With the rise of the shinobi villages, samurai began to gradually fade from the stage of history. Once the primary military force, they were replaced by ninja, who could serve the sa function far more efficiently. Nowadays, aside from a few powerful nations and nobles who still maintain samurai retainers, only the Land of Iron remains a country ruled by samurai.
As shinobi took over the role of military power, a great many samurai lost their livelihoods. Their resentnt toward ninja often stems from this very shift in the world order.
Back during the Warring States Period, ninja could only be hired as rcenaries and were not considered proper military forces. Nations and noble families would still recruit samurai in large numbers to lead armies, conquer enemy fortresses, and expand their territories. But with the formalization of the shinobi villages, the status of samurai began its long decline. Over the years, their position has only beco more marginalized.
And now, standing in their path, was a group of wandering ronin—fallen samurai.
Their leader had long hair tied in a ponytail and a deep scar on the left side of his face. He wore a dark-colored robe and carried a katana and a wakizashi at his waist.
He spoke coldly, "Leave the goods, and you can go."
Minato stepped forward and said calmly,
"We’re ninja from Konohagakure. We were specifically assigned to escort this shipnt. Please, don’t make this difficult for us."
The samurai leader sneered.
"That ans nothing to . Just Konoha ninja? You’re not the first ones I’ve killed. A bunch of weaklings playing at war."
His n surrounded the caravan. Every one of them had their hand on a sword, faces twisted with hostility. The caravan workers had already cowered in fear and hidden away. At a ti like this, it was up to the ninja to act.
Yuhi Shinku said, "Let them make the first move. Then we respond."
"Should we kill them?" Kiyosuke asked.
"If you can help it, don’t. But if it gets out of hand and soone dies... it can’t be helped."
"Understood."
Anyone who lives by the blade has to be prepared to die by it.
There were twenty-five attackers in total. None of them looked easy to deal with.
Kiyosuke tightened his grip on a kunai, ready for battle.
Minato took a step back and said, "Then there’s nothing more to talk about."
"What do you think? Attack!"
With a sharp order from the samurai leader, he drew his katana—and the rest of his n followed, charging forward with their blades drawn.
Clang!
Sparks flew as a kunai clashed against a katana. Kiyosuke was knocked back by the force of the blow. He wasn’t strong enough yet to match a grown samurai in close combat.
"Hmph! Once a ninja is within our reach, they’re nothing! All your sneaky tricks are useless up close—cowards, the lot of you!"
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Kiyosuke swung his hand, launching several snakes toward the samurai. The man slashed down with a single blow, decapitating the snakes, and then brought his sword down toward Kiyosuke’s head!
Boom!
The blade struck a wooden log—it was a substitution! Kiyosuke reappeared behind the samurai and drove his kunai through the man’s heart.
"Ugh... you..."
As pain overtook him, the samurai collapsed to the ground. Kiyosuke took a deep breath and turned to face the others.
Yuhi Shinku had already taken down several enemies. He stood still and composed while every samurai that faced him scread and fell to the ground, clutching their heads in horror, as if seeing sothing terrifying.
Genjutsu was truly fearso.
A genjutsu specialist was an absolute nace on the battlefield.
Shinku twisted his body to dodge a sword strike from behind, then landed a spinning kick to his attacker’s gut.
He gathered chakra into his hand, igniting a blaze of fla.
Fire Jet!
The man who’d tried to ambush him was imdiately engulfed in fire, rolling on the ground, howling in pain.
Shinku glanced over at Asuma and saw that he was holding his own. As the son of the Third Hokage, he had inherited a wealth of techniques. Though his field experience was lacking, he was still doing fine.
Kurenai, just like her father, was a genjutsu-type ninja. The samurai who ca near her were all trapped in illusions and taken down without a fight.
Over on Minato’s squad, Kakashi had taken out more than half of the enemies all by himself. Obito and Rin dealt with the remaining few. As for Minato...
In the blink of an eye, his custom kunai was already pressed against the throat of the samurai leader.
The leader had barely managed to half-draw his sword. Cold sweat ran down his face—he hadn’t even seen Minato move. To be taken down like this... was utterly humiliating.
"You lost. All your n are down too."
"You... you’re a team of Konoha jonin, aren’t you?"
"No comnt."
Minato knocked the samurai leader out cold. Just like that, the attempted robbery was over. Not a single person from the caravan was injured.
Kazama ordered Minato’s team to tie up the surviving attackers and bury the dead on the spot.
In total, more than ten had died. Ten of those kills were by Kakashi alone.
He might be around the sa age as Kiyosuke and the others, but his ruthlessness in combat was unmatched. Every opponent he faced had their throat cut in a single stroke.
The sword style of the Hatake clan was one of Konoha’s finest.
Back in the day, Hatake Sakumo, wielding just a short blade, cut a bloody path from Konoha all the way to Sunagakure—without blinking once. The man was a whirlwind of carnage. The White Fang of Konoha, unstoppable in his pri.
Granny Chiyo’s son and daughter-in-law had both died by his hand—slain instantly!
He struck such fear into Sunagakure that children were scared silent just hearing his na. That was the level of terror he inspired.
Unfortunately, such a titan didn’t fall in battle—but in the village itself. A tragedy that still draws sighs to this day.
Konoha lost a Kage-level fighter... and the other four Great Shinobi Villages nearly laughed themselves sick.
It’s said that the Third Kazekage, living in frugal tis, even treated himself to a feast that night: three side dishes and a bowl of soup!
...
Border Town of the Land of Hot Water
With the end of the Second Great Ninja War, comrce began to flourish again. The previous Daimyō of the Land of Hot Water had died from illness shortly after the war. His successor had little interest in the declining Yugakure, and instead chose to focus on developing the country’s unique natural scenery.
By capitalizing on its hot springs and attracting travelers and wealthy rchants, the country had begun transforming into a thriving tourist destination—and finally started to make money again.
As Yugakure’s funding was steadily cut, the village gradually fell into decline, a shadow of its forr self.
Border towns in the Land of Hot Water were now bustling trade hubs. rchants ca and went in waves, and noble families visited for leisure. The towns were lively and prosperous.
The scenery here was beautiful, and the natural hot springs were one of a kind.
Their current mission wasn’t just to escort Kazama to the town—but also to guard him during his business dealings and safely escort him back afterward. While Kazama handled his affairs, Kiyosuke and the others were free to do as they pleased.
Minato and Yuhi Shinku were assigned to ensure Kazama’s safety.
Though this wasn’t strictly by the book, both Minato and Shinku agreed—it would be good for the kids to relax a bit. After all the exhausting travel, letting them enjoy the natural beauty of the Land of Hot Water was the best reward.
So, the six of them were given a few days off. As long as they didn’t cause trouble, stayed away from the Three Prohibitions of the ninja world, and returned to the inn at night to rest, they had free rein.
Consider it a vacation of sorts. What they did with it was entirely up to them.
After all, a balance between work and rest was the ideal way forward.
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