Shinobi were assassins, killers, and a special kind of military force. Correspondingly, hidden villages were essentially institutions of violence.
Because shinobi abilities varied drastically, the strong naturally monopolized greater resources. Simply put, the world of Naruto still operated under the law of the jungle, where the strong preyed on the weak.
This also meant that the governance of hidden villages was extremely barbaric and backward. One of the reasons Aoba hadn't left Konoha was that its atmosphere was, relatively speaking, the closest to a normal world. Outside Konoha, especially in smaller hidden villages, naked savagery and cruelty were rampant.
The Hidden Grass Village was one such place.
Not long after entering the Land of Grass, Aoba sensed several Chakra presences nearby.
After losing an eye, Aoba's perception had been greatly affected. Especially as a close-combat fighter, the loss of one eye had created a significant weakness in his combat abilities.
To compensate, he developed an auxiliary sensory system for battle.
Using his mastery of wind-based ninjutsu, he spread his Chakra into the surrounding air, allowing it to flow slowly with the wind within a certain radius.
This way, he could detect any person or object entering this range.
The closer they were, the clearer his perception. In close-quarters combat, it even functioned as a unique 360-degree field of vision.
At this moment, Aoba sensed three Grass shinobi moving ahead to his right. They seemed to be returning from a mission.
One of them was injured.
"This minor injury is nothing. I'll just go back and have that bitch bite me."
"True. I'm going to take a few extra bites this time. That bitch actually complained last week, saying I bit her on purpose. This time, I'll tear off a chunk of her flesh."
"And her little daughter—that girl's flesh is even more tender. Might as well take a few extra bites. She treasures that girl more than herself. Just threaten the kid, and she won't dare say a word."
"Really? Then I'll definitely try that. Maybe even do something else while I'm at it."
Aoba had heard enough.
With a Body Flicker Technique, he appeared right in front of the three Grass shinobi.
"Who's there?" they tensed up, but upon seeing Aoba's forehead protector, they relaxed.
"A Konoha shinobi? Hey, this is Grass territory. What's a Konoha ninja doing here?"Because Konoha and Kusagakure were currently allied. And Konoha shinobi were always easygoing, so they weren't afraid of them. They were even somewhat arrogant.
Aoba looked at their faces and sighed slightly.
"Many people complain about why there's always war in this world, why shinobi must constantly kill each other. The reason is simple - it's because there are too many creatures like you in this world."
"You..." The three Kusagakure shinobi sensed something was wrong, but it was already too late. Aoba drew his sword directly in front of them, yet his speed was so fast they couldn't react at all.
The Kusanagi Sword had exceptionally excellent Chakra conduction abilities. Therefore, Aoba's ninja taijutsu became even more fluid and effortless.
"Air Cutting Flash!"
A visible crescent-shaped wind blade appeared midair. In an instant, it sliced through the waists of two shinobi ahead. The last one, being slightly farther away, barely dodged but had an arm completely severed.
"Stop! We're Kusagakure shinobi, Konoha's allies! You—"
The Kusagakure shinobi tried to argue, but Aoba had already closed the distance. Only then did the opponent think to fight desperately. But with one arm missing, he couldn't form hand seals single-handedly. He could only pull out a kunai in a feeble attempt to resist.
The next moment, Aoba appeared behind him. The Kusanagi Sword was already sheathed.
On the ground, the two bisected shinobi weren't dead yet. But that was only a matter of time. Unless they were the reincarnation of Hashirama Senju, being cut in half left no possibility of survival.
Aoba didn't bother finishing them off, instead stepping over them to continue toward Kusagakure. Behind him, the screams of the two Kusagakure shinobi grew increasingly faint.
Kusagakure was actually quite sizable, about half the size of Konoha. In the entire Shinobi World, it was one of the few major villages outside the Five Great Nations.
But their standards... left much to be desired.
Just look at the quality of their shinobi. This village basically had no proper management. Their education and training systems might as well not exist.
Though they mimicked Konoha by establishing their own shinobi academy, most instructors treated the children as playthings, tormenting them at will.
As the strongest village after the Five Great Nations, they only sent one team to later Chunin Exams, showing how backward their training system was.
Moreover, their foundations couldn't compare to Konoha at all. The protective barrier around their village couldn't even stop Aoba.
That night, Aoba easily infiltrated the village.
Standing in Kusagakure, he released his Chakra. The surrounding environment quickly formed in his mind.
His wind-based sensory abilities weren't particularly effective within the village. Buildings significantly interfered with his perception.
Additionally, sudden gusts of wind inside buildings could easily alert others. So he proceeded with caution.
After some time, he finally located his target and quickly moved toward it.
Inside a small house, a Kusagakure shinobi was viciously whipping a woman with a lash. In the corner of the room, a little girl cowered, trembling."Useless trash, worthless bitch. I've bitten you so many times, and you still haven't recovered. What good are you? Hmph. You damned Uzumaki clan trash. If it weren't for us Grass ninja taking you in, you'd have died in some forgotten corner long ago. How dare you show such ingratitude? How dare you look at me with those eyes..."
The Grass ninja continued to curse while lashing out, his entire demeanor like a rabid dog.
But suddenly, he noticed something amiss. The woman's gaze wasn't fixed on him—it was focused behind him.
As a shinobi, he still had basic instincts. Sensing danger, he whirled around to see an unfamiliar ninja standing right behind him.
Most crucially, the forehead protector the stranger wore wasn't from Grass Village—it bore the emblem of Konoha.
Why would a Konoha ninja be here?
Shit. Can't let them see these two women. That was the Grass ninja's final thought. Before he could even process what was happening, a cold flash of steel crossed his vision—then darkness swallowed him whole.