fourth Raikage could be boosted, then the even stronger Third Raikage could benefit, too. Both of them had Earth Release, after all.
"Damn, don't you die on me!"
Yozuki A was shocked, and in a hurry. He hurriedly used Lightning Release Armor to boost his speed and gave chase, afraid the man wouldn't hold on and would fall to his death.
He couldn't fly, but the man was swaying unsteadily. Clearly, he was in bad shape and wouldn't last much longer.
"A!"
Fukai was helpless as he watched his cousin recklessly rush after the man.
"Teacher, go after him, too. And send a clone to inform Lord Dodai. Have them arrange for a genjutsu user to come over. The man's been poisoned by insects, so he won't last long. We need to get those Earth Style Ninjutsu as soon as possible.
"Everyone in Uzushio Hidden Village is on our side now. I'll be fine."
Tamura Hiroshi said this to Fukai. He didn't want Yozuki A to get hurt while pursuing the man, either.
"Be careful. If anything seems wrong, use an Explosive Tag to call for help."
Fukai warned him, then used a Lightning Clone to go inform Lord Dodai while he went after his cousin.
Tamura Hiroshi continued to use Samehada to search the bodies. Samehada was delighted, too, and grew larger and larger.
But he hadn't gone far when Tamura Hiroshi suddenly sensed something was wrong. He pulled the massive Samehada in front of him as a shield, then produced an Explosive Tag in his hand and stared at a nearby house.
"Who's there? Come out! If you don't, I'll throw this Explosive Tag!"
Before you continue