Ryuji roughly scanned. There were over thirty people inside the room; he didn't know how many more were in the corridor or outside the Kazekage Building.
The former elders changed from their earlier nervousness, each becoming calm and composed.
The former Intelligence Chief even showed a hint of relief.
He straightened his robe, which had wrinkled from his earlier panic, then looked at Ryuji. "Youth is youth. Even with great strength, it's useless. You didn't even see through such a simple delaying tactic."
"Why so much talk?" an old man said displeasedly. "Forcibly entering the Round Table Conference, killing a Round Table Councilor… these are capital crimes."
"Correct," another old man echoed. "No matter the reason, committing such crimes warrants only death."
Things had gone beyond the plan; they no longer intended to proceed as planned.
But the temptation of rejuvenation and immortality was still hard to resist.
As the leader of this group, Mitsui finally said, "However, if one can make sufficient contributions to the village, death can be pardoned, even original positions restored, and joining the Round Table Council is also possible. For example, giving us young bodies. With young bodies, our strength would return to its peak. Then the village's overall strength would surge dramatically. This would be a great contribution to the entire village."
"Pfft!"
Ryuji couldn't help but laugh.
He never thought that the lie he'd told to make the higher-ups quickly shift responsibility so he could recall the Shinobi sent to search for the Third Kazekage would become these people's goal.
'These guys probably already got the intelligence of the mechanical bird's return and purposely came early in the morning to set a trap for me!'
'They just didn't expect me to be so bold and decisive, directly taking action to kill.'
However, although it was a lie, their direction of action wasn't wrong. Ryuji indeed had the ability to give them young bodies.
But Ryuji completely ignored their words.
He scanned the people in the room again, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "These people are probably all their trusted followers, right? If I kill them all, it should intimidate the others."
Ryuji didn't hide his intent, so he didn't lower his voice. Everyone in the room heard.
Their expressions changed dramatically.
"You..."
The former Intelligence Chief seemed to realize something, his eyes widening in disbelief.
But his mouth had just opened, saying one word, before he went to meet his maker.
The weapon was again a senbon.
Like a falling meteor, it pierced through his eye and out the back of his skull.
The former Intelligence Chief didn't even have time for last words before silently falling.
Everyone's eyes widened.
The old man who had earlier scolded Ryuji turned his head dully, looking incredulously at Aka. "How dar..."
Before the word 'dare' could leave his mouth, he was once again killed by a senbon piercing a vital point.
The eyes of the people in the room widened even more.
Because, despite countless eyes watching, they still couldn't see how she attacked.
The opponent's strength was even stronger than imagined.
"Capture them!"
Mitsui gave the order while leaping backward. He no longer hoped to win Ryuji over. This guy's way of thinking was completely different from theirs; it was impossible to predict what he would do.
Mitsui had not abandoned his desire for rejuvenation, but he saw the situation clearly. Knowing cooperation with Ryuji was impossible, he decisively gave up on trying to win him over.
Right now, he only hoped to capture Ryuji, obtain the technology through interrogation, and then find someone to help create young bodies.
In fact, even without Mitsui's command, many could no longer hold back.
Surrounded by so many people, yet still daring to kill so brazenly… it was simply not taking them seriously. Several hot-tempered individuals had already charged at Kurenai with kunai drawn.
"Kill them all."
Ryuji spoke as if discussing something trivial, his expression unchanged, his tone very relaxed.
Because it really wasn't a big deal.
If he could end this internal turmoil at the cost of the lives of these people in the room, that would be just too good.
"Understood."
A charming smile appeared on Aka's face. She brought her hands together in front of her chest with a clap.
[Earth Release: Tooth Forest!]
Bang! Bang! Bang!...
Dense spikes suddenly shot up from the ground, skewering people one after another like kebabs.
Whether inside the room, in the corridor, or outside the building… none of the Shinobi trying to aid the former elders escaped. All were impaled on slender, three-meter-high spikes.
"You... you..."
Mitsui, who had retreated behind the crowd the first moment, also didn't escape being impaled. His abdomen was pierced, his entire body hung on a spike, eyes wide, staring at Ryuji in disbelief.
He simply couldn't imagine it.
They had ridden the wave of public sentiment; almost the entire village stood behind them. But this man showed no fear at all, directly taking action against them.
'Wasn't this guy afraid of being torn to pieces by the village's people?'
Ryuji glanced at him indifferently, then looked around. On the dense stone forest spikes, there were also many people like Mitsui who hadn't been hit in vital spots and were still alive.
But they were severely injured, unable to move at all.
"What were you saying just now?" Ryuji withdrew his gaze, looking at the former elders, continuing to ask, "That you wanted to sentence me to death?"
Hearing this sarcasm, the surviving elders felt blood rushing to their heads, wishing they could perish together with Ryuji.
As a result, their wounds tore, and they couldn't help but spit up blood.
"So this is all you've got?"
Ryuji tilted his head, looking up from below as if trying to see what their expressions looked like when angered to the point of spitting blood. That smug appearance of someone petty gaining power made the elders deeply ashamed, their wounds further expanding. Some of the older ones were angered to death on the spot.
"By doing this, you are making an enemy of the entire Sunagakure. The village's Shinobi will not let you go." Unable to bear the humiliation, Mitsui loudly threatened.
"Pfft..."
Ryuji couldn't help but laugh.
He slowly walked to the spike where Mitsui was impaled. Looking at the corpse that had lost its breath after speaking, he shook his head. "You guys think things are too simple."
Riding the wave of public sentiment, overthrowing the Round Table Council appointed by the Third Kazekage, regaining power.
It seemed beautiful, but the premise was that this momentum could suppress everything.
And he, Ryuji, could not be suppressed.
At least, the momentum of a Shinobi Village could not suppress him.
"Hang all of them outside. Then summon all Shinobi and villagers to gather in front of the Kazekage Building." After giving the order, Ryuji straightened his clothes and left the conference room unhurriedly.
…