With the emergence of ninja villages, samurai gradually faded out of the historical stage. Originally serving as an army, they were replaced by ninjas who could also function as an army. Besides some large countries and nobles who still retained some samurai, only the Land of Iron was a country led by samurai.
Ninjas taking over the army positions from samurai led to a large number of samurai losing their source of income. This was the reason why many samurai had a negative impression of ninjas.
During the Warring States period, ninjas could only be hired and not used as an army. Countries and nobles would still recruit a large number of samurai to form an army, using them to capture cities and expand their territory. Later, with the establishment of ninja villages, the status of samurai was gradually replaced by ninjas. Over the years, the status of samurai had become increasingly low.
And the ronin blocking their way were also down - and - out samurai.
The leading samurai had long hair tied into a ponytail, a scar on his left face, and was dressed in a dark - colored robe, carrying a long sword and a short sword.
He said coldly, "Leave the goods, and you can go."
Minato stepped forward and said, "We're ninjas from Konoha, specifically assigned to escort this batch of goods. Please don't make things difficult for us."
The samurai leader sneered. "That's none of my business. Just Konoha ninjas. I've killed Konoha ninjas before. You're all worthless."
His men surrounded the convoy. Each of them held a sword, their expressions ferocious. The convoy workers were so scared that they hid. At a time like this, it was time for the ninjas to take action.
Yuuhi Mahiro said, "We'll strike back when they make the first move."
"Should we kill them?" Kiyosuke asked.
"Try not to. But if you can't control it, it's okay to kill them."
"Got it."
Those who venture out should be prepared to be eliminated.
This group consisted of twenty - five people, and they all looked tough.
Kiyosuke held a kunai, ready to fight at any moment.
Minato took a step back and said, "Then there's nothing to talk about."
"What do you think? Attack!"
The samurai leader gave a low shout and drew the long sword from his waist. At his command, the samurai drew their swords and slashed towards them.
Ding!
The kunai clashed with the long sword, creating sparks. Kiyosuke was pushed back by the force. His strength was still too weak to contend with an adult samurai.
"Humph! Once ninjas are closed in on, they're no match for us samurai. You guys, who only know dirty tricks, are all useless!"
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
With a wave of his hand, Kiyosuke sent several snakes lunging at the samurai. The samurai swung his sword and chopped off the snakes' heads, then aimed a blow at Kiyosuke.
Bang!
The sword split a wooden stake. Kiyosuke dodged and appeared behind the samurai, and his kunai pierced through the samurai's heart.
"Ugh! You..."
Feeling the pain, the samurai's body slumped to the ground. Kiyosuke took a deep breath and turned to look at the other samurai.
Yuuhi Mahiro had defeated several of them. He just stood there, and the samurai who confronted him fell one by one, clutching their heads and screaming, their faces filled with terror as if they had seen something terrifying.
Genjutsu is so terrifying!
Genjutsu - type ninjas are incredibly formidable!
Kiyosuke dodged the long sword slashing at his back, then landed a roundhouse kick on the stomach of the attacker.
He gathered flames in his hand and sprayed them in that direction!
Ember!
The guy whose whole body was set on fire rolled around on the ground in pain, screaming continuously.
He looked at Asuma and found that he didn't need help. As the son of the Third Hokage, Asuma had a solid family - taught foundation in ninjutsu. Besides lacking in combat experience, he was doing okay.
And Kurenai, like her father, was a genjutsu - type ninja. Standing there, she had knocked down all the samurai who came across her with genjutsu.
On Minato's team, Kakashi had taken down most of the samurai single - handedly. Obito and Rin had dealt with the rest. As for Minato, he had already put his special kunai to the throat of the samurai leader.
It was just the blink of an eye. How could it be...
The samurai leader, with his sword half - drawn, was sweating coldly. He didn't even see the opponent's movement clearly, and he was already defeated. It was a great humiliation.
"You've lost! Your men have also lost!"
"Are you a jonin team from Konoha?"
"No comment."
Minato knocked out the samurai leader, and the robbery came to an end. There were no casualties on the convoy's side.
Mr. Kazama asked Minato and the others to tie up the surviving samurai and bury the dead on the spot.
Incidentally, more than a dozen samurai died, and ten of their heads were claimed by Kakashi.
Despite being about the same age as Kiyosuke and the others, he was more ruthless than anyone. His opponents were all struck down with a single sword - strike to the throat.
The swordsmanship of the Hatake clan was top - notch in Konoha.
Back then, Sakumo Hatake, with just a short sword, fought his way from Konoha to Sunagakure without batting an eye. The "Chopping King of Konoha" was invincible!
Chiyo's son and daughter - in - law were both killed by him.
He struck fear into the hearts of Sunagakure, to the extent that even children would stop crying out of fear. He was that terrifying!
It's a pity that such a powerful figure didn't die on the battlefield but in the village, which was really lamentable.
Konoha lost a kage - level combatant, and the other four great ninja villages almost burst out laughing.
It was said that the Third Kazekage, who had a frugal life, even added three dishes and a soup to his dinner that day!
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The border town of the Land of Hot Water
With the end of the Second Shinobi World War, business and trade revived. The daimyo of the Land of Hot Water died of illness after the war. The new daimyo, after taking office, no longer focused on the Hidden Hot Water Village but instead emphasized the development of the unique scenery of the Land of Hot Water to attract tourists and wealthy merchants, turning the country into a major tourist destination and starting to make money.
With the continuous reduction of funds, the Hidden Hot Water Village began to decline, losing its former glory.
Most of the border towns in the Land of Hot Water were trading towns. A large number of merchants came and went to do business, and there were also rich nobles coming for tourism, making the town noisy and prosperous.
The scenery here was also nice, and there were the characteristic hot springs of the Land of Hot Water.
This mission was not only to escort Mr. Kazama here but also to escort him back after he finished his business. So during the time he was doing business, Kiyosuke and the other kids could move around freely. As for Mr. Kazama's safety, it was entrusted to Minato and Yuuhi Mahiro.
Although it was not in line with the rules, Minato and Yuuhi Mahiro agreed that it was best to let the children relax. After the long journey, experiencing the natural scenery of the Land of Hot Water would be a great way to unwind.
So, they gave the six of them a few days off. As long as they didn't cause trouble, stayed away from the three ninja taboos, and remembered to return to the inn to rest at night, it was fine.
This was like giving the children a vacation. How they arranged their time was up to them.
Striking a balance between work and rest was the best choice