County Chief Morimura stared blankly at the two bodies on the ground, feeling cold in his hands and feet, lightheaded, and about to faint.
Someone nearby quickly helped him up.
"Thank you, Sanjuan Wolf," County Chief Morimura said casually.
"Sir, I am not Sanjuan Wolf."
County Chief Morimura turned his head to look at a strange samurai.
He suddenly came to his senses.
Sanjuan Wolf was already dead.
Biwa Juzo and Kurosuki Raiga were also dead.
County Chief Morimura's eyes were panicked, and he raised his hand and pointed at Linto: "How could you… how dare you!"
These were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the top leaders of Kirigakure.
If Linto killing Suikazan Fuguki was because he exposed human trafficking, there was still some controversy about it.
But now, barging into the county chief's mansion and killing two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen so openly was truly making himself an enemy of Kirigakure.
And in County Chief Morimura's jurisdiction, people had died, so he would also be implicated. His career—
County Chief Morimura's thoughts stopped abruptly.
A shadow loomed over him.
Thud.
Kubikiribocho slammed down beside County Chief Morimura's feet, the ground trembled, and the samurai guarding County Chief Morimura were immediately so frightened that they fell to the ground.
County Chief Morimura saw a pair of shoes, and he stiffly raised his head, but before he could fully look up to meet Linto's eyes, a hand grabbed his hair.
"Ah—"
County Chief Morimura let out a pig-like scream.
It must be said, the life of luxury gave County Chief Morimura a decent physique. The scream was full of energy, and most of the county heard it.
Heads peeked out from behind windows, mouths half-open, watching County Chief Morimura being dragged by his hair like a stray dog.
Because of the earlier vortex, a large open space had appeared. Linto threw County Chief Morimura into the center of the open space, and the power surged from his toes, kicking him in the body.
County Chief Morimura was terrified, and his body seemed to be possessed, uncontrollably kneeling down, lowering his head, his only movable eyes wide, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.
This…
It was clearly a posture for waiting for decapitation during seppuku!
Just then, chaotic footsteps approached from far away, and a row of lights came closer.
It was the samurai guarding the county, coming to support them. At first glance, there were about one or two hundred people. The accountant was walking in the front.
"Stop!"
The accountant was so anxious that his eyes were red:
"You can't kill him!"
County Chief Morimura echoed repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes! You can't kill me!"
"Why can't I kill him?"
Linto's gaze swept over the bodies of Biwa Juzo and Kurosuki Raiga.
He even killed these two, let alone an official in a remote small county?
"It's different!"
The accountant strode forward and said, "Killing ninja and killing officials are two different things!
Killing two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen will only make you an enemy of Kirigakure.
But killing County Chief Morimura, a local official personally appointed by the Daimyo, is declaring war on the entire Land of Water!
You need to understand that Kirigakure is just a ninja village. With an order from the Daimyo, it can be changed to Water Village or Mist Village tomorrow.
But the Land of Water and the Daimyo will never change."
The accountant walked in front of Linto.
"Once you kill County Chief Morimura, it will be true treason!"
"You've done enough today."
"Stop now."
The accountant said very clearly.
The Land of Water and Kirigakure are not on the same level.
Kirigakure is just a knife, the Daimyo is the real wielder.
Linto can kill as many ninja as he wants, and the Land of Water Daimyo wouldn't even blink an eye, but killing Morimura would be moving the Daimyo's cake.
You need to know, County Chief Morimura can still make monthly offerings in this barren land, enriching the national treasury.
If such a talent who shares the Daimyo's worries is killed, the Land of Water Daimyo will definitely be heartbroken.
"Do you understand! Linto, killing me will bring endless trouble! As long as you let me go, I'll give you half of the gold and silver in the warehouse, no, I'll give you everything!"
County Chief Morimura had accumulated countless wealth, and the wealth in the warehouse was enough for a person to enjoy the rest of their life without worry.
He gasped for breath, his eardrums buzzing.
"Are you done?" Linto asked.
A hundred or so samurai raised torches high, the red light reflecting on Linto's face, and also reflecting in the eyes of the villagers who were secretly watching.
The accountant swallowed.
He had been calculating accounts and looking at people's hearts for a lifetime, but he found that he couldn't figure out Linto's next move at all, nor could he see through Linto's thoughts.
"I—"
The accountant opened his mouth, wanting to say something, when suddenly, hot, smelly liquid splattered on his face and flowed into his mouth.
It was blood.
County Chief Morimura's blood.
Thump.
A head fell down.
Behind the doors and windows, the county residents who witnessed this scene let out soft cries of surprise.
That county chief who could do whatever he wanted, actually…
Died!
A gust of wind howled past, causing the torches in the hands of the samurai to flutter, but not a single person dared to draw their sword.
The bodies of the two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were still not cold, and no one thought they were stronger than Biwa Juzo and Kurosuki Raiga.
Just looking at the huge sword in Linto's hand made them feel an unparalleled sense of oppression. Compared to it, their samurai swords were simply like toothpicks.
County Chief Morimura's head rolled to the accountant's feet. He wanted to pick up the head, but his waist wouldn't bend down. Finally, he fell on his butt on the ground, holding County Chief Morimura's head, tears streaming down his face.
"Kill me! Linto, you might as well kill me too!"
The accountant shouted, carefully observing Linto out of the corner of his eye.
Since begging for mercy was useless, he simply did the opposite, just to seek a chance of survival.
Linto walked past the accountant: "I'll spare your life. Keep this head safe and give it to the next county chief. Bring him a message."
"W-what message?"
"Take care."
The accountant watched Linto's departing figure. The four words kept tumbling in his heart, and the tears in his eyes gradually stopped, replaced by many complex emotions, which finally turned into a deep sigh.
Take care?
Did County Chief Morimura do anything wrong?
Indeed, he issued harsh tax laws, but…
Was he greedy?
Most of the money County Chief Morimura had collected was given to the Daimyo.
From the perspective of ordinary people, life was indeed not good, but…
Are ordinary people considered people?
In the eyes of the powerful and ninja, ordinary people are just a group of stupid livestock that can produce food.
Only Linto in front of him treated people as people.
The accountant knelt on both knees, facing the direction Linto left, and lowered his head deeply.
"Thank you, sir, for sparing my life, thank you, sir…"
"For enlightening me."
…
After Terumi Mei collected the bodies of the two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and also collected the two broken ninja swords, she found Linto in the warehouse of the county chief's mansion.
He was walking out of the warehouse, holding a bag of candied fruit in his hand. He ate one himself and threw one to the horse waiting at the door.
Terumi Mei sized him up and down, confirming that Linto really didn't take anything of value except for a bag of candied fruit, and asked incredulously:
"You're not taking anything?"
Linto chuckled lightly: "I told you, I don't lack money. You need this money more than I do, right?"
Terumi Mei was silent.
She understood Sasuke's words.
While she was observing Linto, she was also being observed by Linto.
The man in front of her was more perceptive than she imagined.
Terumi Mei didn't know what to say.
Once her thoughts and plans were spoken, they would bring death to those who heard them.
Linto had caused enough trouble.
While hesitating, Terumi Mei saw something in front of her.
It was the candied fruit Linto handed over.
She took it and took a bite.
It was very sweet.
The worries and sorrows in her heart seemed to be diluted a lot.
"I want to do something big, I think…"
Linto glanced at Terumi Mei and spoke her mind for her:
"You want to punish the wicked and eliminate tyranny."
"You want to kill the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, and end the Bloody Mist Village."
"Am I right?"
Terumi Mei's mind went blank, and the composure and calculations she had cultivated through years of ninja training all disappeared, leaving only one question:
"How do you know?!"
---
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