"W-w-w~~ We're almost at the Land of Waves!"
Gatō looked at the people ahead, a flicker of excitement on his swollen face, though his expression was hard to read.
Even his words were muffled and slurred, almost impossible to understand.
As the ship docked, he was the first to step forward.
"Who are you?" The people on the shore froze when they saw Gatō, then recognition hit. Their eyes widened in shock. "Boss, what happened to you? Who did this to you?"
They couldn't believe Gatō had been turned into a pig-headed mess.
"W-w-w~~" Gatō tried to speak, but his words were still unclear, his finger pointing toward the ship.
At the same time, the others turned to look, and saw the Genya group slowly descending.
"Did you mess with our boss? Did you beat him like this?" The few men were desperate and reckless, and without thinking, they raised their weapons and charged at Genya.
Gatō saw this and closed his eyes.
This is it!
He wanted to call for help, to get reinforcements!
He hadn't expected these fools to rush to their deaths. It was too late to stop them now.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Uchiha Furin threw several shuriken, striking the men squarely between the eyes.
The men collapsed instantly, disbelief still in their eyes. They hadn't even realized what hit them. They had treated this as they would any ordinary civilians of the Land of Waves—and it had killed them.
"Heh… these people are ruthless, even worse than the Sarutobi Police Force. I wonder how the Land of Waves has been these past few years," Furin murmured.
A few years ago, Gatō didn't even have this many subordinates.
And no one would draw a sword so recklessly against people back then. Clearly… the Land of Waves has become lawless, and that's why they're so brazen.
"At least Sarutobi Hiruzen is the Hokage. He has to maintain some pretense. The things he does in secret aren't exactly better than these people," Genya sneered.
If everyone knew Hiruzen experimented on Konoha's civilians, the public outrage would be unstoppable.
Unfortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi had hidden himself too well.
"…" Kurenai was a bit speechless. Genya dared to say anything, even speculating about the Hokage without any hesitation or evidence!
If this had happened in Konoha, anyone overheard by the Sarutobi Police Force would have been arrested immediately.
However, Hinata and the others didn't care. They quietly listened, even nodding. To her, what Genya said made sense—it had to be true!
"Mr. Gatō, continue leading the way!" Genya said, turning his gaze back to Gatō. He stepped off the ship and gestured for Gatō to proceed.
"I…" Gatō looked helpless. At this moment, he felt like crying.
But under Genya's intense, warning gaze, he reluctantly led the way.
In just fifteen minutes, they arrived at a lavish, large estate. Even before getting close, Genya could hear the noise from inside.
It seemed there were quite a few people inside.
"How many of them are your subordinates?" Genya asked Gatō while walking toward the estate.
At the same time, he scanned the entire estate with his Sharingan, taking in every detail.
Inside, there were 137 people: three Jonin-level ninja, eight Chunin-level ninja, more than twenty Genin-level ninja, and the rest were ordinary bandits.
These were Gatō's strength.
It was with these people that he had taken control of the Land of Waves.
"Yes… yes, they're all inside!" Gatō quickly came forward, trying to flatter Genya. But when it came to numbers, he lied: "There are only fifty or sixty people inside, and they're all just ordinary bandits."
He said this hoping Genya would underestimate them, giving him a chance to strike unexpectedly—or maybe even escape.
"Furin, hit him!" Genya sneered, directing Uchiha Furin.
Furin nodded and instantly appeared in front of Gatō, slapping him twice.
Gatō started crying in frustration, mumbling to Genya and Furin, "Wh-why are you hitting me again?"
"I'll give you another chance. Tell me again how many people are inside the estate, and their strength," Genya said, narrowing his eyes with a faint, mocking smile.
Gatō looked at Genya's expression and was certain it was a trick. Bracing himself, he replied, "There are fifty or sixty people. They're all ordinary ninja!"
"Furin, hit him!"
"There are sixty or seventy people…"
"Furin, continue~"
"Stop, stop… there are ninety of them in total, including two Chunin!"
"Keep hitting~"
"That's really all of them!"
"Keep hitting~~"
And so, Gato was hit all the way to the manor gates. Even the guards at the entrance had seen them, along with Gatō, who had already been beaten into a dazed mess. This time, he was completely humiliated.
Tears streamed down his face, squeezing out through the corners of his eyes.
He had been so certain, yet that little brat Genya still didn't believe him. Was he just looking for an excuse to beat him, or did he really know the situation inside the manor?
"Alright, prepare to move!"
Genya looked at the manor, now just a short distance away, and began to give orders. "There are 137 people inside. Three Jonin, eight Chunin, twenty-four Genin, and the rest are just ordinary bandits."
Gatō felt a chill in his heart. Every number, every detail, was accurate.
Even the positions of the Chunin and Jonin inside were correct. No wonder Genya claimed he was lying.
Could they have planted a spy here long ago?
No, he hadn't seen any of his subordinates talking to them, and all the men he brought to the other side had been killed. How could Genya know?
"Who's there?" A guard shouted angrily as he spotted Genya and the others.
"Attack!" Genya snorted coldly. "Today we wipe out Gatō's forces and liberate the Land of Waves. We will bring peace to its people!"
"Yes, Lord Genya!" everyone replied in unison, their voices filled with determination.
Then, Uchiha Furin moved first, his figure swift and sharp, appearing in front of a guard in an instant.
A kunai appeared in his hand, and before the guard could react, it sliced through his throat!
Blood spurted out.
The man tried to call for help, but it was too late. He clutched his neck in terror and collapsed to the ground.
After a successful strike, Uchiha Furin charged at another guard, taking him down with a single blow.
"Move… quick and decisive!" Uchiha Furin waved at those behind him and led the way into the manor. The Uchiha clan members behind him nodded and followed.
****
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