In less than ten minutes.
The Gato Company base, feared across the Waves Country, exploded into rubble with a thunderous boom...
Dozens of wandering swordsmen, plus several genin and rogue ninja from smaller hidden villages, were all completely wiped out.
Shimoku didn't lift a finger the entire time.
Killing these small fry himself? Overkill, plain and simple.
These guys might've looked tough and had numbers on their side,
But they relied only on swords and weapons to bully unarmed civilians.
Any average Chunin could've taken them all down easily.
Moreover, Gin possessed at least Tokubetsu Jonin-level strength.
Taking down a common gang hideout? Piece of cake.
Very soon.
Gripping a kunai in his left hand and dragging a muscular man with his right,
Gin emerged from a pile of flaming wreckage, blood-soaked and radiating killing intent.
"Young Master, the enemies have all been killed."
"Just didn't find the one named Gato."
"This guy's the overseer here. He's still breathing and probably knows some useful stuff."
Gin tossed the big man onto the ground.
Both legs were already crippled—no chance of escape.
Moreover, in front of one Chunin, two Tokubetsu Jonin, one Jonin, and Shimoku—who knew just how strong—
Forget about an ordinary human like him,
Even if it were the Five Kage, escaping might still be difficult.
"That's good. I thought you were going to kill them all."
"For a second there, I thought you went full massacre mode."
"Indeed, maintaining composure while angry and never being controlled by anger is the true mark of a qualified ninja."
Looking at Gin, who'd clearly gotten stronger after this brutal test in blood,
Shimoku felt quite pleased.
However,
Gato—the main villain—wasn't here, which surprised Shimoku slightly.
But thinking further,
He realized—he'd fallen into the trap of assumptions!
As a tyrannical boss running a multinational corporation,
Why would he necessarily stay fixed inside the Waves Country?
The Waves Country was merely one of many minor nations secretly under his control.
Although in the original *Hokage* storyline, events indeed unfolded in the Waves Country first,
That wouldn't happen until five years later.
Right now, the Gato Company had only recently seized control of the Waves Country—it hadn't become their core stronghold yet.
Therefore, it made perfect sense for Gato not to be here.
Realizing this, Shimoku's face darkened slightly.
Still, good thing they captured this outpost leader alive—he likely knew Gato's exact whereabouts.
"Um, which one of you will do the interrogation."
"I'm too kind-hearted to torture him."
Shimoku waved casually.
Actually, he mostly worried that before getting any intel, he might accidentally kill the prisoner.
"I'll take care of it."
Yueji Uchiha, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up.
Nodding, Shimoku led the others away,
Leaving that captured leader behind for Yueji.
Just a moment
Before the agonized screams coming from the ruins reached Shimoku and the rest waiting far away.
"Ahh!"
That voice was filled with lamentation and resentment, piercing the heart and soul with unbearable pain.
It felt like a man's most precious 'possession' had just been torn away violently.
Upon hearing it, Shimoku and the others instinctively felt a chill in their lower regions, unconsciously tightening their legs together.
Even Gin, drenched in blood and radiating pure killing intent, instantly lost his nerve. He couldn't help but shudder inwardly.
...
Less than three minutes later,
Yueji returned, bringing back the intelligence that Shimoku needed—
specifically, Gato's whereabouts and the location of [Gato Corporation]'s headquarters.
Once the target destination was confirmed,
without saying a word, the group immediately headed straight there.
Leaving behind only a stunned crowd of [Waves Country] citizens, gazing in disbelief at their departing figures vanishing into the distance, and at the ruins still ablaze.
For quite some time, everyone stood frozen in place, overwhelmed by relief and joy, crying while laughing uncontrollably.
—
At this very moment, in the [Land of Hot Springs].
Inside the headquarters of [Gato Corporation].
"Crack—"
Gato fiercely slammed the cup in his hand onto the floor, pointing furiously at the subordinate before him as he roared:
"What?!?!"
"The base we established in [Waves Country] has been destroyed?"
"How could this happen?!"
The subordinate quickly replied with trembling voice:
"We don't know the exact details yet. A telegram came reporting intense attacks on the facility!"
"The attackers are suspected to be [Ninja]!"
"Communication has already been cut off—it's likely that everyone there has been wiped out!"
Gato was shocked, then became even angrier.
"Fools! All of you are nothing but fools!"
"So many samurai couldn't even defeat a single [Ninja] ?!"
"Just who... who exactly is defying me like this?!?!"
"Could it be those people from [Waves Country]? Did they hire [Ninja]?"
"Impossible! Those guys are so poor they stink! Where would they get the money to afford [Ninja]!"
"Then perhaps it's an enemy company? Now that I think of it… that actually seems quite possible..."
Gato gritted his teeth and speculated bitterly.
Unfortunately, there was no way to confirm anything for certain.
In his opinion, even if it were indeed sabotage by rival companies, such actions were simply too extreme and severely violated the rules!
This situation felt just like the kind of ruthless corporate rivalry Shimoku had seen in his past world—where companies would go to any lengths to win.
Where defamation, suppression, espionage, or even hiring mercenaries to eliminate key individuals might be considered normal.
But hiring full-on [Ninja] for something like this?
That's completely over the line!
Comparable to paying through the nose to deploy elite special forces from one of the Five Powers.
Who could possibly handle something like that?!
"President, what's important right now isn't figuring out who did this."
"It's about preparing our defenses urgently!"
"What if... what if those [Ninja] come here next? Then we'd really be in trouble!"
This low-ranking lackey whose brain barely stayed switched on hurriedly reminded him.
"You're absolutely right!"
"We must strengthen our defenses immediately!"
"Hurry, send for more... no, wait—go post bounty rewards fast! I need more [Ninja] fighters around me!" Gato shouted impatiently.
"But President, hiring [Ninja] isn't cheap at all."
"And besides, regarding the Five Great Nations—we can't even request help from them if we wanted to, and it wouldn't arrive in time anyway!"
Enraged again, Gato viciously kicked his subordinate, roaring furiously:
"Son of a bitch!"
"Do you still care about the cost at a time like this?!"
"Just go get them! No matter how much money it takes! If you can't hire Ninja from the Five Great Countries, what about all those Rogue Ninja then? How could they possibly be unavailable?"
"Alright, alright! I'll go right away!"
The subordinate rushed out in a panic to seek help immediately.
...
The Land of Hot Springs lies northeast of the Waves Country.
It is also an island nation surrounded by sea on all sides.
However, its territory is much larger than that of the Waves Country, with a significantly greater population as well.
Among dozens of island nations in this vast sea region, it ranks just below the mighty Land of Water—one of the Five Great Countries.
Additionally, due to its unique location, it serves as a major maritime trade center for many island countries.
Major Shipping Companies have established bases here.
The Gato Corporation naturally has a strong presence here too.
After Shimoku and his group left the Waves Country, they directly hijacked a large cargo ship belonging to the Gato Corporation,
and set sail toward the Land of Hot Springs.
The ship sailed through the night.
Finally, early the next morning, they arrived at a port in the Land of Hot Springs.
This port was clearly far more prosperous than the one back in the Waves Country, he noted.
Dozens of cargo ships, of all sizes, were moored there, loading and unloading goods.
"Young Master, what's our plan?"
"The employees aboard should know where the headquarters of the Gato Company is located. Let them lead the way—we're heading straight there."
"Understood!"
Soon after, they stepped off the ship and made their way inland.
Yet, they hadn't walked far
when Shimoku suddenly shouted for everyone to stop.
"There are quite a few Ninja approaching—filled with murderous intent, every one of them."
"It seems the Gato Company already knows we're here."
"Prepare for battle!"
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