What's wrong with having a large harem if you're the emperor of the ninja world?

Silently, step by step, they began to walk towards the edge of the village.

No one spoke, but their actions made their choice clear.

Like a silent torrent, more and more people joined the ranks of those leaving.

Even some of the ninjas who had originally surrounded Di Yan lowered their heads in shame.

He threw down his weapon and turned to join the flow of people leaving the village.

Granny Chiyo and Ebizo stared blankly at everything.

Watching the resistance crumble so quickly, and seeing the villagers who resolutely chose to leave in search of a way to survive.

Chiyo finally closed her eyes in anguish.

The order to perish together could never be uttered again.

She knew that Sunagakure... was truly finished.

It was not the war that destroyed them, but the hearts of the people.

Di Yan stood there, looking at the scene before him where he had "subdued the enemy without fighting," and the smile on his lips deepened.

Conquest sometimes doesn't require shedding blood.

only need to……

Offer an option that you cannot refuse.

...

108 The Last Struggle of Sunagakure; Temari's Mission

Although many people were persuaded by Di Yan and began to surrender one after another outside the village.

but...

No ninja village is without its tough nuts to crack.

After all, Sunagakure is one of the five great ninja villages.

Sure enough, the bustling crowd quieted down.

There were hundreds of Sunagakure ninjas, all glaring angrily at Di Yan.

They gathered together.

Their faces all wore expressions of fearlessness.

Di Yan's gaze calmly swept over the hundreds of Sand Village ninjas who were clustered behind Chiyo and Ebizo, their faces filled with determination and anger.

They stood like boulders amidst the already collapsed torrent.

His eyes burned with a flame unlike any of those who had departed...

That was the stubbornness and tragic spirit of preferring to be shattered jade rather than whole tile.

"so,"

Di Yan's voice was completely calm, as if he were simply confirming a given fact: "Is this your final choice?"

Grandma Chiyo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the sorrow and despair in her heart.

His aged face regained the stubbornness and pride that belonged to the elders of Sunagakure.

She straightened her hunched back, and though her voice was hoarse, it carried an undeniable firmness:

"Since its founding by the First Kazekage, Sunagakure has endured numerous Shinobi World Wars and countless hardships, yet it has never bowed down to or yielded to any power!"

"Even Hashirama Senju, who was once hailed as the 'God of Shinobi,' could only form an alliance with us, not conquer us!"

Her gaze pierced sharply at Di Yan, carrying a final act of defiance:

"You want to break the backbone of Sunagakure? Don't even think about it!"

"That's right! We swear to live and die with the village!"

"If you want to destroy Sunagakure, you'll have to step over our dead bodies first!"

"We will never yield!"

Chiyo's words instantly ignited the passion of the hundreds of loyal ninjas behind her.

They roared and brandished their weapons.

Chakra surged, and he assumed a posture of fighting to the death.

A somber atmosphere permeated the air.

It was as if they were about to embark on a martyrdom that was destined to fail but was glorious and great.

Faced with this united will and the declaration of a fight to the death.

Di Yan's face remained expressionless.

There was neither praise nor ridicule.

He simply nodded, as if he were commenting on something unrelated to himself.

"remarkably brave."

He uttered just four simple words.

Yet, there was no trace of warmth.

Instead, it carries a condescending, cold sense of judgment.

He didn't look at the ninjas who were preparing to die.

Instead, he turned his gaze to Gaara, who stood silently beside him, and to the black-clad figures standing like statues in the distance.

A single glance is enough.

The dust surrounding Gaara began to flow silently and violently.

A chilling killing intent instantly locked onto the die-hards in front of them.

And those men in black moved at almost the same time!

Their figures spread out like ghosts, silently taking up advantageous positions.

A cold aura of chakra spread out.

It was as if an invisible net of death had been cast.

Di Yan slowly turned around, seemingly having lost interest in the outcome before him.

Only a light, yet inevitably bloody, command remained:

"Clean it up."

As soon as he finished speaking, he put his arm around Temari, who was pale-faced and had a complicated look in her eyes.

He walked straight out of the square.

Behind them, a fierce battle... or rather, a one-sided, ruthless cleanup... erupted in an instant!

The sandstorm roared! The void seemed to shatter!

The brilliance of ninjutsu intertwined with desperate roars and shrill screams.

It sounded the elegy for the last defenders of the old era of Sunagakure.

Di Yan's steps did not falter in the slightest.

He seemed completely oblivious to the carnage behind him.

Unwavering loyalty is admirable.

But the only thing that can stop the empire's progress is to be ruthlessly crushed.

From this moment on, Sunagakure has completely changed hands.

Just as Di Yan turned around, preparing to leave the plaza that was about to turn into a battlefield with Temari...

"Don't even think about leaving!"

Granny Chiyo let out a sharp scream.

His withered fingers trembled violently!

"Shhhhh!"

Several dark figures shot out from her wide sleeves with incredible speed, accompanied by the sound of air being torn apart!

Those were three exquisitely crafted puppets, yet exuding a chilling murderous aura...

Three of the Chikamatsu Ten!

They are like living scorpions, gleaming with poisoned blades and traps.

From a cunning and ruthless perspective.

It aimed straight at Di Yan's back and vital points!

Capture the thief first and capture the king!

That's exactly what Chiyo was planning!

As long as we capture or even kill this unfathomable emperor.

With the ninja army outside leaderless, there might still be a glimmer of hope for Sunagakure's predicament!

However, just as the poisoned puppet blade was about to touch the hem of Di Yan's robe...

"Konoha's powerful whirlwind!"

A green figure descended from the sky like a whirlwind!

Accompanied by a passionate shout that sounded particularly eerie at this moment.

A fierce leg gust of wind slashed down like a battle axe!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three crisp cracking sounds in a row!

The three menacing puppets were sent flying through the air by this sudden and incredibly precise kick!

Parts shattered, and the poisoned blade broke.

It fell apart into scrap wood in mid-air!

Grandma Chiyo's pupils suddenly contracted.

She looked incredulously at the man standing between Di Yan and her.

Might Guy landed with a cool pose, his green bodysuit standing out.

He gave a thumbs up, his teeth flashing as if they were gleaming.

however……

His eyes, which should have been burning with the flames of youth.

At this moment, however, there is only an absolute, cold loyalty.

It has its sights firmly set on Chiyo.

"His Majesty's safety is entrusted to me, Might Guy!"

His voice was still loud, but it lacked the passion of the past.

All that remains is a mechanical steadfastness.

"Anyone who wants to harm His Majesty is my enemy!"

Granny Chiyo looked at Might Guy in front of her, then glanced at her younger brother Ebizo, who was fighting Gaara in the distance and was clearly at a disadvantage.

And the Sand Village loyalists who were being mercilessly slaughtered by those cold-blooded men in black...

A bone-chilling cold instantly swept over her entire body.

She finally understood why Gaara had betrayed her.

Why does this emperor of the Land of Fire dare to venture so deep into the enemy camp with such impunity?