Uzumaki Mokudatsu still stared fixedly at Uchiha Ryo, his voice solemn. "I'll kill you. Absolutely."
Hearing this, Ryo just smiled and nodded. "Sure, then see you on the battlefield next time. I'll soon be back on the battlefield. But if you want to ambush me after this mission, I'm more than happy to oblige."
The animosity between the two sides intensified. However, it all subsided when a maid walked out from the inner room. The maid remained calm in the face of so many ninjas, neither haughty nor humble. "The Witch Lady is ready. Please follow me in an orderly manner."
Senju She Lin immediately pulled Senju Bai Mo forward. He really couldn't hold back his impulse to fight if he stayed with the Uchiha any longer!
Regarding the Senju's eagerness to go ahead, Ryo didn't react much. He just naturally followed behind and talked to Hiro about Uzumaki Yi whom he had met in the Country of Grass before. His words were filled with admiration, and he even said that he'd introduce Yi to Hiro if he had the chance.
Hiro just snorted and didn't respond. However, his eyes involuntarily swept over the vital parts of the Senju and Uzumaki clan members, thinking about whether it was possible to involve a few more of them while causing trouble with Ryo.
But all these chaotic thoughts disappeared when they saw the white - haired Witch. They simply waited for the Witch to choose mission participants.
"My name is Hiiragi Kagami. I'm the current Witch of the Country of Demons. You, noble ninja masters, have come from afar at my invitation. I'm grateful for your kindness. Whether this mission succeeds or not, I'll offer you generous rewards."
The white - haired Witch spoke in a calm voice. Her light - purple eyes seemed to have no specific focus, yet they made everyone who met her gaze avert their eyes, not daring to offend.
Although Ryo was blind, he could sense the powerful and pure Strength of the Witch clan. He also lowered his head to show respect.
"The mission I'm about to embark on may involve fighting non - human evil spirits. I have the ability to seal them, but it's hard for me to subdue them. Therefore, I need your help. Since I'm not well - versed in ninjas, I've invited you all here, which might seem impolite..."
Kagami glanced at the ninjas who were on high alert against each other and bowed slightly to apologize. "This is indeed my fault. I hope you, noble ninja masters, won't mind."
Since the employer had said so, the ninjas from each ninja clan naturally had nothing to say. They just simply nodded and responded, indicating that they didn't mind. In fact, Kagami was over - worrying. For ninjas, a profession that lives on the edge of danger, being selected by the employer was already a common occurrence. Moreover, it's normal to waste time and energy when a mission fails. They can get paid this time even if they just accompany the employer. They wished there were more such easy tasks.
However, seeing that Kagami was so easy - going, some bold ninjas below spoke up. "Could you, Witch Lady, tell us in detail about the evil spirits you'll deal with?"
"If possible, I'd like to find ninjas who are capable of fighting large - scale ninja beasts head - on and have strong minds that won't be easily deceived by genjutsu," Hiiragi Kagami straightened up. "The evil spirits we're going to deal with this time have strong recovery abilities and can disrupt people's minds. Those with weak minds may risk being turned into Puppets and having their souls destroyed. Please think it over carefully, dear ninja lords."
"It seems that what we're dealing with is a large - scale ninja beast causing trouble here... It shouldn't be too difficult to handle," Hiro frowned and looked around. "But some small and medium - sized ninja clans have started to evacuate."
"Well, their decision to evacuate is correct. After all, they lack the experience to deal with large - scale ninja beasts and can't afford to lose their clan's ninjas," Uchiha Ryo tilted his head slightly. "Moreover, with so many big clans here, it's a wise choice to back off."
Hiro nodded in agreement. "That's true... But it'll be a bit tough with only two of us."
"Well... Let's see how things develop. It's okay to withdraw if we really can't cope."
While Uchiha Ryo and Hiro were discussing in low voices, many ninjas in the field left. In the end, those who remained were all from large - scale ninja clans.
Hiiragi Kagami looked at the remaining ninjas and spoke again. "Since I don't know the abilities of you dear ninja lords, I'd like to conduct a small test to find out. Is it convenient for you, dear ninja lords?"
"I wonder what the Witch wants to test?"
Hearing the question, Hiiragi Kagami reached out and took a bead with a purple - black and ominous halo from the tray behind the maid. "This is The Bead of the Wraiths, a part of the evil spirits we're going to deal with. Those with weak minds and numerous distracting thoughts will be pulled into an illusion and find it hard to wake up after touching it...
But please rest assured. Our Witch clan has the Spirit - Awakening Jutsu to wake up those who fall into the illusion. We won't let you stay in the illusion forever. The evil spirits we're facing this time are related to the survival of the Country of Demons. Please forgive my rudeness, dear ninja lords."
But as soon as she did this, many ninja clans said their goodbyes and left. No ninja would be naive enough to leave their lives in the hands of others.
Suddenly, only the ninjas from four ninja clans remained in the field - three of them were from the Senju, Uzumaki clan, and Uchiha clans.
As a result, the remaining ninja clan felt that it was neither appropriate to leave nor to stay.
Uchiha Ryo also thought it was inappropriate and wanted to pull Hiro away. But then, the voice of Senju She Lin came. "Is the mighty Uchiha clan going to chicken out without even giving it a shot? It really has gone downhill."
Hearing this, Uchiha Ryo's steps to leave paused. He sighed softly. "It seems that you like to find yourself competitors."
"Humph, just admit if you're scared," Senju She Lin's voice was full of sarcasm and deep hatred. "Blind people like you who have been eliminated should just stay in the clan and live a cowardly life."
Uchiha Ryo shook his head helplessly. He knew that backing down at this moment would damage the Uchiha's reputation. He simply raised his hand and patted Hiro on the shoulder to soothe his emotions. Then he turned towards the Witch and said with a gentle smile on his lips, "I wonder if Her Highness the Witch could allow me to have a try first?"