Chapter 134 Paying Homage to the Lord Again

"Dog Brother's Transmigration into Lin Pingzhi: The Tai Xuan Scripture Suppresses All Nations" is full of classic quotes, come and find resonance.

"Hattori Sengun, please be polite, this is my lord."

Hattori Sengun stared at Shi Potian, his eyes filled with astonishment and doubt: "Your lord? Sarutobi Higetsu, when did you acknowledge a lord?"

Sarutobi Higetsu said arrogantly, "I have been following my lord for half a month, and just today, my lord, alone with a single sword, slaughtered all of Kirigakure Raizo's subordinates. All five Kirigakure ninja are dead. Most of your bribed subordinates outside have been killed or wounded. Kirigakure Raizo and Kirigakure Gekko have already fled."

Hattori Sengun shuddered and looked sharply at Shi Potian.

The boy stood quietly in the tent, still holding the knife he had taken from the Japanese pirates. The tip of the knife was gleaming, without a trace of blood. Not a drop of blood had stained his body either.

"One person... killed them all, and Kirigakure Raizo was scared away?" Hattori Sengun didn't believe it.

Shi Potian said, "The Japanese pirates are all evil people. They even want to kill me. I will reward the good and punish the evil, so I will not hold back."

Sarutobi Higetsu laughed and said, "Hattori Sengun, do you know why Kirigakure Raizo ran away? It's because my lord single-handedly broke through the inescapable trap he laid. Dozens of elite ninjas died, the entire musketeer squad was wiped out, and countless other ordinary samurai were lost. Kirigakure Raizo has no one to rely on anymore; if he doesn't run, he will be captured alive."

Hattori Sengun stared blankly at Shi Potian, then suddenly struggled to his feet, staggered out of the tent, and headed towards the battlefield.

The Japanese pirates who had been besieging Shi Potian were still around when they suddenly saw Hattori Senjun and Shi Potian walk out. They were shocked, thinking that their general had been captured. They drew their swords and rushed over, shouting.

Hattori Sengun shouted, "What are you all doing? A bunch of idiots who don't even recognize me? You've been fooled by Kirigakure Raizo for so long, completely played like fools, and you still haven't woken up? Get out of here! These two are my honored guests. If they hadn't come to my rescue, you would never have known that the person just now was Kirigakure Raizo until you died."

The Japanese pirates looked at each other in bewilderment.

But as Hattori Sengun called out and berated each soldier by name, even the lowest-ranking guerrilla could be called out by name, the crowd no longer doubted him and retreated in shame.

Hattori Sengun circled around Kirigakure Raizo's tent several times, looking at the corpses lying haphazardly on the ground under the firelight.

He didn't recognize most of the people in the inner circle, but they were probably all elites from the Hidden Mist Clan. He was horrified to see that all five Hidden Mist Ninja were also lying there, each with a wound to the throat, killed with a single blow.

The further outward he went, the more subordinates he had—those bribed, coerced, and deceived by Kirigakure Raizo. Every wound was to the throat, the heart, or other vital points; each was a fatal blow.

Regardless of skill level, armor thickness, or weapon type, it's all the same – a single strike.

Hattori Sengun walked along the corpses, his heart growing more and more horrified with each step.

He saw the second-in-command of the Hidden Mist Five, with a thin line of blood on his neck, his eyes still open, dying without ever seeing where the sword came from.

He saw that the members of the musketeer team had also been hit in the throat, and it seemed that they had been hit at the same time, and their muskets had not yet been fired.

He saw those usually arrogant elite ninjas lying haphazardly in pools of blood, their deaths varied, but they all had one thing in common—no one could withstand a single blow from the opponent, no matter how hard they fought, it was useless.

Hattori Sengun's legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground.

He had been a Japanese pirate for twenty years, killing countless people, and he asked himself what kind of scene he hadn't seen. But this mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood before him was caused by one person. One person, with a knife, cutting through thousands of troops, killing people like mowing grass.

He suddenly remembered a legend. The legend was too fantastical; he had never believed it. But now, he believed it, and he understood Sarutobi Hiyori's choice.

He scrambled to his feet, stumbled over to Shi Potian, and knelt before him with a thud: "Young hero! I, Hattori Senjun, humbly submit to you as my lord!"

Shi Potian was taken aback and quickly waved his hand: "You are a Japanese pirate, I don't want you as my subordinate. I haven't even agreed to Sarutobi Higetsu yet."

Hattori Sengun refused to rise: "Young hero, your martial arts are unparalleled, and your benevolence is unmatched. I, Hattori Sengun, have roamed the seas for twenty years and have never submitted to anyone. Today, witnessing your abilities, I realize there are always those more powerful than myself. I beg you to take me in!"

Shi Potian said, "How can you be even stranger than Sarutobi Higetsu? You're a Japanese pirate; I should kill you. How could I possibly take you as my subordinate?"

Sarutobi Higetsu said from the side, "My lord, although Hattori Sengun is a Japanese pirate, he is different from Kirigakure Raizo. He never kills innocent people indiscriminately, and at sea he only robs merchant ships and collects money, much like the outlaws of your country. He also does not plunder ashore. His coming to Nanjing this time must have been coerced by Kirigakure Raizo."

Hattori Sengun nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes! Kirigakure Raizo bribed my younger brother Hattori Shichiro, poisoned me, then imprisoned me and used my name to attack Nanjing. That man is truly insidious and ruthless..."

When he said the word "younger brother," he suddenly remembered something, turned around and saw Hattori Shichiro following behind. He didn't dare to run away, but was trembling all over.

Hattori Sengun's face darkened. He stood up, walked over, and kicked him to the ground: "You beast! We're brothers, and you've colluded with outsiders to harm me!"

Hattori Shichiro cried out, "Brother, spare me! I was forced into this! Kirigakure Raizo said he would castrate me if I didn't listen to him... Brother, I'm your own brother!"

"My own brother, look how many brothers you've killed!"

Hattori Sengun threw down a sword and said in a deep voice, "If you have the guts, you can be your own second and return home after death."

After saying that, he glared fiercely at Hattori Shichiro, ignored him, and turned around to kneel down in front of Shi Potian again.

"Young hero, I, Hattori Sengun, am willing to lead all my fleets to submit to you. I only ask that you accept me!"

Shi Potian shook his head: "Why would I take you in? I'm just a bodyguard."

Sarutobi Higetsu said urgently, "My lord, listen to me. Hattori Sengun has considerable power at sea, with dozens of ships and over a thousand men under his command. If he submits to you, not only will these Japanese pirates lay down their arms and surrender, but he will also be able to restrain other Japanese pirates from attacking Tang again. This is much more useful than killing them all."

Shi Potian shook his head again: "I'm not some Japanese pirate leader, just the young head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of the Fuwei Escort Agency. What would I do with so many subordinates? I can't support you all."

Sarutobi Higetsu laughed and said, "My lord, Hattori Sengun only acknowledges you as his master and doesn't need you to support him. When you need him, just summon him, and he will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Hattori Sengun looked up and said, "Brother Sarutobi is right. We Japanese warriors are loyal to our masters and will follow them to the death."

Shi Potian shook his head and said, "I don't need you to follow me."

Hattori Sengun suddenly looked up, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Young hero, do you know why Kirigakure Raizo came to Nanjing? What is his purpose?"

Shi Potian had no idea; he simply watched him quietly.