Grudges End, Entering the Land of Wind

Inside the forest, the strength displayed by Naraku and Shisui had intimidated the group from Stone Ninja Village. Aside from Kawakami, who had already fallen in battle, the others had all gathered together at Nomura's signal.

Of course, this was also because Nomura realized that Shisui had no intention of killing them.

At this moment, Nomura's eyes were filled with regret.

If only I hadn't met Nakada Sono back then, he thought to himself.

But there was no such thing as a regret pill in this world.

Looking at the remaining members of Stone Ninja Village and Kawakami's corpse, Nomura seemed to reach a decision, his gaze turning resolute.

He stepped forward, his eyes locking directly onto Nakada Shun, who had just arrived.

"Nakada, I killed your son. How about we settle things between us once and for all?"

Nomura was gambling. Based on Shisui's earlier behavior, he knew the man wouldn't help Nakada wipe them all out, so he wanted to handle this matter himself.

Hearing this, a flicker of hesitation crossed Nakada Shun's eyes. Although his side appeared to have the upper hand, he knew this was merely superficial.

Ignoring Nomura, Nakada Shun looked toward Naraku and his companion, asking tentatively, "Ninja-sama, what is your take on this?"

Shisui looked at him with a faint, unreadable smile. "Nakada-san, our mission is only to protect your caravan."

Naraku remained silent, offering no opinion.

"Is that so?" After receiving Shisui's reply, a trace of disappointment flashed in Nakada Shun's eyes, though he quickly composed himself.

Things had reached this point; his intention to use Shisui and the others for revenge had already been laid bare. Even if they were to abandon the mission now, it would be perfectly normal.

Nakada Shun stepped forward, kunai in hand, his gaze gradually sharpening as he looked at Nomura.

"Then let us settle this the way of the ninja."

With that, he hurled the kunai at his opponent while simultaneously weaving hand seals.

Clang!

Nomura easily deflected the kunai with his broadsword.

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

Suddenly, Nakada Shun let out a low shout. A dragon head made of earth erupted from the ground, its jaws wide open, firing mud projectiles at Nomura.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Nomura's reaction was equally swift. After weaving seals, he slammed his hand onto the ground, and a wall of earth rose up, blocking the mud projectiles.

Rumble!

The collision between the mud bullets and the earth wall kicked up a cloud of dust, and the two sides clashed once again.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal rang out incessantly.

Although the battle appeared evenly matched, Naraku felt that the outcome had already been decided.

Nomura was destined to lose this fight. On the surface, their strength was similar, and Nakada Shun only possessed a slightly larger pool of chakra, but that small difference would not determine the victor.

The true deciding factors were himself and Shisui. While they wouldn't help Nakada Shun slaughter the members of Stone Ninja Village, there was one thing they had to ensure: Nakada Shun's safety.

He could be injured, but he could not die; otherwise, their mission would be a failure, as Nakada Shun was a member of the caravan.

Just like Shisui, who kept his attention fixed on the duel, his body coiled and ready—Naraku knew that if Nakada Shun were truly overwhelmed by Nomura, Shisui would intervene to save him in an instant.

The battle ended quickly, and the result was exactly as Naraku had anticipated: Nakada Shun emerged victorious at the cost of a minor injury, while Nomura collapsed into a pool of blood, clutching his throat.

Jiro, I leave the village to you, that thought flashed through his mind before Nomura lost consciousness for good.

The remaining members of Stone Ninja Village all wore expressions of sorrow; even the youngest among them was over thirty years old.

For the sake of the village, they wouldn't even consider revenge, nor did they dare to—at least, not now.

"My Lords."

At that moment, Jiro stepped forward, bowed before Naraku and Shisui, and said respectfully, "Thank you for sparing our lives."

Shisui waved a hand dismissively. "We are merely carrying out our mission. If your grievances are settled, then leave this place at once."

Jiro bowed once more, then turned his gaze to Nakada Shun, his voice raspy as he spoke. "Nakada-san, Stone Ninja Village will no longer interfere with your business. I hope our feud ends here."

Nakada Shun nodded faintly, saying nothing.

In truth, the moment he killed Nomura, he had found peace. He considered Nakada Sono's revenge fulfilled, and as for Stone Ninja Village, as long as they didn't hinder his business in the future, he wouldn't go out of his way to provoke them.

Shortly after, Jiro and the others departed, carrying the bodies of Nomura and Kawakami.

From start to finish, they never once mentioned avenging Kawakami.

"My deepest thanks to you both," Nakada Shun said, bowing deeply to Naraku and Shisui after they had left.

He understood that if not for the two of them, the situation would have turned out very differently today.

"Thank you, Ninja-sama," the commoners of the caravan, realizing the crisis had been averted, also bowed to express their gratitude.

"Let's continue!"

Shisui waved his hand, then he and Naraku sat cross-legged on the cargo rack once more.

Seeing this, Nakada Shun said nothing further. After briefly bandaging his wounds, he signaled for the group to set off again.

So this is the world of ninjas, Naraku mused to himself.

The weak are prey to the strong, and the strong are revered; this was a world where might made right. Just as he had killed Kawakami, the people from the Stone Ninja Village didn't even dare to utter a word about it—such were the benefits brought by formidable strength.

This doesn't seem so bad, he thought, casting his gaze toward the distant east, where a golden sun radiated dazzling light, illuminating the entire world.

With the trouble from the Stone Ninja Village resolved, the caravan's journey proceeded smoothly, and a day later, they arrived at the border of the Land of Wind.

Naraku looked ahead, his vision filled with nothing but vast, swirling yellow sand, no different from the deserts of his past life.

In such a harsh environment, it's no wonder Sunagakure is always looking to start wars, Naraku thought to himself.

Upon entering the Land of Wind, Naraku noticed that the defenses here were quite lax, at least compared to the Land of Fire.

According to his senses, there was only one jonin guarding this area, with the rest being chunin.

Such defensive strength was practically non-existent to ninjas of Shisui and Kakashi's caliber, and even he was confident he could easily infiltrate the Land of Wind.

However, he soon realized the reason regarding the One-Tail and felt relieved; for any ninja village, the matter of a jinchuriki was the top priority, especially for Sunagakure.