Ten samurai stood in a line before Hiruzen Sarutobi. They were in the prime of their lives, with sharp gazes and strong physiques—undoubtedly the elite of the samurai class. They silently bowed to Hiruzen Sarutobi, then drew their swords from their scabbards, pointed them at him, and slowly began to move.
Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly observed the men before him. He wasn't particularly worried about defeating them. It had been proven in the past that few samurai could compare to ninja in one-on-one combat. Most had relocated to the Land of Iron, and even fewer remained in other countries. Even if these ten were military elites, they couldn't compare to a Jonin like him.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi's goal wasn't to eliminate these men, but to test their basic strength as samurai. Although few samurai could take on a ninja alone, if they could lead a small squad, possessing certain strength and strong command abilities, even a Jonin would need to be cautious.
Now, Hiruzen Sarutobi was testing the basic strength of these ten individuals. In the battle to defend the Land of Whirlpools, they would be the captains leading three hundred soldiers. Without a certain level of strength, they would likely be unable to bear such a responsibility.
"Please enlighten me," Hiruzen Sarutobi said politely.
The samurai nodded, their gazes turning to Lord Miyamoto, who stood to the side. The latter cleared his throat and forcefully waved his hand, signaling the start of the battle. In that instant, the ten samurai immediately charged, surrounding Hiruzen Sarutobi from different angles. Samurai were skilled in coordinated group combat; the more there were, the greater their threat. As for ninja teamwork, the current optimal formation was considered to be a four-person team of three members to maximize the squad's power.
Hiruzen Sarutobi merely formed a hand seal, and the air around him quickly grew humid, then condensed into a large quantity of water, forming a wall that surrounded him.
The samurai's swords cut into it, only to feel immense resistance. Before they could even withdraw their blades, the water wall immediately expanded, pushing them away. Subsequently, the bursting water flow twisted and deformed, transforming into a water dragon that swept over the samurai who had been flung back.
When the samurai fell to the ground, the earth beneath them became sticky, pulling them in and preventing them from exerting their strength. However, these samurai truly lived up to their elite status. In that situation, only three were restricted by the Earth Release, while the other seven quickly corrected their posture and dodged the Earth Release that Hiruzen Sarutobi had unleashed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes showed a hint of surprise, but his movements didn't stop. The Swamp of the Underworld that hadn't trapped any enemies also expanded, turning into earthen dragon bullets that lunged at the samurai who were barely maintaining their balance. Those who couldn't dodge in time were hit head-on.
The hit samurai fell to the ground, and the earthen dragon bullets, upon hitting the ground, once again transformed the earth into the Swamp of the Underworld. The remaining earthen dragon bullets, under Hiruzen Sarutobi's control, continued to pursue the remaining samurai, attempting to capture them one by one.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had no intention of harming the samurai, so he only used the Swamp of the Underworld to trap them. Although the samurai seemed to have no resistance, he was actually quite satisfied. It was important to note that those two moves, while seemingly simple, involved a speed of nature transformation and a change in form that only a handful of people in the entire shinobi world could execute. It was perfectly normal for samurai, who couldn't fight ninja alone, to fail.
Rather, the fact that the samurai weren't all captured immediately proved their strength. In Hiruzen Sarutobi's judgment, even an ordinary Chunin might not be able to defeat them. Currently, several samurai were still dodging the earthen dragon bullets, but it seemed they would soon surrender.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't expect one of them to let out a loud shout, drawing his longsword, which he had sheathed earlier. The gleaming blade cut into the earthen dragon bullet before him, splitting it in two. When Hiruzen Sarutobi's figure appeared before him, the opponent leaped forward, charging at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback. He drew a kunai,
blocking the opponent's incoming sword strike. After a brief stalemate, the opponent withdrew his sword and attacked again.
Because Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention was diverted, the remaining earthen dragon bullets lost their aim and struck other parts of the courtyard. The two remaining samurai finally didn't have to flee. Seeing their companion, who had broken through the deadlock, entangled with Hiruzen Sarutobi, they rushed forward to help.
After just a few exchanges, Hiruzen Sarutobi assessed the opponent's skill. His bone and muscle strength were comparable to a top-tier taijutsu Jonin, and his sword speed, in particular, was so fast it felt like a meteor streaking across the sky.
Fortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not only skilled in five types of elemental ninjutsu but also a master of taijutsu. Otherwise, caught off guard, he might have embarrassed himself in front of others, which would have been a great loss of face for a disciple of the Second Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't expected such a master among these ten samurai. He had thought that experts of this caliber would have gone to the Land of Iron. If this person had been to the Land of Iron and learned chakra training methods there, and mastered nature transformation, his threat level would be even higher.
But at least for now, this person was only a samurai with exceptional swordsmanship and a strong physique, not yet enough to defeat a master like Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of wind-natured chakra, which entanglement around the samurai's sword. The opponent immediately felt his sword being pulled by some immense force, and his movements became unbalanced.
Then, Hiruzen Sarutobi kicked him, sending him flying. The samurai who had rushed to help were stunned, having not expected the seemingly evenly matched duo to end up like this in an instant.
In that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hands onto the ground. The ground seemed to heave, and a large amount of mud swallowed the three samurai, sweeping them to the far end of the courtyard. It seemed they wouldn't be able to get up; the thick layer of mud was already heavy, and combined with the powerful impact when it was unleashed, even the samurai master Hiruzen Sarutobi admired felt as if his bones were about to break.
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled deeply. From beginning to end, it had been less than half a minute. Continuously performing such complex ninjutsu changes in such a short time left even Hiruzen Sarutobi feeling almost out of breath, forcing him to regulate his breathing.
Miyamoto stood far away, having not been caught in the duel. He didn't mind the messy courtyard, but looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with surprise. As a lord, he rarely participated in wars personally, and even when he did, he wouldn't see what the front lines were like. This was his first time witnessing the power of ninjutsu unleashed by a master like Hiruzen Sarutobi.
—No wonder the Daimyo was wary of the Hidden Leaf Village. Although this person was a master from the Hidden Leaf Village, the combined strength of the entire village was not something a single lord could contend with.
Miyamoto silently calculated in his mind. Although he didn't know the exact situation of the Hidden Leaf Village, judging by its current scale, even a local lord like himself, burdened with defending against raids from the Land of Water, might not be a match for the Hidden Leaf Village. Even if he brought in nearby minor lords, they might not necessarily win.
Since its establishment, the ninja villages' status had become increasingly important. Their military strength was no longer what it used to be. Even a lord of a border stronghold like Miyamoto felt a sense of melancholy. If nothing unexpected happened, the Hidden Leaf Village would likely become the strongest and most important military force in the entire Land of Fire, and the future national defense would depend on them.
Fortunately, the Hidden Leaf Village's attitude was polite and respectful, not relying on their strength to disrespect local lords. They even cooperated extensively with local lords like Miyamoto. Even the smaller lords, as long as they were willing to follow the rules, the Hidden Leaf Village was very happy to do business with them.
As a result, any local lord who had cooperated with the Hidden Leaf Village had a very good impression of them—the Hidden Leaf Village offered generous profits, and the Hidden Leaf ninja were dedicated and upheld righteousness, earning the trust of the local lords and making them willing to engage in deeper cooperation.
Miyamoto knew that for the one in the capital, the good relationship between the Hidden Leaf Village and the local lords was indeed a cause for concern. But for him, what was there to care about? As a local lord, cooperating with the Hidden Leaf Village was morally irreproachable. Was he plotting rebellion or selling out his country for glory? Wasn't the Hidden Leaf Village also a part of the Land of Fire?
This was precisely the mindset of the local lords who cooperated with the Hidden Leaf Village. They had no intention of betraying the country, and coupled with the benefits brought by the Hidden Leaf Village, even if the one in the capital was displeased, they wouldn't care. In their hearts, their actions were beyond reproach.
If the Hidden Leaf Village truly betrayed the country, the local lords might indeed defend the Daimyo's authority and lead troops into battle. However, since the other party was simply conducting business honestly, there was nothing more to say.
"Sarutobi-Jonin, what do you think of these men's skills?" Miyamoto did not approach the muddy courtyard. As a noble, he was unwilling to step into it, only asking from a distance.
The samurai, covered in mud, got up and helped each other, slowly walking to the center of the courtyard. Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, signaling the medical ninja waiting nearby to go and treat them. He himself walked to Miyamoto's side, his clothes barely stained by the battle.
"They are truly impressive, worthy of being excellent samurai under your command, my lord." Hiruzen Sarutobi bowed respectfully. He always showed respect to the lord of this important border stronghold.
"It's a pity, though, they were no match for Sarutobi-Jonin," Miyamoto said, shaking his head slightly.
"Please forgive our incompetence," one of the samurai said, his expression ashamed. The conflict between samurai and ninja had long existed, and they had hoped to perform well in front of Miyamoto, but it hadn't turned out that way.
"No, no, they are truly formidable, especially this one, who was able to cut through my earthen dragon bullet and even approach me." Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed to the samurai he admired and asked, "My lord, what is this man's name?"
"Ah, his name is Mifune. He was originally a wandering samurai, and because of his outstanding skills, I hired him." Miyamoto immediately recognized the man and nodded slightly to him: "It seems my decision to take you in was correct. Even Sarutobi-Jonin greatly admires you. You will surely be a fierce general in the future."
Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally agreed with this. He felt that if Mifune could learn the method of chakra training, he might truly be able to contend with a full-power Jonin. Of course, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't have imagined that his assessment actually underestimated the man. If he developed normally, the future Mifune would become a general in the Land of Iron, his strength so great that he could slay Hanzo, who had been reanimated, and his speed so fast that there was a rumor in the ninja world that "ninjutsu is ineffective against Mifune."
"I wouldn't dare," the samurai named Mifune said, lowering his head. "I only regret my insufficient strength, which brought shame to my lord."
"Your performance was very good. Didn't Sarutobi-Jonin also say that you are indeed very strong?" Although the samurai's defeat did cause Miyamoto some loss of face, Miyamoto also knew the power of ninja and understood that Hiruzen Sarutobi was a master among them, so he was mentally prepared and not too angry.
Even though Miyamoto said so, the samurai still looked as if they had disgraced their lord. He couldn't help but shake his head. For the stubbornness of samurai, these nobles found it both amusing and helpless. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, go down. Wash yourselves thoroughly; look at the state you're in now! I will order rewards for you. Also, since Sarutobi-Jonin trusts you so much, when you go with him in the future, you must work hard. Otherwise, that would truly bring shame upon me!"
"Yes!" the samurai loudly replied.
Miyamoto then ordered people to clean the courtyard and walked with Hiruzen Sarutobi towards the back. As Miyamoto walked, he said, "Sarutobi-Jonin, although I am giving you three hundred soldiers, you must use them carefully. The current movements of the Land of Water are unclear, and if you act rashly, I fear you won't achieve your objectives."
"I understand that, but unfortunately, the Land of Water is self-isolated. Even sending ninja from the village to gather information is not an easy task," Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.
Investigating the movements of enemy countries was a task best suited for ninja, but due to the Land of Water's isolationist policy and its remote location overseas, it was difficult for the Hidden Leaf Anbu to infiltrate. Even if they did get in, transmitting messages was extremely challenging. The Hidden Leaf Village had always been cautious in its investigations of the Land of Water, and it had the least information on that country compared to others. The main source of intelligence still came from merchants who secretly sailed out of the Land of Water for trade.
"In any case, I hope Sarutobi-Jonin will proceed with caution. If there is anything you need help with, I will certainly assist," Miyamoto said.
"Thank you, my lord," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, bowing respectfully once more.