"So that's why he gave up on Chiriku and chose me."
"This is the Daimyō's last desperate attempt to resist, but what does that have to do with me?"
"Somewhere else, I'll still be a lofty ninja lord who wants for nothing."
"A wise bird chooses its tree. Compared with the Land of Fire, I'd naturally choose Xuanyin, which is now at the height of its power."
"As long as I can establish myself in the Shinobi World, it doesn't matter who unifies it!"
Kazuma's eyes were filled with fervor.
If not for his political ambitions, a ninja of his strength would never have needed to play a clown at court for everyone to mock.
He only needed to stand there, and praise and glory would come pouring in.
But he couldn't accept it!
There had clearly been a golden opportunity to unify the Shinobi World, yet a bunch of incompetent allies in the Land of Fire had dragged things down to this outcome. Now they wanted him to fight the Uchiha?
Why hadn't they done it sooner?
Kazuma's face was full of mockery.
When his political ideals could not be put into practice, he had chosen not to leave, but to humor the Daimyō, all for this opportunity today.
He had now become the Land of Fire's highest military commander, wielding control over twenty thousand samurai trained with the resources of the entire country.
His circumstances were entirely different from before.
Had he defected to Xuandou yesterday, he would merely have added one insignificant jōnin to Xuanyin's fighting strength.
Even his most exceptional resurrection technique paled before the improved Impure World Reincarnation. There was simply no comparison.
At most, his special status as a Guardian Ninja would have let him serve as a spy at the Daimyō's side.
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