The ninjas were performing with great effort. The massive mansion was filled with the noble's informants, and their every move would be reported directly back to their lord. The more active they were now, the more likely they were to gain his favor and perhaps even reach the top overnight.
However, it was clear these ninjas lacked experience in coordinated combat. If they were the battle-hardened ninjas of Konoha, they would never have unleashed whatever they felt like in such a large-scale joint operation without any cooperation.
According to Konoha's tactical manual, the release of combined ninjutsu must follow a commander's order. They would choose either a single attribute or two attributes that enhanced each other. For example, everyone could cast Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave, or combine Fire and Wind Styles—letting the wind feed the flames—to achieve a much greater effect.
Makiya didn't even need to expend energy on defense. Before the mishmash of ninjutsu could reach him, they began to cancel each other out. Fire and water neutralized one another, generating massive clouds of steam, while lightning coursed through rock spears, reducing the hard stone to dust...
When the aftershocks of the ninjutsu finally reached him, an invisible surge of sword intent erupted, easily blocking the scattered attacks.
The ninjas kept by the nobility didn't need to risk their lives like those from Konoha. Their only function was to suppress bandits and rogues or intimidate the common folk.
With a wave of his hand, Makiya showered the area with golden flames, which transformed into flying swords that streaked through the air, leaving trails of golden fire in their wake.
A ninja hiding among the rafters widened his eyes in horror, trying to dodge the lethal strike. But it was in vain. The golden flying swords moved as if through empty space, darting back and forth through the mansion. Every time one passed through, it left a trail of blood and chaos.
A ninja on the roof had his chest pierced, and golden flames erupted from his body. With a piercing scream, he tumbled to the ground.
Some ninjas tried to block with their weapons, but the moment they touched the flying swords, both the men and their blades were sliced apart. The flames spread instantly, swallowing them whole.
Makiya ignored the screaming pawns around him, walking step by step toward the largest building in the estate.
The surrounding samurai fared no better. Anyone who tried to stop Makiya was run through by a flying sword. Some didn't even know how they died; they had just raised their blades toward him only to be pierced by a golden flash from an unknown direction.
The noble's residence had become a living hell, filled with never-ending screams. A group of dancers dressed in thin silk ran out of the magnificent palace ahead, only to turn pale with fright when they saw Makiya emerging from the flames.
The thin silk wasn't the issue; the point was that they were barely wearing anything else. The fire burned behind them, the light passing through the fabric to reveal the graceful silhouettes of their bodies.
'Praise the holy light!' Makiya silently marveled. These rich people certainly knew how to enjoy themselves. Having so many at once, he wondered if the lord's legs were too weak to even get out of bed.
"What are you standing there for? I'm not some kind of monster," Makiya said, looking at the dancers. He casually flicked a flying sword, shattering the mansion's main doors behind him. "Go. I have something to discuss with the fat pig inside."
"...Yes, Ninja-sama," the dancers replied timidly. They scurried past him, trembling but running as fast as they could.
They had expected the flames filling the courtyard to burn their silk clothes, but surprisingly, the golden fire—which looked so fierce—didn't emit any heat. It was as if everything was an illusion.
Makiya climbed the steps and crossed the wooden corridor to reach the main entrance of the hall. He immediately saw the noble sitting on the primary seat at the far end.
The face matched the one he had extracted from Yusuke Sarutobi's memories. This was the one.
The noble, Kaguyazuki Ishi, was as obese as a hog. Due to generations of inbreeding, his features were warped and unsightly, giving him a deeply lecherous look.
This high-ranking noble of the Land of Fire belonged to a family with a lineage spanning over a thousand years. They had long ruled several large cities near the capital and many smaller towns within their territory.
Makiya had expected this pig-like noble to be scared out of his wits, especially since he had just slaughtered all the house ninjas and samurai in an instant. He looked every bit the aggressor, yet this fellow wasn't afraid at all. He sat calmly on his seat, sipping wine with deliberate slowness.
Since the maidservants had fled in terror, he had to pour the wine himself.
Ishi wasn't alone in the palace hall. Banquet tables lined both sides, where other nobles—both major and minor—and their retainers sat in two rows, enjoying themselves with their host.
Even now, these people sat in their places with indifferent expressions, drinking and laughing as if Makiya didn't exist at all.
Makiya was confused. 'What is this?'
He didn't understand it, but he was deeply shocked. Were these nobles mentally deficient? Did a genetic defect rob them of the ability to feel fear? Or were they simply not afraid of death?
The moment Makiya stepped into the palace, a minor noble sitting at the very end of the row suddenly stood up and walked over to him. "Ninja of Konoha, remember the rules for an audience with Lord Ishi. Nobles are the earthly incarnations of the eight million gods, and Lord Ishi's status is supreme even among the gods. A mortal may not look into his eyes, may not touch his body, and may not come within ten paces of him..."
Makiya stared at him blankly.
He looked back at the burning courtyard behind him, then at the rambling minor noble in front of him. He couldn't fathom what was going through this person's head.
"Shut up. Get out of the way."
Makiya's voice seemed to shock the minor noble. He looked as though he had encountered something impossible to understand, and he pointed a finger at himself. "You... you dare speak to me like that? You filthy..."
BOOM!
A thunderous sound echoed. The nobles in the hall only saw a dark shadow flash by. When they regained their senses, they found the minor noble who had blocked Makiya embedded in the wall, blood pouring out. His fate was unknown.
The hall fell into a brief silence for a dozen seconds. The nobles seemed immersed in a state of disbelief, unable to comprehend why Makiya would dare lay a hand on them. It wasn't until a female noble screamed and fled in a panic that the rest finally woke up from their daze, scrambling to get away from Makiya.
The high noble Kaguyazuki Ishi's hand trembled slightly as he held his wine cup. A stiff smile appeared on his pig-like head as he tried to maintain his composure.
He didn't believe Makiya actually dared to kill him. In the ninja world, it was common knowledge that nobles sat at the top of the food chain. They could only be sanctioned by other noble families. Ninjas were merely executioners who only acted on the orders of nobles; otherwise, they would be shunned by the entire world.
Makiya ignored the other fleeing nobles and walked straight up to Ishi. Looking at the fat pig before him made him feel sick. He frowned and asked, "Fatty, what was the meaning of that letter you wrote to the Hokage?"
"Insolence!" one of the fleeing nobles habitually barked. Makiya gave a casual wave of his hand, and the shouting noble suddenly stiffened. A thin red line appeared on his neck.
His head rolled across the floor, and a fountain of blood erupted. The nobles had never seen such a gruesome sight, and the hall was instantly filled with screams.
Makiya's ruthless actions seemed to finally provoke Ishi. Since he had inherited the position of clan head, no one had ever dared to be so flagrant in front of him. Even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire treated him with the utmost respect.
"Ninja of Konoha, you... you..." Ishi's obese body shook violently. His chest, which was larger than Tsunade's, heaved with rage as his face turned beet red. "Such insolence... such insolence!!! You had better kill me right now, or I will put out a bounty of three hundred million ryo! No matter where you hide, bounty hunters will hunt you to the ends of the earth!"
Makiya raised an eyebrow. "I've never seen such a request before. Fine, I'll grant it."
Without another word, and before Ishi's horrified and surprised eyes, Makiya reached out and summoned golden flames into a magnificent longsword. With a wet thud, he ran it through Ishi's head and then pressed down with slight force, splitting the massive body in half.
The thick fat was instantly ignited by the flames, and the air was filled with the stench of charred meat.
The panicked nobles in the hall suddenly went silent. They stared with terror-stricken eyes at Makiya and the corpse of Kaguyazuki Ishi, their faces full of disbelief as if Makiya had committed the ultimate sacrilege.
"You're finished, you're finished..." a minor noble collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down his face. "You're dead, and I'm dead too. We're all finished. The Daimyo won't let you go, and he won't let us go either. Everyone's going to die, everyone's going to die... it's all over..."
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