While Seimei and his group were approaching the Shimada clan, Jiro and the remaining two Jonin-level ninjas were just half an hour away from entering the clan grounds.
Their conditions weren't good either.
The fight against Uchiha Natsu and all his tricks was a brutal one. They had suffered from all kinds of wounds, whether it was deep lacerations, blunt trauma, elemental damage, or fractured bones.
Fortunately, they had enough reserves of several healing potions and medicines, albeit inferior ones. But those were enough to help them retain their combat capability and mobility.
So, after they saw Uchiha Natsu disappear below the cliff, they immediately treated their injuries and rushed toward the Shimada clan grounds as if their lives depended on it.
And indeed it did.
After all, they had let the Konoha ninjas get away from their sight once.
Who could say they wouldn't send intel to Konoha during that time?
So, they needed to report the clan and the allies from the Land of Water as soon as possible. They might need to relocate, or they would be swarmed by elite ninjas from Konoha sooner or later.
However, the lingering traces of injuries still had some effect, greatly slowing down their travel speed.
By the time Jiro and his team reached the clan grounds, the sun was already out, though clouds covered it.
Once they entered the clan grounds, Jiro turned toward his two companions.
"Go and receive treatment for your injuries. I will go and inform the clan head and the ninjas from Kirigakure about the situation."
He sighed and said, "We might have to abandon our clan grounds today and move to other places."
The expressions of the two ninjas were grave.
They nodded stiffly.
Once of them consoled, "Don't worry, Jiro. We are the Shimada clan Shinobi. We have survived the Warring States Era and stood proud for hundreds of years since our foundation. Everything will be fine."
Jiro nodded lightly. "I understand."
With that, Jiro turned around and walked toward the clan head's residence.
Each of his steps was heavy.
He didn't understand why the clan head decided to collude with the Mist ninjas. They were doing just fine in the Land of Fire.
Due to their blood feud against the Uchiha clan, the Shimada clan didn't join Konoha when Senju Hashirama invited the ninja clans all over the Land of Fire to join Konoha and build a unified Shinobi stronghold.
They stayed out of Konoha. And they lived as an independent ninja clan, just like many other Shinobi clans that refused to join Konoha for various reasons.
They were living by serving the nobles of the Land of Fire just fine. They owned a minor water crystal mine and had enough resources to thrive without much hardship.
He couldn't understand why the clan head would risk betraying the Land of Fire and collude with the ninjas from the Land of Water.
Jiro didn't know the details of their deal. But he knew that defying the ninjas from the Land of Water was not a wise choice.
Although the Kirigakure ninja squad only had 14 ninjas in total, each of them was at least a Special Jonin.
And the leader of their squad? He was something else entirely.
Jiro felt immense dread just by standing near him. The killing intent, the bloodlust, and the pressure radiating from his imposing frame were so intense that his knees nearly buckled.
Just looking into that madman's eyes made his heart palpitate in fear.
If their clan head refused their offer, he wasn't sure if they could have survived until now.
Still, the fact that his clan leader didn't even make any attempt to secretly expose the foreign ninjas to the Land of Fire authority spoke volumes.
Thinking all this, Jiro took a deep breath.
He shook his head before walking forward. "The clan leader is wise. I am sure he had taken everything into account, including the survival of our clan, before making his decision."
"I only need to follow his orders. Everything else…"
"...That's none of my concern."
Soon, Shimada Jiro had arrived in front of the door of the clan leader's house.
He knocked on the door three times before speaking loudly, "Clan leader, it's me, Shimada Jiro. And I am here to report."
After a few moments, a maid opened the door.
The maid bowed to him.
"Lord Jiro. The clan leader has been waiting for you."
She stepped sideways and motioned with her right hand.
"Please step inside. I will bring you to the clan leader's study, where he is waiting for your report."
Jiro nodded and stepped inside.
He followed the maid and stepped into the study of the clan leader's residence.
The moment he saw the clan leader, he dropped on one of his knees and said, "Clan leader, I am here to report."
The clan leader of the Shimada clan, who looked to be in his mid-forties, sat at the table. His eyes were scrutinizing Jiro. His expression was utterly unreadable.
After a few moments of tense silence, the clan leader finally opened his mouth.
"Speak, Jiro. What took you so long? And where is Shimada Shin? It should be him reporting me, not you."
Jiro's face tightened. He stayed in his kneeling position and replied, "Clan leader…"
"Things are not good."
Hearing this, the Shimada clan leader showed no reaction. The face was stoic. However, the room's temperature seemed to cool down a little.
Jiro didn't know if he was hallucinating about the drop in the temperature.
But he didn't have the leisure to pay attention to anything like that. At least, not right now.
Meanwhile, the clan leader of the Shimada clan was panicking inside.
Did those Konoha ninja manage to get away? Damn it.
Still, he asked in a steady voice, "Tell me. Tell me everything."
Jiro didn't hesitate for a second and bowed even more. "Yes."
Then, Shimada Jiro described everything he had experienced, holding nothing back.
The more the Shimada clan leader listened, the paler his face became.
In the end, the Shimada clan leader exhaled visibly. He kept his jaw tight, trying hard to keep his expression in check.
When Jiro finished describing everything, the Shimada clan leader sent him back. But not before ordering him to alert the clansmen and to pack their bags.
Now, he was alone in his study.
The Shimada slumped on his chair and rubbed his forehead.
"What a mess."
His helpless voice echoed in the closed study room.
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Meanwhile, Seimei and his team, who were less than one kilometer away from the Shimada clan grounds, discussed their assault strategy.
Once everyone came to an agreement, Uchiha Hiroshi, the S-rank Uchiha clan ninja, activated his Sharingan.
Three pitch-black tomoe spun inside his crimson iris, which glowed ominously.
He declared, "Then it's decided, let's burn those bastards down. We will set those traitors' homes on fire and kill every last one of them."
Hearing that, Seimei's thoughts couldn't help but run wild.
Ah! So, we are going to conduct legalized arson again.
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