In the next second, Kakuzu turned and pushed through the crowd, running away.
"Hey! Hey!"
"Why are you running?"
"Tch!"
Hidan had no choice but to turn around and follow Kakuzu in their escape.
"Hyah!"
"There's an assassin in the city! Catch the assassin!"
"Chase those two over there!"
More and more armored knights, riding horses, gathered in the town, all pursuing Kakuzu and Hidan, who were ahead of them.
Although the knights were on horseback, their speed couldn't match that of the ninjas. The town's complex terrain also made it harder for the knights to keep up, and the distance between them and the two ninjas grew larger.
Kakuzu led Hidan into a narrow alley, completely losing the knights.
"Weren't we going to fight? Why did you turn and run?"
"If tthe Mi-Go really is in this town, we can't cause too much of a commotion. It's better to act low-key."
Hearing Kakuzu's explanation, Hidan crossed his arms and shook his head. "Why are you so timid?"
"What do you know? This is called being cautious."
"That's just being a coward."
"Cautious!"
"Coward!"
"Cautious!"
While the two were arguing, the chaos in the streets caused by these "outsiders" had not subsided. More and more knights gathered.
"Find those two suspicious individuals quickly! They shouldn't have gone far."
"Yes!"
"I will report this to Hyde-sama's personal guard."
At the command of the leading knight, the armored soldiers dispersed into the town's streets, asking the residents if they had seen two men dressed in strange clothing.
---
Kakuzu and Hidan, perched on a rooftop, observed everything clearly.
Kakuzu slowly pulled his head back from the roof's edge and said, "It seems these are just civilians who don't know any ninjutsu, completely non-threatening."
To him, these so-called knights were equivalent to the common soldiers of the Five Great Nations' daimyōs, though their armor and weapons seemed a bit more refined. But no matter how strong these knights were, they were no match for ninjas.
The earlier chase was proof—Kakuzu and Hidan had easily shaken off the pursuing knights.
This was good news because, with their current abilities, they were operating on a level far above this world's inhabitants.
In fact, no one in this world could stop them from doing whatever they wanted.
However, Kakuzu was intrigued by the constant mention of someone named Hyde.
Who was this person? Could he be connected to the Mi-Go?
It was clear that civilians wouldn't be hiding a strange creature like the Mi-Go. If Mi-Gos were truly in this town, only someone with a special status might be involved.
He shared his thoughts with Hidan, and when the Mi-Go was mentioned, even Hidan became serious and thoughtful.
But as he turned his head while on the roof, his gaze suddenly locked onto something shocking in the distance.
"Ah..."
"What is that?"
Hidan's face showed an expression of disbelief, so Kakuzu followed his line of sight and saw the same thing.
"That's..."
A colossal fortress was slowly moving from the outskirts of the town toward the city.
The fortress resembled a massive clock tower with no visible windows, only gray stones and bronze-colored metal. It stood like an insurmountable barrier on the town's outskirts, towering as high as the nearby mountains.
---
Inside the massive hall of the fortress, a man stood with his hands behind his back at the top of a staircase, staring out at the landscape, lost in thought.
The man was slightly plump, draped in a blue cloak, and had distinctive orange hair with a single monocle, giving him an air of scholarly wisdom.
At that moment, a person entered the hall.
It was a young knight in silver armor with sandy blonde hair and a youthful face, looking no older than twelve or thirteen.
The young knight knelt on one knee behind the man and said, "Hyde-sama, the knights have discovered suspicious individuals in the nearby town. They might be assassins sent by an opposing force. Should we take action?"
The man addressed as Hyde was silent for a long time before speaking.
"Richard, do you remember what I told you?"
"This world is plagued by war. Countless people have lost their lives and the ones they love to the flames of conflict."
"So, I want to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I long to create a world free from war. That is my dream, and the guiding principle of our Nation."
"If I retreat in the face of such a minor challenge, our Nation will never come to fruition."
"No matter how large we build our Nation, we will always lack one piece of land. And that piece is the town before us."
As he spoke, Hyde turned to face the young knight, Richard, tears welling up in his mismatched blue-green eyes.
"So, no matter what obstacles lie ahead in the town, I will not back down. The people suffering there also need me to save them!"
"One or two assassins cannot stop my resolve to create the ideal Nation! To this day, my dream has been passed on to many like-minded individuals. Even if I fall, thousands will rise to continue my vision!"
"And Richard, you will protect me..."
"Won't you?"
Hyde's speech deeply moved Richard, bringing tears to the young knight's eyes. He immediately gave Hyde a knight's oath of loyalty.
"I will follow you through fire and water!"
Seeing Richard's dedication, Hyde nodded in satisfaction, a sly gleam flashing in his green eye beneath the monocle.
"Then pass the order: the fortress will not retreat. Continue advancing!"
"Yes!"
After Richard left, the hall fell quiet again. Hyde slowly raised his hand.
He wore a black, fingerless glove adorned with a sparkling green gem on the back.
"The Stone of Greil..."
"Let's see how well these modified gloves work."
Hyde aimed the glove at a spider and its web in the corner of the room. With a slight flick of his middle finger, both the spider and the web were obliterated.
Yet, surprisingly, no trace was left on the wall behind it—it was as if the spider had simply vanished.
"Wow! The precision and control over minimal power are far better than the previous glove. Now let's test its power."
"That spot over there should do."
Hyde aimed the glove toward a section of the forest outside the fortress. With a slight flick of his middle finger, a green beam shot out from the glove.
Boom!
A large section of the forest was instantly flattened by the explosion, the smoke from which was visible even from the fortress.
"Hahahaha!"
"Their weapon is truly amazing!"
---
"Hyde-sama is Here! He is here!"
"Hurry to listen to Hyde-sama's speech!"
"He has come to save us!"
The townsfolk spread the news excitedly, rushing toward the town center.
Hyde, the founder of the Ideal State Organization, had garnered immense popularity among the common people in recent years.
The organization he established, The Ideal State, is dedicated to protecting the weak from the ravages of war and creating a world of complete peace without conflict.
Wherever his presence reached, that place effectively became part of the Ideal State and fell under its protection. Any faction attempting to wage war within the Ideal State's territory would face its severe sanctions.
This vision resonated with more and more people, rapidly expanding Hyde's influence. His domain had even surpassed those of the ruling lords combined.
The power of the Ideal State was formidable, boasting not only a sizeable traditional knight force but also advanced technology as its greatest weapon.
Hyde controlled a massive fortress stronghold and a formidable vanguard of knights wielding mysterious powers.
The mountain-like fortress was mobile, capable of traversing most terrains with ease. Beneath it lay a colossal crushing mechanism, capable of flattening the fortifications that the feudal lords prided themselves on.
The fortress also housed elite knights who were fearless and incredibly strong, rendering Hyde invincible in his wars against the feudal lords.
Hyde was once a minor feudal lord with a passion for exploring ancient civilizations. Some speculated that he had uncovered an ancient ruin, acquiring technology far beyond the era.
But regardless of the truth, one fact was indisputable: Hyde was destined to rule the world, and the Ideal State's reach would inevitably expand further.
For the common people, however, who ruled the world mattered little; they simply longed for peace. And Hyde's actions proved he was the one who could bring peace to the weak, earning him a hero's welcome from the townsfolk.
In the center of the town once stood a church, but years of war had reduced it to a single crumbling wall, ready to collapse at any moment.
Hyde climbed this precarious wall under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
His movements were clumsy, his unathletic frame struggling to ascend. The people watched anxiously, their hearts racing every time he wobbled.
Finally, he reached the top of the wall, eliciting a wave of cheers from the crowd.
"Hyde-sama!"
"Hyde-sama!"
Dusting off his sleeves, Hyde smiled warmly at the people below. After basking in the applause and cheers, he began his speech.
"I believe many of you have already heard of the Ideal State," he began.
"The Ideal State is an organization that shelters the weak and aims to build a utopia. Although we've made significant progress, the feudal lords who wage war are always ready to strike back."
"Thus, I call upon you to join us—join the Ideal State! Together, we can defend our homeland and create a utopia!"
While Hyde passionately addressed the crowd in the town, Kakuzu and Hidan stood at the foot of the enormous fortress just outside.
"Whoa, it's massive!"
Standing before the fortress, Hidan couldn't even see its top. Its sheer size was beyond anything even in the shinobi world. But such size came with disadvantages, such as becoming an easy target for concentrated ninjutsu attacks.
The duo's purpose for being there was clear: to find the Mi-Go. After failing to locate it in the town, the fortress was their last lead.
The fortress loomed like a towering pagoda, its lowest entrance guarded by knights in brown-red armor, patrolling diligently.
"Shall we begin?"
"Let's do this!"
They leapt out of hiding, landing directly in front of the patrolling knights.
The knights quickly encircled them, ready for battle.
Wasting no time, Hidan swung his three-bladed scythe at one knight's head, while Kakuzu used Iron Skin to harden his fist and punched another in the chest.
The knights, caught off guard, didn't react. One lost his head to Hidan's scythe, and the other had his chest punched clean through by Kakuzu.
"Too easy!"
Hidan smugly slung his scythe back over his shoulder. But his smirk froze within seconds.
The decapitated knight and the one with the destroyed chest didn't fall. Instead, after a brief pause, they resumed their assault, swinging their war hammers at them.
The two ninjas leapt back.
Examining the decapitated knight's exposed neck, they realized the brown-red armor contained no human body.
"Hey, these knights aren't like the townsfolk earlier," Hidan muttered.
The more analytical Kakuzu quickly assessed the situation.
From their uniform war hammers and the glowing red eyes beneath their helmets, he deduced, "These aren't humans; they're puppet-like constructs."
"Didn't you say people here don't use ninjutsu?" Hidan complained.
"Who said puppets require ninjutsu? These aren't ninja puppets—just similar constructs controlled by some force unique to this world."
Recalling Sasori's prowess in puppet techniques, Kakuzu made the comparison.
"Forget it. You deal with these hollow puppets. I'm heading inside to find the Mi-Go."
Hidan vaulted over a knight's head and dashed into the fortress.
The knight tried to pursue but was struck down by Kakuzu's tendrils, slamming it into a nearby rock.
"Annoying, but I'm not letting my bounty slip away," he muttered.
As his back bulged and four black masked entities emerged, the knight's lifeless gaze remained fixed.
Inside the fortress, Hidan ran through metallic corridors, cutting down any pursuing puppet knights. While the scythe's damage temporarily immobilized the puppets, his speed kept him well ahead.
His goal was not the hollow knights but the Mi-Go, who could not be sacrificed.
Guided by a strange pulse from the sign on his chest, he quickened his pace.
Soon, the Yellow Sign led him to a hemispherical chamber, within which was a smaller metallic dome.
The sign pulsed intensely, directing Hidan to the dome.
He sprinted across a metallic walkway and entered, where he finally found the creature he sought.
"Mi-Go!"