"Shisui, this mission is entrusted to you."
In the Hokage Office, Namikaze Mirai sat on the high seat, his hands clasped under his chin, gazing at Shisui, who was kneeling on one knee, with a faint smile in his eyes.
"Understood Hokage-sama!"
Shisui's voice carried a tremor.
His slightly trembling shoulders and the indescribable excitement in his eyes all attested to the intense emotions he felt at that moment.
No longer confined by the confusion of a clan or a village, he now looked at the entire Ninja World, viewing it with thoughts of benevolence and peace.
The pain and confusion in Shisui's heart finally vanished, as if he had found the meaning of his life and the value of his existence.
'For the peace of the Ninja World!'
'Maintaining the peace of the Ninja World is the Uchiha's undeniable duty!'
"Hokage-sama, await my good news!"
Shisui's eyes were filled with power, just like his heart at this moment — full and abundant.
Leaving the Hokage Office, he arrived at the open ground outside the Uchiha Clan Estate, where a group of Uchiha clansmen were already waiting.
They wore unified blue uniforms with the Uchiha fan crest on their backs, standing straight and spirited.
"Good! It seems you all are very spirited!"
Uchiha Shisui's booming voice spread out.
The Uchiha clansmen's spirits lifted, their pupils filled with excitement.
The Uchiha Peacekeeping Force — the maintainers of the peace of the Ninja World.
What a noble and great cause.
"Do you all know what you need to do?"
"We know!"
"Peacekeeping Department, move out!"
...
Daimyō Palace of the Land of Rice Fields.
The pampered Daimyō had been killed, and the nobles of the Daimyō Palace were almost entirely slaughtered.
The once magnificent and noble Daimyō Palace now looked bloody slaughterhouse.
Sakon-Ukon shook off the lingering bloodstains on his ninja blade, scanning his surroundings, his voice tinged with a tremor.
"Hey, we actually did such a rebellious thing. Other nations will probably hunt us down like crazy, right?"
The Daimyō is the supreme ruler of a nation.
They are also the mainstream rulers of the major nations in the Ninja World.
Killing the Daimyō of the Land of Rice Fields meant completely offending the Daimyō of all the other nations.
It could be said that all other Daimyō would subsequently dispatch ninjas to put a full Ninja World bounty on them.
Perhaps, as soon as they left the Land of Rice Fields, they would be pursued by countless ninjas.
The thought of such a scene sent a chill down Sakon-Ukon's spine.
"Are you really that afraid? This is Orochimaru-sama's command. You should feel honoured to be able to carry out Orochimaru-sama's orders."
Compared to Sakon-Ukon, who was already enveloped by fear, Tayuya, as a loyal follower of Orochimaru, did not regret her actions.
Seeing Sakon-Ukon, with whom she usually disagreed, in such a state, she felt a bit more pleased.
"Tayuya, have you not considered the consequences at all? We killed the Daimyō. By now, ninja villages might already be coming to hunt us down."
As the two argued, the corpulent Jirobo walked in from outside the Daimyō Palace.
"I have one bad news and one good news. Which one do you want to hear?"
"What's the bad news?" Sakon-Ukon asked.
"The bad news is that Kumogakure has already dispatched a force to suppress the Land of Rice Fields, and the Fourth Raikage is leading the force."
Sakon-Ukon was dumbfounded.
What a joke, how could they possibly stop him with their abilities?
The reason they succeeded in the coup was because the Land of Rice Fields was too small, and the Daimyō Palace, apart from some samurais and hired ninjas, had almost no defensive forces.
If they really faced the regular army of Kumogakure, they would surely die beyond any doubt.
"What's the good news?"
Compared to Sakon-Ukon's pessimism, Tayuya didn't believe that Orochimaru would send them to their deaths.
There must still be a way out.
"The good news is that Konoha has also dispatched a force to support us, but..."
Jirobo's expression became strange.
"But what?"
Sakon-Ukon gnashed his teeth in impatience. This scoundrel Jirobo, why did he always speak in halves?
"But they sent the Peacekeeping Force."
"Peacekeeping Force???"
The moment this unfamiliar name came out of Jirobo's mouth, it caused both Sakon-Ukon and Tayuya to freeze.
What an odd name.
Why had they never heard of it before?
Since Orochimaru returned to Konoha, they had been cooped up in a cave-base in the Land of Rice Fields, with limited knowledge of the outside world.
What exactly did this unheard-of Peacekeeping Force do?
Compared to the fierce reputation of the kumo ninjas, the name of the Peacekeeping Force was clearly too inconspicuous.
At least from the name, it didn't seem very dangerous.
Jirobo didn't continue; the intelligence he had gathered from outside was limited to this, and he knew no more.
"It's over now."
Sakon-Ukon was pessimistic.
He had no hope for this Peacekeeping Force.
The atmosphere in the Daimyō Palace of the Land of Rice Fields suddenly grew tense.
Having killed the Daimyō, they were like criminals awaiting judgment, filled with unease.
...
On the border of the Land of Rice Fields, Raikage Ai had already led a group of ninja forces, gazing at the territory ahead.
Looking at the desolate small nation before him, Ai's face turned livid.
Such a small nation, almost non-existent internationally, suddenly had a Otogakure village emerge within them, and killed the Daimyō.
If such a trend were to spread, it would be hard to predict what those wavering small nations would do.
This budding issue must be nipped in the bud.
Just as Ai was about to order the leveling of the Land of Rice Fields, a sensory ninja suddenly spoke in panic:
"Raikage-sama, a force is heading our way!"
Ai's heart skipped a beat.
"Is it Konoha?"
"I am unable to confirm yet, but their numbers are not many, seemingly only a few hundred."
'A few hundred people?'
A trace of contempt rose in Ai's heart.
How could a mere few hundred people have the guts to contend with them?
The ninja force he had brought numbered several thousand.
"It seems Konoha miscalculated this time. Prepare to pay the price for your arrogance."
Ai sneered, but his smile didn't last long before it froze on his face.
He saw a blue blur approaching in the distance across the wasteland. The blue gradually expanded, forming a force of several hundred people.
When that force arrived before him, Ai's expression drastically changed.
"This is!!!"
Even he, who usually maintained composure, was startled by the scene before him.
Uchiha!
All Uchiha!
Dressed in unified blue uniforms, their scarlet Sharingan eyes contained something that made Ai wary—
A sense of mission!
"Raikage, you have crossed the line."
Standing at the forefront of the Peacekeeping Force, Uchiha Shisui, in his blue uniform, spoke in an unyielding tone.
"Shunshin noShisui..."
Ai had heard of Shisui's name; during the Third Great Ninja War, he was a ninja who struck fear into countless enemies.
Two members of the Uchiha clan had awakened the Mangekyō.
One was Uchiha Fugaku, during the Land of Fire's reform war, Ai had suffered greatly at his hands.
The other was Uchiha Shisui, standing right before him.
"Raikage, national sovereignty is inviolable. By leading these forces, you have already infringed upon the sovereignty of the Land of Rice Fields. As members of the Peacekeeping Force, we absolutely will not permit such acts of trampling on sovereignty!"
Shisui's impassioned words left Ai speechless.
He opened his mouth, wanting to respond, but found himself at a complete loss.
What national sovereignty?
What violation?
Since when did the Uchiha start using such high-sounding rhetoric?
Ai wanted to issue threats, but seeing those scarlet eyes staring at him, as if blood could drip from them, he suppressed his words.
"Retreat!"
"What? Raikage-sama, did I hear wrong?"
The Kumo ninja behind him were confused.
They had thousands, while the Peacekeeping Force had only a few hundred.
And they were retreating?
"Did you not hear what I said?!"
Ai barked, suppressing his anger.
"Understood, Raikage-sama."
It was too frustrating for them.
A large force from Kumogakure had traveled all the way here, only to retreat without doing anything.
If word got out, what face would they have left?
The Kumo ninja were filled with indignation.
But under the Raikage's command, they had no choice but to obey.
Ai himself was unwilling.
But if he stayed, a battle with the Uchiha was inevitable.
And these Uchiha, though fewer in number, were filled with fighting intent.
And leading them was Shisui.
A Mangekyō wielder.
Ai had to be cautious because this could very well be a trap.
The Land of Rice Fields bordered the Land of Fire.
If Konoha's main force arrives after they start battling…
...
Daimyō Palace of the Land of Rice Fields.
Upon receiving the news, Sakon-Ukon and the others froze.
"Retreated? They retreated?"
That arrogant Kumogakure, just left like that?
They came all this way, and retreated without doing anything?
The news shook them to the core.
A few hundred Peacekeeping Force members—
Drove away thousands of Kumo ninjas.
What kind of absurdity was this?
"Sakon-Ukon, I told you to trust Orochimaru-sama, didn't I?"
Tayuya was equally shocked, but more than that, she felt satisfaction.
Orochimaru had not abandoned them.
At the same time, a deep curiosity rose within her.
Just what kind of force was the Peacekeeping Force?
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
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