“You have shown me only too well how you feel. The power and knowledge of the daimyo pales in comparison with our own, we of ninja birth, and that dark era when we were once ruled by daimyo is over. Citizens, you are safe. Will we revolutionaries not offer you eternal protection with this power and with our very lives? Citizens, you must merely push forward undaunted and live in a sincere way. That is what we revolutionaries truly desire.”
The crowd was drunk on his words. Some people were even shedding tears. It was a truly bizarre spectacle. Shikamaru was pretty sure that the speech so far did not warrant this kind of reaction. Never mind that they had only heard the introduction—Shikamaru wasn’t convinced that Gengo’s oratory was actually all that good. But he had to at least admit that there was a strange power in the man’s voice, a power that made itself felt by means other than the content of the speech.
“The Land of Silence is in the borderlands of the continent. The history of this nation is a history of persecution by other nations. Our ancestors did not close this land off to sever ties with others. They did it to protect us. Our nation was so weak and small that we had no choice but to close our doors to the outside world. But all that is over now.”
The pressure in Gengo’s voice gradually grew.
“The ones who can heal this world are not the daimyo, but us! We who hold the power of the ninja! The power of the ninja is the true justice; this alone will bring about peace for all people. It is the true nature of the world that those who excel, those who possess real power, should rule over those who do not. We have no need of daimyo or others like them who would place ninja and citizens below themselves, living solely for their own desires! Look at this nation. Ten years since we exterminated the daimyo, and our land prospers like never before.” Gengo thrust his chest out.
“Soon,” Shikamaru announced to Ro beside him. In a few steps, they would be within range.
“I will exterminate the daimyo from this world, and we will build a new world. Why must ninja be discriminated against? Because we have powers superior to the daimyo. Is it not because we bear powers that exceed those of mere mortals? But why must those with superior powers be persecuted? Should not excellence be championed? Even an average citizen can pull themselves upward by excelling in some way or another. It is precisely because the daimyo and their ilk fear the arrival of such a world that they discriminate against the ninja, segregate us, keep us under their thumbs. Ninja and citizens alike are victims of the desires of the daimyo.”
Pressing in close, Shikamaru thought he saw blue flames flash up in Gengo’s eyes.
“A revolution…”
Just one more step, and they’d be in range.
Judging from the wild enthusiasm of the people, the man before his eyes was in all likelihood Gengo himself, and Shikamaru was surprised at how smoothly they’d been able to get so close. He considered the possibility that it was a trap. But he couldn’t believe that Gengo had detected them. And he couldn’t even consider letting this opportunity get away.
“Akatsuki came forward to build a new world. But they were destroyed by ninja. They were destroyed by ninja locked in the old ways, content with their lot, content with discrimination, content to be controlled. And Akatsuki, after all, Akatsuki… They were nothing more than a portent of the dazzling morning. Hear me, people of the Land of Silence awaiting the dawn.” Gengo spread his arms coolly, almost as if he were readying to welcome a god from the heavens. “The sunlight of a new era shines on the Land of Silence!”
The people cheered, drowning out all other sound.
The perfect chance!
Shikamaru released his shadow toward the stage. Two black snakes slithered through the framework and raced toward Gengo’s feet. The moment the snakes’ fangs latched on to his feet, Gengo would be unable to move, and he would lose his life to Soku’s chakra. Until then, he could get as drunk as he wanted on his own words.
The snakes were at Gengo’s feet. But they didn’t latch on.
“Wha—!” He was sure he was within range. And yet his shadow did not extend forward.
“Little mice there.” Gengo shot an icy gaze at Shikamaru.
“We are detected!” Ro shouted.
Several shadows flew up from behind Gengo. The darting darkness bent over Ro, pinning him down. “Ngh!”
Once more, Shikamaru urged his shadow toward Gengo.
“It’s pointless.” Gengo said, sounding callous.
Shikamaru’s shadow would not obey him anymore. The shadow that he had, until that moment, been able to move like one of his own limbs, lost its target, a kite with the string cut, and squirmed and spun on the ground.
In which case…
Shikamaru flew up onto the stage. If the plan was ruined, all that was left was direct physical combat.
Gengo didn’t flinch, a thin smile playing on his lips, despite the blade closing in on him.
Shikamaru pulled out the kunai at his waist, set his sights on the other man’s throat, and swung.
The instant the tips of his toes touched the platform, someone kicked Shikamaru from the side. The impact sent him tumbling along the stage before he could pull himself back up to ready his kunai, braced on one knee.
“Y-you, you’re…”
A man blocked the path between Gengo and Shikamaru. He looked sick, face pale, eyes too cloudy for Shikamaru to read, mouth pulled into a straight line—an expression of his honest nature. No mistake, it was him.
“What are you doing…” Shikamaru called the man by name. “…Sai.”