Splash—
Summer rains usually did not last long. The downpour gradually weakened, turning into threads of silk that brought wave after wave of coolness.
At the center of Hidden Crafts Village, the surrounding buildings had been shattered in the earlier battle, leaving ruin and debris everywhere.
Enkō was already soaked through. He looked around, then sneered. "Village Chief Qingming, your way of negotiating is certainly unique."
All around him, numerous Hidden Crafts Village shinobi had Enkō surrounded. Every one of them held a ninja tool, yet despite being the ones encircling someone else, they all looked as though they faced a deadly enemy.
"Uchiha Enkō, you forced us into this." Since things had reached this point, Qingming chose to stop pretending. His voice carried long-suppressed fury. "You came in acting all high and mighty, trying to subdue us and use us for yourselves. Yet you never once asked what we thought, as if it were only natural. I want to ask: why?"
"Heh, why?" Enkō smiled and suddenly took a step forward.
Swish—
Everyone instinctively took a step back. Quite a few nervously swallowed, raindrops falling into their eyes, making it impossible to tell sweat from rain.
"See?" Enkō pointed at them. "Because you're too weak."
Qingming's expression stiffened, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the ninja-tool longsword in his hand.
Enkō continued, "That's how this world works. The strong rule, and weakness is the original sin. Even without our Flame Hidden Village, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and other powerful shinobi villages would come for you. In the end, you cannot escape the fate of submission."
"What nonsense!" Qingming shouted back. "How can you be sure we won't grow stronger and become an existence equal to the Five Great Shinobi Villages?"
"Maybe you will." Enkō shrugged. "But have you considered how long that would take? Fifty years? A hundred? Or several centuries? And how can you guarantee that something like this won't happen again during that time?"
"Why not choose someone strong to rely on? As they say, when one person rises, even their dogs and chickens ascend to heaven. Granted, Flame Hidden Village may not necessarily have the last laugh, but at least we have far more hope than you do."
"Hmph! Who knows whether Flame Hidden Village will tear down the bridge after crossing the river and abandon us once we've outlived our usefulness?" someone suddenly shouted from the crowd.
"If I stood here making this promise or that promise, you would probably still have your doubts. So there's no point in saying more. It depends on how you choose to gamble. Nothing comes without risk."
Though Enkō had not made any promises, his words instead caused many people to waver in their resolve. After all, he was not wrong. The Land of Crafts had too shallow a foundation, yet it possessed formidable forging abilities. That naturally made it a juicy piece of meat in others' eyes. The odds of their independent development being cut short were too great; they might as well find a more reliable backer.
"I think you're only saying this because you're afraid of dying at our hands." Murderous light flickered in Qingming's eyes. "If we kill you here, Flame Hidden Village and Kirigakure will surely go to war, and we can use that opportunity to develop ourselves."
"Heh." Enkō laughed disdainfully. "Let me put it this way. Given my two older brothers' personalities, if I die in your village, even if Kirigakure truly did it, not a single person from Hidden Crafts Village will survive."
"Besides, what makes you think I'll definitely die?"
As soon as his words fell, more than a dozen figures suddenly appeared before everyone. Chikuma was the first to reach Enkō's side, excitement plastered across his rugged face. "Boss, can we finally fight?"
Enkō's gaze was teasing. "Yeah, that depends on their choice. What do you think, Village Chief Qingming?"
Qingming's face turned extremely ugly, but he still persisted in shouting, "Don't be afraid, everyone! There are only a dozen of them, and Uchiha Enkō can't have much strength left. If we attack together, we can definitely kill them!"
"No! I don't want to take that risk!"
Just then, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "I think he's right. I don't want to keep living in fear like this. I want to join Flame Hidden Village!"
"Me too!"
"Same here!"
As more and more people chose to join Flame Hidden Village, Qingming's face immediately darkened. "Are you trying to rebel?!"
Enkō mocked, "Heh, looks like you haven't exactly won the people's hearts."
And that was indeed the truth. Hidden Crafts Village was not some clan-based shinobi village, but merely an organization established by many craftsmen with shared interests. In terms of unity, it could not compare to a clan that shared the same surname. It was perfectly normal for opposing voices to arise from differing ideals.
"Good, good, good." Qingming laughed in extreme rage. "Then I'll kill you first and see who still dares to side with Flame Hidden Village!"
Boom—
Qingming stomped hard on the ground and shot forward, smashing through the curtain of rain. His longsword moved like a serpent flicking its tongue, its chakra-laden blade trembling sharply amid the wind and rain as it thrust toward Enkō's heart!
"Boss, leave this to me!"
Chikuma could no longer restrain his desire for battle. He rushed forward first, two bone spikes emerging from his palms. His stance was ferocious, the fighting style of a brute who attacked without defending!
As the founder of Hidden Crafts Village, Qingming had some skill. Seeing Chikuma attempting to trade injury for injury, he flicked his sword upward midway, striking the incoming bone blades aside. Borrowing the force, he spun and swept a whip kick toward Chikuma's head!
Clang—
Chikuma never cared for technique in battle. Relying on the indestructible nature of Shikotsumyaku, he forcibly took Qingming's whip kick. His body merely swayed twice before he answered with a side kick of his own, striking Qingming squarely in the waist and abdomen!
Boom—
In terms of physique, Qingming was no match for Chikuma. That kick sent him flying. The people behind him instinctively scattered to either side, and Qingming crashed down at their feet.
"Huh?"
Chikuma gave his hand a strange look. During that brief exchange, it seemed Qingming's sword had swallowed a small portion of his chakra. But he did not dwell on it. Shaking his head, he charged in again!
Clang! Clang! Clang!—
The two continuously clashed, sending dazzling sparks bursting into the air.
The more Qingming fought, the more alarmed he became. His ninja tool could absorb an enemy's chakra, but the other man's Kekkei Genkai was simply too strange. He could not break through its defense at all. Meanwhile, more and more wounds had appeared on his own body. The people below seemed to be watching a show—none of them came forward to help. If this continued, he was definitely finished!
"No! I can't die here!"
Qingming forced Chikuma back with a sword strike, then suddenly turned and fled into the distance. But before he had taken ten steps, a faint sound came from the air!
Whoosh—
A shuriken buried itself deep into the ground, almost a third of its length driven in. A horrifying smear of crimson stained its edge!
Carried forward by momentum, Qingming ran two more steps before dropping to his knees with a thud. He clutched his throat tightly as blood gushed between his fingers. Turning back toward Enkō, who had just lowered his hand, his eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Don't forget, the Uchiha Clan is also skilled in shuriken techniques."
After dealing with Qingming, Enkō looked at the Hidden Crafts Village people watching him and said calmly, "Then, welcome to Flame Hidden Village, everyone."
"Greetings, Lord Enkō!"
Listening to their enthusiastic cheers, Enkō raised his head and looked into the distance, toward the direction of Lightning Country.
"I wonder how things are going with my second brother."
Before you continue