Ouma County.
County Chief Shirokawa was sitting lazily on the tatami mat.
He was in his forties, tall and fat, with a kind face, but he looked worried at the moment.
His wife was beside him, bringing him watermelon that had just been chilled in the well.
Unlike other county chiefs, Shirokawa didn't long to climb the ladder or pursue wealth. He had been with his childhood sweetheart wife ever since, and there had never been any talk of taking a concubine.
His only hobby was eating.
But today, he had no appetite, for a simple reason--
County Chief Shirokawa looked up at the warriors lying in the county chief's residence.
Each of them was injured, and they were constantly groaning in pain.
All the doctors in the county town had come, but with such serious injuries... it would be good if half of them survived.
Besides the warriors, there were also two ninja from Kirigakure.
One was dead, his body cold.
The other had been cut once, his intestines had spilled all over the ground, and the doctor had just stuffed them back in haphazardly, and was busy stopping the bleeding.
County Chief Shirokawa looked at the mist hanging over the town.
It was all because of it.
He grabbed the watermelon his wife handed him and took a big bite, watermelon juice spraying everywhere, as if to vent his emotions.
"What the heck is this!"
"Can't the heavens send down a gust of wind to blow away this damned mist?"
As soon as he finished speaking.
A strong wind came from afar, rattling the roof tiles, swaying the trees, and sweeping leaves up into the sky like green blades, shattering the misty fog.
The long-awaited blue sky appeared overhead, the sticky humidity swept away, and even breathing became easier.
County Chief Shirokawa held the watermelon and turned his head blankly.
Not only him, but all the injured stopped groaning, the doctors forgot what they were doing, and the residents hiding in their homes quietly opened their windows.
Pairs of eyes looked towards the direction the wind was coming from.
Clack, clack...
The sound of hoofbeats came from the entrance of the town.
A man was sitting on a horse, holding the reins, his eyes crossing half the town, landing on the wide-open county chief's residence.
He was not carrying a weapon, nor was he wearing a forehead protector. His clothes were plain, but when they saw his face, everyone's hearts beat faster for no reason, and they felt a strange sense of tension.
"Lin..."
The surviving Kirigakure ninja, Sakamoto, widened his eyes, and shouted subconsciously:
"Lord Linto!"
Because he shouted too hard, the intestines he had just stuffed back in spilled out again.
But he no longer felt fear, only a sense of peace.
Hearing the words "Lord Linto," County Chief Shirokawa's paused thoughts started moving again.
He slowly chewed the watermelon in his mouth, his eyes fixed on Linto and the convoy following behind him.
Squeezed by fat, his small eyes constantly changed, until finally, as if he had figured something out, he suddenly stood up.
County Chief Shirokawa didn't even put on his shoes, ran barefoot out of the county chief's residence, knelt down in the middle of the road, and banged his forehead on the ground:
"Ouma County is being invaded by thieves and is in danger. I boldly ask Lord Linto to take action and save thousands of townspeople from the fire and water!"
The sound of hoofbeats stopped in front of County Chief Shirokawa's forehead, where blood was dripping and flowing.
Linto looked at the blood dripping from County Chief Shirokawa's forehead, and then looked around, meeting the eyes of the seriously injured warriors and ninja, and the townspeople hiding in their homes peeking through the cracks in their windows.
He got off his horse and walked past County Chief Shirokawa.
"Tell me the details."
...
About a month ago, a group of bandits appeared near Ouma County. They occupied the mountains and acted as kings, setting up camp on a small mountain about seven or eight kilometers from the town.
Naturally, such a group of people couldn't honestly farm and herd cattle after going up the mountain.
On the one hand, they continued to rob passing merchants.
On the other hand, they demanded money from County Chief Shirokawa.
"...So, the warriors went up the mountain to fight, and I and that unlucky guy received the village's request--"
Sakamoto looked at his dead companion, "We were hired to act with the warriors.
They said there was "mist" before, and we thought it was a Kirigakure technique, but after really going in... we realized it wasn't like that."
Sakamoto still had lingering fear in his eyes.
"The leader of that gang of bandits can create a lost illusion mist. We can't see where the enemies are, or who the allies are."
It was called fighting, but in reality, they didn't even touch the enemy's body before being beaten into this state.
Linto nodded, and suddenly felt that this surviving Kirigakure ninja looked a bit familiar.
"Have we met?"
"Ah haha--"
Sakamoto laughed dryly and looked away:
"I used to be a member of the 'Diehard Faction'. The night you defeated Yagura, I even threw a kunai at you... Of course, I've already repented now!"
Back then, nearly half of the Kirigakure ninja were diehards. After Yagura was destroyed, after killing some of the main evildoers, the rest returned to their posts and took on the most difficult tasks to make up for their previous mistakes.
Linto glanced at him, and Sakamoto only felt that his mouth was dry. Suddenly, he saw Linto raise his hand and closed his eyes in fear.
The next second, a hand landed on his shoulder and patted it gently.
"Good luck, try to--"
Sakamoto opened his eyes and saw Linto's departing back.
"Live with a clear conscience soon."
Linto got back on his horse and was about to go to the bandits' stronghold.
As for whether to destroy the stronghold or if there were other hidden truths... he would only know after seeing it for himself.
Terumi Mei caught up, "I'll go with you."
Zabuza, who was proficient in Kirigakure techniques, also wanted to go along, but Kambara Hayato stopped him, gave him a look, and quietly pointed to County Chief Shirokawa behind him.
This seemingly kind-hearted county chief was not a good person. They had to be careful. They couldn't protect the convoy with just one Chojuro junior.
Watching Linto and Terumi Mei leave, County Chief Shirokawa slowly put away his smile. A warrior with a sword at his waist trotted over, looked back at Zabuza and the others, leaned close to County Chief Shirokawa's ear and whispered:
"County Chief, is this really okay?"
County Chief Shirokawa's narrowed eyes flashed with a sharp light: "What did you say?"
"Those bandits, they..."
The warrior swallowed and lowered his voice again: "They claim to be Linto's followers, calling themselves 'Awakened Ones'... Shouldn't you remind Lord Linto of this?"
County Chief Shirokawa was still smiling, but his tone was indescribably cold:
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."
"Yes... Yes!"
He looked at Linto's departing figure, his eyes complex, and finally let out a cold snort, sat back down, picked up the watermelon, and ate it with relish.
On the other side, because the distance was short, Linto and Terumi Mei each rode a horse and galloped towards the depths of the mist.
After walking for less than twenty minutes, the ground felt soft and sunken, and all they could see was a low-lying waterside and swamp.
"No wonder a group of warriors with two ninja couldn't take it down. This kind of place is just right for restraining warriors wearing armor."
Linto thought, as a wisp of Ripple Power was released, the soft, wet land was hardened under the Ripple's control, and he shook the reins, the road ahead was unimpeded.
After walking for a while, they could see a mountain surrounded by mist. Linto was about to urge his horse forward when he saw a dozen men driving three carriages coming over.
Before they got close, they heard a voice coming from the carriage:
"Damn it! Your rich merchant husband is a person, and I'm a person too. You can serve him, but you can't serve me?!"
Then came a loud slap.
"Do you know what fairness is! What the heck is equality for everyone?"
With a bang, the woman's head hit the carriage door, smashing the door open. A man grabbed her hair and leaned close to her ear saying:
"I'll tell you what fairness is--"
"Your husband can sleep with you, and I can sleep with you too!"
"Your son can drink milk, and I can drink milk too!"
"That's called equality for everyone! Do you understand! Stupid woman living in the old days!"
Suddenly, the horses stopped. No matter how the coachman whipped them, they refused to move forward. Following the horses' terrified gaze--
They saw Linto standing in the road.
---
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