Chapter 55: Hanzo's Declaration Shakes the World, Mifune's Departure, and Kakuzu's New Bounty
With Hanzo the Salamander's declaration of war, it caused an uproar throughout the entire ninja world.
Never before had a small nation dared to declare war on great nations—and simultaneously against two of them at that.
Small nations in the ninja world either attached themselves to a single great nation or acted as fence-sitters.
Now Hanzo the Salamander declaring war on great nations could be said to have set a precedent.
However, the great nations did not take this matter seriously.
The strongest reaction came from the Land of Iron. The Land of Iron had clearly not participated in the war between the three great nations, yet Hanzo the Salamander had declared war on them!
...
Inside the Land of Iron, Mifune—who had already gained some fame and status—was now holding a meeting with warriors of the same level.
"It was clearly you who ordered your subordinates to secretly plunder the Land of Rain during the war there—that's why Hanzo the Salamander declared war on our Land of Iron!"
"Hmph! If you didn't go, how would you know I went?"
"You're slandering me!"
"You're the one slandering!"
Mifune watched these warriors—who all held some status in the Land of Iron—mutually accusing each other, yet no one was willing to reflect on their own faults and unite against the enemy.
Of course, it was also possible they didn't want to face Hanzo the Salamander, so they were just pointing fingers here, hoping someone else would step up.
Mifune now understood that these people could not save the Land of Iron. So without another word, Mifune stood up and left directly.
Someone saw Mifune leaving and asked: "Mifune, where are you going?"
Mifune didn't turn back and said: "I'm going to find a real way to save the Land of Iron—and to unite true righteous warriors who are willing to save it!"
Facing Mifune's sarcasm, some people immediately started cursing.
"Hmph, what 'real way to save the Land of Iron'—I think he's just scared and running away!"
"Exactly! What right does that mere Mifune have to lecture us!"
But watching Mifune leave, a small portion of people followed after him.
At this moment in the courtyard, Mifune was fiercely swinging his sword. Every swing carried his determination and power, yet he was dissatisfied with the power of his own iaijutsu, slashing one stroke after another at the tree in front of him, as if venting the dissatisfaction in his heart.
Mifune gripped the hilt tightly, closed his eyes, focused his mind to feel the chakra flowing in his body, then poured it continuously into the blade. When he opened his eyes again, they flashed with firmness and resolve.
With a roar of anger, Mifune swung with full power. The sharp sword qi released by this strike cut through the air like lightning, instantly hitting the large tree in front of him. The tremendous impact force made the trunk unable to withstand it—it was directly split in two.
Mifune slowly sheathed his sword, let out a soft sigh, and slightly shook his head. Even though he had used his full strength, the effect this strike produced was still limited. He realized that even at full power, he could only cut down one large tree.
This destructive power was roughly equivalent to some C-rank ninjutsu from ninjas.
Warriors who could reach his level were truly few—only a ninja village's chūnin-level destructive power could match some high-level or even top-tier warriors.
Stronger ninjas were simply crushing against many warriors.
The only advantage samurai swordsmanship had was that it required no hand seals—but compared to ninjas, it was still far behind, especially top ninjas who could form seals quickly and shorten the number of seals needed (except Hoshigaki Kisame—he's an honest guy!).
Mifune looked up at the sky in despair, sighing in his heart: Is there really nothing that can help the Land of Iron resist Hanzo the Salamander and the invasion of ninjas? If relying on the power of samurai themselves is insufficient, then what external object could?
Looking at the sky, Mifune suddenly thought of the recently somewhat famous Konoha forger Uchiha Naraku! Perhaps he could request this forging master to point the way for the samurai of the ninja world!
Moreover, samurai didn't have as many flashy ninjutsu as ninjas—yet the various abilities on Naraku's forged ninja blades could make up for that.
Mifune was a decisive man. He packed his belongings and set off on the road to Konoha to find Naraku—this was also his search for a path for the future of the samurai.
...
Kakuzu, after barely escaping the "Wood Dragon Battle" and finally restoring himself to full five hearts, discovered that recently there were always petty thieves trying to ambush him. This both annoyed him and brought him some joy.
After all, these petty thieves usually had bounties too.
Kakuzu came to the black market to restart his money-making life. Although the previous mission had failed, money still had to be earned.
He decided that once he became stronger, he'd find an opportunity to steal that gem.
Under the strange looks from the black market staff, Kakuzu obtained the black market bounty list. He flipped through two pages and stopped.
[Kakuzu: Identity – Bounty Hunter. Reward 1 million ryō for providing this person's latest whereabouts. Reward 40 million ryō for capturing this person alive and delivering him to the Earth Country black market.]
Kakuzu thought to himself: This must be Iwagakure wanting to know the specific details of that "Wood Dragon Battle," so they're putting a bounty on me? Damn! My bounty can't be claimed by some petty thief!
Saying my address gets 1 million ryō—this money is too easy!
After exchanging the previous heads for money, Kakuzu immediately ran toward the Land of Iron.
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