The rain kept falling, and the wind kept howling...
The bleak dusk slowly settled in.
Although the great battle at the village entrance had already ended,
the scattered fighting inside the village was still ongoing.
Under the orders of Genji, Fuguki, and the other senior figures,
the many shinobi who had long resented the village's tyranny began swiftly hunting down the remaining die-hard loyalists of the Fourth Mizukage.
Without a doubt, today,
the entire [Kirigakure] would undergo a major reshuffle.
As for how many shinobi would remain in the end, and how much fresh blood would be preserved for Kirigakure, that wasn't Natsume's concern.
After all, he'd already come out ahead no matter what.
"Nichiyo, Gin..."
"Here!"
Nichiyo, Gin, and the others hurried over.
"Go count the Kirigakure Anbu Ninja I knocked unconscious, and assess their strength."
"Don't miss a single one. They're all piles of silver!"
Natsume quickly instructed them.
People could die, and anything else could be negotiated.
But that money absolutely couldn't be left behind.
"Understood!"
The group acknowledged his order and immediately got to work.
Only then did Natsume wave toward Zabuza in the distance.
Looking at the battlefield, strewn with wreckage and ravaged as if by a hurricane,
Zabuza was still a little dazed.
He'd never expected it.
That Uchiha boy had actually succeeded!
He'd really taken down most of Kirigakure and the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, all by himself!
That was just insane!
And to think he'd once considered killing the kid with a single slash.
Looking back on it now,
he was lucky Natsume hadn't flattened him with a single slap...
But why was he looking for him now?
Was he planning to turn on him?
Uneasily, Zabuza gestured for Haku to step aside.
Then he walked over to Natsume alone.
"L-Lord Natsume!"
Zabuza