After receiving news from Uchiha Hikari, Uchiha Mirai immediately made his way to the Land of Bears.
Much like the Land of Fire, its neighbor was also covered in dense forests. However, due to its sparse population, most of the land remained undeveloped.
Gazing at the pristine landscape, Mirai felt a surge of excitement.
Such prime territory—leaving it untapped would be an unforgivable waste.
He headed straight for the capital of the Land of Bears.
Unlike other small nations, the Land of Bears, despite its small size and population, had its own shinobi village—Hoshigakure.
Originally, Hoshigakure was hidden within a valley surrounded by poisonous miasma, completely cut off from the outside world. The only way in or out was through the air.
However, after Mirai initiated reforms across the shinobi world, the ninja of Hoshigakure swiftly overthrew the daimyo and the aristocrats, relocating their entire village to the capital.
According to Uchiha Shisui's previous reports, these Hoshigakure shinobi were incredibly arrogant, constantly finding excuses to reject the Divine Nation's invitation.
With Uchiha Hikari now sealed within the Land of Bears, Mirai decided to take care of both matters at once.
...
Upon arriving in the capital, Mirai made his way toward the daimyo's residence.
However, before he had taken more than a few steps, a heart-wrenching cry pierced the air.
Turning his head, he saw a middle-aged man desperately clutching a bald man's robes.
"Lord Kuroya, I beg you! Please let my daughter go!"
"I'll do anything—I'll serve you for life—just spare her!"
The bald man, called Kuroya, snorted and kicked the middle-aged man away.
"What do you think you are, daring to defy a noble Hoshigakure shinobi?"
"Say another word, and I'll kill you where you stand!"
With that, he dragged away a young girl who looked no older than fourteen or fifteen.
The surrounding crowd watched with pity, whispering among themselves.
"It's Kuroya again. Looks like another family is doomed."
"Yeah, he's already taken at least five or six women. None of them survived more than three months."
"Why doesn't Lord Hoshikage stop him?"
"Stop him? The shinobi of Hoshigakure are all in on it together. They don't see us commoners as people. It was better when the daimyo was in charge…"
"Shh! Watch your mouth!"
As the murmurs continued, the middle-aged man charged at Kuroya again.
"Daughter, run!"
Though the man was burly—likely accustomed to hard labor—even his full strength couldn't budge Kuroya.
Kuroya sneered, shoving the girl aside. "Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish."
Suddenly, translucent, multicolored chakra wings sprouted from his back, lifting him into the air with the middle-aged man in tow.
The next moment, under the horrified gazes of the onlookers, Kuroya released his grip, sending the man plummeting.
"Father!"
The girl screamed, while the crowd instinctively shut their eyes, dreading the inevitable impact.
From that height, he was sure to be crushed into a pulp.
Yet the expected sound of a body hitting the ground never came.
Opening their eyes cautiously, they saw the man's body suspended in midair, stopping less than a meter above the ground.
Kuroya's expression darkened.
"Who dares interfere with my business?!"
Before he could finish his sentence, a streak of cold light flashed.
In an instant, Kuroya's head was severed from his body.
Thud!
His headless corpse collapsed to the ground, blood spurting like a fountain.
"A—A dead body!"
"Someone actually killed a Hoshigakure shinobi—this is bad."
"Run, or it'll be too late!"
At the sight of Kuroya's death, the civilians of the Land of Bears scattered in terror.
Only the middle-aged man and his daughter remained, frozen in place.
The man looked at Mirai and said solemnly,
"Thank you for saving my life, but you need to run. The Hoshigakure shinobi won't let you off."
Mirai responded indifferently, "You don't need to worry about me. If they don't come for me, I'll be going to them."
Hearing this, the man realized that the stranger before him was no ordinary person.
He immediately pulled his daughter to the ground and kowtowed three times before quickly fleeing.
[ Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully plundering the reward: Peacock Secret Art! ]
Uchiha Mirai kicked Kuroya's severed head aside and continued toward the daimyo's residence as if nothing had happened.
He didn't expect to completely eradicate abuses of power, but if he encountered them, he wouldn't turn a blind eye.
With his current strength, he had no need to hesitate.
He wouldn't be a bleeding-heart saint, nor would he embrace cruelty for its own sake.
He would act as he pleased—such was the privilege of power.
...
Judging from the murmurs of the villagers, the reputation of Hoshigakure's shinobi was anything but good.
At that moment, a young girl rushed toward him, her face full of anxiety.
"You're an outsider, aren't you?"
"You've killed Lord Kuroya—this is serious! You need to leave the Land of Bears immediately!"
Uchiha Mirai glanced at her. "Who are you?"
The girl replied quickly, "I'm Hokuto, a reserve ninja of Hoshigakure."
"Hokuto…"
Uchiha Mirai nodded. "I just killed your comrade, yet you're warning me to run?"
Hokuto's expression turned bitter. "It's a long story. There's no time to explain now."
But Mirai kept walking at a leisurely pace. "No rush. Take your time."
Seeing how calm he was after killing a Hoshigakure shinobi in their own territory, Hokuto was stunned.
Was he not afraid at all?
Her wariness grew. "Who… who exactly are you? Why have you come to Hoshigakure?"
Mirai halted and looked at her. "Before my patience runs out, you'd best answer my questions."
Under his gaze, Hokuto felt as if she had been plunged into an icy abyss, her blood nearly freezing in her veins.
She had an unsettling premonition—
If she didn't comply, she would die an ugly death.
"Ever since the Divine Nation's Emperor implemented his reforms, shinobi have risen to become the ruling class of the ninja world."
"In Hoshigakure, under Lord Akahoshi's leadership, the shinobi overthrew the daimyo and the nobles, seizing control of the Land of Bears."
"But after gaining power and wealth, they all changed."
"They live in decadence, treating commoners as disposable tools."
"I detest their actions, but I have no power to stop them."
"The man you just killed—I've wanted him dead for a long time."
"That's why I came to warn you."
Uchiha Mirai nodded.
"Well done. You've just saved your own life."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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