Listening to Kakuzu's mournful wails behind her, Uchiha Rei felt incredibly pleased; not only had she gotten her revenge, but she had also tricked Orochimaru and acquired Kakuzu's life's work. She had truly won big this time.
"What does Orochimaru's scolding have to do with me, Uchiha Rei?"
Uchiha Rei was in a hurry to watch the next show and had no time to stay there listening to Kakuzu's accusations.
Uchiha Rei swiftly caught up with the scattered group of the Daimyo and court officials, watching them enter the encirclement. This small path was surrounded by dilapidated thatched huts.
These people were so focused on escaping that they didn't pay attention to whether this place was also dangerous, mainly because there were no sensory Ninja among the guardian Ninja.
Ahead of them, several farmers in simple linen clothes pushed several burning carts, blocking their path, and then the surrounding houses burst into fierce flames.
"Assassins! Protect the Daimyo!" The panicked Daimyo, who had just barely escaped danger, was now once again in peril, leaving him mentally and physically exhausted.
Some farmers, armed with hoes and sickles, rushed out, each attacking the court officials as if they were seeing their father's murderers.
"Follow me to subjugate the traitors!" A Samurai General, seeing that the assassins were farmers who hadn't even put down their hoes, immediately felt it was his time to shine.
He drew his naginata and cut a farmer holding a sickle in two, then charged into the farmers' ranks with overwhelming momentum.
After confirming that these were indeed defenseless farmers, some Samurai and the remaining guardian Ninja began to quickly compete for kills.
This was a feast of Merit and a complete massacre. Even the Daimyo and court officials regained their composure, completely unconcerned by the raging flames around them.
They pointed and gestured at the rapidly collapsing farmers who were being chased down, while some of the remaining Samurai laughed heartily, mocking these commoners for their overestimation of themselves.
Uchiha Rei watched this scene indifferently, not intervening to help either side. It wasn't the right time yet, and those farmers themselves carried a death wish; even if saved, they wouldn't want to live.
They were merely offering their lives to provide an opportunity, so their defeat and slaughter were also part of their goal. Even in death, their thoughts were fixed on the court officials.
Just then, a fire person burst out from one of the burning thatched huts, engulfed in flames but without a scream.
It charged headlong towards the Samurai. Seeing the fire person suddenly emerge, the Samurai were somewhat fearful, completely unable to discern the nature of this unidentified humanoid.
So they all retreated, quickly falling back to the Daimyo's side, until a Samurai General, enduring his fear, swung his naginata.
Instantly, hot blood splattered. Half of the fire person's chest was cut open, but when the paper scraps beneath the asbestos-like outer layer were revealed, the Samurai General was stunned!
The flames ignited these paper scraps, quickly burning from inside the asbestos-like layer to all the tightly packed paper, and the fire person revealed a sinister smile.
The fire person suddenly lunged at the Daimyo, and it was then that the Samurai General understood what was burning inside the fire person's asbestos-like layer. His soul nearly fled his body.
"Run! It's an Exploding Tag!" The Samurai General lunged forward, grabbing a Samurai and placing him in front of himself, while the Daimyo immediately pulled two attendants to shield him.
"Boom!" A massive explosion pulverized the fire person. Flames and shockwaves swept out, engulfing the court officials' procession.
Those closer were immediately blown to pieces or severely injured, while those further away were sent flying dozens of meters by the blast. The Daimyo and court officials' palanquins, along with them, were blown into the mud wall.
Uchiha Rei watched this scene, sighing slightly. The sacrifice of dozens of lives only managed to kill a few incompetent officials.
Unfortunately, the Fire Country Daimyo and a noble were not killed by the explosion. Although they suffered internal injuries and burns of varying degrees, their lives were not in danger.
The Samurai General and guardian Ninja who were pursuing the rebels were struck by lightning. They immediately rushed back to protect the Daimyo, knowing that if he died, they would also be buried with him.
Moreover, their families would fall into decline. So at this moment, they all abandoned the pursuit of the rebels and, like mourning parents, scrambled back on all fours to check the casualties.
The Fire Country Daimyo, clutching two attendants who had shielded him from the damage, had no external injuries, though some of his hair and beard were singed.
After pulling away the bodies of the two dead attendants from the Daimyo, the Samurai General immediately helped the Daimyo up, while vigilantly scanning the surrounding walls.
He was afraid that another fire person might emerge and blow them all to smithereens. For a moment, he truly felt like every bush was an enemy soldier.
"They still know how to use stratagem, but it's a pity. Divine power cannot contend with fate."
Uchiha Rei understood the plan of the person who orchestrated this assassination: first, send out some farmers to attract attention and, incidentally, draw away some guards.
Then, the killing blow was the fire person. The fire person wore two layers of clothing: the outermost was ordinary clothing for self-ignition, and the inner layer was a fire-resistant suit made of asbestos.
The innermost layer was Exploding Tags. By being completely engulfed in flames, it would shock the Samurai, emphasizing the element of surprise. Then, once the flames ignited the Exploding Tags, it would directly blow up the Daimyo.
The only pity was that not enough Exploding Tags were prepared, and the Daimyo was alert enough to quickly pull in shields against the explosion, which allowed him to survive almost unscathed.
Uchiha Rei did not reveal herself. She knew that after this incident, obtaining grain would likely require some waiting, and perhaps the Daimyo would even make demands to Konoha Village.
Returning to Gennō's residence, Uchiha Rei planned to ask about it at dusk. If not, she would probably have to wait until tomorrow. Fortunately, she wasn't in a hurry.
In the guest room Gennō had prepared, Uchiha Rei looked at the description of the Earth Grudge Fear Forbidden Technique. Uchiha Rei was still very interested in the essence of Earth Grudge Fear.
That dreadful place, Takigakure Village, only had good things like the Seven-Tails, Earth Grudge Fear, and hero water. The Seven-Tails was a native, and Earth Grudge Fear and hero water also seemed to be indigenous.
When used together, they could elevate one's strength to Kage-level. This is why Kakuzu only used Earth Grudge Fear; if he had also used hero water, his strength should have been even greater.
Earth Grudge Fear is a conglomerate of black threads. The Earth Grudge Fear Forbidden Technique is a secret technique that involves infiltrating and controlling the Earth Grudge Fear through one's own Chakra.
It allows the Earth Grudge Fear to coexist with oneself, eventually completely replacing one's physical body, turning oneself into a monster wearing human skin.
Although this thing can grant immortality, Uchiha Rei wasn't that morbid to let herself be covered in black tentacles; that was truly too bizarre.
However, it would be good for trading with Orochimaru. She believed that Orochimaru, who hadn't yet completed the Reanimation Jutsu, would surely love the Earth Grudge Fear Forbidden Technique.
If Kakuzu were to see Orochimaru completely covered in Earth Grudge Fear in the future, he would undoubtedly firmly believe that it was indeed Orochimaru who had robbed him.
She believed that some amusing events would unfold between the two. However, without the Reanimation Jutsu, Orochimaru shouldn't turn into a'Snake Aunt'.
So, Uchiha Rei found it difficult to choose between seeing'Snake Aunt' and throwing her into the pleasure district, or letting Kakuzu and Orochimaru tear each other apart.
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