Chapter 242: A Stool Between Heaven and Earth
"Neighhh—!"
Warhorses whinnied as chaotic hoofbeats kicked up rolling clouds of dust. Over a hundred riders formed a large encirclement around Yeshinko's group—and among them were the very ninjas who had been traveling with them.
The royal banner of the Land of Birds stood at the rear of the cavalry. It seemed Yeshinko's group truly had an extraordinary identity…
Only at this moment did the pillar of Yeshinko's group lift his black conical hat, revealing his true face.
He was a man in his prime, with fair skin and an air of nobility that commanded authority without anger. Yet his unkempt stubble and weary expression showed that his recent days had not been easy!
It seemed this was the so-called Daimyo of the Wilds!
"Jonin Takeuchi… who exactly are you?"
Noshimura frowned, staring intently at the old man on horseback before him. This elder had originally been a jonin bodyguard he had hired from the Land of Rain—but now it seemed things weren't so simple!
"Who am I? Daimyo of the Wilds, you really are forgetful!" The old man named Takeuchi sneered as he drew out two steel forks from his robes, both emitting a strange red glow. "Now… do you recognize me?"
"Those forks…"
Noshimura's eyes widened in terror as he shouted, "You're the Bird Country's jonin—the Ghost Fork Demon, Wu Xie?"
"No… that's impossible!"
Noshimura staggered back repeatedly, roaring in disbelief. "The Ghost Fork Demon died over ten years ago—and I brought you back from the Land of Rain. This can't be true!"
"Hmph…!"
Wu Xie sneered, casually twirling the twin forks. "If it weren't like this, how would you have fallen for it, Daimyo?"
"That's enough small talk!"
A handsome young man rode forward to the front, narrowing his eyes with a cold smile. "Jonin Wu Xie, hurry and capture Noshimura. Delay could lead to complications!"
Hearing this, Wu Xie nodded and waved his forks coldly at Noshimura. "Kid, surrender obediently. That way, the others might at least die a cleaner death!"
"In your dreams!" Shenkè suddenly leapt forward, drawing his katana with a roar. "As long as I'm here, you rat-like ninjas won't lay a finger on the Daimyo!"
"A foolish samurai!"
Wu Xie sneered and waved his hand. "Capture Noshimura alive. As for the rest…"
A ferocious grin spread across his face. "Kill them all!"
With a single command, nearly a hundred riders and over a dozen ninjas surged forward like a pack of tigers pouncing on prey. Faced with such overwhelming force, Noshimura's samurai guards were utterly outmatched!
"Take this—!"
A samurai roared as he swung his blade—but before he could even turn the hilt, a sharp kunai pierced straight through his heart…
Samurai only knew how to fight, while ninjas knew how to kill. The difference was instantly clear!
"Damn it!"
Another samurai gritted his teeth and drew his sword. "You damned ninjas—taste my draw slash! I've trained this move for years—today I'll let you—"
"Fire Release—Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball engulfed him completely, reducing him to a charred corpse.
An ordinary samurai might train for decades just to naturally generate a trace of chakra. Compared to ninjas, who cultivated chakra from the very beginning, the gap was simply too vast!
In the entire ninja world, aside from Mifune, how many samurai could actually defeat a ninja?
If the gap between ordinary people and ninjas was like that between heaven and earth, then ninjas were merely a stool placed between the two.
Amid flashing blades and clashing steel, Noshimura's samurai guards were rapidly being cut down…
"Damn it!"
Shenkè clenched his teeth fiercely. He was unwilling to accept it—why were samurai inferior to ninjas?
But no matter how unwilling he was, he lacked the strength.
There was nothing he could do…
For the first time, Shenkè felt just how powerless he truly was!