In contrast to the silent Land of Fire, the Lands of Earth and Wind were stirring restlessly. The entire ninja world seemed to be on the verge of a storm.
"Regarding the Land of Rain's invasion of the Land of Grass, what are your thoughts?"
In the council hall of the Land of Iron, samurai who held great power or possessed outstanding strength sat in a circle. Goshin and Mifune were among them.
"Our Land of Iron has always been neutral. Naturally, we need not concern ourselves with this matter."
"I object!" a young samurai stood up and retorted loudly. "If the Land of Rain were only targeting the Land of Grass, that would be one thing. But they have intercepted a large shipment of grain we purchased from the Land of Grass. They clearly have no respect for us!"
"That's right!" someone chimed in. "Our reputation as a neutral nation was not earned by begging other countries, but by our own strength. If we remain silent and allow ourselves to be bullied, the Land of Iron will become a rabbit in the eyes of others, a target for anyone to bully!"
The younger generation of samurai was in an uproar, their anger palpable and intimidating.
Faced with such "will of the people," the General of the Land of Iron had no choice but to compromise. "Very well. It is time to display our strength, otherwise the people of the ninja world will forget about us. I will send letters to the Land of Fire, the Land of Waterfalls, and the Land of Earth to jointly pressure the Land of Rain. At the same time, we will dispatch troops to the Land of Grass!"
"Excellent!"
"The General is wise!"
The samurai were overjoyed, eagerly rubbing their hands together.
Mifune nodded slightly. He also agreed with going to war. A nation that appeared too weak would not be conducive to its development.
Subsequently, after much wrangling, it was confirmed that the commander for this punitive expedition against the Land of Rain would be Mifune, who held considerable prestige among the younger generation.
"Mifune, you are steadfast and prudent. I hope you can lead them and successfully display the prowess of our Land of Iron."
"Yes, sir!"
"What? The Land of Rain invaded the Land of Grass, and now the Land of Iron is going to declare war on them?"
Kaito rubbed his temples, trying to make sense of the connections.
"To put it simply, your Land of Iron just wants to flex its muscles."
"Mm," Chosuke nodded. "Master Mifune is leading the expedition this time."
"Isn't that great? I was just itching to see if ninja really have three heads and six arms, and just how powerful they are," Tetsuren said, her face alight with excitement.
Great? Great my ass! Kaito almost cursed out loud.
The Land of Iron's desire to show its strength was understandable, but they had chosen the wrong opponent. The Land of Rain had always been unremarkable, but now they had a terrifying figure named "Hanzo of the Salamander." One could say that the Land of Rain, by his power alone, fought the three great nations to a standstill.
The Land of Iron, on the other hand, would only become cannon fodder, just like the Land of Grass.
If the future didn't change, only Mifune and a few others would escape with their lives, and that was only because Hanzo respected Mifune's conviction. Otherwise, their entire army would likely be annihilated.
What a headache. Kaito sighed helplessly and glanced at Tetsuren and Chosuke. "Don't tell me you two are planning to go."
"I'm going!" Tetsuren answered without a second thought.
Chosuke hesitated for a moment before saying, "I won't be going. I've only just become a samurai and have too many shortcomings. If I go now, I'll only drag everyone down."
Kaito's eyes lit up. He turned Tetsuren's head to face Chosuke. "Look at him. What do you call that? That's perspective. You're a rookie, what are you getting involved in a war for? Who can you even beat?"
"I don't care, I'm going!" Tetsuren struggled free from his grip and yelled defiantly.
"You think you can go just because you want to? Master Mifune would never let you."
"Hmph. I have my ways."
"So desperate to get yourself killed. You really are a strange one." Kaito shook his head and stopped trying to persuade her. He had done all he could.
Still, maybe he should give Mifune one more warning.
Night fell.
"Master Mifune."
"Oh, it's Kaito. Were you waiting for me specifically?"
After waiting for a long time at the entrance of the Kenpu Dojo, Kaito finally managed to intercept Mifune.
"Yes. I would like to leave the Land of Iron tomorrow, so I've come to request your permission."
"So soon?" Mifune was surprised for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. The ninja world is not peaceful right now. After you return home, it would be best for them to move here to the Land of Iron. We will make proper arrangements for them."
"Okay, I'll discuss it with them."
"I said I would take you back personally, but I'm afraid I'll have to break my promise. You should already know that I have to go to the Land of Grass," Mifune said, patting Kaito's shoulder. "So be careful. When you see Senior Brother Okihira, remember to say hello for me."
"Mm, I will." After a pause, Kaito looked up and said, "Master Mifune, you be careful too. I heard Captain Okihira say once that the leader of the Land of Rain is skilled with poison."
"Poison?" Mifune frowned. "The intelligence reports didn't mention that. Alright, I will be careful."
By using Captain Okihira's name as leverage, Kaito forced him to take it seriously.
Mifune looked up at the pitch-black night sky and said, "Get some rest. I'll have someone bring you the travel permit tomorrow."
"Mm."
Watching Mifune's back as he walked into the dormitory, Kaito sighed softly. "I've done what I can. I just hope this butterfly doesn't end up fanning Mifune out of existence."
The next day, Kaito smoothly received his travel permit. In addition, there was a mission assignment letter.
After a quick glance, Kaito burst out laughing. "As they say, the older, the wiser."
He packed his things and went straight to Tetsuren's house. After being promoted to a samurai, she had moved out of the Kenpu Dojo. Tetsuren's family had been a line of loyal patriots, and all had died in battle, leaving her as the sole occupant of a large compound.
Bang, bang, bang!
"Tetsuren, I know you're home! Come on out, don't pretend you're not here!" Kaito pounded on the main gate.
"You bastard, what are you doing so early in the..." The furious Tetsuren had just pulled the door open when a piece of paper was slapped onto her face.
"Take a look."
"What is this?!" She quickly pulled the paper off and stared at it, her eyes widening in shock. "When was I assigned to escort you? How come I didn't know about this?"
"Just this morning. Master Mifune handled it for you personally," Kaito said with a grin. "Are you happy? Are you excited?"
"...Get lost!"
"Hey, hey, hey. Cursing at a client is a major offense. I'll give you five minutes. Pack your things, we need to get going!"
Slam!
The response he got was a slammed door.
In less than three minutes, Tetsuren re-emerged.
"Let's go!"
"That's it?" Kaito looked at her. She was only carrying a sword and a small bundle on her back.
"What else?"
"You don't need to bring clothes or anything?"
"One set of clothes is enough. The rest is just some dry rations, enough to get to your little village."
"..." Kaito was speechless.
The two of them went to Chosuke's place, said their goodbyes, and left the Land of Iron.
Following the same path he had taken to arrive, they soon reached the familiar outpost, though the guards on duty were different people. After smoothly passing through, they stood looking at the endless expanse of snow, and then stopped.
"?" Tetsuren shot him a questioning look.
"I was just thinking... which way should we go?" Kaito said, trying hard to remember.
"???"