Their swords had not even left their sheaths.
A black shadow flashed past.
Then came a second.
The bodies of several samurai at the front froze in place, and a thin line of blood slowly appeared across their necks.
"Thud."
Heavy armor and lifeless bodies crashed onto the polished floor together with a dull boom.
Blood spread across the luxurious carpet like blooming red plum blossoms.
The remaining guards all wore undisguised looks of horror.
This was what ninjas were.
This was Uchiha's elite.
"T-Treason! This is treason!"
The guard captain shrieked fiercely, though his body kept retreating.
The response he received was a pair of cold, blood-red eyes, each spinning with three tomoe.
The next second, the guard captain's body moved against his will, turning the samurai sword in his hand and viciously plunging it into the chest of the companion beside him.
"Argh!"
The scream utterly tore apart the banquet's facade.
The nobles huddled in the corners in terror, trembling uncontrollably.
"Stop!"
Amid the chaos, a voice as steady as a mountain suddenly rang out.
A resolute-looking man dressed in monk's robes stepped out from behind the Daimyo.
With his palms pressed together, he stood before the Daimyo and calmly watched Uchiha Yao.
Chiriku.
The abbot of the Temple of Fire, a powerful ninja whose strength rivaled that of a Kage.
"Uchiha Yao, you have crossed the line."
"His Highness the Daimyo is the symbol of the Land of Fire."
"To harm him is to make an enemy of the entire Land of Fire."
Uchiha Yao looked at the monk who had suddenly appeared.
"A symbol?"
Uchiha Yao gave a soft laugh, his voice filled with undisguised contempt.
"A parasite that does nothing but suck the lifeblood from the nation deserves to be called a symbol?"
"It seems