There was still time

As Kazuhiko Sarutobi finished speaking, his killing intent instantly locked onto the samurai nearest him. Under its overwhelming pressure, even these well-trained warriors felt a flicker of fear.

The journey to escort Shinhiko Kōzuki would take roughly half a month, during which they were bound to encounter all sorts of ambushes. If these samurai continued to look down on Kazuhiko and the others, the two sides would never be able to cooperate properly. At a critical moment, these arrogant samurai might even become obstacles to their efforts to protect Shinhiko.

Rather than swallow the insult, it was better to show the samurai their strength and earn their respect right at the start of the escort mission. That was why Madara Uchiha had struck the samurai, and Kazuhiko Sarutobi, understanding his intent, had seized the opportunity to step forward as well.

"Enough, enough. This ninja is quite right. Since I hired them, I trust that they can be of use in escorting me. To belittle them is to belittle my judgment. Do you intend to kill one another before we even encounter an enemy?"

Seeing that the confrontation was about to turn into a fight, Shinhiko Kōzuki, who had been sitting in his palanquin and watching the situation closely, spoke up.

"We would never dare!"

At Shinhiko Kōzuki's words, the samurai who had drawn their swords sheathed their Samurai Swords in perfect unison and respectfully stepped aside. Even the samurai whom Madara Uchiha had kicked back two paces let go of his anger and instantly regained his composure.

It was easy to see how much authority Shinhiko Kōzuki commanded among these samurai.

"Young man of the Uchiha Clan, come here. Perhaps it is because my ancestors once worked with your clan, but I have quite a fondness for you."

After quelling