Five days later
Yamakawa Castle in the Land of Rivers is the capital of the Land of Rivers, and the Daimyo Prefecture is located there, making it naturally the most densely populated area.
The guards of Yamakawa Castle said that because of the gathering of various forces, the people in the city were avoiding the area and were hiding in their homes. Some had even quietly left, making the streets look very deserted, with not a single person in sight.
Representatives from various forces in the north had arrived, each looking fierce and dressed in peculiar attire, carrying their own ninja tools, which added a touch of liveliness to Yamakawa Castle.
At this moment, three people slowly walked out of a gate in Yamakawa Castle. The one in the lead was wearing a pink embroidered haori and a straw hat. Beside him were a fat man and a man with strange patterns painted on his face. They were Kyōai and Ai.
Choji looked around at the closed shops and complained, "Ugh, where did everyone go? There's not a single shop left, and I've eaten all the potato chips I brought."
Kankuro stared at the menacing-looking people around him. "Now, all that's left in this city are the villains who came to attend the meeting."
Kyōai, "The residents have all gone into hiding, but from now on, we can't be careless. We came prepared, but others might also have ulterior motives. After all, the Land of Rivers is still a paradise for missing-nin."
The three talked as they walked slowly toward Daming Prefecture, standing out conspicuously on the quiet streets.
At that moment, several samurai clad in black iron armor approached, their eyes fixed on Kyōai, clearly indicating they were there for them.
"Yo, isn't this the recently popular Nuclear Ninja Village? What, you brought just two kids? Oh? Sand Ninja? Konoha? Not bad, bringing ninjas from a major ninja village. Are you afraid of getting killed?"
Kankuro, whose temper was already extremely volatile, couldn't possibly remain calm after being called a brat, "This guy is too arrogant, should we kill him?"
Choji was a little flustered. " Kankuro, isn't this a bad idea?"
Kyōai instructed, " Kankuro, don't be impulsive, let me handle this."
"Hmph, what's wrong? Didn't you want to wipe us out? I'm standing right in front of you now, you can try."
Kyōai, "Oh, so it's who it is. It's the leader of the Crow Clan, Crow Kuroha."
Among the forces that have not been eliminated in the Land of Rivers, there are three major forces. The most powerful of them is the Crow Clan, which is located in the north of the Land of Rivers. The next most powerful are the Red Iron Clan in the northwest and the Tengu Organization in the northeast.
These three major forces are all classified as red forces on the map of the Nuclear Ninja Village. Each of them has annexed other smaller forces in the surrounding area, forming their own sphere of influence and controlling a large amount of mineral resources.
Because of the geographical location of the Land of Rivers, the north is very close to the surrounding countries, so the forces in the north are much stronger than those in the south. In particular, the Crow Clan, which is close to the Land of Rain, is well-equipped and has many Jonin among its members.
Crow Kuroha seemed somewhat surprised. "Oh? You know me?"
Kyōai smiled wryly, "Of course, our Nuclear Ninja Village's intelligence work has always been excellent."
Before the Nuclear Ninja Village even arrived in the Land of Rivers, Ainz, the fifth elder of the Nuclear Ninja Village, had already thoroughly investigated all the major forces. In terms of intelligence, the Nuclear Ninja Village had no shortage of resources.
"Hahaha, Nuclear Ninja Village, a lousy ninja village I've never even heard of, and they think they can wipe out my territory? What makes them think they can?"
Upon hearing this, Kyōai's expression froze instantly.
Crow Kuroha felt a slight breeze in front of him, and suddenly a blade tip appeared before his eyes.
"Who do you think you are? How dare you mention the name of the Nuclear Ninja Village?"
Insulting the Nuclear Ninja Village is absolutely unacceptable among the Thirteen Nuclear Guardian Pillars. The one who drew the sword was none other than Kyo Kyōai, who had just advised Kankuro not to act rashly.
Kankuro clutched his head. "Hey, Kyōai, you were just telling me not to be impulsive, how come you started it all by yourself!"
Choji also stepped forward to advise, "We're here for a meeting, don't do this."
The most shocked was undoubtedly Crow Kuroha, who immediately jumped back. "Such a fast blade! A Genin can actually have this kind of speed, but if that's all, it won't kill me."
Kyōai sheathed her katana. "Is that so?"
"Peng Peng!"
All that could be seen was that the black armor on Crow Kuroha's body had been cut in two and smashed deep into the ground. It turned out that when Kuroha saw the tip of the blade, Kyōai had already completed two slashes, controlling the force perfectly, only cutting through his armor.
Crow Kuroha exclaimed in surprise, "When did you...?"
Kyōai sheathed her sword. "Chief Kuroha, to tell you the truth, regardless of the outcome of this meeting, I will absolutely eliminate your faction."
How could Crow Kuroha be so easily intimidated? " The Kuroha Clan alone has twenty Jonin. You don't even have one Jonin. What makes you think you can compare to us? After this meeting, the first thing I'll do is lead everyone south to personally visit your Nuclear Ninja Village!"
The fact that the Nuclear Ninja Village was purging its forces could not be hidden, and it had been known to the various northern forces for a long time. However, since they had always looked down on the southern forces, they did not care.
Kankuro, looking like he was enjoying the drama, said, "Oh? Then it's decided! Don't you dare run away later."
Crow Kuroha stared at Kankuro: "Don't think you can rest easy just because you have the Sand Ninja and Konoha backing you up. In the Land of Rivers, I'm the one who calls the shots."
"Thump..."
Just then, a bell rang in the distance, signaling everyone to begin a meeting.
Kyōai chuckled and said, "Heh, Chief Kuroha, it seems we don't have time. Shall we talk again after the meeting?"
Kuroha snorted coldly, "Hmph, then I'll let you live a few more hours."
Having said that, Crow Kuroha, along with two attendants, turned and left.
Kankuro laughed, "It's more interesting when there's a fight! By the way, Kyōai- kun, why didn't you cut off his clothes inside as well?"
Choji frowned and said, "That... isn't that inappropriate? After all, they came here..."
Kyōai's expression turned serious. " Choji- kun, Kankuro, it seems this trip to Yamakawa Castle won't be as simple as it seems."
Kankuro patted Kyōai on the shoulder. "What's the big deal? That guy is no match for you."
Choji agreed with Kankuro's statement, "Yes, Kyōai Ai could have killed him instantly just now."
Kyōai shook her head. "I didn't mean that, I meant Yamakawa Castle."
Choji looked around and found nothing unusual except that there were few people.
Kyōai said, "I noticed as soon as I entered the city that, apart from the representatives of various forces who came to attend the meeting, there wasn't a single resident in the entire city."
"What!"
Kyōai has a strong sense of perception, as Choji and Kankuro know. Since he said so, it must be true. If some residents fled due to the concentration of various forces, that would be understandable, but now that they have all disappeared, that would be extremely terrifying.
Kyōai pulled her hat down. "We're not entirely sure what's going on yet, but this meeting is definitely not going to be good. Let's go to the meeting first. If there really is a problem, Choji, take the modified Chili Pill immediately and notify Sōretsu and the others as soon as possible."
Choji nodded solemnly. "I understand."
After learning about the effects of the Chili Pill, Kyōai asked Kendon and Chinchiku to create a modified version of the Chili Pill for Choji. This modified version contained a certain amount of Medical Ninjutsu Chakra within the pill with the same effects, making it more potent and harmless to the body, while also having a healing effect.
After saying that, the three of them walked together toward the Daming Mansion in the center of the Yamakawa Castle.