Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 401 Disobedience to God

At night, the towering city walls still stand, but the once orderly capital of the Fire Kingdom is now a scene of utter devastation.

Caravans of refugees, merchant caravans carrying supplies, and ordinary people with their families crowded at the city gate, their shouts and arguments mingling together.

The capital city, once a symbol of the prosperity of the Land of Fire, has now fallen into complete chaos and semi-out-of-control conditions.

Freed from the constraints of their employers, the bounty hunters were the first to bare their fangs, resorting to force to plunder shops and warehouses, and even fighting each other for valuables.

The leaderless warriors were plunged into deep confusion. They were used to obeying orders, but now they did not know to whom to pledge allegiance or what to fight for.

Even more terrifying is that the soil contaminated by Kazuma's forbidden technique is still eroding and spreading to the surrounding land, constantly transforming the buried corpses into twisted artificial voids.

However, at this moment, the capital city had surprisingly regained some order.

"It's more dangerous outside than in the city now; those Void creatures are still roaming the outskirts!"

At the city gate, a young warrior stopped several merchants who were trying to force their way out of the city and reassured them, "There are patrol teams inside the city to maintain order, so please don't panic."

After persuading the merchants to return home, he turned to his companion and remarked with emotion, "I never expected that it would be His Highness who would step forward in the end."

"Yes, who would have thought?"

The other samurai's voice was somewhat aged, and a deep sigh came from behind his mask: "Because I was disliked by the daimyo, I was unable to attend the banquet, which saved me from disaster."

"Perhaps this is fate's arrangement."

"However, it's really not easy for that prince to persuade those monks to help us. It's not easy for us to stop those greedy bounty hunters on our own."

The prince they were referring to was naturally Enri-dō, the second son of a daimyo.

Faced with the initial chaos, this usually low-key prince displayed unexpected courage, gathering the remaining troops with the seal of the daimyo.

Even more surprisingly, this boy, who was often scolded by the daimyo for being "weak and incompetent," was actually able to persuade the remaining monks of the Fire Temple to come out of the Fire Temple and participate in the defense of the city.

Although sporadic looting and rioting still occur in the city, compared to the initial completely out-of-control situation, the capital now has organized effective patrols and order.

Just then, a rather shabby-looking carriage emerged from the night and arrived at the city gate.

"Stop!" the older warrior shouted immediately, his sharp eyes sweeping over the unassuming carriage and its driver.

The driver, a middle-aged man dressed in plain clothes and looking flustered, quickly got off the rickshaw and bowed obsequiously, explaining, "Sir, I'm taking my master..."

The older warrior impatiently waved his hand to interrupt him and stepped forward to roughly lift the curtain of the carriage.

The faint moonlight of dusk streamed into the dimly lit carriage, illuminating the only figure inside.

It was a boy, dressed in clothes as simple and shabby as the carriage, with his head down and his hair covering half his face, making it impossible to see his features.

But the older samurai's eyes subconsciously changed.

Fortunately, he had a mask to cover his face. He quickly suppressed the surprise in his eyes, took a half step back without making a sound, and lowered the carriage curtain to block the view from inside and outside.

"No problem, let them through." He turned and waved to the guard, his voice calm and even.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!" The coachman bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

The carriage slowly drove into the city, the rumbling of its wheels gradually fading into the distance.

The young samurai watched the carriage disappear into the night, then suddenly remembered something and said, "Speaking of which, I wonder how His Highness is doing in Konoha..."

The older samurai's eyes flickered, but he said in a normal tone, "Don't worry, His Highness sent people to pick them up immediately. They should be on their way."

Meanwhile, the carriage stopped in a quiet alley.

Just as the coachman pulled on the reins, two warriors wearing helmets and masks emerged from the alleyway.

The coachman, who had just looked timid, suddenly changed his expression and his right hand silently reached for the short knife at his waist.

However, upon seeing one of the samurai display a token engraved with his family crest, the coachman's tense shoulders immediately relaxed.

"Why are you so slow?" the coachman asked coldly, looking down at him.

"I failed in my duty," the samurai said in a low voice, bowing his head. "The person I sent to meet you may have missed your route."

At that moment, the carriage curtain was lifted by a hand, and Yuan Shixiu, whose face was half covered by a cloth, leaned out and said impatiently, "How long are we going to delay?"

"Yes!" The attendant, disguised as a groom, quickly bowed and replied.

Guided by two samurai and guarded by attendants, the group silently disappeared into the darkness deep within the alley, turning left and right, and finally found themselves in the slums of the capital.

The narrow alley, overflowing with sewage, was crowded with crooked shacks, and the air was filled with a pungent stench of decay and mold.

Several emaciated children huddled in the corner. Yuan Shixiu's brows furrowed involuntarily, and he instinctively gripped the cloth wrapped around his face to cover his mouth and nose.

"Damn it! Why did Yuanlitong have to choose a place like this?" he cursed under his breath.

"Please bear with me, Your Highness." The attendant took a half step closer and whispered reassuringly, "There are many eyes and ears in the city now. Only in a place like this, where all sorts of people mingle, can we avoid being seen by all sides."

"His Highness's actions were also for your safety."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shixiu snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings, a hint of undisguised disgust flashing in his eyes.

But he didn't say anything more, he just quickened his pace, wanting to get away from this disgusting slum as soon as possible.

The group eventually stopped in front of a low, dilapidated shack.

The two samurai stood guard on either side of the door in perfect unison, while Yuan Shixiu eagerly pushed the door open and entered, followed closely by his loyal attendant.

Inside the dimly lit shack, a figure dressed in simple clothes stood quietly.

Yuan Shixiu recognized his younger brother at a glance and hurriedly stepped forward, asking anxiously, "Litong! Where is Father's seal?"

"Brother."

Yuan Litong slowly turned around, a slight smile on his face, and respectfully greeted her as he always had. Then, he leisurely took out a beautifully carved seal from his pocket.

Yuan Shixiu's eyes lit up, and he reached out to take it.

Once I obtain this seal symbolizing the highest power in the Land of Fire, coupled with my status as the eldest son, I will rightfully become the daimyo of the Land of Fire!

But, that's it.

*Pfft! Thump!*
A muffled thud of a sharp blade piercing flesh suddenly came from behind.

Yuan Shixiu subconsciously turned around, only to see that his most trusted attendant had lost his head, and the headless body slowly knelt forward, the blood instantly staining the ground red.

A head rolled down to Yuan Shixiu's feet with a "roll" sound, its eyes wide open.

"You, you guys..."

Yuan Shixiu suddenly looked up, instinctively wanting to say something, but stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking.

His gaze was fixed on the attendant's back, where the warrior who had attacked had his wrist severed cleanly, clearly the result of the attendant's instinctive counterattack before he died.

However, what chilled Yuan Shixiu to the bone was that the flesh at the "samurai's" severed wrist was wriggling and growing at a speed visible to the naked eye!

This ability to recover...

“You…” Yuan Shixiu blurted out, “You are a cult of evil gods!?”

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned sharply to Yuan Litong and roared, "Litong! Quickly give me the seal..."

However, before he could finish speaking, his gradually shrinking pupils reflected the slight tightening of the hand holding the seal by Enritoshi.

Kaka! Click!
Under Yuan Shixiu's incredulous gaze, Yuan Litong clenched his five fingers, and the seal symbolizing the highest authority of the Land of Fire actually shattered into pieces in his palm!
"What are you doing!?" Yuan Shixiu's expression froze completely, his voice trembling with anger and shock.

"Brother." Yuan Litong seemed not to hear him, his gaze fixed on the open door of the shed. There, a number of poor people who had come out of curiosity after hearing the commotion had gathered. They were ragged, emaciated, and staring blankly at everything inside.

"You tell me, this capital city is clearly the most prosperous place in the Land of Fire, so why are there still so many poor people?"

Why are they like a stubborn disease, always recurring no matter how you try to eradicate them?

Although he couldn't understand why Enrito suddenly said those words, Enichi finally realized what was happening, stared intently at Enrito, and said, word by word, "It's you!"

"It was you who colluded with the evil cult and caused the deaths of Father and the others!"

"Why? For the position of daimyo?"

At this point, he shook his head: "No, impossible. You are only born out of wedlock. Even if you kill me, you cannot inherit the position of daimyo..."

This is why Yuan Shixiu never doubted Yuanlitong from beginning to end.

How could a son born out of wedlock and a younger brother known for his cowardice and incompetence possibly threaten his position?

not to mention……

"You have already crushed the seal; you can no longer become a daimyo."

Yuan Shixiu pointed to the growing number of poor people gathering outside the door and forced himself to remain calm, saying, "Besides, so many people have witnessed what you did. Are you going to kill them all?"

Seeing that his older brother wanted to take advantage of his "weakness," Yuan Litong couldn't help but laugh, the laughter sounding particularly jarring in the dilapidated shack.

"What I crushed was nothing more than a stone." He shook his head, took out a scroll from his robes, and smiled, "This is the true future of the Land of Fire."

"What is that?" Yuan Shixiu's eyes flickered, glancing at the two "samurai" behind him out of the corner of his eye, and he began to secretly refine his chakra.

"A meditation method that allows everyone to master spiritual energy, thereby better refining chakra."

Enrito looked down at the scroll, his fingertips tracing its surface, and said, "And, a new set of hand seals that simplifies the process and lowers the barrier to entry for releasing ninjutsu."

"Do you think you're the Sage of Six Paths?" Enichi sneered. "How could such an absurd thing exist!"

“Yes, how could it possibly exist?” Yuan Litong stared down at the scroll, his eyes gleaming with a strange light. “But it does exist, right in front of me!”

He suddenly looked up at his brother and laughed, "It's ironic, but I originally planned to kill you on your way back to the city, pretending it was done by the Evil God Cult."

"After all, we're brothers, I don't want to lay a hand on him."

"But now it seems that this is perhaps the punishment the gods are giving me, destined to make me bear the sins of fratricide and patricide..."

Swish!
Before he finished speaking, Yuan Shixiu's hands had already formed a hand seal in an instant, and his figure disappeared from the spot like a ghost, appearing behind Yuan Litong in the next moment.

"Don't move!" Yuan Shixiu's fingers gripped his younger brother's throat like iron clamps, and he shouted sternly at the two "samurai" at the door, "If he dares to make a move, I'll snap his neck immediately!"

However, the two "warriors" actually didn't move at all; they just stood there.

"Brother, don't you understand?"

Just as Enichi was filled with doubt and confusion, Enrito, who had been restrained, chuckled and said, "Whether it's you and me, or my father who once stood at the pinnacle of power in the ninja world."

"Our strength is ultimately too insignificant."

“We can mobilize thousands of troops and control life and death, but we cannot turn barren deserts into fertile fields, nor can we quell the resentment that arises in the Kingdom of Wind.”

"We can build magnificent capitals, but we cannot make the raging waves docile and ensure the safety of fishermen at sea..."

Do you know what the root of all this is?

Yuan Shixiu felt a strange palpitation, and the fingers clenched around his younger brother's throat unconsciously tightened.

“It is a god.” Yuan Litong slowly raised his head, his eyes flashing with an almost insane light. “These are the natural laws set forth by Him.”

"To establish a paradise on earth, one must defy the established norms."

"That is to say, to defy the gods!"

"Damn it!" Yuan Shixiu finally couldn't hold back any longer and roared, "What the hell are you spouting?! You think this will make you..."

In that instant, Yuan Litong's hand, which was tied behind his back, suddenly formed an extremely simple mudra, using only two interlaced fingers—a mudra never seen before.

Without any earth-shattering fanfare, the chakra within Enrito was transformed into Earth Release chakra, flowing out of his body and into Enichi's chest.

This chakra gently rippled within Yuan Shixiu's body.

"……cough!"

Yuan Shixiu felt a sharp pain coming from his body. He subconsciously opened his mouth, but crimson blood gushed out.

boom!
His body fell backward, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

"Huh! How...could this be..." Yuan Shixiu stared wide-eyed, blood gushing from his mouth, looking at Yuan Litong who had turned around in disbelief.

Previously, their father had clearly tested them and concluded that Yuan Litong was a good-for-nothing who had no talent to become a ninja and couldn't even extract chakra.

Why……

Upon seeing the scroll in Yuan Litong's hand, Yuan Shixiu seemed to have realized something.

Could it be that what that good-for-nothing said was actually true?
"This ninjutsu is called 'Earth Release: Abundant Soil Hand'."

Enrito squatted down, looked into Enichi's eyes, and smiled, "This is the first ninjutsu I developed after learning meditation and the new hand seals."

"No, it shouldn't be considered an Earth Release ninjutsu, since its power isn't even as good as the most basic D-rank."

"The effect is simply to make the compacted soil fertile and loose, making it suitable for cultivation. It doesn't require shaping or any changes in form. It only requires a small amount of chakra and is extremely easy to work with."

“As long as you have earth-style chakra, even an ordinary farmer can learn it.” Enrito’s tone was like that of a child showing off his achievements.

"but……"

He reached out his finger and pressed it against Yuan Shixiu's collapsed chest, gently poking at his already collapsed chest, causing a violent spasm and coughing up blood.

"Even such a simple technique can be used to kill at such close range."

"If you change the target from the soil to the connective tissue that supports the internal organs, the internal organs will collapse like this when they lose their support."

“You see, humans are so fragile,” he said softly.

"Cough!" Yuan Shixiu coughed up his last mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with absurdity and fear.

He, the noble prince of the Land of Fire, actually died from a ninjutsu that even a farmer could use to till the land.

Seeing the light in his brother's pupils completely dissipate, his eyes wide open in death, Yuan Litong's smile gradually faded. After a moment of silence, he reached out and gently closed his eyes.

He stood up and said indifferently to the two statue-like "warriors," "Clean it up."

Then, without looking back, he walked out of the shack, towards the poor people gathered outside, into the night, and towards the next dawn.

The poor people watching outside the house silently made way for them.

Yuan Shixiu believed until his death that his younger brother would kill all these people in order to seize the position of daimyo.

But he was wrong.

These poor people had all received food and medicinal herbs secretly donated by Yuan Litong.

Yuanlitong, on the other hand, no longer cared about that stagnant position.

“Now, it’s my turn to take the second step,” he said in a low voice.

(End of this chapter)