Land of Wind, Daimyo's Mansion.
At the top of the keep, a figure sits cross-legged without any concealment, with a black suitcase placed beside them. Dry winds constantly blow from afar, lifting the hem of the black coat.
Kakuzu's eyes emit a ghostly green glow, observing a team rushing out of the Daimyo's Mansion, evidently heading towards the Hidden Sand Village.
"Are they trying to seek reinforcements from the Hidden Sand Village? To think someone as powerful as the ruler of the Land of Wind would be so easily frightened."
Kakuzu initially thought that the Daimyo of the Land of Wind could withstand his intimidation for a little longer. Unexpectedly, the plan went smoother than anticipated, instilling fear in the Daimyo with such ease.
Or perhaps, the higher one's position, the more they fear death?
Regardless of the reason, achieving the goal is all that matters.
Though this method isn't exactly noble, Kakuzu usually finds the debtor directly and persistently pushes for repayment in a straightforward manner.
This debt collection task, however, is clearly different from the usual.
On the surface, it's just a debt collection mission, but in essence, it's a covert contest between the Land of Demons and the Land of Wind.
Kakuzu finds the machinations behind this affair increasingly intriguing.
The Land of Wind doesn't wish to repay the debt owed to the Land of Demons.
While the Land of Demons outwardly seeks repayment, they too hope that the Land of Wind maintains a hard stance and does not settle the debt.
Seeing the Daimyo's guard squad heading towards the Hidden Sand Village, Kakuzu made no move to stop them.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind, under the threat of terror, summoning ninjas from the Hidden Sand Village to ensure his safety, was expected.
"Next, it's up to you—try adding a little more spice to the mix."
Kakuzu turned his head and spoke into the air.
Behind him was a humanoid clay figure with its upper body protruding from the floor. After listening, it silently sank back into the floor, disappearing.
◎
The dark room was filled only with the sounds of deep sleep.
Ninjas were crouching in every corner of the house, covering almost every angle.
Due to the morning's incidents, they were severely reprimanded by the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. They harbored deep resentment towards the person secretly plastering 'Repay Debt' notes all over the Daimyo's Mansion.
This disturbance had left everyone in the Daimyo's Mansion on edge the entire day, afraid to even breathe loudly. The Daimyo's expression remained gloomy all day, and in the end, he had no choice but to seek assistance from the Hidden Sand Village.
Compared to the ninja guards at the Daimyo's Mansion, the Hidden Sand Village had a larger military force, sufficient to replace the ninja guards and ensure the Daimyo's safety.
However, this was not good news for the ninja guards at the Daimyo's Mansion.
If ninjas from the Hidden Sand Village were to replace them, it would not only signify their dereliction of duty but also question their competence, impacting their lives.
Therefore, they needed to stay 100% alert, preventing the secret intruder from disturbing the peace of the Daimyo's Mansion again.
While they were maintaining strict surveillance, inside the canopy, a head silently protruded from the wall, its pale yellow eyes unencumbered by the darkness. The canopy masked the intruder's presence from the surrounding guards.
The head protruding from the wall belonged to Hakushi's Earth Clone—Earth General.
Despite the darkness, Earth General could see everything inside clearly.
For an Artificial Human, night and day made little difference and didn't affect their sight.
Through its perception ability, Earth General constructed a radar map in its mind, pinpointing the ninja guards' positions, successfully bypassing their defenses and directly intruding upon the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's location.
From the wall, Earth General's head faced the sleeping face of the Daimyo resting on a bed below.
In Earth General's observation, the Daimyo was in deep sleep, his face etched with lingering fatigue, probably from the day's scares.
Without hesitation, Earth General extended a hand from the wall, holding a piece of rice paper, gently placing it over the Daimyo's chest.
The only sound was his snoring; there was not a hint of awareness.
Combined with his overweight body, his sleeping appearance truly resembled a dead pig.
Earth General further extended its hand, lightly touching the Daimyo's neck, smearing something onto it.
The Daimyo merely scratched his neck, remaining completely unaware.
"...Huff...huff..."
Only the gentle sound of serene slumber continued, suggesting he might be having a pleasant dream.
Earth General busied itself further without pause, arranging decorations on the bed, bed board, and walls per Kakuzu's instructions.
Earth General spent a total of two minutes performing these tasks.
Upon recalling the instructions, it confirmed that Kakuzu's directives had been completed with nothing left undone.
Consequently, Earth General's body gradually sank into the wall, disappearing without a trace, as though it had never been there.
◎
Morning.
A scream of extreme terror pierced the serenity of dawn, emanating from the Daimyo's chamber.
"Lord Daimyo!?"
Ninja guards leaped from their positions in surprise, gathering by the Daimyo's bedside, pupils shrinking in shock.
They saw a piece of paper stuck to the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's chest, with the word 'death' written in red.