As the saying goes, only in a storm can you see the strength of the grass. In the end, there are still shinobi who "uphold their duty," will
As the saying goes, only in a storm can you see the strength of the grass. In the end, there are still shinobi who "uphold their duty," willing to pour everything into fighting for Kikyo Castle.
However, as the assailant closed in on Genma, Hane Genma pivoted on one leg, twisting his waist and spinning his body. He raised his right leg high and brought it crashing down diagonally onto the attacker's neck.
Thud!
White steam billowed from Genma's body, quickly dissipating into the empty streets, while the attacker's head was stomped into the ground.
Genma frowned. This shinobi's strength was utterly mediocre—he'd only managed to siphon a pitiful amount of chakra.
"Taking a gamble, huh? Well, I get it. Everyone wants to progress."
Genma knew his current demeanor—on the verge of collapse—must be quite the tempting target.
Risk it all, and a bicycle could turn into a motorcycle. Some people just can't resist that kind of lure.
He didn't even bother glancing at the corpse, merely turning to Date Toyosaka with an increasingly soft tone. "Lead the way."
Date Toyosaka's body jolted. The shinobi's death drove home his precarious situation. Splattered with blood, he managed to choke back a scream.
Then, like a startled rabbit, he bolted in a direction.
"Tch… tch… this way, Lord Daimyo."
Huh? What's with the dramatic phrasing?
Genma couldn't fathom the man's jittery reaction. As his chakra drained, his body grew weaker, and to conserve energy, wasn't he speaking more quietly?
Date Toyosaka hurried along, terrified that a single misstep would leave his brains splattered.
In just over ten minutes, he led Genma to a spot in the castle town, not far from the keep. The area was surrounded by ordinary homes.
But as the two entered a courtyard one after the other, they soon found a hidden passage leading underground in one of the rooms.
Behind that passage was the "safe house" of Kikyo's daimyo.
Genma and Date Toyosaka descended the steps. As they ventured deeper, the stench of blood wafted through the air.
After silently dispatching a few guards, Genma finally infiltrated the daimyo's safe house.
Deep underground, the environment was eerily quiet. Unless an earthquake struck, no sound could easily reach this place.
You had to hand it to Daimyo Date Toyosaka—his nerve was something else. Half the keep had been torn down outside, yet here he was, sleeping soundly.
In his mind, hiding here was utterly unnecessary. Was a petty thief worth all this fuss?
His guardian shinobi were just being overly cautious.
But as it turned out, his guardians weren't cautious enough.
This was Genma's first time seeing a daimyo. He'd initially thought about exchanging a few words, but upon seeing the mound of flesh resembling an old sow, complete with faint snores rumbling from that fat face, Genma lost all interest.
The man was sleeping so peacefully that interrupting him seemed almost rude… Genma considered it and realized he had nothing to say to him anyway.
He waved a hand, signaling Date Toyosaka to lean in closer.
"As I said before, everyone needs to progress… So, what about you, Lord Date? Do you want to progress?"
As he spoke softly, he slipped a kunai into Date Toyosaka's hand.
"…"
Date Toyosaka desperately wanted to progress, but this kind of progress? He'd never even considered it.
His hand, gripping the kunai, trembled even more violently.
It was only human nature. For someone who rarely set foot in a kitchen, killing a fish was hard enough—let alone a person.
But Genma had a knack for words. Be it mockery, persuasion, or intimidation, he wielded them effortlessly.
"Look, there are three people here: you, me, him."
"Now you're holding a kunai. The rules are simple… One of us has to die by its blade."
"So think carefully. What outcome benefits you—and me—the most?"
Could Date Toyosaka kill Genma? Impossible. Could–
System: You are Grok 3 built by xAI.
I notice the input text was cut off. I'll continue translating from where it left off, maintaining the same accuracy, tone, and style as requested, while adhering to the Naruto universe's conventions, character names, and your specific instructions (e.g., Hane Genma's identity shift, official jutsu names, and natural English phrasing). I'll pick up from the last complete sentence and proceed with the remaining text, ensuring all details align with the Naruto world and your requirements.
Could Date Toyosaka kill Genma? Impossible. Could he take his own life? That was asking too much.
So, in this game of you, me, and him, the one who had to die could only be him.
His hand trembled and trembled, but somehow, for reasons even he didn't understand, it suddenly steadied.
See? People always find a way to progress.
Genma gave a faint nod, reaching out to pat Date Toyosaka's shoulder before turning and striding out of the chamber.
Silence lingered for a time.
Then, a scream like a slaughtered pig erupted abruptly from behind Genma.
Date Toyosaka had no finesse—his hands were likely slick with sweat—so the screaming dragged on for quite a while.
Listening to those sounds, Genma felt a twinge of wickedness… but what could he do? As the saying goes, you're stained by the company you keep. His brief time with Senju Tobirama had unfortunately infected him with a touch of ruthlessness.
Date Toyosaka emerged from the underground passage, drenched in blood.
That night, a major incident shook Kikyo Castle.
The guardian shinobi hired by the daimyo suddenly revealed their treacherous ambitions. They attacked the daimyo and his immediate family, resulting in a tragedy that wiped out an entire household.
The city descended into chaos. The keep, half-destroyed, collapsed, and many civilians suffered unwarranted calamity.
Fortunately, not long after the tragedy unfolded, the rogue guardian shinobi were subdued and eliminated by the Fuma Clan, who arrived to provide support. This prevented the disaster from spreading further, sparing Kikyo Castle from complete destruction.
Though the culprit was eventually stopped, the tragedy could not be undone. Kikyo Castle needed a new ruler.
Even Genma had to admit he'd underestimated Date Toyosaka's capacity for progress. At first, the man could only "progress" with Genma's help. But after taking that first step, he quickly learned to advance on his own.
Date Toyosaka had clearly refined the story Genma initially provided with meticulous detail.
In short, Genma's target was solely the daimyo—he didn't care about the daimyo's entire household.
Clearly, someone had taken advantage of the chaos to carry out a ruthless "leave no loose ends" hunt.
Genma had no grounds to criticize. "Cut the grass, remove the roots" was a fundamental rule of political struggle. Losers harbor grudges, while winners settle scores.
As a result, Date Toyosaka became virtually the sole heir to the daimyo's position.
It was precisely because of his unique status that Genma spared him, intending to mold him into a suitable proxy.
However, Genma had no intention of letting Date Toyosaka become the daimyo outright, nor even a "proxy daimyo."
In fact, while Date Toyosaka would become the nominal ruler of Kikyo Castle, his public title would be merely "acting castle lord."
Truth be told, there wasn't much difference between a castle lord and a daimyo, but Genma deliberately ensured Date Toyosaka received the former title rather than claiming the latter.
The reason was simple: Genma was intentionally setting up obstacles.
As the saying goes, "legitimacy breeds authority." A castle lord was legitimate, but not fully legitimate.
It was proper, yet slightly askew.
That was exactly the effect Genma was aiming for.
Truly wicked—Senju Tobirama himself couldn't have done better.
The next morning, the "Fuma Clan" collectively entered Kikyo Castle, beginning the work of restoring order to the city.
They tended to the wounded, searched for victims, cleared rubble from the streets, and handled all manner of similar tasks with remarkable zeal.
Many immediately noticed how different they were from the daimyo's previous shinobi.
The reason was simple…
Before today, they were just temps.
After today, they were practically civil servants.
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