A single phrase stirred a thousand waves.
It ignited the fury of the samurai of the Land of Iron.
"Bastard, where does he think this is!?"
"This brat is provocation the Land of Iron!"
"Kill him!"
The crowd erupted in condemnation, with many already drawing their swords, ready to charge onto the stage.
Faced with their curses, Kin remained unmoved. Seeing them preparing to swarm him, he sneered and questioned,
"What? Can't handle the truth about the Land of Iron's samurai? Ganging up on one person? Is this what the Land of Iron stands for?"
Kin's words were infuriating, but they forced the crowd to calm down.
In the Land of Iron, honor was everything.
If they rushed him all at once, they'd only prove his point.
"Brat! Where are you from, shinobi?!"
Daiha knelt on one knee, his chest plate shattered, a wound now visible on his chest.
That tone of question wasn't something a native of the Land of Iron would use.
True samurai outside the Land of Iron were nearly extinct, with only a few remaining as ornaments for nobles.
A brat with such strength couldn't possibly be one of them.
He had chakra, after all.
"Me?"
Kin twirled his sword and sheathed it with a flourish.
Daiha hadn't even seen when Kin had drawn his blade.
In just an instant, he had already lost.
Kin's voice carried calmly.
"I'm not here as a shinobi, but as a swordsman."
Since he was going to fight, he might as well go all the way.
Against the Land of Iron, he had confidence. The Land of Iron had no true Kage-levelstrong man, at most elite jōnin.
He might not be able to defeat an elite jōnin, but defeating him wouldn't be easy either.
Strength was Kin's license to do as he pleased.
"Swordsman! Not a blade-user!"
White Fang corrected from below.
The shinobi world had no such thing as "blade-users"; they were called swordsmen or sword masters.
But White Fang's interruption made a vein bulge on Kin's forehead.
Gritting his teeth, Kin pointed his sword at White Fang.
"Got a problem?! Then get up here, you bastard!!"
White Fang stroked his chin, his hand resting on the hilt of the sword on his back.
It wasn't entirely out of the question.
"Never mind, never mind."
Seeing White Fang's hand on his sword, Kin quickly waved him off.
He really couldn't beat this guy.
He wasn't in the mood for a beating.
White Fang let his hand drop from the hilt. After all, he was stronger than Uchiha Kin; there was no need for the latter to act so arrogantly.
Kin shifted his gaze away from White Fang and scanned the crowd.
Definitely not fear—just strategic postponement of battle.
"Who else Dissatisfied?! Step up!"
Today, he was going to vent his anger.
"Brat! I'll teach you a lesson."
A man clad entirely in armor stepped forward, his face hidden behind an oni mask.
"It's Lord Xiangui!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Lord Xiangui, teach him a lesson!"
"Lord Xiangui, kill him!!"
"Use his blood to restore the Land of Iron's honor!"
The crowd surrounded by Xiangui onto the stage. Even Daiha bowed respectfully and addressed him as "Lord Xiangui" before hastily retreating.
The stage was now theirs.
"Brat, you're too arrogant. Leave your life here."
Xiangui drew his Katana and冷声 declared.
No one had ever dared to insult the Land of Iron so openly—not even shinobi from the major villages.
"Worry about your own life first."
This time, Kin was the first to draw his Kusanagi Sword, adopting a serious stance.
The other man gave him a sense of threat—though not a major one.
But were there really so many master in the Land of Iron?
"Hmph!"
Xiangui snorted, his blade flashing as he charged.
The two clashed instantly, their swords becoming blurs of motion.
Sparks exploded in the air.
The longer they fought, the heavier Xiangui's heart grew. His opponent's sword move were exquisite, each strike powerful and precise.
Every time their blades met, his hands trembled.
Kin's sword was deflected, but he immediately followed up with a thrust.
Xiangui barely dodged with a roll, but before he could steady himself, Kin was already upon him again.
Forced into a half-kneel, Xiangui could only roll desperately, trying to create distance to stand.
But Kin gave him no chance.
Like whipping a spinning top, he chased Xiangui across the stage.
The "spinning top," Xiangui, lost his mask mid-roll, revealing a face twisted in humiliation.
"Enough!"
Xiangui roared.
Kin responded with a cut that sliced cleanly through his neck.
Xiangui's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't believe Kin had actually dared to kill him!
His hands clutched at his neck—the cut was so clean, his head didn't immediately fall.
But no matter how he tried to steady it, the wound expanded, blood spreading relentlessly.
Trembling, he managed to stand—only to collapse moments later, his head rolling off the stage.
Below the stage, White Fang slapped his forehead.
"This is bad."
He hadn't expected Kin to actually kill a samurai of the Land of Iron.
Uchiha Kin, however, was utterly unfazed, Even glanced provocatively the crowd.
"What? You can try to kill me, but I can't kill you? Since when was that the rule?"
If someone tried to kill him, he wouldn't hold back.
Kin was not one to let slights go unpunished.
"I'll take you on, brat."
Another figure leaped onto the stage.
Unlike the previous two armored combatants, this man was lean, dressed in simple cloth.
"Great Swordmaster, Ichirou!!"
Someone exclaim his identity.
The shock of Kin's kill was momentarily forgotten.
A Great Swordmaster stood at the very pinnacle of the Land of Iron.
Kin couldn't help but scan the crowd again.
What kind of audience was this? Each new challenger was stronger than the last. Why hadn't they mentioned these titles earlier?
It made Kin hesitate.
At this rate, would the Sage of Six Paths pop out next?
He wasn't afraid of the so-called Great Swordmaster—this wasn't One Piece, after all.
But the audience was starting to worry him.
Ichirou wasted no words, charging forward with his blade.
Unlike the previous two, his sword was wrapped in swirling wind.
"Feels familiar."
Kin grinned.
Wind-style swordsmanship.
"I can do it better!!"
Unfortunately, his chakra had already undergone a shift.
Though he hadn't mastered the Heavenly Demon Art, its elemental conversion was complete.
He could no longer use Wind Breathing.
But he had something stronger.
Kin's breathing shifted, and the air around him grew dark.
Below the stage, White Fang narrowed his eyes, watching Uchiha Kin.
"Such huge chakra."
He had never felt anything like it.
He'd have to ask Kin about it later.
By then, Kin was already meeting his opponent's charge.
"Moon Breathing."
...
Read 50 advance at patreon.com/CNBLUE
(End of Chapter)