When Riyō and the others rushed onto the shore,
the battle at the harbor had already ended.
More than ten cargo ships were destroyed. Nearly thirty Anbu ninja from Kiri lay dead, all decapitated, slaughtered in an instant.
Each died with a single strike—
flawless, precise to the extreme!
As if thirty chickens had their feet tied, waiting helplessly to be slaughtered.
These were ninja, after all!
And not just any—they were feared members of Kiri's Anbu division.
They died far too easily, didn't they?
Just looking at this bloody mess gave one the creeps.
"Schhh—"
Shimoku flicked the blood off his Chakra Blade, then hurriedly took off his smoking shoes.
He'd moved far too fast earlier—
the intense friction between the soles and the ship deck generated so much heat that the shoes nearly caught fire.
He had to take the shoes off quickly...
He really needed to carve out time later to get a sturdier pair of heat-resistant shoes.
Otherwise, every time he used [Setsuna], another pair would burn up—that wasn't cost-effective at all!
After pulling out a new pair from the Spatial Scroll and putting them on,
Shimoku walked over toward Riyō and the others.
"What are you gaping at? Got blood on me or something?"
"N-No..."
Gin swallowed hard, trembling slightly as he replied.
Now, compared to Young Master, clearing out that base in the [Waves Country] felt embarrassingly clumsy…
Look at him—he just killed dozens of elite Anbu ninjas, yet not a drop of blood stained his body.
That's genuinely terrifying!
"Alright, stop standing around like that. Check whether anyone survived."
"And while you're at it, collect anything valuable from their corpses."
"This... Young Master, isn't this somewhat inappropriate?"
Riyō hesitated slightly while asking.
Most Uchiha were proud by nature. Handling corpses like this felt somewhat distasteful.
"Foolish!"
"For every ten coins you recover, you ensure the village children avoid one day of hunger and gain one full meal!"
"Isn't that worthwhile?"
"Every little bit helps, after all!"
Shimoku lectured earnestly.
Only those who've truly experienced hunger could understand how unbearable it was.
Besides, these men were killed by him.
Even if retrieving items from corpses, it was money earned through effort.
What harm could there be?
Riyō hesitated, then nodded slowly as understanding dawned.
Indeed, compared to his starving clan children, checking corpses wasn't something worth being ashamed of.
Moments later, Riyō and Gin fanned out immediately—
searching for survivors and happily collecting anything valuable from the bodies.
...
Elsewhere,
after Zabuza landed ashore,
even Zabuza—a ruthless man by nature—felt a chill ripple through his heart at witnessing this gruesome battlefield.
Put simply, those thirty Kiri Anbu ninjas together could've easily overpowered and killed him outright.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent so long hiding and fleeing.
Yet here they lay, all perished within less than half a minute.
Absolutely horrifying!
And the one who slaughtered them was merely a ten-year-old boy.
Uchiha Clan—what kind of monster have they produced this time?
"What? Is something bothering you?" Shimoku stepped closer, rubbing his slightly sore arm while asking with a grin.
Zabuza's expression darkened slightly.
He shook his head and murmured,
"Before this, when I was being hunted by these Anbu ninja, I imagined countless times how I would turn the tables and kill every last one of them."
"But now, seeing them actually lying dead here…"
"I can't help but feel a sense of regret…"
Shimoku: "Regret for what? These people came to kill you."
Zabuza: "They were good ninja from our village; they were only following orders from Mizukage Yagura."
"I never wanted them to die..."
"Each death brings an irreplaceable loss to our village..."
Shimoku glanced at Zabuza, slightly moved.
Honestly speaking, putting aside their differing positions. He truly respected men of such integrity and sentiment.
Brave, decisive, loyal, and emotional.
Even though he was a little ruthless, and perhaps a bit too idealistic.
Still better than those scheming old bastards in Konoha—who give me way more anxiety.
"At this rate, even if your coup succeeds, how many skilled ninja do you think will remain in Mist?"
"I understand."
"How about another deal?"
Shimoku suggested with a smile.
Zabuza immediately became alert—it always meant trouble whenever this brat smiled.
From everything he'd seen along the way, he knew one thing for certain:
Never underestimate this kid just because he looked like a child.
"What are you planning now?"
"Don't get so tense. My offer is this—I'll avoid killing anyone during the upcoming attack on [Hidden Village in the Mist]."
"I'll do my best to only knock out your fellow Mist ninja without taking their lives."
"In this way, your village can preserve its talent. Sounds good, right?"
A spark lit in Zabuza's eyes.
But still cautiously, he asked, "What else do you want? I don't have any money left."
"Not your money—I want money from your village!"
"Here's the deal:"
"200,000 ryo for each Genin; 500,000 for each Chunin; 2,000,000 for each Tokubetsu Jonin; 5,000,000 for each Jonin."
"Once you overthrow The Fourth Mizukage, you pay me that amount for every ninja I save."
"How about it? A fair deal, don't you think?"
Shimoku grinned once more.
After all, whether he killed or spared them, it cost him nothing.
Why not do them a favor while earning a tidy sum from Mist at the same time?
Zabuza hesitated, clearly intrigued.
To him, money was important—but
if after the coup, every ninja in the village was dead, then no matter how much money he had, he wouldn't be able to protect it!
The other four Hidden Villages would definitely seize the opportunity to divide up our village.
Using this money to save a group of Mist ninja's lives and keep some strength in the village is definitely a good investment!
"This... I'm just a rogue ninja. I don't have the authority to manage the village's funds..."
Shimoku scoffed, "Come on! Don't underestimate yourself."
"Once you kill off the Fourth Mizukage and all his supporters, won't you basically be the big shot in the village?"
"Even becoming The Fifth Mizukage isn't out of the question."
"Then, wouldn't your words carry weight?"
"And after your village pays this commission, we can form an alliance and provide military support—ensuring none of the other four Hidden Villages can backstab us!"
"It's just a temporary loss. You'll make it all back later."
"And if funds run short later, we even offer installment payment plans!"
"Such a win-win deal with zero downsides. Miss this chance, and it's gone for good!"
Shimoku's persuasion sounded like a demon's whisper, gradually wearing Zabuza down.
Zabuza shook his head hard.
He couldn't wrap his head around how this greedy little punk had gotten so strong—or so good at tricking people too!
In the end, though, he still gave in.
After all, he couldn't bear watching the entire Kiri Village drenched in blood and destroyed in one fell swoop!
"Fine! I accept your terms!"
"A very wise decision!"
Satisfied with himself, Shimoku couldn't help but grin inwardly.
Then he barked out immediately,
"Speed up! Get ready to move out—our destination is [Kiri]!"
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