On the outskirts of Yamanashi Castle, nestled against the mountainside within a hollow, stood a dense cluster of buildings. Most were recent constructions, enclosed by a perimeter wall several meters high. Above the main gate, a large, imposing plaque bore the three characters for "Ansei Hall."
This was Ansei Hall.
Night had fallen, and the complex glowed with countless lights, resembling a small town under the dark sky. Indistinct figures moved along the streets within the deep shadows cast by the buildings. Over the course of more than a year of steady development, Ansei Hall's population had swelled past a thousand residents, transforming it into a self-sufficient community integrating both production and daily life.
Along the outer walls, guards were stationed in watchtowers spaced at intervals. These seventy to eighty men were all rogue ninja, hired by Yoshida Jin at considerable expense. For a small town, this level of defense was quite robust.
High up in a gate tower, a middle-aged man stood, his eyes fixed intently on the road outside. According to orders passed down from above, the enemy was expected to attack tonight.
"Lord Ishikawa, are the enemies really coming tonight?"
Behind the middle-aged man, several ninja-clad figures stood silently. One of them voiced the question, his tone laced with nervousness.
The middle-aged man, Ishikawa, was a rogue ninja possessing chunin-level skills. After being recruited by Yoshida Jin, he had been appointed as one of the captains of Ansei Hall's guard team.
"I don't know," Ishikawa shook his head, his voice grave. "But whether they come tonight or not, we cannot afford the slightest lapse in vigilance."
Having reached middle age, Ishikawa no longer held grand ambitions for his shinobi career. He was quite content with the relatively respectable and stable job he'd found at Ansei Hall and had no desire to lose it easily.
"Yes, sir!" the men behind him responded respectfully.
However, under the dim lights, fear flickered in some of their eyes. Like Ishikawa, they were once rogue ninja scraping by at the bottom rung of the shinobi world, most possessing only genin-level abilities. Loyalty to Ansei Hall was far from their minds.
Lately, the commotion stirred up by the Narita and Taniguchi families had been significant. Rumor had it that the number of rogue ninja and even rogue samurai gathered under their banners had exceeded two hundred. Among them were several jonin-level shinobi. To rogue ninja operating in a small nation like the Land of Fields, such a force was immense.
Facing such an enemy, their hearts were filled with dread. If not for Ishikawa's long-standing high reputation among this group, they likely would have already started plotting their escape routes in secret.
"They're here!"
Not long after the exchange, Ishikawa's low voice cut through the tension.
Swish, swish, swish~
A series of whooshing sounds echoed as numerous figures flickered into existence, materializing on the road directly in front of Ansei Hall's main gate. Illuminated by the moonlight and the compound's lights, it was clear that most wore the black stealth attire of ninja. Their numbers approximated two hundred.
Two distinct groups stood at the forefront of the crowd, notable for not wearing the standard black night-clothes. These were Inoue and Muko's contingent from Kusagakure, and Yuito and Suien's group from Takigakure.
"My lords," a man stepped forward from the crowd, addressing the leaders Inoue and Yuito respectfully, "Ansei Hall's defenses don't appear very strong. Shall we proceed with a direct frontal assault?"
This man was Fujimoto, the leader of the rogue ninja recruited by the Narita and Taniguchi families at great cost. He was the sole jonin among the numerous rogue ninja they had hired. Two other men followed closely behind him – Tomishige and Maruyama, both chunin-level rogue ninja and Fujimoto's long-time comrades.
"Wait," Inoue replied calmly to Fujimoto's inquiry. "Let's wait for their decision-maker to emerge. Our goal in attacking Ansei Hall is to acquire their medics and formulas, not to destroy the place."
The groups from Kusagakure and Takigakure had been in the Land of Fields for some time now and had reached a certain understanding. They had privately agreed to split the medics and formulas equally after capturing Ansei Hall. Although Takigakure's Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, Yuito, was the strongest individual present, he was known to be reckless. Thus, Inoue usually took charge of strategic matters like these. Yuito, confident in his own overwhelming strength, wasn't worried about Kusagakure trying any dirty tricks.
"Understood," Fujimoto acknowledged respectfully.
The entire assembly stood silently before Ansei Hall's main gate.
"Lord Ishikawa, what do we do?"
On the gate tower, the assembled rogue ninja guards lost their composure upon seeing the enemy formation. Panic began to set in.
"Don't panic!" Ishikawa gritted his teeth, shouting to be heard. "Hold the line! Reinforcements from the higher-ups will surely arrive soon!"
While the dozen or so ninja under Ishikawa's direct command on this section of the wall managed to hold firm, on other parts of the wall, some rogue ninja had already started to flee. The difference in strength was simply too vast. They had no intention of dying pointlessly for Ansei Hall.
Amidst the standoff, the panic within Ansei Hall began to spread visibly. Soon, only Ishikawa and his small group of roughly ten loyal rogue ninja remained steadfast on the walls.
Beads of sweat dripped down Ishikawa's forehead. His own resolve was wavering. Around him, the remaining handful of guards were clearly terrified.
Swish, swish, swish~
Just as Ishikawa and his men felt they couldn't hold on any longer, several more whooshing sounds echoed atop the gate tower. Four figures appeared before them.
The newcomers were Tatsuya and Pakura, both using their aliases and disguised appearances, alongside Guren and a young man who looked about eighteen or nineteen. This young man wore a robe adorned with an image of a Bodhisattva in kasaya robes. His fair, handsome face and long, narrow eyes held a distinct sharpness.
This was the clone body, now successfully integrated with Uchiha Teru's Mangekyo Sharingan. Tatsuya had named him Jizo.
Thanks to the Uchiha genes within his body, the Mangekyo Sharingan hadn't shown significant signs of rejection in Jizo, and he could activate and deactivate them successfully. The only drawback was that his chakra consumption rate increased drastically while the Sharingan was active. For a clone body that already required periodic "recharging" from Tatsuya, this further shortened his combat endurance.
"Good," Tatsuya scanned Ishikawa and the few remaining guards, his voice calm, almost indifferent. "Not a complete wipeout."
He turned to Guren. "Guren, you stay here. Help them defend this position."
After giving the instruction, Tatsuya, Pakura, and Jizo flickered again, using the Body Flicker Technique to reappear instantly on the road outside the walls.
Having successfully awakened her Crystal Release, Guren's strength had significantly increased. However, limited by her age and chakra reserves, her overall combat ability was likely only around chunin level. If not for Guren's persistent pleading, and considering the unique nature of Crystal Release which might prove useful, Tatsuya wouldn't have allowed her on the battlefield at all. Her Crystal Release might indeed play a role at a critical moment.
Across the field, Inoue and the others watched the trio appear on the road, a flicker of surprise crossing their eyes.
"You three," Inoue commanded, gesturing towards Fujimoto and his two companions, "Go test them."
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