On the other side, at the core of the Land of Lightning's capital, Unming City, lay a luxurious estate protected by towering inner walls.
This was the residence of the Land of Lightning's Daimyo, known as the Tenshu Pavilion.
In Japanese castle architecture, the Tenshu is the highest and largest structure, serving as a lookout and command post. More importantly, it stands as a symbol of absolute feudal authority. The Tenshu Pavilion was situated on the city's highest point, consisting of a main tower and three subsidiary fortifications.
At this moment, a man with a round face and a massive, bear-like physique—wearing Iwa's red uniform, a brown flak jacket, and a red forehead protector—stood atop an inner wall littered with corpses. He seemed to be waiting for something.
He watched indifferently as the highest main tower was pierced by a crimson beam of light and began to collapse in a thunderous roar.
The grayish-white walls and stone foundations shattered. The lookout tower at the top crushed into the gables below; zelkova pillars toppled, tiles snapped, and wood splinters flew everywhere, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
Finally, as the building most revered by the people of Lightning crumbled to the ground, the sound of urgent footsteps began to echo throughout the inner city.
Before the samurai and guardian shinobi responsible for the estate could arrive, the beam of light that had dyed the sky blood-red faded away.
Then, a man with short red hair and a full beard, wearing a charred and tattered purple monk's robe that exposed his muscular, reddened chest, quietly emerged from the ruins of the Tenshu. With a single leap, he reached the top of the high wall—a height unreachable for ordinary men—and stood beside the large man.
These two were the envoys from Iwagakure: Kitsuchi, son of the Third Tsuchikage, and Rōshi, the powerful ninja who served as the Four-Tails Jinchuriki.
After entering the city, settling into the embassy, and deploying shadow clones, they had rushed here without pause. Following their predetermined plan, Rōshi had struck, bringing down the revered structure in one blow.
Kitsuchi turned his head toward the dust-covered Rōshi and asked with a tense, serious expression: "How is it? Was the Lightning Daimyo inside? Did you kill him?"
On the surface, Kitsuchi appeared calm, but internally he was shaken. What they were doing was an act of high treason; in the past, the lightest punishment for such a crime would have been ritual suicide.
Rōshi shook his head and frowned. "The one in the Tenshu Pavilion was merely a body double."
"The real Lightning Daimyo likely moved locations after the first failed assassination attempt by the Immortal Cultists, just as the intel suggested. Right now, it's likely no one knows where he is hiding..."
At this point, Rōshi let out a cold, sharp laugh. "Such a noble personage—someone we used to have to bow before—is now scurrying around like a stray dog. To think the old man still treats the one in the Land of Earth with such reverence. It's... pathetic."
Having so easily wiped out the "exalted" inhabitants of the Tenshu, Rōshi felt a momentary sense of surrealism, and his tone became somewhat arrogant.
"Watch your words!" Kitsuchi narrowed his eyes and glanced at Rōshi, his voice low. "Don't forget our true objective!"
"This trip is meant to push the Hidden Hot Water ninjas and other factions to assassinate the Daimyo, to light this fire and put pressure on that man. We aren't actually meant to kill him!"
"After all, he is still very useful to us!"
Rōshi was silent for a moment before looking down at the chaos erupting below the ruins. "So, what's your next move?"
"What's the point of killing a fake? Do you think such an act will actually provoke that man? You should understand by now—people like him, much like our old man, live for power. Even if their wives and sons died before them, they likely wouldn't bat an eye."
Rōshi stared coldly at Kitsuchi, his words seemingly pointed. "They are a different species now—emotionless, cold-blooded machines of authority."
Kitsuchi shook his head and gave a confident, calm smile. "I told you, we are just lighting the fire!"
"By killing the fake Daimyo, we force the real one to reveal himself. If he doesn't show up to take control of the situation, he will lose face and his prestige will plummet. We would then hold the initiative at the upcoming Five-Kage Summit."
"And if he does choose to appear, the subsequent waves of assassinations will eventually force him to make the 'correct' choice!"
Hearing this, Rōshi couldn't be bothered to calculate the schemes hidden within the words. He simply looked at Kitsuchi's honest, sturdy face and sighed. "Kitsuchi, you're living more and more like the old man every day. That's not a good thing."
Kitsuchi's expression didn't change, but a hint of gloom flickered in his eyes. Like the "Shadow of Konoha," since he had chosen to do this dirty work for the sake of the village, he had effectively disqualified himself from his dream of becoming the Fourth Tsuchikage.
"This kind of thing... someone has to do it."
The darkness in his gaze vanished quickly as Kitsuchi braced himself and looked at Rōshi. "Enough of that. What about the boy claiming to be 'Ren Uchiha' I told you to watch?"
"Capturing that boy and bringing him back to Iwa is the most important part of this mission! Even if everything else fails, it doesn't matter. The secret techniques of the Jashin Cult are of immense importance. Whether we can seize the Land of Lightning in one battle later depends entirely on him!"
Rōshi took a deep breath and closed his eyes, seemingly disgusted by the whole affair. After a moment of silence, he spoke:
"I've already told the boy what his choices are. And just as you expected... he agreed!"
"Everything is for the sake of killing the Third Raikage, A. But Kitsuchi, I won't do something like this a second time!" He stared intently at Kitsuchi, a struggle visible in his eyes. "Attempting to drive love with hatred will only backfire. If the line between good and evil isn't clearly drawn, it will only give birth to a greater cycle of hatred!"
Kitsuchi's gaze instantly turned cold. "But this is war!"
"By any means necessary, at any cost—even the most despicable acts are worth it if they bring victory!"
A moment later, seeing Rōshi keep his eyes shut in silent disdain, Kitsuchi gave an "honest" smile, hiding his inner turmoil. "Now, it's time for our entrance! According to the timing, we should be arriving right about now to become—"
"The 'heroes' who defeated the assassins!"
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