Only after leaving the city and entering the wild outskirts did these men openly surround Kin and White Fang, leaving no gaps for escape.
"You really thought we'd let you leave like this?"
Ichirou stood among the crowd, his sinister eyes fixed on the two. The surrounding samurai closed in, clearly abandoning the idea of dueling Kin one-on-one in favor of a group assault.
"You've insulted the Land of Iron! You'll die here!!"
A shout rose from the crowd.
"Kill them!"
"Kill them!"
"Kill them!"
The chorus of voices made Kin dig a finger into his ear—it was genuinely noisy.
These Iron Country folks might lack skill, but their lungs are impressive.
"Finish this quickly. I'll wait ahead," White Fang said to Kin before dissolving into a puff of smoke and vanishing.
So fast.
Kin clicked his tongue. White Fang was just avoiding the hassle, dumping everything on him.
Setting facts aside, isn't White Fang at fault here?
"No doubt—they're shinobi!"
Seeing White Fang's exit erased any remaining uncertainty.
"Kill you first, then we'll hunt him down!"
Ichirou's face twisted as he accepted a new sword from a comrade—his own had been shattered by Kin earlier.
Kin pressed his hands to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Several strange objects materialized before him.
"Stop him!" Ichirou roared.
He didn't know what Kin was planning, but preventing it was the priority.
The samurai surged forward like a tide, but the distance was too great.
Kin leisurely pulled out a small copper bell and a mallet.
By the time one samurai reached him, sword raised and face contorted with effort, Kin tapped the bell lightly.
Ding-a-ling!
Ripples of sound waves spread outward. Everyone who heard it froze mid-step—except for the more skilled swordsmen, the kensei, and especially Ichirou, a daikensei.
"It's genjutsu! Cover your ears!" Ichirou bellowed.
Kin sighed, examining the bell.
Phantom Sound Bell—a tool to trap listeners in illusions.
Too bad it was useless against those with substantial chakra.
This was his second crafted ninja tool.
"Disappointing. The effect's still too limited."
Only seven or eight samurai remained unaffected, none daring to charge now. Even Ichirou kept his distance, wary of Kin's swordsmanship.
"What are you waiting for!? Attack!" Ichirou snarled at the hesitant samurai.
Their faces paled. The rigid hierarchy of the samurai meant lower ranks had no choice but to obey. Gritting their teeth, they rushed Kin again.
"Die!!"
Kin, unfazed, raised a shuriken gun and pulled the trigger repeatedly.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The samurai scrambled to dodge. Only one was too slow, earning a gash on his arm.
"Still not as good as throwing them myself."
Kin shook his head. The Uchiha's throwing techniques allowed for trajectory control, demanding precision. The shuriken gun only shot straight, lacking finesse. Its upgrades in speed and power were marginal.
"Damn you!!"
Ichirou barely dodged the shuriken.
He could see it now—his men were too terrified to press forward.
Kin drew a small black dagger.
As chakra flowed into it, the blade glowed darkly.
With a flick of his wrist, he sent it flying toward Ichirou.
"Go."
The dagger crossed the distance instantly, but Ichirou's sword was faster. In one motion, he split the dagger in two.
Kin frowned.
"Too weak. Poor quality. Can't even enlarge it."
A failed prototype.
"You're a mage!"
Kin's bizarre arsenal had Ichirou reconsidering.
He'd never seen such strange tools. Shinobi manipulated elements, but this? Only temple mages fit Kin's current image.
"Ignorance is bliss."
Kin eyed his remaining two prototypes: a palm-sized shield and a small wooden figurine.
"These two aren't testable here."
The shield was for defense; the figurine, for tracking and marking.
Overall, his tools were lackluster.
The Phantom Sound Bell only worked on low-chakra targets.
The shuriken gun couldn't alter trajectories.
The flying dagger shattered before proving its worth.
"Let's call it a day."
These samurai weren't worth more effort.
He could test the shield alone. The figurine could wait for another opportunity.
"Kill him!!"
Ichirou's roar snapped Kin back to reality.
The daikensei was leading a final charge.
"Ever heard of the Prince's Combat Style?"
Kin raised both hands.
Dark energy spheres coalesced above his palms.
"Yin! Spirit Bullet Modified! Prince's Combat Style!"
His hands blurred, launching a rapid barrage of black orbs at the charging samurai.
Within moments, every one of them was struck.
The samurai exchanged confused glances. No one collapsed.
Did we just survive that?
Then, as one samurai took a step forward, his eyes rolled back, and he dropped.
A chain reaction followed. One by one, they fell—even Ichirou.
Thanks to the Yamanaka clan's generous contributions.
"Soul Expulsion."
The Yin-attributed orbs forced their souls out of their bodies while altering their physical forms, preventing reentry.
The fallen samurai were effectively brain-dead.
Kin gathered his prototypes, including the broken dagger.
Despite their flaws, these were his first creations.
They held sentimental value.
He walked in the opposite direction of the Iron Country's capital.
Soon, he spotted White Fang lounging on a tree branch, waiting.
"Those weird gadgets of yours seem handy," White Fang remarked.
He'd watched Kin develop these tools step by step, unlike traditional craftsmen who relied on meticulous records.
It was as if Kin already knew they'd work.
"Still not good enough."
Kin sighed. These shinobi had no idea what real treasure was. If those ancient tool-making techniques had survived, he might've crafted something capable of rivaling Uchiha Madara.
Instead, he had to start from scratch.
What a pain.
"Where to next?" Kin asked.
"Land of Lightning."
White Fang tightened his grip on a scroll of intel.
Iwagakure had launched a full-scale invasion, with forces already breaching the Land of Fire's borders.
First Kirigakure joined the war; now Iwagakure was stirring.
Only Kumogakure remained quiet—for now.
...
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(End of Chapter)