Princess-style bullying

Upon hearing the name Ryuuzaki Eiji, all eyes immediately turned to them.

"Ryuuzaki Eiji? It must be that Ryuuzaki Eiji, right?"

"That's amazing! Father says he might be the strongest Shinobi World right now!"

The surrounding noble ladies immediately began to discuss it animatedly.

The Princess of the Land of Water trotted up to Kushina, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her. "Wow, you're actually quite familiar with that Ryuuzaki Eiji!? Um, could you introduce me to him? I'll trade you some pretty jewelry!"

The Princess of the Land of Earth watched from afar, a look of envy on her face as she looked at Kushina.

The Princess of the Land of Lightning cast a probing glance at Kushina.

Ryuuzaki Eiji is now a prominent figure in the Shinobi World. Rumor has it that he is extremely handsome, kind-hearted, and possesses unparalleled strength.

At such a young age, he already possesses the astonishing feat of killing the Third Raikage, a powerful Shinobi World, making him the ideal partner in the fantasies of countless girls.

"Ryuuzaki Eiji, right? He seems to have made a name for himself lately, but in the end, he's just a lowly Ninja, right? I don't think taking down two hundred people is anything special."

Shinka raised her hand and brushed aside the large, spiraling golden hair on one side, speaking with disdain.

"My father ordered samurai to kill far more people than this. Why is someone who could be killed with a mere word being so lavishly praised? Everyone's exaggerating him as some kind of extraordinary being. I bet the news about him killing the Raikage is fabricated too."

Sayuri: "?"

What was her mindset when she said such a thing?

After a brief moment of thought, Sayuri finally understood. She probably thought that the Raikage was also human, and that humans would die if they were killed.

Girls like her, born into nobility and Guard by samurai, knew very little about Ninjas.

She must have thought that Ninjutsu was just like swordsmanship, so even if she had killed a village's Kage, it would only sound impressive.

But that's not actually the case at all; truly skilled Ninjas can move mountains and fill seas.

Sayuri felt that if she hadn't gone to watch Eiji's match with her father, her impression of Ninjas might have been similar to that of Shinka Shinazugawa.

After all, the main protectors were samurai, but the more this was the case, the more Sayuri felt that it would be easy for Ninjas to kill Daimyo if they wanted to. Perhaps her father understood this very well, which is why he was so eager to build good relations with the Ninjas.

However, it seems that not everyone knows this; they know too little about the power of Ninjas and overestimate the power of samurai.

Kushina glanced at Sayuri on the left and then at Shinka on the right, tilting her head with a thoughtful expression.

Then she suddenly slammed her little fist into her palm, and exclaimed in realization, "I get it! This blonde drill-wielding woman must be an idiot!"

Upon hearing this, Shinka immediately flew into a rage. "Blonde Drill Girl--!? How dare you give me such an awful nickname!? What an ill-mannered person! This is the most fashionable aristocratic hairstyle right now. I just like to follow the trend! What do you, a pitiful woman who has lost her country, know?" Shinka pulled out a white handkerchief from somewhere and bit it angrily.

"That's why I said I didn't want to be around down-on-their-luck people; it makes the air feel polluted!"

She turned her face away, looking displeased, and took out a small fan to fan herself incessantly, as if trying to fan away her unhappiness.

"Miss, Lady Mito is still alive. Being too rude will only cause trouble."

One of the girls from the Branch Family behind her stepped forward to remind her.

"I know, that's why I gave her face. Otherwise, I would have had her thrown out long ago if she were that stupid!"

Shinka pressed his palm to his forehead, pushed aside his golden bangs, and looked at Kushina with the gaze one would give a nobody. "To actually choose to get so close to a Ninja, you're really disgracing our noble class."

"So what if Ninjas? Ninjas are incredibly powerful!"

Kushina retorted.

"Sigh, that's why I said country bumpkins really don't understand anything. Listen carefully, we are nobles, a prestigious group that allocates funds to Ninjas. Without us, Ninjas would immediately lose their jobs, and Villages would be invaded by other Villages. Therefore, we are the ones in power, understand?"

Within the Shinobi World aristocracy, Ninjas were actually considered a very low-class group. Although nobles were protected by Ninjas, they were still looked down upon.

"Hmph, I am of very high status, and I will definitely marry into the main family in the Future. I think you can only marry Ninja."

"Got it, you red-haired idiot? I don't have time to waste on your ridiculous antics. If you feel too ashamed, just run away. Anyway, the Land of Wind will be the victor in this war. Let's go, hehehe--!"

As the drill-wielding woman drove away, Kushina gritted her teeth in anger.

If it weren't for the need to pass the test smoothly, she would have planted this annoying thing in the ground long ago!

"What? All you do is look down on people! Sayuri, is being Ninja a lowly profession?"

"That's not true. They've just been taught that way since they were little, which is why they think that way. They're not inherently evil."

Hearing Sayuri say that, Kushina's mood improved somewhat.

Kushina was not discouraged by the harsh words she was met with upon arriving here; instead, it spurred her on.

Good...!

Eiji is working hard on the battlefield, and we can't let him down here. Let's show our perseverance, Kushina!

◇

A forested area within the Land of Fire.

A group of Sand Village ninjas are currently lying in ambush in the woods.

"Lord Kazekage, are we really going to do this? If we stay in the Land of Fire for too long, there's a possibility of being attacked from both sides, and the Third Hokage's whereabouts are still unclear."

A Sand Village ninja spoke to the ninja beside him who wore a white cloak, had dark blue hair, and sharp eyes.

"Don't worry, as long as Konoha isn't in Hokage straits, Hiruzen Sarutobi won't leave Konoha. In other words, in terms of combat strength, we have the advantage from the very beginning, having given our all."

Upon hearing his own Kage's words, the Sand Village ninja fell silent.

Lord Kazekage has recently been getting very close to a man wearing Tiger-Skin Mask, and their recent military operations have almost all revolved around intelligence gathered from this man.

He claimed that he possessed Ninjutsu that allowed him to safely obtain intelligence. He initially doubted the authenticity of the information, but with so many reports hitting the bullseye without exception, it was clear that the other party truly had connections.

But will it really go that smoothly?

The sound of horses' hooves and wheels rolling on the road came from afar. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Konoha Ninja squad escorting a shipment of goods, heading towards the Konoha camp.

Seeing the convoy approaching, the Third Kazekage said in a deep voice, "Be prepared. Try to keep the enemy at bay and give them time to pass on the intelligence."

If we're lucky, we can lure and kill the important figures in the Konoha camp. This way, we can wipe out Konoha Ninjas from the Land of Rain battlefield. At worst, we can at least get rid of them.

If I go out, it might affect the enemy's judgment, so I'll have to trouble you guys.