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Chapter 190: Go to Konoha to Invite the Hokage
A sudden gust of wind lifted the two mummies.
"Let's go."
Dragon pulled his hood tight and stepped out into the raging storm.
The four figures, carrying two captives capable of shaking the foundations of the Shinobi world, vanished into the night without hindrance.
Only the broken gates remained, groaning and creaking in the wind.
.....
One minute passed.
Two minutes.
Inside the Golden Pavilion, the dancers and musicians remained huddled behind pillars and under tables, not daring to breathe.
The hall was terrifyingly quiet, save for the thunder.
Finally, a blast of cold rain hit a musician in the face, and he tremblingly raised his head.
They were gone. Those four demons were gone.
"Waaaaah!"
Someone finally broke, and a piercing cry ignited the stored terror.
A chaos of footsteps, shoving, and desperate cries for help followed.
"Help! The Daimyo has been taken!"
"Murder! Someone help!"
"Don't step on me! My leg!"
The elegant banquet hall transformed into a refugee camp. The musicians, who usually prided themselves on their grace, shoved the dancers aside to reach the exits first.
Expensive wine spilled everywhere, mixing with mud and blood, soaking the trampled fruit on the floor.
.....
Fire Capital, Patrol Guard Station.
"What was that sound?"
Patrol Commander Sarutobi Toudan bolted upright from his chair.
That explosion could be heard across half the city.
"Report!"
A drenched messenger stumbled into the room, his helmet askew, his face as white as a sheet.
"Commander! Disaster! Something terrible has happened!"
Toudan's heart skipped a beat. He grabbed the messenger by the collar. "What is it?! Did the sky fall?! Where was the explosion?!"
"The... the Golden Pavilion!"
The messenger stuttered, his teeth chattering. "The Golden Pavilion was attacked!"
Wailing sirens immediately tore through the rainy night of the capital.
Hundreds of fully armed samurai and rogue shinobi in the Daimyo's service poured out from every corner, carrying torches. They moved like a long dragon toward the estate.
The townspeople were jolted awake, peering through their windows in terror, wondering what had happened.
.....
When Toudan arrived with the main force, the scene made his heart stop.
the agarwood gates—the symbol of the Land of Fire's majesty—were a pile of splinters.
The hall was a wreck. Tables overturned, screens shattered.
A few dancers who hadn't escaped were shivering in the corners, their eyes vacant.
But what truly made his blood run cold were the two bodies in the center of the debris.
The bodies wearing the "Fire" sashes.
"Guardians...?"
Toudan walked over, his legs shaking. Under the torchlight, he recognized one of the faces.
It was a powerful man among the Twelve, a Jonin who had achieved great glory on the battlefield.
Now, that Jonin's neck was bent at a grotesque angle, resting limply on his shoulder. His face still held a look of lingering shock.
Killed in one blow.
There were no signs of a fight.
"Commander..." His adjutant's voice was tearful as he pointed to the empty seat of honor. "The Daimyo... His Excellency is gone!"
Toudan spun around.
On the large couch, there was only a stain of spilled wine and several messy, muddy footprints.
No body.
No sign of the Daimyo.
"Search!"
Toudan screamed, his voice cracking with sheer terror. "Turn this place upside down! Find him! We must find the Daimyo!"
Toudan took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm despite his trembling hands.
"Immediately activate the highest-level emergency communication channels!"
"Send word to Konoha! Contact the Hokage!"
"And!"
Toudan turned to the pouring rain, gritting his teeth. "Lock down the entire city! No one enters, no one leaves! Control everyone who was here tonight!"
"Keep the news of the Daimyo's abduction quiet as long as possible!"
"If other nations find out the Land of Fire is leaderless..."
He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
If the news leaked, the wolves of the Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud would descend instantly to tear the Land of Fire apart.
.....
Drip.
Drip.
Murky water slid down the mossy stone walls, splashing onto the flooded floor.
The monotonous sound was the only melody in the silent dungeon.
Nara Shikamei, a Jonin of Konoha's Nara clan, leaned against the cold wall.
His eyes were closed, his breathing long. He seemed to be resting, but his mind was racing.
He was counting.
"Three thousand, six hundred."
That was the number of water drops.
Converted to time, about one hour.
According to Amegakure's usual routine, the guards would change shifts every two hours. The heavy, rhythmic footsteps and the clanking of iron armor would echo through the narrow corridor.
That was the only "clock" in the prison.
But now, there was a problem.
Shikamei opened his eyes. His usually lazy gaze was terrifyingly sharp.
No footsteps.
No clanking armor.
Not even the usual low-voiced cursing of the guards complaining about the weather.
"Hey, you Konoha shadow bastard."
A gruff roar came from the neighboring cell.
It was a Cloud Jonin, codename "Manniu."
The man was hot-tempered and had caused plenty of trouble since being captured, but now his voice carried a hint of anxiety.
"You noticed too, didn't you?"
Manniu gripped the iron bars. The sealing shackles on his wrists sizzled, but he didn't seem to feel the pain.
"Mealtime has passed."
Manniu hissed, his stomach growling loudly in agreement.
"Are those Rain brats trying to starve us? The last meal was yesterday!"
Shikamei didn't answer immediately. He shifted his weight to relieve his numb leg.
"It's not just the meal."
Shikamei's voice was soft, yet it carried through the empty dungeon.
"The shift change has been missed three times."
"For six hours, there hasn't been a single living soul in this corridor."
In the shadows across from them, a member of the Hidden Stone's explosion corps let out a cold laugh.
"Maybe that old man Hanzo finally decided to execute us."
"Starve us so we can't resist, then drag us out to the chopping block. That fits the old venomous toad's style."
The Stone ninja's words caused a stir. Several of the more fragile prisoners began to sob quietly as despair spread like a plague.
"No."
Shikamei cut through the panic. He stared at the end of the dark corridor, his brow furrowed.
"Hanzo is arrogant, but he isn't a fool."
"Setting aside what he'd gain from killing us, our chakra is sealed. If he wanted us dead, a single breath of his salamander's poison would do it. He wouldn't go through this trouble."
Manniu kicked the bars in frustration, knocking dust loose.
"Then what is it? Did the guards all get diarrhea at the same time?!"
Shikamei fell silent for a moment.
His mind quickly built several possibilities, discarding them one by one.
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