Kazuma's already flushed face turned even redder. This bastard—such a shrimp-hearted traitor!
But as he watched the shifting rays of light still dancing through the air, he knew full well—he stood no chance against Kazuyama Gekkō.
No matter how unwilling he was, Kazuma understood that victory was impossible.
The moment the words left his mouth, Kazuyama's attack ceased.
All the crystals came to a halt, then began to crack and disintegrate, eventually turning to dust. The defensive barriers surrounding the training ground also shattered. Under Kazuyama's direction, they gradually reformed into a statue.
And the statue, of course, was of Kazuyama himself.
The sight of it made everyone's lips twitch.
What the hell was this? He wins and builds a monument to himself?
The Daimyō felt it most keenly. Out of three matches, he'd lost two—and the only win came against a child who wasn't even ten years old?
His most promising captain, Kazuma, had been utterly crushed by Kazuyama. He didn't even land a blow.
Was the ninja corps he'd painstakingly assembled really this weak?
"Your Excellency, now that the sparring's over,"
"how about a break after dinner?"
"I'm quite fond of the hot springs here at the manor. A soak followed by a few more rounds sounds lovely."
Kazuyama looked at the statue he'd created, grinning in satisfaction. His victory declaration rang in the Daimyō's ears like a slap.
But what could the Daimyō say? Kazuyama had won, after all.
As for that damn statue? Whatever. He'd just smash it and toss it out later.
Right at that moment, a notification chimed in Kazuyama's mind.
[Ding! Host has discovered a new form of torment: building statues of yourself using Crystal Release in important locations. Absolutely shameless! But this system loves it! Nice job!
This kind of long-term psychological warfare is genius.
As a reward, this system grants you:
Crystal Release Ninjutsu — Immunity to Sound Wave Destruction!]
Oh? Now that was a nice reward.
Kazuyama knew full well that the biggest weakness of Crystal Release was sound waves.
With this immunity, unless someone used brute force, his Crystal Release couldn't be damaged at all.
While Kazuyama was thrilled, the Daimyō did his best to suppress his irritation and forced his tone to stay calm. "Of course. Enjoy yourself, Kazuyama."
"Yanagimura, handle the arrangements."
Yanagimura, who understood the Daimyō's temperament well, said nothing. He simply smiled and headed toward Kazuyama and the others.
Kazuyama, acting as if he hadn't noticed the Daimyō's displeasure, cheerfully called over the two Uchiha brats and walked toward the hot springs, chatting with Old Yanagimura along the way.
Kazuma watched Kazuyama's retreating figure, clenching his fists tightly.
He knew this failure wasn't just his own disgrace—it had let the Daimyō down. Dıscover more novels at 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝘯𝘦𝘵
After Kazuyama and the others left, the Daimyō's expression darkened.
But to Kazuma's surprise, the Daimyō didn't lash out. Instead, a look of dejection crossed his face.
Standing alone in the center of the training ground, the Daimyō murmured, "Are we really that weak?"
"They say Konohagakure is full of powerful shinobi... and maybe they're right."
Hōgen took a step forward, wanting to say something, but seeing the Daimyō's expression, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
At that moment, Kazuma stepped up and knelt on one knee.
"Your Excellency, the responsibility for this failure is mine. From now on—"
Before he could finish, the Daimyō let out a soft sigh.
"It's not your fault. I was too impatient. Do you know how many years it's been since Konohagakure was founded?"
"Even when besieged by the other four great shinobi villages, it never fell. The moment I saw Kazuyama, I realized it—The Land of Fire replacing Konohagakure? It's just not realistic."
After a deep sigh, the Daimyō turned and walked straight back toward his manor.
Minister Hōgen followed close behind.
Kazuma stood frozen in place, alone.
Elsewhere, Kazuyama soaked comfortably in the hot spring, sipping sake as he relaxed. He looked completely at ease.
Obito Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha were also enjoying the soak. After the intense battle—between Obito's use of the Eight Inner Gates and Shisui going all-out—they were feeling the exhaustion.
Of course, they didn't get any sake. They were still just kids, after all.
"Sensei, why'd you have us mock them so hard?"
"That was the Daimyō's personal ninja corps. Won't he hold a grudge against us?"
It wasn't just Obito. Even Shisui was curious.
Mocking someone on their home turf—how could that possibly go well?
Kazuyama looked completely unbothered. He took a sip of sake and chuckled. "So what? Did we not get targeted enough when we stepped into the Daimyō's Manor?"
"Tonight's match was clearly a show of force, testing our strength."
"If they're weaker than us, how is that our fault?"
The moment he said "if they're weaker than us," Shisui lowered his head. He was the only one who lost, and it stung.
Kazuyama noticed his young protégé sulking and immediately realized he'd hit a nerve.
"Hey, Shisui, I wasn't talking about you—you're still a kid."
"Mizukurai's a grown man. If he can't beat you, that's on him."
"Uh, yeah, forget I said that. Anyway, you told him to wait ten years, right? You'll mop the floor with him then."
Shisui: ...Captain Kazuyama, please stop talking. Do you hear yourself? This kind of 'comfort' makes it worse!
Obito couldn't help but laugh out loud beside them.
"But Sensei, this isn't our mission."
"The current situation in the Daimyō's Manor is far beyond what the village anticipated."
Shisui suppressed his frustration and spoke again.
Kazuyama glanced over. "Shisui, now that we're here, of course we'll finish the mission."
"But before that, there's plenty we can do—like soaking in this hot spring."
"Don't ruin the vibe, alright? Once we're done, I'll take you to do something a real man should experience."
"Mission this, mission that—are you a machine? The village is full of people. It's not going to collapse without us."
"Remember this, kid: you're a person, not a cog. Even if you're not in the village, it'll keep spinning just fine."
"Relax. Enjoy the hot spring."
With that, Kazuyama closed his eyes and leaned back to rest, while Obito threw an arm around Shisui's shoulder.