Ninja are a group defined by high offense and low defense.
In battle, what matters most to them is composure—and the ability to think clearly in the middle of a fight.
Jōnin are powerful not just because of their techniques and experience, but because even when they're pushed into a disadvantage, they can stay calm and keep searching for a path to victory.
Once that mental balance collapses, though, even a jōnin can die at the hands of a genin.
These so-called special jōnin were the perfect example.
Under normal circumstances, in a one-on-one fight, Hyūga Akira might have had a chance against them—but it would never have been easy.
Unfortunately for them, Hanzō had already beaten them so thoroughly that their mentality shattered completely.
The moment the explosive tags detonated, the scene was as brilliant as fireworks.
Only, what scattered through the air wasn't light—
It was severed limbs and shattered bodies.
[Experience +5231]
[Experience +5124]
[Experience +5142]
Three experience notifications flashed almost simultaneously.
Akira walked over from the distance.
Nearby, four more ninja lay on the ground.
Two struggled to their feet.
The other two had already lost the ability to fight, writhing on the ground and crying out in pain.
Before the two standing ones could even act, a flying sickle flashed past.
The chain snapped taut—
And the blade cleanly sliced across one man's throat before returning to Hanzō's hand.
Hanzō was already standing behind the second one.
"My experience!!" Akira's expression changed.
Without hesitation, he flicked his wrist, sending shuriken flying.
The remaining two had no strength left to resist. All they could do was stare in terror as the blades fell.
[Experience +5548]
[Experience +5657]
If he had tried to steal the kill from the one Hanzō was already attacking, he wouldn't have made it in time.
Hanzō retrieved his sickle and decapitated the man in front of him.
The severed head hit the ground, eyes still frozen in fear.
Akira let out a quiet breath.
Two more kills secured. Not bad.
"You did well," Hanzō said calmly, casting Akira a glance.
At least he'd had the sense to assist during the fight.
Akira gave an awkward chuckle.
The problem was—this still wasn't over.
There was a lot of loot left on the ground.
"Hanzō-sama, let me clean up the battlefield," Akira said respectfully.
"No need," Hanzō replied flatly. "This must be left as it is. I want Shōzō to see it clearly—to understand how laughable the strength he commands truly is."
This ambush had been deliberate.
These people were Shōzō's last remaining forces.
Hanzō wanted him to know that if not for the excuse of 'greater good,' Hanzō could take his life at any moment.
He wanted Shōzō afraid. Uneasy. Constantly on edge.
No need?
Akira cursed inwardly.
If Hanzō said no, how was he supposed to loot?
Before Akira picked items up, no one else could see them—but once he did, others could notice and even use them.
That was why he'd been able to give items like the bandit gauntlet to Nawaki back then.
Akira thought quickly and said, "Hanzō-sama, they were still Rain Village ninja. At the very least… let them leave with some dignity."
Hanzō paused, then nodded.
Without another word, he leapt up into a tree, clearly leaving the task to Akira.
So I really am the errand boy now, Akira sighed internally.
Still, this made looting much easier.
He arranged all the bodies on the ground, laying them out neatly in a square formation.
Many were missing limbs, which made things troublesome.
And to make matters worse, Hanzō was still watching.
If he was going to put on an act, he had to commit fully.
As for the scattered body parts?
Akira couldn't tell who they belonged to.
So he just matched whatever looked like it fit and placed it accordingly.
Twenty-five bodies in total.
He'd only managed to claim eight of the kills himself.
Tragic. Truly tragic.
He didn't examine the drops closely—everything went straight into his inventory.
With Hanzō present, openly checking loot was out of the question.
Still, this haul was enormous.
Twelve items dropped in total.
Four people dropped two items each.
The other four dropped one item apiece.
Compared to the exhausting effort it took to ambush that jōnin before, this was absurdly efficient.
Once again, Akira confirmed a universal truth—
Grinding mobs was best done with a top-tier carry.
Just look at Murakami Hana's team. Killing a single jōnin had taken forever, and they'd still gotten outplayed twice.
Akira genuinely wanted to tell Hanzō:
Bring ten more waves like that—I'll show you how someone becomes a jōnin in seconds.
…Probably.
He wasn't completely sure.
After arranging all twenty-five bodies, Akira returned to Hanzō's side.
"Hanzō-sama, it's done."
Hanzō glanced at the clearing.
Each body lay in its own space, neatly arranged.
At least now, most of them were… more complete than before.
"Then let's go."
Hanzō's eyes flickered briefly as he looked at Akira, then he leapt into the forest.
Akira quickly followed, moving through the trees after him.
Rain continued to pour down, but Akira's thoughts were entirely on the spoils he'd just collected.
Unfortunately, now wasn't the time to inspect them.
Keeping pace with Hanzō, Akira changed the subject.
"Hanzō-sama, with your level of prestige in the village… how exactly does the current leader still oppose you?"
He was genuinely curious.
From what he'd seen, the Hidden Rain clearly trusted Hanzō far more.
Shōzō felt like a leader in name only.
So how was he still standing?
"Nobles. And conservatives," Hanzō replied without hesitation. "The village is split into two factions. My radical faction—and Shōzō's conservative faction. But the conservatives only control about one-fifth of the village's strength."
In other words, even if Hanzō wiped them out completely, the village would only be seriously wounded—not destroyed.
That alone wasn't enough to sustain Shōzō's resistance.
Hanzō continued, "The real issue is the nobles of the Land of Rain. They control the village's economy. And they support Shōzō—not me."
Shōzō didn't have military strength, but he controlled the financial lifeline of the Hidden Rain.
That was the foundation of his resistance.
"All the nobles are united like that?" Akira questioned.
Hanzō glanced at him, signaling him to continue.
Akira thought for a moment and said, "Those nobles are the root cause of the civil wars in the Land of Rain. I don't believe they'd all support Shōzō so neatly."
Before Akira ever came here, he already knew—
Even when the Five Great Nations were maintaining a surface-level peace, the Land of Rain was constantly torn by internal conflict.
Those wars had little to do with ninja.
They were driven by warring nobles, with the Hidden Rain acting as hired muscle.
There was no way those nobles were truly united.
Hanzō fell silent for a moment, then said, "The Hidden Rain has always supported the daimyō. With his mediation, Shōzō gained the nobles' backing."
"I doubt it's that simple," Akira replied calmly. "If the daimyō really had that kind of control, the Land of Rain wouldn't have had endless civil wars in the first place."
As far as Akira knew—
The Land of Rain's daimyō had been replaced more times than anyone could count.
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