A Dangerous Mission! Journey to the Land Of Silence - 4

Gekko seemed satisfied with this welcome, the corners of the man's mouth turned up slightly as he closed his eyes. He opened them again after a deep breath and began to speak with cool composure.

"First, I thank everyone who has come together here."

His voice resonated with a deep and heavy timbre, yet remained refreshingly clear. It had a mysterious quality, as though it were seeping into the listener's entire body, rather than just their ears.

Team Orochimaru felt a weird sensation as if moved by Gekko's words.

"He sure is a charismatic leader." Satoru thought inwardly. He also seemed to notice another thing this man was carrying a b black sword tied to his waist.

"Wait, isn't that the Kusanagi sword used by Sasuke?" He reminisced about his past life memories of the Naruto series.

But then he shifted his attention back to Gekko, right now paying attention to this guy was more important.

Gekko bowed lightly and began to speak once more. "Already a year since I rose up in this land. Now, many like-minded souls have come together around me, and this land of ours has begun to flourish. However, not a single one of our hopes has yet been realized, not one of our wishes fulfilled."

The crowd stood still in complete silence as the man on stage spoke. When he paused, an eerie stillness descended upon the plaza, as if the audience had fallen completely under his sway with just a few words.

The man's demeanor changed in an instant, his previously calm tone replaced by a fierce and passionate one. He raised his arms out to both sides, unleashing a cry from the depths of his soul. "Citizens of the Land of Silence!" he exclaimed. "I ask you this: Which world is better to live in? The world under the rule of the previous daimyo, or the world we have now?"

"Lord Gekkoooo!" The citizens shouted in unison, their voices rising as one, overflowing with approval for the man on stage.

Gekko raised his right hand high. The citizens fell silent.

"You have shown me only too well how you feel. The power and knowledge of the daimyo pale in comparison with our own, we of ninja birth, and that dark era when we were once ruled by daimyo is over. Citizens, you are safe. Will we Kakushinsha not offer you eternal protection with this power and with our very lives? Citizens, you must merely push forward undaunted and live in a sincere way. That is what we Kakushinsha truly desire."

The crowd was drunk on his words. Some people were even shedding tears. It was a truly bizarre spectacle.

It was a truly bizarre spectacle, and Anko couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Incredible."

Satoru's mind raced as he tried to make sense of the situation. "Wait," he thought, "this guy is a shinobi and the 'Kakushinsha' they referred to are basically revolutionaries who want to change the world. But can this guy really do it?" Before, he would have dismissed the idea as complete folly, but the sight of the passionate crowd made him doubt himself.

"The Land of Silence is situated in the borderlands of the Land of Fire. Our nation's history is a tale of persecution by other nations. Our ancestors did not close off this land to sever ties with the outside world, but rather to protect us. Our nation was weak and small, and we had no choice but to close our doors to the outside world. But that is no longer the case," Gekko proclaimed.

As he spoke, the intensity of his voice increased.

"The ones who can heal this world are not the daimyo, but us! We, the Kakushinsha, hold the power of the ninja, and it is true justice that will bring peace to all people. The true nature of the world is that those who excel, those who possess true power, should rule over those who do not. We have no need for daimyo or others like them who would place ninjas and citizens below themselves, living solely for their own desires! Look at our nation. Only a year since we exterminated the daimyo, and our land prospers like never before." Gekko thrust his chest out, emphasizing his point.

He continued, "I will eradicate the daimyo from this world, and we shall create a new order. Why must ninjas face discrimination? Is it not because we possess abilities that surpass those of the daimyo? Should not excellence be praised? Even an ordinary citizen can rise to greatness by excelling in some way or another. It is the fear of such a world's emergence that drives the daimyo and their allies to discriminate against us, segregate us, and keep us subjugated. Both ninjas and citizens are victims of the daimyo's greed."

His voice rose in intensity and his eyes blazed with the flames of revolution. "I want to bring a revolution to this world!"

The cheers of the crowd erupted like an explosion.

Just then, a man draped in a black coat similar to Gekko's walked onto the platform towards him and whispered something in his ear. Satoru recognized him as one of the Kakushinsha members.

Gekko shot an icy gaze at the building where the three young shinobi were hiding. "Little mice there," he muttered.

"We've been detected. Let's escape," Satoru said, knowing that he couldn't trust a guy with glasses, especially in an anime world and he had already raised so many red flags.

But as he turned, he saw two Kakushinsha members behind him. They had already knocked out Anko and Bob. "When did they get here?" Satoru's mind raced with possibilities.

He knew the first thing he had to do was to get away from there as fast as possible. However, just as he decided to run, his body suddenly felt heavy, and he couldn't even move a single muscle.

In the next moment, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck. It was another Kakushinsha member who had struck him at the nape.

"Shit"

Satoru's knees gave out, and he collapsed onto the roof. His consciousness blacked out.