"Yes, Akita, the situation on the island is getting worse and worse. Before you arrived, another murder occurred, and this time it was an entire family of more than 20 people who died. Including the previous ones, the death toll has exceeded one hundred."
At the moment of hearing Shinji Akita's question.
The expression on the officer's face clearly changed, and he spoke with a bitter look in his eyes.
Their facial expressions grew increasingly fearful.
As the military commander in charge of security on the island, he bears absolute responsibility for the horrific series of murders that occurred there and the fact that the case has remained unsolved for so long without even a trace being found. Not to mention that the first special envoy who came to the island to investigate a week ago died on the island. To put it bluntly, this security officer is truly to blame!
"This is all the result of my incompetence. I am willing to take full responsibility and accept any punishment!"
Wan suddenly lowered his head and continued.
"Alright, responsibility and punishment can wait until everything is over and we receive Lord Hirogane's orders. The focus now is on this case. Besides, it might not even be your fault. If the enemy is beyond your capabilities, it's normal not to find anything. That's why Lord Hirogane sent me here, and he also invited several ninja from Kirigakure to come along. We're sure we can get to the bottom of this, right, Lord Qing?"
Shinji Akita frowned and waved his hand, saying...
His last words were spoken with a smile, looking at Qing sitting to one side.
"Of course! Since we, the Mist Ninja, have accepted Lord Castle Guardian's mission, we will do everything in our power to complete it!"
Qing smiled faintly and replied.
"Ah? Yes, your subordinate will do his utmost to live up to the city lord's expectations!"
Wan, sitting to the side, lowered his head again and replied. As he looked up and down, he glanced at Qing seemingly unintentionally, and a strange light flashed in the depths of his pupils.
Qing, however, seemed oblivious to the taste.
On the contrary, Qi, who had been closely following behind Qing, keenly noticed this action of the garrison commander, and his brows furrowed slightly.
But it only lasted for less than a second.
Kei then regained his previous calm expression, completely unaware of this change in Kei's demeanor from Kisame Hoshigaki was standing to the side.
Only Mei Terumi glanced at Kei with a strange look, and then a faint look of contemplation flickered in her beautiful eyes.
"Okay, you lead the way. Let's go to the police station first and I need to see the files for all the past death cases!"
Shinji Akita clearly hadn't noticed his subordinate's actions. After nodding slightly, he directly gave the order to Wan.
It's already very late today. Even if we're in a hurry, it's impossible to go directly to the scene to investigate. Reviewing the previous case files first is the best option.
Regarding Shinji Akita's choice.
Ao naturally wouldn't say much. Their team's mission this time was very clear: to assist Shinji Akita's investigation and to deal with any potential enemy ninjas. Only when the situation truly escalated to that point would it be the right time for Team 7 to make their move.
"Yes, Akita!"
Immediately afterwards, the group, led by the garrison commander, headed straight for the garrison located in the southeast corner of the island, not far from the port.
And this happened shortly after Qi and his group arrived at Kujiraai Island.
Almost at the same time.
On a beach in the northeast of Kujiraai Island, a small boat arrived, from which seven or eight figures filed out.
The leader was a middle-aged man wearing a blue open-chested outfit and a black eye patch over his left eye. He looked like a bandit or pirate boss, but he also exuded a noble air, like a high-ranking aristocrat.
And it was at this moment that the middle-aged man appeared.
From the forest adjacent to the beach, more than ten figures immediately stepped out and quickly approached the middle-aged man.
When the middle-aged man's face could be clearly seen.
The dozen or so people also showed a hint of joy, and one by one they knelt on one knee and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Lord Matou!"
"Yes, all of you, get up. You've all worked hard these past years, lying in wait here!"
The middle-aged man named Matou also revealed a gentle smile that was completely out of character for his face. He bowed slightly and reached out to help the people in front of him.
"No, it's all for Lord Matou, it's all for our Land of Whales!"
These people, all with excited and thrilled expressions, looked up at their leader and responded in unison!
"Yes, that's right, it's all for our Land of Whales!"
Upon hearing his subordinate's words, Matou, showed a surge of excitement on his face and said in a deep voice.
24 years!
A full 24 years!
Matou, the former Land of Whales, was only eighteen years old when he was forced to leave his motherland. Having witnessed the destruction of his country and the death of his father in battle, Matou harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Land of Water and an even stronger obsession with restoring his kingdom!
National enmity and personal hatred!
He prepared for 24 years!
Today, they have finally ushered in a golden opportunity to restore their country!
"Is everything going well, Aguang?"
Matou looked at the dark-faced man with a black turban tied around his forehead, who had already stood up again and was standing at the front, and asked in a deep voice.
"Yes, Your Highness, everything is proceeding as planned. All those who should be killed have been wiped out, and the message has been relayed to the old subordinates we needed to contact. The only unexpected event was that the Yamamoto Clan refused to continue their loyalty to our Land of Whales and even betrayed us. Under these circumstances, I had no choice but to risk eliminating the Yamamoto Clan without consulting Your Highness. This is my fault!"
The dark-faced man also approached, responding with an apologetic expression.
"No, this was authorized by me, and your actions were correct. There's no need to blame yourself. Besides that, is there anything else? Especially regarding Fuyuki Castle, shouldn't they have sent a second group of people over by now? Have they gathered any specific intelligence?"
Matou shook his head slightly, then spoke with a serious expression.
"Yes, Your Highness. There's no accurate news yet from Fuyuki Castle, but it should be around soon. I heard that the garrison commander of Hirogane Castle seems to have sent someone to Kirigakure to issue a mission. If any Mist Ninja arrive, Your Highness, I'm worried it will affect our plans!"
The dark-faced man hesitated for a moment, then spoke with a hint of worry in his eyes.