In the Land of Fire, in a secluded valley in the wilderness.
Under a star-studded night sky, the lights of a hastily constructed temporary camp could be faintly seen in the valley.
Although it was close to midnight, a considerable number of soldiers could still be seen patrolling and guarding the area around the camp and at the outposts on the edges.
Their expressions were quite serious and tense, their eyes constantly scanning their surroundings, not missing any details that might raise suspicion.
Because not long ago, their monarch, the daimyo who held the highest position in the Land of Fire, was attacked by an unknown enemy.
Although the daimyo of the Land of Fire himself was not seriously injured, the soldiers became tense.
For the soldiers guarding the noble monarch to be harmed or even killed is a serious dereliction of duty and a great disgrace.
Moreover, if the worst-case scenario were to occur, the soldiers who accompanied and guarded them would certainly be put on trial, and their families might also be implicated.
"Have you heard? It's said that all twelve guardian ninjas were wiped out. Not a single one survived, and several ninja corpses were even lost."
A patrolling soldier cautiously parted the bushes in front of him to make sure there were no enemies lying in ambush, and then spoke to his comrade who was keeping watch beside him.
"Of course I know. I was on the edge of the battlefield at the time. The battle between the ninjas was too fierce for ordinary people like us to get involved."
"Speaking of which faction the enemy who launched the sneak attack came from, weren't the Twelve Guardian Ninjas supposed to be all top-tier ninjas with long-standing experience and great strength? How did they manage to wipe them out?"
"The only force capable of defeating so many powerful ninjas can be another force composed of ninjas, right?"
"So, it's possible that there's some internal strife among the ninjas? But how dare they? Wouldn't that be tantamount to provoking the daimyo's dignity?"
"No, no, no, you misunderstood."
Soldier B blinked, a mysterious expression on his face. "Ninjas aren't only found in the Land of Fire, I guess."
At almost the same time, in the largest and most luxurious tent in the center of the camp not far away, a similar conversation was taking place.
"Therefore, I dare to speculate that these enemies who launched the sneak attack must be from another country, and their purpose may be to provoke a war between the two countries. Our Land of Fire has a powerful military, and I believe that it would be difficult for the enemy to defeat us in a direct confrontation. So they wanted to assassinate you, my lord, and plunge the Land of Fire into chaos, so that their invasion would be successful."
A short, thin man with a somewhat comical appearance hunched over, analyzing his guesses in a high-pitched, androgynous voice to the person sitting on the large bed at the innermost part of the tent.
"Hmph, so that's how it is."
Behind a two-meter-long, low table laden with various delicacies, the portly daimyo of the Land of Fire, after hearing his attendant's words, slammed his wine cup heavily onto the table, uttering a sound of great dissatisfaction.
Then, the Fire Country Daimyo looked at the empty tents and, as if remembering something, asked, "Speaking of which, what about the Twelve Guardian Shinobi? Didn't they say some of them survived? Did they discover anything?"
"Um, well..."
Upon hearing this question, the attendant bowed even lower, seemingly worried about provoking his lord's anger. He hesitated for a moment, carefully considering his words before cautiously replying, "Although one survived the battle, he didn't last long after arriving at the camp, so we didn't obtain any useful information."
"waste!"
The daimyo of the Land of Fire suddenly flew into a rage, sweeping a large pile of food dishes onto the ground with a loud crash.
"They're all trash! What top-tier ninjas!"
The daimyo of the Land of Fire, still not satisfied, stood up and paced back and forth in the tent like an enraged lion, his mouth wide open as he hurled insults.
"They received such a large sum of money from me every year, and yet they were all wiped out in just one enemy sneak attack! What kind of Guardian Twelve Ninjas are they? They might as well be called Guardian Twelve Pigs! I always said that ninjas are useless, they're all trash! As for Konoha Village, just disband it!"
Hearing his lord's furious voice, the attendant lowered his head even further, staring at the ground in fear, not daring to utter a sound, only hoping that the fire daimyo's anger would subside as soon as possible.
"Whoosh"
After a long while, the daimyo of the Land of Fire finally finished his tirade and stopped for the time being.
Judging from his heavy breathing, it was clear how fiercely he had cursed in that short time.
The daimyo of the Land of Fire certainly had reason to be angry; earlier that day, he had almost lost his life in an enemy attack.
The daimyo of the Land of Fire never imagined that someone as noble as himself could lose his life due to a sudden, inexplicable attack.
In their fear, they were naturally furious with the ninjas who had failed to fulfill their responsibilities.
Ninjas are not only responsible for protecting their lords; the profession also includes gathering intelligence and providing early warnings of enemy plots.
Therefore, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire believed that the Twelve Guardian Shinobi's failure to detect the enemy's attack in advance was a dereliction of duty, and even losing his life to protect him could not cover up this.
Moreover, the daimyo of the Land of Fire has never really looked down on ninjas.
If it weren't for the long-standing tradition and the necessity of his own safety, he would have long ago cut off the annual budget allocated to the ninjas.
Seeing that the fire daimyo's anger had been largely vented, the attendant finally raised his head again.
Although he was well aware of his lord's views on ninjas as a close attendant to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, and especially at such a sensitive time, he still mustered his courage and spoke up, "My lord, I believe that the enemy's attack is likely not a one-off. It is at least two days' journey to the nearest safe town. For your safety, we should call for support from Konoha Village as soon as possible."
Upon hearing the attendant's reminder, the daimyo of the Land of Fire's expression instantly changed.
When it came to his own safety, the Fire Country Daimyo immediately put aside all his dissatisfaction and contempt for ninjas and even the Hokage Village.
Recalling the dangerous memories of the day, the Fire Country Daimyo's eyes showed a hint of fear. His voice trembled slightly as he raised his hand, "Yes, you're right! Quick! Go and inform Konoha Village to send people to protect me! Go now!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will send someone to inform you immediately."
............
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~ Naruto: Lowly Reborn Danzo (18+) ~
~ Naruto: Debauchery (18+) ~
~ Hyuga Hokage (18+) ~
~ Naruto: Amazing World Experience Ticket (18+) ~
~ Hinata's Hypnotic Battle with Her Crossdressing Son (18+) ~
~ Naruto Bondage (18+) ~
~ Naruto: Starting as a Daimyō—My Many Children Bring Me Great Fortune (18+) ~
~ Becoming a Pokémon Master in Naruto? (18+) ~
~ Naruto: Reborn in the Sand Village as a Magnet Release Puppeteer ~
~ My Girlfriend Transmigrated Into The Naruto World And Became A Female Version Of Kakuzu (18+) ~
~ Naruto: Inside the Akatsuki—Starting Out by Taking Kushina (18+) ~
~ Naruto: When Naruto Realizes Sasuke Is a Girl ~
~ Naruto: Starting as a Daimyō—My Many Children Bring Me Great Fortune (18+) ~
~ Naruto: Lurking in ANBU Until Becoming a Super Kage ~
~ Becoming a Pokémon Master in Naruto? (18+) ~
~ Naruto: Reborn in the Sand Village as a Magnet Release Puppeteer ~
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(End of Chapter)