Kazuyama Gekkō wasn't new to this kind of job—he'd done it plenty of times before, and experience had made him good at it.
"Kazuyama, grab me some snacks while you're at it!"
"Anything grilled! I'm sick of eating bugs every day!"
Sure, the Kikaichū had plenty of chakra, but their flavor was just too plain. Nothing beat the rich taste of five-spice, spicy-hot, or cumin seasoning.
Kazuyama nearly pulled his leg back just as he stepped forward. Seriously?
He was putting in all this effort to cripple the enemy's economy, and his own brother turned out to be a foodie!
Always thinking about food!
Well, what could he do? Family was family. Might as well indulge him.
Kazuyama's clones had already been dispatched, while he himself activated the Transparent Escape Technique and headed toward the snack street.
"Brothers! Charge!"
"Grab the money! Grab the food! Take whatever you can!"
The once-peaceful town suddenly descended into chaos.
A band of pirates stormed through the streets, shouting slogans as they rushed in. Anyone in their way was knocked out and tossed aside.
And if someone happened to have valuables on them—sorry! They were getting robbed too before being tossed aside.
"Damn it! Weren't these pirates supposed to be on the northern islands?"
"What are they doing here?"
"Everyone, stop the pirates! Hurry!"
With the northern islands already under pirate attack, most of the ninja forces from this island had been sent as reinforcements.
The few remaining defenders hadn't expected the pirates to strike both islands at once, leaving them momentarily stunned.
Still, as shinobi of Kirigakure, they retained their discipline. Though surprised, they quickly counterattacked to intercept the invaders.
"Hahahaha! Is this all the ninja you've got left?"
"Hidden Mist trash! Brothers, let's show them what our pirate crew can do!"
"Use ninjutsu to wipe them out—then loot everything!"
These kinds of theatrics didn't even need orders from the original body; the clones all knew exactly what to do.
Well, of course they did—they were all Kazuyama Gekkō, after all.
When the Mist ninja tried to resist, the clones' response was simple.
"Wind Release! Great Breakthrough!"
"Water Release! Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Wind Release! Wind Cutter Technique!"
"Water Release! Water Chain Bullet!"
Waves of Wind and Water Release techniques erupted from the clone army.
They might have been low-level jutsu, but it mattered who was casting them.
Put it this way: the same Great Fireball Technique from Uchiha Fugaku and from Uchiha Madara were two entirely different things.
The Mist ninja quickly realized something was wrong, but by then it was too late.
The storm of wind blades and water bullets rained down.
"Boom!"
"Damn it! These pirates aren't normal! Their jutsu are way too strong!"
"Send a distress signal—now!"
After a brief clash, the Mist Village garrison had already taken heavy casualties.
With no other choice, they fired a flare into the sky—an emergency call for help.
"Hmph! The Mist ninja are pathetic!"
"Brothers, finish them off!"
The first wave of attacks had already broken the defenders' formation. In the next instant, the clone army charged in.
They fought with fists, weapons, even the Water Prison Technique.
The battle was a complete massacre. In just one engagement, the Mist Village garrison was wiped out—some dead, others captured.
The remaining clones immediately began a new round of plundering.
Soon, the entire island was thrown into panic.
"Hand over everything valuable!"
"We only want money! That's all! Hey, you still running? You think you can ignore me?"
"Whoa, that's a nice haul! Mine now!"
The clone army followed a "merciful" policy—robbing but not killing—stripping everyone in sight of their possessions.
Back at the inn, Tagitsuhime sensed everything happening on the island through her chakra.
"Tsk tsk... your teacher really is something..."
"And the Mist ninja? That weak? Taken out after one exchange?"
Tagitsuhime sighed, half impressed by Kazuyama's power, half disdainful of the Mist ninja.
And they called themselves one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages? What a joke.
"Sister Tagitsuhime, is sensei doing well?"
"Well? Take out the 'well.' Your sensei's like a tiger descending the mountain—he attacks anyone he sees."
Tagitsuhime shook her head helplessly.
She'd lived for ages and met all kinds of people, but someone like Kazuyama Gekkō? This was a first.
Just as she was muttering to herself, maybe by some strange sense of connection, Kazuyama suddenly appeared using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
He dropped a basket of snakeberries in the room—and vanished again without saying a word.
Tagitsuhime froze.
Staring at the basket, her eyes went wide.
Forget complaining—she dove straight in and started devouring the berries.
"Mmm! So good!"
"Haku, forget what I said earlier—your teacher's a great guy, really!"
"You should learn from him! Don't worry, when you make it to Ryūchi Cave, I'll show you around myself!"
Haku could only stare in disbelief.
Moments ago, Tagitsuhime had been full of arrogance, and now she was fawning like a sycophant...
...
At the same time, over the waters near the Northern Islands...
"Damn it! Where did all these pirates come from?"
"The Northern Islands are under attack! Has the backup been sent yet?"
The speaker stood only about 1.43 meters tall—green hair, green clothes, and a long, odd weapon strapped to his back that looked like an oversized toothpick.
It was none other than the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura.
The Northern Three Islands were key towns of the Land of Water, and their sudden attack was no small matter. Though he had already sent reinforcements, he still felt uneasy.
And with the Daimyō's mansion having issued an urgent notice, he'd come personally.
He'd thought only the northernmost island was under attack, but while still on his ship, he saw distress signals rise from another island.
His brows furrowed tightly.
"Lord Mizukage, what are your orders?"
"Hmph! Split the troops. You go to the northern island—I'll take the other."
"We must stabilize the situation immediately!"
Yagura's expression darkened. Something about this situation felt off.
And when he linked it to the recent movements from the Hidden Cloud, his scowl deepened.
Hmph. Those damned Cloud savages have started robbing people now.
But since they've dared to step foot in my Land of Water... they're not leaving alive.