Chapter 22: Utterly Powerless
A horse-drawn carriage traveled along a rural dirt road, with bursts of laughter coming from within the wooden canopy, as if people inside were chatting and laughing.
Near the carriage followed several guards wearing leather armor. Although these guards could use ninjutsu, they were not ninjas; their abilities leaned more toward protection.
The guards were uniformly dressed, while behind the six guards walked three individuals in varied attire—some wore full-body armor, others sported sportswear.
The three differently dressed individuals were conversing in low voices.
"Old Nine, are you sure this is fine? The reward for this mission is too generous. I keep feeling something's off."
A horse-faced man looked worried, his gaze frequently scanning the surroundings.
"No problem. These daimyo are terrified of death. Generous rewards are normal. This is my second escort mission. We just eat and play along the way. If we're lucky, we might even sample the women of the Naruto world."
A sharp-faced, thin-cheeked middle-aged man chuckled.
"Really?"
"Of course."
Hearing their conversation, a young boy trailing at the back shook his head. Though the boy appeared only twelve or thirteen, his demeanor and actions seemed mature.
"Don't let your guard down. The mission difficulty means Paradise won't hand out rewards for nothing."
The boy, named Zimo, was a genius despite his young age.
"I know, you little brat."
The sharp-faced man seemed unfazed by Zimo's words. Last time on escort duty, he had been cautious too, but there was no real danger.
"You... forget it."
Zimo sighed. Because of his young age, these two teammates from the adventure group didn't trust him much. The three were members of the same adventure group, out to earn some extra cash.
"Zimo, don't mind this guy. We specifically invited you this time to help you rake in some profit. Don't forget us when you make it big in the future."
"Yeah, yeah. I was a bit harsh just now. Don't take it to heart."
Zimo was indeed a prodigy, but he also had the flaws typical of his age—a desire for recognition from others. Their flattery made him forget the earlier unpleasantness.
"What's that?"
Zimo shielded his eyes with his hand and looked into the distance. His vision had been specially enhanced.
"What's wrong?"
The guard captain walking ahead noticed Zimo's unusual behavior.
"A bird in the sky."
"Pfft~"
The horse-faced man snorted. His genius little teammate had been making a fuss over everything along the way, as if rarely operating independently from a large team.
"A bird?"
The guard captain looked into the distance and vaguely spotted a bird far away.
"That bird... is a bit strange."
No sooner had the guard captain spoken than a whistling sound of something breaking through the air came.
Crack. A bullet struck the guard captain's head. Brain matter and blood splattered. The guard captain's head exploded, and his headless corpse crumpled to the ground.
Warm brain matter splashed onto Zimo's face. The thick, coppery smell of blood made Zimo's body twitch, his pupils contracting to pinpricks.
"Enemy attack!"
Zimo's voice cracked as he shouted. He instinctively ducked behind the carriage.
Whoosh~
The sound of something piercing the air came again.
Crack. Another guard was shot in the head, like a watermelon being shattered.
"There's a sniper at high altitude! Zimo, counterattack!"
The horse-faced man's face twisted in terror as he also hid behind the carriage.
"At least a kilometer away. How am I supposed to counterattack?"
Zimo stared intently at the large bird in the distance. That white bird looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't immediately recall its origin.
Completely white, resembling clay in texture, capable of flight.
Thoughts raced through Zimo's mind, and his body began to tremble.
"I... I think I know who the enemy is."
"Who? Don't beat around the bush."
The horse-faced man crouched behind the carriage, his face contorted with rage.
"A member of the Akatsuki, Didara."
"No way."
"You must be mistaken. Why would the Akatsuki be here? Impossible!"
Zimo's two teammates couldn't believe it, or rather, they refused to accept the reality before them.
Crack. Crack.
Two more sounds of flesh being torn apart by bullets rang out. This time, it wasn't people but the two horses, already spooked by the smell of blood. If the horses weren't killed, they would bolt.
"Protect me, guards!"
A shout came from inside the wooden carriage. It was the daimyo of the River Country. He had seen the scene outside the carriage.
"Your Highness, get out of the carriage quickly!"
A guard drew his sword and slashed at the back of the carriage. Wood chips flew as the guard tried to break through the rear wall so the daimyo could escape from the back.
Crack.
The guard stopped after just two swings, instinctively raising his now armless stump, letting out a scream.
"Ah!!"
Crack. Blood splattered. The scream abruptly ceased. A hole as thick as a thigh was blasted through the guard's chest. He fell to the ground and was silent within moments.
The area around the carriage turned into a slaughterhouse. Every few seconds, someone was shot in the head.
"What do we do? We're trapped."
The horse-faced man's face was pale as he peeked out from behind the now-tilted carriage.
Bang. A bullet whizzed past, sending wood chips flying into the horse-faced man's face.
No one dared to show their head anymore. The daimyo lay flat inside the wooden carriage, his wife beside him, screaming incessantly, an annoying racket. Zimo and the others, along with the remaining guards, hid behind or under the carriage.
The situation was clear: anyone who showed their head would die. After about ten seconds of this stalemate, bullets came whistling again.
Bang, bang, bang...
Holes exploded through the wooden carriage. The daimyo of the River Country inside screamed in terror. The screams lasted a few seconds before fading. Blood seeped from the nearly shattered carriage. The daimyo of the River Country had been sniped.
The gunfire ceased. Su Xiao was crouched on the large bird created by Didara. They were flying several hundred meters in the air.
Su Xiao ejected the empty magazine from the Spider Empress, inserted a full one, pulled the bolt, and aimed the sights back at the carriage.
[You have killed the Daimyo of the River Country, Kitada Ryota.]
[Kitada Ryota, Daimyo of the River Country, is a special plot character. Obtained 1.2% World Source. Total World Source obtained: 10%.]
...
Su Xiao was somewhat surprised. In his estimation, the daimyo of the River Country, who ruled a medium-sized nation, should have yielded at least over 3% World Source upon death.
It seemed the daimyo of the River Country was merely a puppet, a tool used by the Fire Country to buffer against the Sand Country, wielding no real power.
[Completed the mission issued by the Akatsuki. Received 120 Contribution Points.]
...
"The target is dead."
Though the target was dead, Su Xiao kept his gun aimed at the carriage. There were still guards and contractors there.
"That simple?"
Didara was quite surprised, intrigued by the firearm in Su Xiao's hand.
"Yeah. Already sniped him. Silence these people?"
"Silence them. The client paid well. We need to be thorough."
Didara yawned, already deciding not to intervene.
Su Xiao crouched on the bird's back. Anyone below who dared to show their head would be dead for sure. Even if they never showed themselves, he had ways.
Su Xiao sniped with casual ease, while behind the carriage, Zimo and his two companions were in dire straits.
The three of them were not weak, but Su Xiao had air superiority and range advantage. None of them had a way to attack a target over a kilometer away, and the enemy could fly.
If this stalemate continued, Zimo and the others would surely die. Didara had already maneuvered the large bird to circle around the side of the carriage.
As the bird circled in the sky, Zimo and the others, along with the few remaining guards, also circled around the carriage to avoid Su Xiao's sniper fire.
After circling halfway, Didara grew impatient. He reached into his pouch filled with clay.
"Let's use the Twin-Winged Bird. Hmm."
Didara tossed out several small dragonfly-like birds. These birds had two pairs of wings and flew at extremely high speeds.