After cutting down a Kirigakure ninja, Kawadera Uchiha turned to Ishiya Uchiha. "Something's wrong, Senior Ishiya?"
Outside the castle town where the daimyo resided, there were far too few Kirigakure ninja.
Ishiya Uchiha had noticed the anomaly as well.
"It seems Kirigakure is pessimistic. They have no intention of defending the capital. They intend to use the capital's unique environment to wear down our fighting strength in close combat.
There is no need to panic. Follow the pre-battle arrangements and secure the castle first!
Securing the castle and controlling the Land of Waves' daimyo are the most important objectives of this battle."
As he leaped onto the castle wall, the many palaces within came into view.
Unlike the densely packed, cramped houses of the outer city, the halls here were seven or nine bays wide, each with a courtyard before it.
The lights had gone out in the grandest hall.
The Land of Waves' daimyo sat in a chair atop the raised platform, listening to the sounds of battle outside.
The tall wooden doors opened, and moonlight cast the shape of the eaves onto the floor.
Half the floor lay in darkness, while the other half was bathed in silvery moonlight.
The hall was deathly silent.
The daimyo frowned. The Kirigakure guardian ninja had vanished without a sound, and he understood his fate.
Kirigakure had abandoned him.
Weren't they afraid that he would stop giving Kirigakure a share of missions in the future...? The daimyo shook his head self-mockingly.
They truly were not afraid.
If this daimyo was disobedient, they could kill him and replace him with one who would listen.
The daimyos of the five great nations received some nominal respect from ninja villages. The daimyos of small nations were practically nothing more than livestock to be butchered by