Seeing the tense expressions on the faces of the Takigakure villagers, Mirai Uchiha slowly spoke, "Shibuki has agreed to have Takigakure submit to my rule."
"From now on, your village will fall under my authority. I'll send someone to take over all matters concerning Takigakure."
"Do you understand?"
Upon hearing Mirai's demand, the ninja from Takigakure were all stunned.
Although they had anticipated that hiring a powerful figure like Mirai Uchiha would certainly come at a great cost,
they had never imagined that Shibuki would actually agree to such a demand.
"How could it come to this? How could Lord Shibuki accept such a humiliating condition? Isn't this basically the same as our village being destroyed?"
As a village once powerful enough to receive a portion of a Tailed Beast during the founding of the ninja villages, the ninja of Takigakure carried an innate sense of pride.
They resembled fallen nobility—though long past their prime and glory, they still held themselves above others deep inside.
Therefore, upon hearing that Shibuki had actually agreed to submit their village to someone from another village, they found it hard to accept.
Hearing the murmurs among the Takigakure ninja, Mirai snorted lightly, "Of course there's a difference—it means you're still alive."
"If I hadn't stepped in, you'd all be corpses by now."
At his words, the expressions of the Takigakure ninja stiffened.
Thinking carefully, they realized it was indeed as Mirai had said.
If he hadn't stepped in just in time, they would've been killed by that man known as Sasori of the Red Sand, no doubt about it.
And not only them—the villagers back in the village wouldn't have escaped either.
Still, even under these circumstances, one Takigakure ninja shouted, "These promises are nothing but Shibuki's own arbitrary decision!"
"We absolutely refuse to accept submission to an outsider!"
"If we'd known this was the price for being saved by you, we'd rather have died fighting!"
Mirai wasn't particularly surprised by this development.
Human nature was simply like that.
In the ninja world, it was especially common for people to fear power rather than virtue.
Fortunately, Mirai possessed overwhelming strength.
So he directly grabbed the shouting ninja by the neck and lifted him up, "Since you're so eager to keep acting up, I'll happily oblige."
Snap!
Mirai casually tossed the corpse onto the ground.
Seeing this, several more Takigakure ninja glared with burning hatred, "Why did you kill him?"
"Aren't you not here to save us?"
For such accusations, Mirai didn't bother responding. Instead, he simply raised one hand to cover his eye and declared, "[AMATERASU]!"
The scorching black flames immediately engulfed several Takigakure ninjas.
No matter how they rolled on the ground or splashed in the water trying to extinguish the flames, the black fire refused to fade.
As agonizing screams echoed, the dozen or so remaining Takigakure ninja stood frozen, too terrified to utter another word.
They realized that the man before them was far more ruthless than they had imagined.
After those people had been turned to ash by Amaterasu [the all-consuming black flame], Mirai Uchiha finally spoke calmly, "You may not understand yet—I have the power to save you, and I certainly have the power to kill you as well."
"If you mistake me for some kind-hearted fool who does nothing but good without expecting anything in return, then you're completely wrong."
"Therefore... treat my words as absolute commands. I have no interest in negotiating with any of you."
Witnessing what happened to their comrades beforehand, the Takigakure ninja were noticeably much more obedient now.
Led by a middle-aged man, Mirai Uchiha and Kisame swiftly entered the village.
Looking at the gathered villagers whose faces showed panic, the middle-aged man loudly announced, "Everyone, there's no need for worry anymore! The honorable master behind me has saved our village!"
"You might not know this yet, but this noble ninja is the legendary Mirai Uchiha from Konoha—the very same who unified the Five Great Ninja Villages."
"From now on, Takigakure will pledge allegiance to this mighty master."
During the journey here, these Takigakure ninja had also heard stories about Mirai Uchiha from Kisame's mouth.
Such myth-like tales stunned these rural ninja, who had rarely left their home.
Never could they have imagined that such terrifying power could exist within one ninja.
Just thinking about their earlier attitude toward Mirai Uchiha caused chills of fear to run down their spines.
Mirai Uchiha had survived countless battles, and tens of thousands of ninja had fallen by his hand.
They truly had reason to be grateful for being spared.
However, when the villagers heard the middle-aged man's words, surprise flickered across their faces.
Pledge loyalty to a ninja from Konoha?
What did that even mean?
Noticing the confusion on everyone's faces, the middle-aged man quickly continued, "This decision was thoroughly discussed and mutually agreed upon by Shibuki-sama and us leaders."
"If anyone has questions or objections, feel free to privately consult me later."
He was genuinely afraid that someone reckless might challenge Mirai Uchiha right there.
If this ruthless warrior—whose eyes never blinked at slaughter—took offense, it would mean complete ruin for Takigakure.
At that moment, a boy of about three or four years old came running over from the distance.
"Something's wrong! The Hero Water… it's gone!"
The middle-aged man immediately asked, "Shibuki, what happened to Teacher Mizuge?"
Panting heavily, the boy blurted out, "Teacher Mizuge stole the Hero Water!"
"What?!" The Takigakure ninjas present couldn't help but gasp in shock.
When they left to defend against Kisame Hoshigaki and Sasori of the Red Sand, they'd prepared for the worst. They had taken the Hero Water from its forbidden chamber beforehand and entrusted it to Shibuki for safekeeping.
Their plan was simple—should things spiral out of control during battle, they could immediately consume the Hero Water to dramatically enhance their strength.
What made it even more shocking was that Mizuge, Shibuki's teacher, had volunteered to stay behind specifically to help guard the Hero Water.
So how could Shibuki now claim that the Hero Water had been stolen by Mizuge himself?
Fixing a stern gaze on Shibuki, the middle-aged man ordered, "Shibuki, explain clearly what happened."
Speaking rapidly, the boy said, "Uncle Hidekazu, not long after you left, Teacher Mizuge took the Hero Water, saying that such a precious treasure shouldn't be wasted on you all."
"He knocked me out, and I just woke up."
"Uncle Hidekazu, please hurry and chase him down! We must recover the Hero Water!"
Hidekazu glanced uncertainly at Mirai Uchiha before requesting, "Mirai, may I take some men and pursue Mizuge first?"
Mirai looked at the group of Chunin-level Takigakure ninja and shook her head in refusal.
She had no confidence in their abilities.
Sending them after Mizuge would likely only complicate matters further.
Thinking this, Mirai closed her eyes and expanded her sensory perception.
Quickly locating Mizuge's trail, she found he had already traveled dozens of miles beyond the village.
"The entire Takigakure already belongs to me—you won't be stealing the Hero Water."
[Yomi no Tsunagatachi!]
Mirai muttered the name, conjuring a pitch-black spatial portal directly in front of her.
Then, reaching forward, she grabbed at the space portal before her...
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