The news spread back to the Feudal Lord Mansion, and the entire country was in an uproar.
"Who did this? How dare they assassinate the Feudal Lord's heir!"
"I heard it was rogue ninja on the run!"
"The shinobi world is at war everywhere right now. Those desperadoes are roaming all over the place, and they will do anything!"
The whole Land of Hot Water was in a frenzy of discussion over this matter from top to bottom.
Teahouses, taverns, and every street corner were filled with talk about this horrific assassination.
The two sons of the Feudal Lord, the future hope of the Land of Hot Water, had died just like that at the hands of rogue ninja.
Some were angry, some were afraid, and even more felt a deep sense of unease.
However, this was only the beginning.
In the days that followed, the situation inside the Land of Hot Water grew increasingly severe.
As if overnight, those rogue ninja, ronin, and bandits hiding in the shadows emerged one after another.
They attacked merchant caravans, plundered villages, assassinated nobles, and even openly rampaged through the towns.
News of tragedies occurring somewhere would arrive from time to time, throwing the populace into panic.
"The port town in the north was plundered again yesterday! A gang of rogue ninja rushed in, burned down three streets, and stole hundreds of thousands of Ryo worth of goods!"
"The trade route to the west has been cut off for three days. I heard an entire caravan was massacred, and their bodies were hung by the roadside for public display!"
"Even the Feudal Lord's sons couldn't be protected. What are we ordinary people supposed to do!"
Panic spread through the Land of Hot Water like a plague.
The nobles and politicians trembled even more.
They were rich and powerful, living in luxury on regular days, but in the face of those elusive rogue ninja who killed without blinking, they were just as fragile as ordinary people.
Some spent vast fortunes to hire samurai, but no matter how strong samurai were, they were still mortals.
In the face of ninja who knew ninjutsu and genjutsu, they were utterly defenseless.
Only ninja could defeat ninja!
Fortunately, the Uchiha Anbu ninja around them were already in place.
Those black-clad, masked Uchiha Anbu kept danger outside their doors.
One day, an old noble encountered an ambush by rogue ninja on his way to his territory.
Over a dozen rogue ninja rushed out from the forest, raining ninjutsu and kunai down upon the caravan.
The old noble's samurai were routed in an instant. He himself collapsed to the ground in terror, believing he was doomed to die.
Yet, at the very moment the rogue ninja rushed in front of him, two dark shadows descended from the sky.
Uchiha Anbu.
Without even forming hand signs, their Sharingan spun slightly, plunging the rogue ninja into genjutsu one after another, leaving them standing frozen on the spot, unable to move.
Then, a flash of blade light passed, and over a dozen heads rolled to the ground.
Another noble was initially very resistant to having Anbu protect him closely, believing that Gento was monitoring him, and firmly refused to let the Anbu follow him.
As a result, three days later, his estate was breached by a group of rogue ninja, and not a single soul among the more than thirty members of his household survived.
Once the news broke, those nobles who initially harbored doubts about the Anbu fell silent, never bringing up the word "surveillance" again.
Just like that, faced with reality, the nobles and politicians of the Land of Hot Water chose to unconditionally trust the Uchiha Anbu ninja.
They proactively arranged for Anbu to be by their side, and some even requested an increase in the number of guards.
Meanwhile, those nobles who received Uchiha protection were deeply grateful to Gento.
They publicly praised Gento's benevolence and the Uchiha's strength on various occasions, viewing Gento as the savior of the Land of Hot Water.
"Lord Gento is truly benevolent and righteous!"
"Without the Uchiha, people like us would probably have died at the hands of those rogue ninja long ago."
For a time, Gento's reputation reached its peak in the Land of Hot Water.
However, only a few days had passed since then when an even more shocking piece of news arrived.
The Feudal Lord of the Land of Hot Water, Yuto Adachi, was also attacked by assassins!
It was said that a group of highly trained rogue ninja slipped into the Feudal Lord Mansion under the cover of night, bypassing layers of guards to strike directly at the Feudal Lord's bedchambers.
They were incredibly powerful, and ordinary samurai were like paper in front of them.
Just as the Feudal Lord was about to lose his life on the spot-
The Uchiha Anbu arrived just in time.
The Anbu ninja and the rogue ninja engaged in a fierce battle outside the Feudal Lord's bedchambers.
Ninjutsu clashed, kunai crossed, and blades flashed.
In the end, three rogue ninja were killed on the spot, while one was captured alive but committed suicide by biting down on poison.
Although the Feudal Lord himself was frightened, his body was not seriously harmed.
When the news spread, the citizens of the Land of Hot Water rejoiced.
"Fortunately, Lord Gento's Anbu arrived in time and saved the Feudal Lord's life! Otherwise, the Feudal Lord would probably have..."
"Yes, indeed! It's all thanks to the Uchiha! If not for them, the Land of Hot Water would really be finished!"
"Lord Gento is truly the guardian deity of our Land of Hot Water!"
Nobody noticed that there were no items on the bodies of those deceased rogue ninja that could prove their identity.
Nor did anyone question why the rogue ninja could locate the Feudal Lord's bedchambers so precisely.
They only knew that it was the Uchiha who saved their Feudal Lord.
…
Three days later.
Main Hall of the Feudal Lord Mansion.
Yuto Adachi sat on the main seat, his face sallow and his eyes deeply sunken, his entire body so thin he was nothing but a bag of bones.
His body had clearly reached the end of its line, and his eyes swept over every politician and noble present.
The hall was deathly silent.
Everyone knew what was going to be announced today.
Yuto spoke slowly, his voice weak:
"My heirs are dead, and I have no other children."
"According to the laws of the Land of Hot Water, the position of Feudal Lord can be inherited by a noble with outstanding achievements."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd:
"Who do you all think can take on this great responsibility?"
The hall was silent for a moment, and then some spoke.
A member of the Adachi family stood up.
He adjusted his clothes and spoke in a clear, loud voice:
"Lord Feudal Lord, the position of Feudal Lord should rightfully be inherited by a member of the Adachi family."
"Even if you have no direct descendants, a virtuous and capable person should be chosen from the side branches of the Adachi family to inherit it."
"This is the ancestral law and must not be violated!"
Behind him, the members of the Adachi family nodded in agreement one after another.
Yuto glanced at him, then at the Adachi family members behind him, and slowly shook his head.
"The Adachi family has no outstanding talent."
"With the shinobi world in chaos right now and rogue ninja running rampant, who among you can guarantee the safety of the Land of Hot Water? Who can protect our citizens from being harmed?"
The members of the Adachi family were left speechless.
In the silence, a voice rang out.
"I support Lord Gento!"
Everyone looked toward the source of the voice; it was a noble who had been saved by the Uchiha Anbu during a rogue ninja attack.
He stood up, bowed deeply to Gento, his voice filled with gratitude:
"The Anbu ninja dispatched by Lord Gento saved my life! Without him, I would have died at the hands of those rogue ninja long ago."
"Lord Gento has both strength and benevolence. Only he can protect the Land of Hot Water!"
"I also support Lord Gento!"
Another noble stood up.
"I have seen the Uchiha ninja fight with my own eyes. Those rogue ninja are like ants in front of them. Only with Lord Gento as our Feudal Lord can we sleep soundly!"
"I support him too!"
"Me too!"
One noble after another stood up, their voices growing more unified.
They were all people who had been saved by the Uchiha Anbu, or who had witnessed the Uchiha's strength with their own eyes.
Their eyes were filled with sincere gratitude and anticipation for the future.
Albeit not everyone agreed.
An old noble with snow-white hair and beard slowly stood up, cupping his hands in respect toward Yuto Adachi:
"Lord Feudal Lord, Lord Gento indeed has outstanding achievements, but it has not been long since he joined the Land of Hot Water."
"Bequeathing the position of Feudal Lord to him may make it difficult to win the public's conviction."
Behind him, several other deeply experienced old nobles nodded in agreement.
"Exactly! The Uchiha only joined the Land of Hot Water a few years ago!"
The members of the Adachi family also felt their hopes rekindle, staring intently at the Feudal Lord.
Gento glanced at the old noble without saying a word, merely remembering his face in his mind.
Yuto fell silent for a moment, his gaze landing on Gento who sat nearby.
His voice became even more solemn:
"As the Guardian Duke, you have dedicated your heart and soul to the Land of Hot Water for years, earning outstanding achievements."
"Now that the shinobi world is in chaos, only you have the ability to protect the citizens of the Land of Hot Water."
"I have decided: to pass the position of Feudal Lord to you!"
The hall fell into absolute silence.
The faces of the Adachi family members turned pale with anger, staring viciously at Gento, their eyes filled with rage and resentment.
Someone opened their mouth to object, but seeing the icy glares of the surrounding Uchiha Anbu, they ultimately remained silent.
The politicians looked at one another.
And at once, even more people erupted in joys and cheers.
Gento stood up, walked before Yuto, and accepted the seal and crown representing the Feudal Lord's power with both hands.
His expression was solemn and humble.
"I will not fail this heavy trust!"
"After I ascend to the position of Feudal Lord, I will surely govern with diligence."
"Not only will I protect everyone's safety, but I will also thoroughly eradicate those detestable rogue ninja and restore peace and order to the Land of Hot Water!"
The hall fell silent for a moment, before thunderous applause and cheers erupted.
"Long live Lord Gento!"
"Long live the Land of Hot Water!"
"Long live the Uchiha!"
…
Three days later, Yuto Adachi "died of illness".
The entire country went into mourning.
After the funeral ended, Gento officially succeeded as the Feudal Lord of the Land of Hot Water, becoming the new ruler of the Land of Hot Water.
The succession ceremony was held in the new Feudal Lord Mansion in Cerulean Harbor.
Nobles, politicians, and wealthy merchants from all over the Land of Hot Water gathered together to pay their respects to the new ruler.
Gento sat upright in the primary seat, dressed in a purple-and-gold kimono.
His gaze swept over everyone present, a faint smile playing on the corners of his lips.
From this day on, he was the Feudal Lord of the Land of Hot Water.
From this day on, the entire Land of Hot Water was under his control.
At the exact moment the succession ceremony ended, a system notification sounded in Gento's mind.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the mission: Power Upgrade!]
[Issuing rewards…]
[Obtained: Rinnegan Awakening Card ×1]
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