I came to Kusagakure for just three things!

Karin's worries were, of course, unnecessary.

How could the worthless rabble of Kusagakure, who didn't even have a Kage-level fighter, deal with Uzumaki Shixia as he was now?

Uzumaki Shixia smiled at Karin's words.

"It's better if they go back and report. That'll get Kusagakure's leaders nervous."

"Once those leaders gather to discuss their response, we can take them all out in one fell swoop."

"Otherwise, Kusagakure has a tangled web of forces and factions."

"I don't even know who all their leaders are."

"If they don't gather in one place, we'll have to waste time tracking them down."

Uzumaki Shixia's words left Kakuzu and Karin exchanging looks.

Neither of them had expected that this was why Uzumaki Shixia had left the ninja ambushing them in the woods ahead alone.

Inside Kusagakure, the village's leaders were indeed growing nervous.

They had previously received intelligence that Karin, an important strategic resource of Kusagakure, had been abducted by a ninja from Amegakure.

What was more, the man had been brazenly parading around with Karin at his side ever since.

This was intolerable!

Keeping Karin openly by his side was clearly a blatant provocation against Kusagakure.

Though Kusagakure was rife with corruption and chaos, its leaders could still reach a consensus on Karin.

They had to kill the red-haired Amegakure ninja who had abducted her and reclaim their important strategic resource.

Kusagakure couldn't afford to provoke Konoha or Kirigakure, but surely they could handle a mere Amegakure?

Did he think Amegakure was still under the rule of Hanzo of the Salamander, the demigod?

Of course, Kusagakure's leaders had no idea that, after Hanzo of the Salamander was gone...

Amegakure hadn't become a pushover. It wasn't even the iron wall it had once been-it had become a wall of steel!

Even Kage-level ninja from the Five Great Nations might not escape unscathed if they went there to stir up trouble.

Kusagakure, the meeting room.

Kusagakure's leader, Chenye, its many elders, and the heads of the village's various factions were all present.

Chenye looked at a Kusagakure Anbu ninja and said,

"Go over the intelligence we gathered earlier for everyone."

The Kusagakure Anbu ninja, covered from head to toe, spoke in an emotionless voice.

"The ninja previously dispatched to retaliate against Amegakure and retrieve Karin have been wiped out."

"All twenty-two ninja, including the two jonin leading them, are now dead."

"According to the intelligence our Anbu gathered, their killer was the red-haired ninja who abducted Karin."

"His name is Uzumaki Shixia. He comes from Amegakure and has been very active in the Amegakure Black Market recently."

"He is now heading toward Kusagakure with his companion and Karin."

Once the Kusagakure Anbu ninja finished his report, everyone was shocked!

All the ninja they had sent to retaliate against Amegakure, including the two jonin leading them, were dead?

Although a small Shinobi Village's jonin might only rank among the weakest jonin in a major Shinobi Village, or even be no stronger than top-tier chunin.

But to Kusagakure's leaders, their village's jonin were still formidable.

This hadn't happened because their jonin were weaklings, but because the enemy was simply too powerful!

Kusagakure's leaders immediately began speaking up.

"Is the intelligence accurate?"

"That Amegakure ninja named Uzumaki Shixia killed twenty-two of our ninja single-handedly?"

"Why is Uzumaki Shixia bringing Karin to Kusagakure? Is he walking into a trap?"

"How many are there? Who is the companion with Uzumaki Shixia?"

The meeting room in Kusagakure grew noisy.

Only Mui, dressed in a reddish-brown cloak, remained calm.

All he wanted now was to capture a tailed beast, extract an enormous amount of chakra, and open that damned ninja tool.

He didn't particularly care about Kusagakure's other affairs.

He had also heard of the ninja named Uzumaki Shixia.

The man seemed to be a ninja who valued money over his own life, always either carrying out a mission or on his way to one.

Capturing a tailed beast through his own strength would be extremely difficult.

Perhaps I could work with Uzumaki Shixia?

"Silence!"

As everyone argued, the Kusagakure Village Chief, Chenye, spoke up.

Chenye looked around the meeting room and waited until everyone quieted down before continuing.

"The intelligence gathered by the Anbu is reliable!"

"The urgent question is, how do we deal with the enemy?"

Their Kusagakure had no gatekeepers like Konoha's Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki.

With those two around, even the Six Paths of Pain hadn't dared use the main gate when attacking Konoha.

After Chenye posed his question, a Kusagakure elder stood up.

This elder wore a reddish-brown cloak similar to Mui's.

On his head was a horse-shaped zodiac Ninja Tool mask, black with yellow markings, which concealed his true appearance.

His name was Oniuma, and he was one of Kusagakure's most senior elders.

After rising, Elder Ghost Horse also looked around before speaking in a low voice.

"If he could single-handedly kill twenty-two ninja led by two Kusagakure jonin, his strength must be extraordinary!"

"Even in a major shinobi village, such a ninja would probably be among those closest to becoming a Kage!"

At the elder's words, Mui's face twitched as he sat off to one side of the meeting room.

Did these people really know so little about the outside world?

Any jonin from the Five Great Shinobi Villages could easily deal with a squad like that.

As Mui inwardly lamented their ignorance, Chenye turned his gaze toward him.

"Mui, what do you think?"

Mui replied casually,

"Ask him what he wants first. Find out why he's coming to Kusagakure, then decide."

Mui's opinion was soon drowned out by the other Kusagakure leaders.

"Nonsense!"

"He's already brought the fight to Kusagakure! How could we possibly talk things out with him?"

"Besides, he killed twenty-two of our ninja. He has to die here in Kusagakure!"

"Exactly! We must kill him, or the village's business will suffer!"

"My subordinate, Hatta Shinichi, can kill Uzumaki Shixia!"

Hatta Shinichi, a Kusagakure jonin wearing the village's forehead protector, was bewildered.

Was I really that strong?

How come I didn't know?

Though Kusagakure's meeting room was in chaos, everyone had more or less reached a consensus.

Since Uzumaki Shixia had dared kill their ninja and even bring Karin, Kusagakure's important strategic resource, to their village to provoke them...

They would make sure Uzumaki Shixia never left alive!

They would also make Amegakure understand that it was no longer the village ruled by Hanzo of the Salamander, the Demigod of the Ninja World!

Chenye immediately gave his orders.

"Hatta Shinichi, and every Kusagakure jonin not currently on a mission."

"Deploy alongside all our elite Anbu to intercept the enemy!"

"Make certain you kill Uzumaki Shixia and the Amegakure ninja beside him, then bring Karin back!"

At Chenye's command, Hatta Shinichi and the other Kusagakure jonin immediately saluted, then vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

At Kusagakure's entrance, Uzumaki Shixia strolled boldly inside with Karin.

"Let's go to your house first. Pack up everything you want to take."

"When we leave, we can bring your belongings back to Amegakure."

Uzumaki Shixia spoke to Karin as he walked.

Karin obediently nodded.

Once the three of them reached the place where Karin and her mother had once lived, Karin hurried to pack her things.

Her home had hardly contained anything to begin with, and other ninja had paid it a visit while she was away.

Everything inside had been rummaged through and left in a mess.

Looking around the familiar room, Karin silently shed tears as she packed.

Just then, Kusagakure's ninja arrived outside, led by the village's elite jonin Hatta Shinichi and the Anbu commander.

When Karin sensed their arrival, she nervously ran to the window to look.

Then she saw Uzumaki Shixia standing with his arms casually folded, talking to Kakuzu.

"Kakuzu, you should pitch in once in a while, even if it's just for show."

"The organization assigned this mission to both of us, after all. You can't sit back and watch the whole time, can you?"

As Uzumaki Shixia finished speaking, Kakuzu raised his hand and flicked it.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three kunai flew out, instantly piercing the throats of three Kusagakure ninja.

The kunai continued straight through their bodies, brutally killing another three Kusagakure ninja behind them.

"What?"

Kakuzu's move stunned the Kusagakure ninja.

Of course, after their brief shock, they still chose to attack!

"Kill them!"

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

As the Kusagakure ninja rapidly formed hand seals and unleashed their ninjutsu...

Uzumaki Shixia wasted no time. He raised his foot and stomped on the ground.

"Lightning Release: Earth Flow!"

Bzzzz-

Crackle!

Blue arcs of electricity raced wildly across the surrounding ground.

In the next instant, countless azure lightning serpents electrocuted the Kusagakure ninja, dropping them in swathes.

Only a handful, including Kusagakure's elite jonin Hatta Shinichi, evaded it with the Body Flicker Technique.

"Lightning Finger!"

Uzumaki Shixia raised his hand and pointed, sending a bolt of lightning through Hatta Shinichi's shoulder in an instant.

Several more bolts followed, and the Kusagakure elites fell one after another like dumplings dropped into a pot, twitching on the ground.

Uzumaki Shixia then looked at the Kusagakure Anbu commander, who could barely still move, and said,

"Go bring all of Kusagakure's leaders here. I have something to tell them."

"Of course, they can refuse to come. In that case, I'll have no choice but to destroy Kusagakure completely."

The Anbu commander didn't dare delay. He practically scrambled away on all fours.

Not long after the Anbu commander left, nearly all of Kusagakure's leaders arrived.

By now, they were certain that the enemy invading Kusagakure was no ordinary jonin!

When Chenye arrived, he couldn't help feeling surprised.

Uzumaki Shixia was very young. It was Chenye's first time seeing such a young Kage-level ninja.

"What brings you to Kusagakure, sir?"

Though extremely nervous, Chenye forced himself to speak.

Uzumaki Shixia held up three fingers.

"I came to Kusagakure for just three things!"

"First, I demand that Kusagakure execute those responsible for Karin's mother's death."

"Second, from now on, Kusagakure will become a vassal of Amegakure."

"Third, where is Mui? I want to discuss a business deal with him."

After hearing Uzumaki Shixia's words, Chenye flew into a rage.

"You've gone too far!"