Instant Kill

Besides the two men, there was also a beautiful young girl in the corner of the carriage, her hands bound and her mouth gagged. She was Goto Yurika, the daughter of the Daimyo of Cherry Blossom Country and its Princess.

She had chestnut-colored long hair, with a purple hairpin pinned at her forehead, revealing her smooth brow. Beneath it were a pair of beautiful lake-green beautiful eyes. She wore a purple long skirt that outlined her graceful figure, with an ornate white sash tied around her waist. Everything about her looked exceptionally precious and noble.

Though she had been born into wealth and had enjoyed brocade clothes and jade food since childhood, she appeared remarkably mature. Even now, after being kidnapped by three vicious Ninja, her gaze remained calm, without the slightest panic. Yet deep in her eyes, there was still a trace of dim sorrow.

This was not the first time Goto Yurika had been kidnapped. At some point, her life had ceased to be peaceful. Her formerly tranquil days had gradually drifted away, and wave after wave of Ninja had come to attack her. Fortunately, the Ninja who had tried to abduct her before had all been driven back by her guards. This time, however, she had not been so lucky. These three were simply too strong. Even with numerous Ninja guards at her side, they had been unable to stop them. Quite a few guards who had been close to her in ordinary times had been killed by these three men.

She understood very well why the three men had abducted her. In recent years, Cherry Blossom Country's rapid development, abundant resources, and wealth had made many neighboring countries covet it. She knew that Cherry Blossom Country's military strength was extremely weak. Although the surrounding countries were all stronger than Cherry Blossom Country, defeating it completely would still cost them dearly. Moreover, those countries remained wary of one another. No one wanted to be the mantis while another became the oriole behind it, and no one wished to let someone else reap the rewards. That was why this fragile balance had endured.

Though they could not act openly, there was no shortage of covert schemes. As the only daughter of the Daimyo of Cherry Blossom Country, she had naturally become the target of those nations. Everyone knew how dearly the Daimyo cherished his only daughter. Killing her would accomplish nothing beyond enraging him, but if they kidnapped her and used her as a hostage, they could make him hesitate and force him to obediently hand over the country's resources and wealth. That was their goal. After all, conquering Cherry Blossom Country completely by force was unrealistic.

The carriage suddenly sped up. The sound of horse hooves striking the ground and splashing rainwater could be heard clearly, along with the men's conversation.

"Third brother, faster!! We need to leave this area quickly. Their Ninja may be weak, but there are far more of them than us. They'll be trouble sooner or later!!" Big Brother said.

"Big Brother is right. We're still within Cherry Blossom Country's borders, so the sooner we leave, the better!! And if the Daimyo of Cherry Blossom Country hires Ninja from the Five Great Nations, we'll be in trouble!!" Second brother agreed with a nod.

In this world, the Ninja Villages of the Five Great Nations had branch offices in many countries. If people from those countries wanted to hire Ninja from the Five Great Nations, they only needed to go to one of those branch offices and submit a mission. The branch office would relay the request back to its village, which would then send Ninja to carry out the mission in those countries.

It was impossible for everyone who wished to hire Ninja to make a special trip to the main village. That would be far too troublesome and expensive, something many people living far away could not afford. Not everyone who hired Ninja from the Five Great Nations was immensely wealthy.

Goto Yurika silently watched the two men speak, her eyes quiet as she wondered what to think.

"What are you looking at, you bitch?!" Big Brother's face turned cold as he spoke in a sinister voice.

"Hehe, Big Brother, now that I look closely, this woman really is quite a beauty. I've only seen a few women with this kind of bearing in my life. If we didn't need to hand her over to our employer for the reward, I'd really like to have some fun with her." Second brother's tiny eyes narrowed slightly, and a lecherous gleam flashed through his sinister gaze.

"Hmph!!! Don't act on your own. Nothing can happen to this woman!!" Eldest brother said coldly. "Yes, yes, I understand!!" Second brother replied with a laugh, waving his hand.

"But even if the Daimyo of Cherry Blossom Country hires Ninja from the Five Great Nations, it'll already be too late. By then, we'll have handed this woman over to the employer. The three of us brothers will have long since gone off somewhere to enjoy ourselves!! Hahahaha..." Second brother laughed loudly.

"That's true." Big Brother's vicious face also broke into a smile. Hearing the two men, the Princess's expression grew even sadder. If I died, I wouldn't cause trouble for Father, and I wouldn't become a bargaining chip to threaten him, would I?

But at that moment, a sound of breaking air suddenly came from outside the carriage. A scream immediately resounded across the entire ancient road. "Ah!!!!"

"What?! Third brother!!!" The two men in the carriage instantly changed expression. "What happened?!" They leaped out of the carriage and saw that the burly man who had been driving was already slumped against it. His eyes were wide open, filled with terror. A thin red line marked his neck, from which blood continuously poured. The blood dripped onto the ground, mixing with the rainwater in a glaringly vivid sight. A bloodstained kunai was embedded beside the carriage door.

"How is that possible?! Third brother was killed instantly?!" Second brother's face changed dramatically as he stared in shock at the dead burly man, unable to speak. Even Eldest brother, who had always been calm and composed, was filled with shock.

"Those useless fools from Cherry Blossom Country couldn't possibly have caught up so quickly, much less killed Third brother in an instant. Could it be Ninja from the Five Great Nations?! Impossible. Kumogakure, the closest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages to Cherry Blossom Country, may not be far from this country, but it would still take at least two days to travel here!! How could they have appeared so quickly?! Who the hell is this?!" Though Eldest brother's face was full of shock, his mind had already begun racing.