Chapter 160

[500 PS REACHED!! Next Goal: 1000PS!]

Gensou appeared suddenly, and just as suddenly, he disappeared.

It took a few seconds for Tazuna to snap out of it, and then his face changed dramatically.

"How could I have said something like that?"

Especially in front of a stranger?

Tazuna felt the urge to slap himself. He knew very well the consequences of letting his mouth run wild, especially when he'd just uttered such rebellious, treasonous words.

Yes, he had thought about the idea of making the Daimyo disappear. After all, the once-powerful Gato had met his end right before Tazuna's eyes.

This had made Tazuna realize one thing: people die when they are killed. No matter how rich or noble, anyone can meet the same fate.

Born and raised in the Land of Waves, Tazuna had invested his entire life's work into the country. He couldn't bear the thought of watching it plunge back into darkness after finally catching a glimpse of hope.

But he was an ordinary person. Even if he hired Konoha shinobi again, there was no way they would ever raise a hand against someone like the Daimyo.

So, he could only drift through life in a daze, unable to act on those rebellious thoughts.

Until he met Hagoromo Gensou.

Given his past experiences with Team Seven, Tazuna could confidently conclude that the man who had asked him those questions was definitely a ninja. His outfit didn't resemble those of the Daimyo's hired shinobi, though.

While he didn't know the stranger's intentions, Tazuna hoped his words wouldn't leak. He was too old to flee from his homeland. If he were to die, he wanted it to happen in the Land of Waves—the land he loved.

Tazuna could only hope for the best.

As for the possibility that this stranger might actually assassinate the Daimyo? He didn't even consider it.

After all, the thoughts he had voiced were treasonous. There couldn't possibly be a shinobi out there who shared his sentiments—and who just happened to show up by his side.

Gensou didn't immediately go looking for the Daimyo. He took a leisurely stroll around the area and soon found two graves.

These were the graves Team Seven had built for Zabuza Momochi and Haku.

The reason he found them so quickly was that Zabuza's Executioner's Blade stuck out prominently from the grave.

Ding!

Main Mission: The Land of Waves Operation (Completed)

After escorting Tazuna to the Land of Waves, and learning from him the truth about the mission's false ranking, the host and Team Seven decided to stay. They encountered Zabuza and Haku, and after battles, mutual understanding, and respect, it ended with the deaths of the two.

Congratulations, host! Mission completed successfully. Unfortunately, due to your passive, unmotivated attitude throughout, only the lowest-level reward has been granted.

Mission Reward: Standard chunin-level chakra reserves; Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet (44-seal version. It's a bit tedious to perform, but come on, those seals look cool, right?)

Sure enough, after interacting with Tazuna, Zabuza, and Haku, the key elements for completing the main mission had been met, and it was marked as complete.

However, the mission evaluation was quite poor.

The system was known to fudge the truth, but in this case, Gensou truly hadn't fought Zabuza or Haku.

The reward was just mediocre, but that was fine. Gensou was more interested in what the system would offer as the missions grew more difficult.

From the looks of it, the system's time frame was still stuck two years in the past. More main missions would need to be completed.

Since the system had gone quiet, indicating there was no new mission yet, Gensou turned his attention back to the present.

He looked at the Executioner's Blade before him.

It was puzzling why Kakashi, a Konoha shinobi who surely understood the value of the blade, had left it here instead of taking it back to the village. Wasn't he worried someone would just take it?

But, since he was already here, Gensou decided he might as well take it. While he personally didn't care much for the blade, some of his subordinates might appreciate it.

As for Haku's grave? He still had some decency.

And with that, Gensou took the Executioner's Blade and vanished from the gravesite.

At the newly renovated and greatly expanded Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Waves.

The scent of alcohol mixed with the music of flutes and strings filled the air from morning till night.

The Daimyo of the Land of Waves, who had once been a fit man, now sported an enormous belly. His eyes glazed with drunkenness, he watched a group of beautiful girls—collected from all over the Land of Waves—dance and smile through their exhaustion in his grand hall.

"Keep the music playing! Keep dancing!" the Daimyo roared, downing the rest of his drink before waving his hand in glee.

The dancers and musicians, drained though they were, could only continue to force smiles and perform for his amusement.

"This is the kind of life a Daimyo should live!" the Daimyo declared, letting out a satisfied burp.

Back when Gato was in control, things had been terrible. It was disgraceful for a Daimyo to be bullied by a mere merchant.

But once Gato was gone and the Daimyo regained control, he was determined to reclaim everything he had lost.

Raise taxes! Increase labor demands! Seize the girls!

One after another.

As for the suffering of the people? Well, that was perfectly normal.

As the Daimyo, he was the "heaven" of the Land of Waves. The people were meant to serve and offer him their devotion.

He figured he was being quite generous for not taking everything they owned.

At the very least, the people of the Land of Waves still had food to eat. That alone made him feel he was a pretty decent ruler.

See? Even the leftovers from his feasts were given to the poor. He didn't throw them to the wild dogs, like some infamous historical figures.

The Daimyo felt quite justified in his actions.

As for tonight, how many should he pick?

Gazing lecherously at the barely-clad dancers before him, the Daimyo wondered whether he should go all in at once or savor them one by one.

Suddenly, a voice whispered in his ear.

"The Daimyo of the Land of Waves?"

"How dare—"

Annoyed at being interrupted, the Daimyo turned to see who had spoken so disrespectfully, only for a cold kunai to press against his cheek, its blade tapping mockingly against his skin.

The Daimyo, who had once prided himself on his ability to adapt to situations, immediately changed his tone, "Sir, let's talk this through!"

The intruder, of course, was Gensou.

"You sure know how to live well," Gensou remarked as he glanced around. Then he turned back to the Daimyo and asked, "Do you have any heirs?"

"Huh?"

The Daimyo, confused, stared at Gensou.

At that moment, the shinobi the Daimyo had hired to protect him finally noticed something was wrong. They rushed past the oblivious dancers, making their way toward the Daimyo.

"Quick! Kill the assassin!" the Daimyo shouted, his face lighting up with hope.

However, to his surprise, the next few moments passed without incident. The intruder didn't flinch, and his shinobi stood there, unmoving, as if they hadn't heard him at all.

It wasn't until Gensou slowly turned his gaze toward the five shinobi that they responded.

Clad in uniforms of varying colors, the five shinobi dropped to one knee and bowed their heads respectfully toward Gensou.

"We greet the clan leader!"

(End of Chapter)