Deep within Hell Valley, in the innermost part of the Chinoike Clan's territory.
About twenty bodies lay on the ground. In front of a newly erected tombstone, Oyakata En hesitated, then temporarily handed his daughter, whom he was holding, to Pakura. He then drew his sword, severed the heads of the bodies, and arranged them before the grave to mourn his deceased wife.
The unique thing about these heads was that their Ketsuryugan had all been gouged out.
As long as the bodies were processed within twenty-four hours, the Chakra needed to power the Ketsuryugan could be extracted, and Human Puppets capable of inheriting the Kekkei Genkai could be created.
Qingshui stood with his arms crossed, silently observing the scene.
Accompanying him, besides Pakura, Baki, and Sada, were the remaining sixty-odd men, women, and children of the Chinoike Clan.
Oyakata Yo and the Chinoike Clan elders, along with their most trusted confidants, had all been wiped out. The remaining clan members were terrified, standing around the grave, staring at the heads arranged upon it.
"From this moment on, I, Oyakata En, am the new leader of the Chinoike Clan. You have no objections, do you?"
Feeling the ocular power emanating from Oyakata En's Ketsuryugan, no one from the Chinoike Clan dared to voice any objections.
Before today, the entire Chinoike Clan had fewer than a hundred members. Among them, only about thirty had activated their Ketsuryugan, and only seven or eight possessed abilities on par with or exceeding a Special Jonin.
Now, all these elders were dead, along with their families and trusted retainers. Among the remaining members, the strongest were only Chunin, and not a single person had the ability to resist Oyakata En.
Not to mention the even stronger force standing behind Oyakata En at that moment.
"Very good. Since there are no objections, I shall announce an order for all clan members: From now on, pack your belongings. The amount each person carries must not hinder movement. Within one hour, evacuate Hell Valley. We are going to the Sand Village."
Oyakata En stood with his hands behind his back, addressing every clan member.
In truth, he didn't care much for these clan members.
His only bond with the clan was his wife, and now, after her death, only his daughter remained.
In his mind, even if he wiped out the entire clan, all those elders wouldn't be enough to accompany his wife in death.
He had initially thought this way.
However, even though his ocular power had reached a level not inferior to Oyakata Yo's, it wouldn't be easy for him to destroy the entire Chinoike Clan by himself.
He had originally planned to transfer his daughter out, then infiltrate from within, steal the clan's assets, hire bounty ninjas from outside bounty offices to assist him, and assassinate Oyakata Yo and a few other stronger elders through an inside-outside collaboration, before finally wiping out the clan. However, Qingshui's appearance made him change his mind.
These people were stronger, strong enough to easily decimate the Chinoike Clan, but they had a clear objective: to annex the Chinoike.
Qingshui and his group had already revealed their intentions and strength.
They were certainly going to bring the Ketsuryugan Kekkei Genkai to the Sand Village. If they didn't choose him, they could choose someone else.
And by putting himself in their shoes, Oyakata En asked himself, if he had obtained this Kekkei Genkai, he would certainly not leave it for other Ninja Villages.
So, what would happen if he didn't follow them?
How to protect himself and his daughter, and how to do it well, became very clear.
Thus, Oyakata En changed his objective: only eliminate the ringleaders, then become the new leader of the Chinoike, and lead the clan to join the Sand Village.
He still had his daughter.
If possible, he naturally hoped his daughter would have a bright future, and he would secure a future for himself too.
So, why not sell himself, and the entire Chinoike Clan, to Sand Hidden in exchange for this future? Among the ninja ranks, being a ninja of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages was the most comfortable and easiest way to get ahead. These were also the five largest pillars of support in the Ninja World.
And among these five top powers in the Ninja World, Konoha and Sand Hidden were currently in the top tier.
This was the best choice, and the only choice.
"Hurry up, there's not much time left."
Qingshui suddenly turned his head, looking towards the valley entrance.
"You here, you should have a secret escape route, right? Hurry up and leave, the Cloud Hidden Village people are here. Pakura, you lead the team from now on. Try to bring everyone back to the village. I'll hold them off."
Qingshui seemed relaxed, but his heart was somewhat serious.
Why are these two here?
The next moment, Qingshui's figure vanished from his spot.
Pakura, with a serious expression, handed the baby in her arms to Oyakata En.
"Clan Leader En, please make haste."
"I understand. Follow me."
Oyakata En dared not delay and quickly moved.
Baki and Sada exchanged glances, both understanding that the approaching enemies were not simple.
They were very clear about Qingshui's strength.
Below the Kage-level, their current lineup could easily handle any opponent.
Qingshui's proactive move to intercept them indicated that the opponent's strength had reached a very high level.
At the very least, he wasn't confident in easily evacuating dozens of people with the enemy present.
It was highly likely to be a top-tier Kage-level expert from the Five Kage.
Otherwise, Qingshui wouldn't have thought that they wouldn't even have the ability to interfere.
Just as Pakura and the others began to move, a loud noise erupted nearly a thousand meters away from them, confirming their suspicions.
"This kind of power means this is definitely not a regular enemy!"
However, they weren't too worried. After all, they had already witnessed Qingshui use the Flying Thunder God Jutsu in the Land of Grass.
With that Ninjutsu, given Qingshui's strength, as long as he was careful enough, he could escape from almost any situation unscathed.
*"Boom!"*
Thunder boomed. Qingshui stood his ground, gripping his Ninja Blade, watching the burly man he'd just sent flying with a single strike.
Is this guy... the future Fourth Raikage?
No wonder he's so strong and so fast. My sword strike actually didn't injure him.
But if it's just him, he'll be easy enough to deal with. The real trouble is the other one.
"Hmm..."
A man, half a head taller than A, with golden hair like a lion's mane, a muscular physique, strode forward with steady steps, blocking A.
"I'll handle this guy. You find an opening, break through, and find those from the Chinoike Clan."
The Third Raikage's tiger-like eyes fixed on Qingshui as he spoke to his son behind him.
"No need to look, they're already part of the Sand Village."
Qingshui shook his head. A summoning scroll slid from his left sleeve, and he summoned three Puppets behind him.
"Sand Village, Puppet Master, Separation Release, Swordplay... you must be Chiyo and Ebizo's remarkable disciple, aren't you? Leave now, and leave the Chinoike Clan, and I can let you go."
The Third Raikage extended a hand toward Qingshui.
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