Ling really couldn't imagine that she would one day be played by someone else. It seems she still needs to maintain a heart of vigilance; harmless jokes are fine, but if it were a fatal trap, she would have died a most unjust death.
However, speaking of which, it was still Ling's fault for tricking an honest man into becoming cunning. Therefore, Ling planned to be even more cunning in the future rather than showing any restraint.
After bidding farewell to Gennō, Ling set off toward the Tenshukaku. The capital was indeed the capital; there were more goods and pedestrians than in Konoha, and it felt more like the scenery of old Japan.
There were wandering samurai with uchigatana at their waists, monks playing the shakuhachi wearing lampshade-like straw hats, and tourists dressed in haori and gofuku.
Ninjas, however, were rarely seen. Today must be a festival for it to be so lively, with various parade ceremonies taking place.
It was likely a celebration to welcome the God of Fortune or something similar. It was said they were going to the Fire God Shrine to welcome the deity, celebrating this year's harvest and praying for favorable weather in the coming year.
Chewing on a Fortune Cake bought from an old lady—perhaps because of her age—the saltiness and sweetness of this cake were both far too heavy.
For Ling, this thing tasted even worse than a five-nut mooncake. She followed the tourists to a bridge gate decorated with crops like rice ears and sorghum ears.
At the gate, a priest held rice ears stripped of their grain, dipping them in clear water to sprinkle over the crowd in what was likely a purification ritual, while miko danced the Kagura on either side of him.
Accompanied by solemn music, it felt very ceremonial. Konoha never had such traditional rituals; at most, it would only be this lively during a Hokage election.
After walking for a long time, Ling finally branched off from the tourists. She needed to go to the inner city. Without the tourists blocking her way, she quickly arrived before the city gates.
The drawbridge was lowered, and on the watchtowers on both sides, samurai had their bows drawn and aimed at her. A tall Samurai General stood in front of the wooden city gates.
"Hey! Brat, this isn't a place you should be. Leave at once!"
The Samurai General gripped his Naginata tightly, not daring to underestimate this girl. He knew that some Ninjas, even if young, could kill him easily.
"I am a Konoha Ninja, here to receive the provisions being sent to the front lines. Please report this; here is the mission credential."
Although this Samurai General was tall and had a strictly trained physique, he had not cultivated Chakra, so he posed no real threat.
"There is indeed such a matter, but the Daimyo and the various lords have all gone to participate in the Fortune God festival today. You'll have to wait until evening."
Ling's timing was poor; the person wasn't there. Even with the mission credential, they wouldn't give her the grain, so Ling had no choice but to wait.
It was only morning, and she had to wait for most of the day. Ling had no choice but to leave for now and return in the evening.
With nothing to do, Ling planned to check out the Underground Exchange. The capital's exchange was on the outskirts of the city, and Ling arrived there in a short while.
However, she didn't expect to encounter a surprise here. That's right, she saw the old man Kakuzu, and this time, Ling didn't intend to let him go.
He had snatched her spoils last time; now she was going to make old man Kakuzu empty out his entire fortune before letting him go, fattening him up to be killed next time.
"Old man Kakuzu is here to pick up a mission again. What kind of mission could there be in the Fire Country Capital?"
Ling found it inconvenient to act within the city, so she prepared to follow old man Kakuzu to a secluded place. When the time came, it would be the classic 'hehehe' moment.
Ling changed her appearance and hid her Chakra fluctuations, waiting outside the Underground Exchange. Not long after, old man Kakuzu walked out.
Old man Kakuzu held a stack of cash in his hand; it looked like he'd made a bit of extra money. Following him all the way, she found that Kakuzu didn't intend to head out of the city.
Instead, he headed toward the shrine. Remembering that many Fire Country political figures were there for the festival today, it was highly likely Kakuzu was targeting one of those officials.
As for the Daimyo, it was unlikely. Assassinating an official wasn't a huge deal, but killing the Daimyo would mean being hunted by Konoha forever; it was a matter of face.
Lurking underground, Ling stroked her chin, considering whether to stop Kakuzu's assassination. If she intervened, once the fight started, the battle between the two of them could affect many people.
If she didn't stop him, she wasn't sure how many people Kakuzu would kill. Thus, Ling was momentarily undecided and prepared to follow and see first.
The Fire God Shrine was considered the largest and most recognized shrine in the Land of Fire. What was enshrined there was just an ordinary cluster of flames, with nothing miraculous about it.
Ling speculated that this Fire God was likely an ancestor of the Uchiha from some generation. As a clan of fire-wielders, it was quite possible the Uchiha had supported a certain generation of Daimyo and were subsequently deified.
Arriving outside the shrine, old man Kakuzu transformed into an old man, trembling as he squeezed into the crowd. On the shrine's approach path, the Fire Country Daimyo and a group of officials began to set foot on the path after completing some complex rituals.
Old man Kakuzu reached the front row. This area was protected by the Samurai General and some Ninjas loyal to the Daimyo; even an ordinary Jonin would find it difficult to suddenly strike and kill the target.
Unfortunately, who was old man Kakuzu? Once he saw his target clearly, he walked out of the crowd again and went to the very edge, next to the Shimenawa rope.
Then, a mass of black threads carrying a cyan mask surged into the soil, directly entering the so-called Shimenawa barrier. However, it encountered no divine power blocking it.
Ling moved rapidly underground and soon approached that mask. Just as the mask stepped into the Torii gate to enter the shrine, Ling made her move.
Ice Formation Curses instantly froze Kakuzu's Wind-attribute mask, shattering it directly. In an instant, Kakuzu lost his connection to the Wind-attribute heart.
"Nani!" Kakuzu's small, bead-like eyes nearly bugged out. He simply couldn't believe his Wind-attribute heart had died so inexplicably.
"Could this shrine really have some deity's protection? Was it killed by a god as soon as it passed the Torii?"
Kakuzu couldn't sense Ling's presence at all, and since the Wind-attribute heart died without rhyme or reason, he couldn't figure out the situation at all.
One must know that there are some gods and ghosts in the Ninja World. Kakuzu's own Earth Grudge Fear was something similar. He really suspected that a god truly resided within the Torii.
"Hehehe, old man Kakuzu, even if you're as slippery as a ghost, you'll still be suspicious of them."
Ling knew Kakuzu still had four hearts, so she wasn't too overconfident and continued to monitor Kakuzu's movements.
"Should I continue? I've already lost a Wind-attribute heart. Is it really worth it for ten million Ryo? But if I leave like this, not only is the heart lost, but the money is gone too."
Old man Kakuzu didn't care about losing a heart; as long as it didn't drop below his warning line, he wouldn't mind. But if the money was gone, it was really gone—and that was money!
Struggling to decide, Kakuzu thought about it and prepared to strike when the target came out. After all, he already knew this shrine had issues; letting his hearts go in to die wouldn't be worth it.
Seeing that old man Kakuzu, though greedy and refusing to give up, was waiting cautiously, Ling sighed that old man Kakuzu truly deserved his reputation as the longest-living person.
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