The streets and alleys of Konoha did not grow quiet as the sun set.
On the contrary, the topic of the despicable samurai from the Land of Iron reached unprecedented popularity.
"Did you hear? That guy from the Land of Iron used a firearm! That's simply despicable!"
"A firearm? Can that thing even affect a ninja?"
"That's exactly what makes it despicable! That firearm of his is definitely not ordinary!"
"Even Jonin Kono lost! Really… sigh!"
"Doesn't the Land of Iron claim to uphold the spirit of bushido? How did such an oddity appear?"
"I think he's just a bandit using the identity of a samurai! He has no sense of honor at all!"
"But what he said kind of makes sense… on the battlefield, who follows rules with you?"
"Bah! That's twisted logic! Ninjas using any method is perfectly natural, but for a samurai to use a firearm is cheating!"
Taverns, restaurants, street corners, similar discussions could be heard everywhere.
Anger, contempt, and frustration were the dominant emotions.
Just as the discussions continued, new information spread rapidly, as if it had grown wings.
"Latest news! That Isshin hasn't left yet!"
"The Hokage personally spoke! Tomorrow at two in the afternoon, the match will continue at the village's arena!"
"The Konoha Dome? That's the official venue that can seat thousands of people! In previous years, it was used for the Chunin exam finals!
"Looks like the Hokage is serious this time. He will definitely send a real powerhouse who can restrain him!"
"Great! I'm definitely going tomorrow to watch!"
"That's right! Let's see how that arrogant guy loses!"
"Let's see what tricks he can pull this time!"
The public's emotions were stirred again, shifting from pure anger to intense anticipation.
They believed that once the village truly took it seriously and brought out its top ninja, the despicable samurai would inevitably suffer a crushing defeat.
…
Night, at the Yuhi residence.
Soft lighting illuminated the warm living room.
Kurenai Yuhi prepared tea for her father and placed it on the low table in front of him, then knelt beside it herself, appearing somewhat preoccupied.
"Dad."
She spoke softly, breaking the brief silence.
"Hm?"
Shinku Yuhi put down the scroll in his hand and looked at his daughter. He had crimson eyes similar to Kurenai's, only deeper and steadier, with a gentle and reserved temperament.
"Tomorrow… are you going to spar with that samurai from the Land of Iron?"
Kurenai asked. Although the news had not yet been officially announced, Anbu's sudden visit earlier had led her to vaguely guess it.
Shinku Yuhi nodded slightly and did not deny it. "The Hokage has already issued the order."
Kurenai opened her mouth, originally intending to habitually comment, "That samurai is too despicable."
But the words Isshin had spoken during the day about life-and-death situations on the battlefield and the shackles of the weak suddenly echoed in her mind.
She found that she could no longer summarize the other party with the word, despicable, like an ordinary villager.
Moreover, she was a ninja. She suddenly realized that the reason she had subconsciously thought the other party was despicable before was merely that his identity as a samurai had misled her into thinking he would abide by the rigid rules of bushido.
In the end, she swallowed the words that had reached her lips and replaced them with a simple reminder.
"You need to be careful."
Shinku Yuhi was slightly taken aback, keenly noticing the complexity in his daughter's tone, not only worry, but seemingly something else as well.
He smiled gently, reached out and rubbed Kurenai's hair, his voice steady and reassuring.
"Don't worry."
Kurenai looked at her father's calm and confident face. The slight unease in her heart gradually settled. She nodded and said no more.
...…
"That's too despicable! Absolutely too despicable!"
Inside Tsunade's residence, Shizune's indignant voice broke the tranquility of the night.
"Lady Tsunade, it's really a shame you didn't go today!"
Although Tsunade was the instructor of Team 10, in private, Shizune still habitually addressed her as Lady Tsunade.
Shizune's cheeks were flushed with excitement and from hurrying back. Her eyes were wide open.
"That samurai from the Land of Iron, he... He actually used a musket in the competition! He fired at Jonin Kono, Bang! Bang! Bang! He just fired like that! What kind of nonsense is that?"
"Senior Kano respected his identity as a samurai and tried to compete with him using swordsmanship. Even when he used Ninjutsu, he did it openly and honestly. And what happened? That guy fired his gun when Jonin Kano wasn't paying attention! That's a sneak attack! It's cheating!"
Tsunade was leaning lazily by the window, holding a small bottle of sake and pouring drinks for herself. Moonlight streamed through the window lattice and fell upon her golden hair.
Hearing Shizune's rapid-fire complaints, she slightly turned her head. A faint smile curled at her beautiful lips, and her brown eyes were filled with amusement.
Tsunade did not interrupt. She simply listened as Shizune recounted everything that had happened at the third training ground that afternoon, adding embellishments with her indignant tone.
"He even said things like everything in the world can be a sword and that being bound by form is the shackle of the weak! That's complete nonsense! It's just an excuse for using despicable tactics! If victory has to be achieved with methods like that, then what meaning does it even have?"
Seeing Shizune's adorable appearance as if her worldview had been shaken, Tsunade finally couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter. She tilted her head back and finished the remaining sake in her cup, the amber liquid flashing faintly under the moonlight.
"Finished?"
Tsunade set down the cup. Her voice carried the slight intoxication of alcohol and her usual lazy, magnetic tone.
"Lady Tsunade!"
Seeing that she was actually laughing made Shizune even more dissatisfied. "You're still laughing! That samurai really went too far! Kurenai and Shinichi also thought something was wrong at the time!"
"Is that so? Don't forget, Shizune, you're a ninja now."
Tsunade replied calmly.
Right… I'm a ninja. What right do I have to call someone else's methods despicable?
Shizune was suddenly at a loss for words. She suddenly remembered that during the match earlier that day, the ones who had angrily spoken out in response to the samurai's speech were mostly ordinary villagers, as well as young ninjas about her age who were similarly hot-blooded.
The older ninja had serious expressions, but they seemed unsurprised.
Still, Shizune muttered somewhat unwillingly, "But he's a samurai. Winning like that, no matter how you look at it, is still a bit excessive."
"Excessive? Perhaps."
Tsunade raised her eyebrow noncommittally. She shifted into a more comfortable position and looked out at the quiet night beyond the window.
"However, Shizune, there's one thing that person said that's correct. On the battlefield, in order to achieve your objective and survive, you shouldn't impose limits on yourself. Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Poison, Traps, Explosive Tags…"
Tsunade's voice paused here. A certain word seemed to stir a memory within her, and her eyes dimmed slightly. But she quickly concealed it, her tone returning to calm.
"In short, when it comes down to life and death, any method that allows you and your companions to survive is a good method."
"That samurai's philosophy is very extreme, one could even say dangerous. But if you completely deny it, then on a real battlefield in the future, you might pay a price you cannot afford. Because the enemies you encounter in real war will only be even more unscrupulous."
"This kind of unscrupulous philosophy might be an outlier among samurai, but in the battle amongst the ninjas, it is the norm."
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