Going Public Through a Shell Company

Five days later, Yuzhen arrived within the territory of Kikyo Castle. They chose to temporarily halt their journey in a place where the city could be seen from a distance.

The overall structure of Kikyo Castle was very much in line with Yuzhen's preconceived notions… The outermost layer was a low city wall. Inside the wall was a somewhat haphazardly laid-out merchant district, and in the center of the city stood the Tenshukaku, where the noble rulers resided.

The city was built at the foot of a mountain, so its overall shape was a semicircle with the mountain at its back. It could barely be considered to be utilizing the terrain, and the defensive layout of the city showed considerable construction skill.

Yuzhen settled the others down, preparing to enter Kikyo Castle alone to gather some information.

Regardless of whether a city was open or not, it was no difficulty for Yuzhen to blend in.

After only wandering for an hour or two, he confirmed through the discussions of some commoners that the lord of the city was currently recruiting Ninja.

Yuzhen breathed a sigh of relief. At least the trip wasn't in vain.

Since they had posted a recruitment notice, Yuzhen decided to submit his "job application."

He wrote a letter, briefly introducing their background, deliberately exaggerating that they had fifty Ninja, and then added a few polite words about how they were "hiring" and he was "recommending himself." He then put the letter into an envelope.

Although he had inquired about the application process, he didn't intend to follow the usual path. Otherwise, how could he prove his strength?

When night fell, Yuzhen quietly infiltrated the Tenshukaku.

This was no longer the era of "one country, one Ninja Village." The castles where the Daimyo resided were not equipped with any Barriers.

Although ordinary Barriers wouldn't be able to stop the Mayfly Technique, it was better to have no Barrier than to have one. If there were no protective Barrier, there would be no unexpected situations.

The Daimyo's residence was easy to find; it was the highest room in the Tenshukaku.

Yuzhen originally intended to stuff the job application directly into the Daimyo's room, but on second thought, doing so would be too impolite… That wouldn't be demonstrating strength at all, but rather intimidation.

So he settled for the next best thing, silently placing the job application in a gorgeously decorated room on the second highest floor, near the center.

A "big shot" also resided here, and Yuzhen's letter should be a pleasant surprise.

In the early morning, a young man woke up in this excessively decorated room.

With the help of a maid, he tidied his hair, put on a peculiar crown, layered on clothes one after another, and finally stepped into a pair of wooden clogs before slowly coming to his senses.

For this noble, it should have been a completely ordinary day. However, as his eyes inadvertently swept across the room, he noticed a letter placed conspicuously on his desk.

"Who entered my room last night?" he asked, somewhat startled.

If something unfamiliar suddenly appeared in a place one was extremely familiar with, many people would become suspicious… Clearly, this noble had a good memory and was quite vigilant.

However, he could only get a negative answer from the maids.

The maids understood the boundaries of hierarchy. Regardless of their intelligence, they would never overstep.

The young man temporarily suppressed his surprise and anger, and with a hint of unease, he walked step by step to the desk. After staring at the envelope for a while, he still reached out and picked it up.

After another moment of hesitation, he decided to tear open the envelope and unfold the paper inside.

Upon reading the contents of the letter, he understood what had happened… It was just an ordinary matter presented in a slightly unusual way, which made him secretly relieved.

Immediately after, his emotions surged, and he became extremely enraged.

These barbaric Ninja had silently infiltrated his room.

He understood that this was the other party demonstrating their strength, both as a self-introduction and as a subtle threat.

They were simply audacious and disrespectful.

"Wild monkeys!"

He gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly.

However, his voice involuntarily carried a hint of bluster and inner fear. The young noble felt offended, but as he calmed down slightly, he couldn't help but feel a sense of lingering fear.

Ninja, for the Daimyo's forces, seemed to be under control but were actually uncontrollable, a double-edged sword that could harm oneself and others if not handled carefully.

On the other side, at the camp, after submitting the "job application," Yuzhen only needed to patiently wait for a response.

He was not in a hurry. Given his current profession, the specialized skills he possessed, and the correct way he delivered his "job application," he was confident he wouldn't encounter a "read but not replied" situation.

Regardless of whether the employer's attitude was positive or negative, they would definitely respond quickly.

Unclaimed Ninja wandering into a territory were essentially like plague gods. The lord had to respond to their "employment applications" as quickly as possible.

Either hire them immediately, escort them out of the territory as quickly as possible, or kill them without mercy.

Most Ninja were not good at productive activities, but they were particularly good at disrupting them.

Therefore, Yuzhen could patiently wait while diligently researching Ninjutsu.

He was referencing Water Style Ninjutsu, imitating, improving, and making minor innovations to Fire Style Ninjutsu, and his project had already made considerable progress.

In terms of researching Ninjutsu, Yuzhen found that although he couldn't compare to Tobirama Senju, who could pull out a pile of forbidden techniques at any moment, he was still quite capable of development compared to ordinary Ninja.

It couldn't be helped. Ordinary Ninja had never attended school. Yuzhen, in his previous life, had received a higher education. Although the knowledge from different worlds was extremely incompatible, the thinking, logic, and even creativity cultivated through education could not be stripped away by world barriers.

But then again, Yuzhen's intelligent brain could only support him in conducting minor research. Once it involved theories like Chakra, aspects concerning the fundamental nature of this world's power, he was, conversely, inferior to true "native" individuals.

At this moment, Yuzhen looked somewhat obsessed. He sat on a collapsed low wall, with a scroll filled with scribbles on his lap.

However, his attention was not on the scroll.

Yuzhen's gaze was focused and serious. He would occasionally raise his left arm to look at his left hand, then look at his right hand, which was disguised as injured. After a moment, he brought his palms together and clasped them gently in front of him.

It looks like he's imitating the "Ask and you shall receive" technique.

Judging by his serious expression, it's as if the next move he'd unleash would be either "True Several Thousand Hands" or "Hundred-Type Guanyin."

Unfortunately, nothing happened.

Yuzhen released his hands, swung his arms forcefully, and a slightly dejected look appeared on his face.

It seems there's been no progress.

As the saying goes, sincerity begets rewards. Yuzhen's act of skipping the middlemen and directly submitting his resume yielded results, just as he had anticipated, with a swift and positive response from Kikyo Castle.

He had left his address on the letter, and that very afternoon, representatives from Kikyo Castle arrived.

The group emerging from the castle wasn't large. Two guides led the way, followed by a palanquin no bigger than a vegetable basket, carried by two short, stout bearers. Behind them were five or six attendants.

Additionally, a person completely shrouded in a black robe accompanied the palanquin on one side.

Though the palanquin was exceptionally small, it was exquisite and luxurious. Its four walls and roof were adorned with intricate lacquerwork, featuring complex floral and avian designs rendered in gold thread on an elegant black background. Anyone who saw it would surely remark on its high class.

However, no matter how Yuzhen looked at it, it just seemed like a fancy box.

The group halted at the entrance to the camp. An attendant stepped forward a few paces, stopping to the side and front of the palanquin, and announced loudly:

"The Lord of Kikyo Castle, Governor of Kawagen Province, and nephew of the Daimyo Date Toyosaka, the Date Kamaya Kunimasa Deputy, has temporarily arrived at your humble location. We request the Ninja to come forth and greet him."

In Yuzhen's opinion, the delegation from Kikyo Castle was rather meager, looking quite shabby. However, he understood that this was actually considered a high-level reception... He glanced at the black-robed figure, sensing that this person possessed considerable strength.

Titles like "Lord of the Province" or "Deputy" were just for show. The Daimyo of Kikyo Castle's influence was limited to the city and its surrounding areas; the highest ruler here was, at best, a county magistrate.

Still, Yuzhen understood what the other party had said. The Daimyo of Kikyo Castle was named "Date Hōhan," and the person in the palanquin was the Daimyo's nephew, named "Date Kamaya."

This person sounded like he could make decisions. As pre-arranged, Yuzhen signaled with his eyes for Fūma Kotarō to step forward.

Yuzhen had previously decided that when dealing with outsiders, he would not do so under the name of the "Ashes Organization" but rather under the name of the Fuma Clan.

Compared to the obscure Ashes Organization, the Fuma Clan had a certain reputation in the Ninja World.

This was roughly equivalent to a backdoor listing.