"Lord Hanzō, this is intelligence sent from the Land of Fire!"
"Mm. Leave it here!"
Hanzō spoke flatly, then quickly opened it.
"Damn it! These cults actually dare to stir up trouble in the Land of Rain? Do they think I don't exist?" Hanzō slammed his fist hard against the table in fury.
"Lord Hanzō, what do you intend to do now?"
"I originally thought jōnin Xiliu had died at the hands of the Wind shinobi. Now it seems this cult's strength can't be underestimated either." Hanzō forced down his anger and pondered.
He had finally managed to sign a peace agreement with the Land of Fire and repel the Land of Earth's invasion, only for a cult to emerge now. Hanzō couldn't help wondering whether his original decision had truly been wrong. Perhaps he shouldn't have used war to expand his territory, leaving internal troubles to erupt just as the external threats subsided.
"Hakai, notify all the village's Ninja. Prepare to accompany me to Corona City in the Western Region and wipe out this cult. I will never allow the Land of Rain to split apart!"
"Yes, Lord Hanzō!"
As the village's Ninja swiftly assembled, Hanzō felt bitter at the sight of fewer than a thousand of them. Before the war, Amegakure had possessed more than two thousand Ninja. After several battles, they had gained little, while their losses could only be described as devastating.
Was I truly wrong? No! In the end, we were simply too weak. War is the only way to obtain more resources. I merely misjudged our strength. Hanzō clenched his fists at that thought. Once I've quelled this internal unrest, I must increase both the number and strength of the village's Ninja.
"Move out!"
"Yes!"
The many Ninja asked no further questions and followed Hanzō without hesitation, swiftly setting out for Corona City.
"Ria, the merchant association is running smoothly now! Reilly really is an excellent merchant!" Meli said leisurely as she sipped freshly brewed black tea.
Beside Ria sat a huge pile of documents, which she was busily reviewing without even lifting her head. The black tea Meli had brewed for her had long since gone cold in the increasingly chilly weather.
At Meli's words, Ria paused briefly. Perhaps her throat had grown dry after working for so long; she picked up the cold black tea beside her and gulped it down.
"Honestly! Meli, help me out too!" Ria couldn't help complaining as she watched Meli leisurely sipping her piping-hot tea beside her.
"Oh! Right, I remember I still need to prepare lunch for everyone. Xiao Cao, Xiao Shu, and the others should be coming back from training soon, shouldn't they?" With that, she made to get up and prepare lunch.
It wasn't that she didn't want to help Ria. She simply wasn't as adept as Ria at handling administrative matters. She feared that instead of helping, she might make a mistake that Ria would have to fix herself. Where would that leave her dignity as the older sister?
"No, don't go! Meli!" Ria wailed, looking at Meli with big, pleading eyes.
Meli turned slightly, a smile appearing on her lovely face, and raised a little fist toward Ria. "Keep at it, our Little Bishop! No slacking off. I'll go make you something delicious and call you when it's ready."
Watching Meli turn to leave, Ria looked at the documents, more than half of which remained unfinished, and slumped helplessly over the desk, whimpering, "This is so hard!"
Just then, the office door suddenly opened, and Mina hurried in anxiously. Seeing Meli about to leave, she dipped into a slight curtsy to greet her, then turned to Ria with an urgent expression and said:
"Bishop, we have trouble! According to reports from the merchant associations along the route, a large number of Ninja from the Land of Rain are heading our way!"
Ria immediately sat upright and quickly regained her composure. "Do we know why?"
"Not yet. We only know that they're led by Hanzō, the Kage of Amegakure."
Meli stopped in her tracks as well and turned around gravely. "Looks like I won't be making lunch today."
"Mina, notify the Holy Light Clerics in the city to assemble. This will determine who holds control over the Land of Rain!"
"Yes, Bishop Ria!" With that, Mina headed to the center of the Magic Tower to notify everyone to assemble at the Holy Church.
"Ria! Are you confident?" Meli looked at Ria solemnly.
"Don't worry, Meli! The Holy Church is no longer something any shinobi village can push around! This time, we'll teach Hanzō a painful lesson!"
"All mid-ranking and High-Rank Holy Light Clerics, assemble at the Holy Church plaza immediately!"
"All mid-ranking and High-Rank Holy Light Clerics, assemble at the Holy Church plaza immediately!"
The bustling city suddenly fell silent. People turned toward the Holy Church, unease showing in their eyes.
The Holy Light Clerics who had been chatting with others hurriedly said goodbye to their friends, went home to put on their equipment, and gathered in twos and threes into larger groups, swiftly converging on the center of the Holy Church.
The low-ranking Holy Light Clerics on duty along the route immediately cleared the civilians from the streets so the assembling troops wouldn't knock into them.
Watching one unit after another of Holy Light Clerics march in orderly ranks, clad in gleaming armor, the people realized for the first time just how many mid- and high-ranking Holy Light Clerics lived in the city. They had never really noticed before. After all, the Holy Light Clerics ordinarily lived just like everyone else. Without their armor, there was no way to tell they were powerful professionals.
Suddenly, a thunderous cry erupted from the crowd. "Long live the Holy Light! May the Holy Light endure forever!"
"Long live the Holy Light! May the Holy Light endure forever!"
Although they didn't know what kind of enemy they faced this time, after several months together, the city's people had fully accepted these troops who were always looking out for them.
There were the Holy Knights who took the lead in helping everyone build new homes and settle refugees.
There were the Holy Armored Ones who always earnestly taught them how to farm and operate machinery to work more efficiently, carrying great hammers on their backs as they did the hardest, most exhausting work and built irrigation works.
And there were the Priests who always smiled as they warmly treated the gravely ill, as well as the Holy Cantors whose soothing music sounded punctually every morning.
All these scenes constantly comforted hearts already shattered by war. The bright sunshine they enjoyed now was so wonderful. Whoever the enemy might be, the people hoped that a force like the Holy Church could remain forever.
Ria stood on the balcony of the recently built Level Three Holy Church, watching the mid-ranking and High-Rank Holy Light Clerics arrive unit after unit. As she listened to the fervent cries erupting throughout the city, the corners of her mouth couldn't help lifting slightly.
She was extremely confident about the approaching Ninja. Looking at the roughly five legions of Holy Light Clerics gathered below the balcony, Ria wanted to say, How could we possibly lose?
As for why they weren't leaving the city to meet the enemy this time, it was to demonstrate the Holy Church's strength to all the city's people, letting those who followed it know that it had the power to protect them.
"The First Knight Legion is fully assembled. One thousand present!" Axel reported loudly.
"The Second Knight Legion is fully assembled..." Rich reported.
"The Second Priest Legion is fully assembled..." Mina reported.
"The Third Armored Legion is fully assembled..." Iron Mountain reported.
"The Fourth Mixed Legion is fully assembled..." Kumata reported.
"The Fifth Mixed Special Operations Legion is fully assembled..." Meli reported.
Before you continue