As soon as those words were spoken, the room fell silent, and everyone turned to look at Sasuke, who was distinctly irritated with his arms crossed.
Clearing his throat, Takeda's expression turned serious. "We need to take immediate action. Let's do some quick planning—just give me a moment to gather my thoughts."
Yoichi couldn't shake the feeling of needing to be cautious about his uncle's potentially devious plans. It was wise to stay alert around him.
As the others nodded and readied their combat gear for the significant task ahead, Yoichi considered his resources. He had a good supply of Chakra Pills from Isshiki's remains and a variety of techniques at his disposal. Now, all he needed to do was formulate a counterstrategy against Takeda.
Alright, everyone, listen up!" After a short pause, Takeda spread out the map of the clan they were targeting and looked at everyone's faces. "Tajima and Butsuma, you'll be our main fighters. Take out all the elders and the leader of the Kamizuki Clan as quickly as you can! Sasuke and Tenzo, you two will focus on hindering the reinforcements during the Uchiha-Senju attack. Eliminate as many as you can! As for our heir and me, we need to swiftly take care of the children and others connected to the clan!"
"Tajima! How about we place a bet on this? If your kill count surpasses mine, I owe you. What do you say?" Butsuma spoke confidently, eyeing his rival with intense determination.
"Sure, let's raise the stakes to 200,000 Ryō! That way, it'll be more exciting than our usual bets," Tajima replied, nodding vigorously. His expression was serious, but a flicker of competitive spirit shone in his eyes.
"Sounds good! Hahaha!" Butsuma laughed heartily while Sasuke and Tenzo discussed their strategies nearby. Although Sarutobi and Shimura might not possess the extraordinary bloodlines of the Uchiha or Senju, the distinction between middle-tier and lower-tier clans was clear.
In life, resources play a vital role. Being able to establish their clans earlier and capitalize on that advantage felt like a glitch in the system.
"I've got two strategies for now. First, I'll use Shadow Clone and apply World's Perspective: Kyōka Suigetsu to manipulate that old man's mind. Second, I'll implement World's Perspective: Izanagi and take out the children as a contingency against any sneaky moves he might make," Yoichi quietly planned as the others continued their lively discussions about the upcoming mission.
In his mind, Yoichi didn't want to kill children. He had enough power to transport them safely using his Universal Swap: Engulf to the Genesis Orphanage. If he were a normal reincarnated child, the old man's plans would unquestionably succeed. However, a moral dilemma like this was certainly a cakewalk with Yoichi's resources.
Also, a good way to have manpower or a lucky individual with talents snatched in death's grasp.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
"World's Perspective: Kyōka Suigetsu!"
With his excuse to piss near the forest, Yoichi managed to only produce a clone due to his inadequate Chakra as a young brat. Then, he swallowed a pill and let the clone back into the group without noticing any qualms about his clone.
The recovery properties of Chakra Pills were immensely satisfactory. Not only does it have Chakra Regeneration, but it also has a bloodline upgrade courtesy of Isshiki's Otsutsuki Bloodline. Still, due to his [Absolute Control] passive, he took the Otsutsuki Bloodline out of his body.
"Alright, everyone, let's stick to the plan and get going!" With that, the team began their tasks, unaware of the astonishing illusions affecting their senses, including their Chakra awareness and sixth sense.
"Honestly, I might ask the clan leader to ensure that his bloodline makes it through this disaster. Going against a powerful and wealthy daimyo is practically asking for death!"
Full of energy, Yoichi transformed back into his usual self using the [Transformation Technique] and teleported right to the clan leader's house without any stealth techniques to hide his presence.
"Hang on a second, Kamizuki Clan Leader. Can we talk for a moment about something urgent?"
Just as someone finished forming hand signs, Yoichi appeared behind the surprised clan leader, speaking in a calm and friendly tone until he let go of the clan leader near his vigilant wife.
"Speak! Who are you? What urgent news do you have for me? What do you want?" The clan leader's honor and sense of righteousness filled the air, characteristic of a samurai clan.
Ultimately, he only somewhat trusted Yoichi. If this assassin had managed to appear behind him so swiftly, the leader thought he might as well be dead. Yet, this unexpected visitor chose to spare him, suggesting that what he had to share was indeed important, especially at such a late hour.
"You've got a lot of questions, and I appreciate that. Let's just say I'm known as Phantom, an information broker in the underground market. Did you know, that your treacherous clan was on the chopping block of a certain powerful individual?" Yoichi took a seat as the clan leader and his wife quickly processed the shocking news.
"So it's that time huh..." The clan leader smiled bitterly and also sat down, sipping the tea his wife produced. "Say, who's getting the cleaning job?"
"Oh, it's too many! But, I will say this... The daimyo commissioned the jobs to all clans including the strong ones against Higuruma and Nobushi Clan. Two of your strongest supporters in the rebellion and it will happen, tonight!"
As soon as the two heard his words, they instantly stood up in shock for the upcoming purge of their clan. Although it's not rare to kill all the clans in the night, they admire the daimyo's ruthless strategy.
"What is your purpose for doing this?" Preparing himself with samurai gear, the clan leader and his wife glanced once more at him, unable to guess the visitor's intentions.
"To preserve your bloodlines! I will transport the children to the Genesis Orphanage without any charges. How about that? Deal?"
"Absolutely!" the clan leader nods firmly, showing no signs of doubt. If he is to meet his end, he prefers to do so without remorse for the children. His ancestors would be furious with him if he put the last hopes of their clan at risk.
"Leader! Intruder Attack!"
Hearing the declaration, the clan leader and Yoichi nodded at each other. The leader felt grateful for the guest's magnanimous heart and left with pure determination and dignity as a warrior alongside his kunoichi wife.
->->->->->->->->->->->
"It feels weird watching my clone's shadow-boxing. As if I am the stupid being hitting nothing..."
"Universal Swap: Engulf!"
Looking at his crazy clone and Takeda's savage smile, Yoichi took his time to teleport all of the sleeping children to the orphanage.
"Dad!" Sumiko and Natsumi along with his children unfolded in his eyes.
"Take care of these children back to the orphanage, do not let them go back to their clan lands. Understand? Anyway, I'm out!" Appearing and disappearing like a dad buying milk made the others grumble in helplessness.
Another piece of paperwork for the children.
->->->->->->->->->->->
"Haha, take that, you little brat! An adopted kid trying to claim my place without working for it? You're out of the picture!" On his wild journey, Takeda's desire for revenge intensified as the warm 'blood' on his hands seeped through his fingers.
"That felt great! Haha! I couldn't wait to see your expression, Machi, when you found out your adopted son met his end at my hands!" Cackling like a madman, Takeda cleaned himself off and set fire to the house along with 'Yoichi's remains.'
As the house was burned down like a campfire in the middle of the night, Takeda's figure gradually vanished with a joyful expression on his face.
->->->->
"Wow! That clan leader was completely relentless in his attacks like he was some unstoppable war god! Fortunately, I managed to take him down with my Water Release!"
"That still doesn't change the fact that I won by a landslide. Butsuma, cough up the winnings!"
"Come on! How many ears did you collect? I'm here with 12 from those relentless elders!"
"Twenty ears—what do you think of that?"
After completing their mission, Butsuma and Tajima exchanged heated glares as they displayed the collected ears, highlighting Tajima's clear victory with his superior haul compared to Butsuma's paltry 12.
Strangely enough, the ears of their fallen enemies served as their currency in wagers, making the earlier opponents feel more like goblins from Western legends.
"Elder Takeda, where's your heir?" Sarutobi Sasuke interjected, disregarding the confrontation between the two warriors, while Shimura Tenzo pondered, eventually sneering.
"I've failed to guard him... He was such a remarkable child, yet fate cruelly snatched away his future from his devoted family." Pretending ignorance, Takeda bowed his head, lowering his voice to play the part for his audience.
Though much of the narrative was left out, the clever minds of each clan were already aware of what was truly occurring. Such scheming and backstabbing were not unusual within their ranks.
As always, the allure of power is incredibly intoxicating.
Everyone resigned themselves to the fate of the young boy, feeling powerless to change the situation.
"Who said I'm dead?" A familiar silhouette emerged from the shadows of the forest, causing the group to tense up, except for Takeda, whose face showed clear fear.
'Why?! How is he still alive?! I checked his body after I killed him! What is happening?!'
"Impressive, isn't he? Surviving after that brutal fight!" Sasuke Sarutobi exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement, while others looked on with amusement and interest.
How did he manage to endure the assault of a 28-year-old elite shinobi without serious injuries?
"Impressive? How about I show you something truly noteworthy? By taking out the elder!" Yoichi grinned as he started to fade from view, leaving the rest puzzled with raised eyebrows.
"What do you mean—" Takeda's body went rigid, fully aware of Yoichi's implications regarding his covert assassination attempt. At first, he assumed Yoichi was joking, but as the boy disappeared, it soon became clear—too late...
"Watch yourself in your next life, old man. Make sure to be more considerate with your reincarnation." Using his Universal Swap ability, Yoichi appeared right at Takeda's side and swiftly cut his throat. He wiped away the blood from his stained kunai as Takeda struggled to speak, his words stifled by the torrent of blood pouring from his neck.
All the curses, grievances, frustration, sorrow, and pain clamored to break free from his turmoil, but a chilling sensation wrapped around him, leaving him feeling colder and more lifeless than ever.
"What in the fuck happened? How the hell did he manage to do that?" The group felt dumbfounded by the series of shocking events that transpired in a matter of minutes.
Dead then alive, killing the elder which they think is a joke and in a somewhat crazy fashion, the kid killed the elder swiftly right before their very eyes.
What about the old ninja way of killing opponents without any witnesses? Espionage? Poison tactics? Assassination?
This felt like a cinema.
"You all could say or not tell these events which occurred here." After killing the idiotic elder, Yoichi sawed off Takeda's head in a gruesome way, slowly tearing off the ligaments and joints of the spine.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Butsuma exclaimed. Snapping the head with a dull kunai felt so tiresome as a kid yet Yoichi still mercilessly put the effort with his fragile body.
"Oh, it's my gift for the clan! Don't worry about it, I can handle this pretty well." Yoichi's blood-stained face with a smile made the rest shiver in trepidation and complete dread.
'What the fuck is going on with this kid?!'