Neigh!
Warhorses whinnied loudly, and hooves kicked up clouds of dust as over a hundred riders surrounded Noko and her group in a tight circle.
To everyone's shock, the shinobi who had been traveling alongside them were now clearly part of this encircling force.
The royal banner of the Land of Birds flew at the rear of the cavalry. It seemed Noko and her companions were far more important figures than they appeared...
Only now did the true leader of the group lift his black conical hat, revealing his face.
He was a man in his prime, with a fair complexion and a naturally noble bearing that commanded respect even without him trying.
However, his unkempt beard and weary, dejected expression showed that life had not been kind to him lately.
This was undoubtedly Daimyo Ono, the Feudal Daimyo.
"Jōnin Takeuchi... just who exactly are you?"
Ono Shimura frowned deeply, staring intently at the elderly man mounted on the horse before him.
This man had been hired from the Land of Rain to serve as his elite bodyguard. But clearly, things were not as they seemed.
"Who am I? My, my... Daimyo Ono, you truly have a short memory," the old man named Takeuchi sneered.
He drew out two steel tridents from his robes, each glowing with a strange, eerie red light. "Now... do you remember who I am?"
"Those tridents..."
Ono Shimura's eyes widened in horror. He cried out in recognition, "You are the Jōnin of the Land of Birds — Akahi, the Demon of the Ghost Trident?!"
"No... that's impossible!"
Shimura stumbled back, shaking his head in disbelief. "The Demon of the Ghost Trident died over a decade ago! And I brought you back from the Land of Rain myself... this cannot be!"
Hmph!
Akahi sneered and twirled his weapons. "If it weren't for that deception, Daimyo Ono... how else would I have gotten you to lower your guard?"
"Enough chit-chat."
A handsome young man rode forward to the front of the ranks, narrowing his eyes with a cold smirk. "Jōnin Akahi, seize Shimura at once. Delays only invite trouble."
Akahi nodded. He waved his tridents menacingly toward Shimura. "Surrender quietly, boy Shimura. Do that, and I might just let the others die quickly and painlessly."
"Never!"
Shinki suddenly leaped out, drawing his katana with a roar. "As long as I stand, none of you rat-like shinobi shall lay a hand on the Daimyo!"
"An ignorant, delusional samurai..."
Akahi waved his hand dismissively. "Capture Ono Shimura alive. As for the rest..." He bared his teeth in a cruel grin. "Kill them all."
At his command, nearly a hundred horsemen and over a dozen shinobi charged forward like tigers pouncing on prey.
Against such overwhelming force, Shimura's samurai guards were completely outmatched.
"Take this... take my sword!"
One samurai roared and swung his blade, but before he could even complete the motion, a sharp kunai pierced straight through his heart.
Samurai are trained to fight... but shinobi are trained to kill. The difference is clear as day.
"Damn it!"
Another samurai gritted his teeth and drew his blade. "You damned shinobi... taste my Draw-Slash Technique! I have practiced this art for years, and today I will make you—"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive ball of fire engulfed the samurai instantly, reducing him to a charred corpse.
Ordinary samurai required decades of rigorous training just to naturally generate a tiny amount of chakra.
Compared to shinobi, who began molding chakra from childhood, the gap in efficiency was staggering.
In the entire Shinobi World, aside from Mifune... was there even a single samurai capable of defeating a true shinobi?
If the difference between a civilian and a shinobi was like the distance between heaven and earth, then samurai were merely standing on a small stool somewhere in between — trying desperately to reach the sky.
Amidst the flashing blades and clashing steel, the number of Ono Shimura's guards dwindled rapidly...
"Dammit!"
Shinki ground his teeth in frustration. He refused to accept it — Why must samurai lose to shinobi?
But unfortunately, his heart burned with the will to fight, while his body simply lacked the strength to do anything.
He was helpless.
For the first time in his life, Shinki felt the crushing weight of his own weakness.
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