The Daimyo's Mansion's Strength
Just like when they were kids, the two joked around in front of Itachi for a while before getting down to business.
"You sent people to handle those three towns, didn't you? You might be able to fool the officials of the Daimyo's Mansion, but you can't fool me, who's been in Root for nearly ten years."
Asuma immediately pointed out the great disrespect that Kazashiro had committed.
It is an ironclad rule in the ninja world not to harm nobles.
"Evidence, Your Excellency, you need evidence to support your claims. To slander the Acting Hokage punishable by a visit to the Internal Affairs Department."
Kazashiro adopted a "what can you do about it?" attitude, showing no intention of admitting anything.
"Why are you playing games with me? Tell me, what is your purpose in doing this?"
Asuma leaned forward, staring intently into Kazashiro's eyes.
"For Konoha."
Kazashiro's answer was very simple, so simple that Asuma was stunned for a moment.
"Okay, move away from me, the smoke is too strong."
Before Asuma could react, Kazashiro reached out and pushed away the other man's mature-looking face.
I don't want to end up like my dad, completely tainted by the smell.
"Is that so? The Daimyo's Mansion sent me here this time hoping that I could persuade my old man to personally investigate this matter."
Asuma casually pulled up a stool and sat down opposite Kazashiro, explaining the purpose of his visit in detail, "No wonder you didn't say a word when Root disbanded; you were waiting here all along."
Seeing Kazashiro's current actions, Asuma suddenly felt that he had been a ridiculous fool before.
"Hmm." Kazashiro remained noncommittal.
He wasn't as cunning as Asuma claimed. He always believed in doing his job Root. He didn't stop Root from disbanding because it belonged to Danzo, and whether or not it was disbanded wasn't something he could decide.
"In short, the officials of the Hyuga Clan Daimyo's Mansion are very dissatisfied with your decision to abolish the Main Family. They are now trying to find fault with you in various ways, so you'd better be careful."
Asuma reminded Kazashiro.
"Just a clown. Daimyo's Mansion, huh? Asuma, now that you're one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, you must be very familiar with the defenses of the Daimyo's Mansion, right?"
Hearing that the Hyuga Clan still cared about him, a strange emotion flashed in Kazashiro's eyes. He blinked a few times and suddenly asked about the military preparedness of the Daimyo's Mansion's residence.
What do you want to do?
Asuma was very alert.
"Don't be so tense. I wouldn't stoop to assassination. But I'd like to know, if we were to use the entire power of Konoha, could we withstand the military might of the Daimyo's Mansion?"
Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. All that Kazashiro knew about Daming Daimyo's Mansion was from what he had heard from others.
He was more interested in hearing how Asuma, who lived in the capital, viewed the differences between the two sides.
"The Daimyo's Mansion's technology is more advanced than Konoha's. In addition to his samurai army, the Daimyo also has an arquebus unit and a cannon unit. As for their combat strength, they should be able to fight against an equal number of Genin."
Asuma hesitated for a moment, but then revealed what he knew.
"And don't underestimate those samurai. Unlike the ronin we encountered on our mission, some of them are at the Jonin level."
To be fair, he didn't want to see a direct conflict between Konoha and the Land of Fire. He preferred Danzo's approach, which was to slowly erode the power of the daimyo through covert means.
"If a full-scale war breaks out between Konoha and the Daimyo's Mansion, who will win?"
Upon hearing that Daimyo's Mansion possessed firearms, Kazashiro was slightly surprised.
Asuma never expected that Kazashiro, whom he had previously regarded as weak, was already considering a full-scale war with the Daimyo's Mansion.
He looked at the other person with a complicated expression and gave his answer based on what he had seen and heard:
"If the Daimyo's Mansion were to gather all its nobles, it could stand against Konoha for a year."
As for the outcome, Asuma did not say for sure.
He believed Kazashiro would understand.
If Konoha dares to declare war on the Daimyo's Mansion, then everything in the Land of Fire will become Konoha's enemy.
The common people would not support a regime established by ninjas; in their hearts, the daimyo is everything, and centuries of ideological constraints have bound them.
In the end, only the ninjas will fail.
"Really? Teacher Sarutobi hasn't seen you in a long time. Go back and visit him."
Kazashiro nodded expressionlessly, seemingly having anticipated Asuma's reply.
"Do you need me to return to Konoha?"
Asuma really wanted to help his friend, at least to help Danzo achieve his ideals first.
"No, you're more useful staying by the Daimyo's side than returning to Konoha."
Kazashiro's words made Asuma's brow twitch, and his mouth involuntarily opened in surprise. "Could it be that you want to...?"
"Don't worry, I'm not that bold," Kazashiro reassured him with a smile.
"Besides, doing so would only result in a new daimyo taking over in the Land of Fire."
Asuma's visit did not cause much of a stir in the village. As usual, Kazashiro set the standards for hospitality for Asma and then went to attend to his own business.
The first place he went to was the Konoha Research Bureau, which was controlled by Orochimaru.
After learning about the technological level of the Land of Fire, Kazashiro had even higher expectations for Orochimaru.
"Oh, isn't this the Acting Hokage? What brings you here?" Orochimaru teased in a hoarse voice, his hands continuing their work.
"I just came to check on things, mainly to see if the black substance I brought is behaving itself."
Kazashiro was very curious about Black Zetsu's current state.
"To be honest or not, I've already broken the seal. It was just an interesting lump of black mud, nothing special."
Upon hearing Kazashiro mention Black Zetsu, Orochimaru freed his finger and pointed to a petri dish not far away.
"Black mud?"
Kazashiro was taken aback, then followed Orochimaru's instructions and arrived in front of the petri dish.
Sure enough, there was only a lump of black mud inside, not Black Zetsu's comical face.
Damn it, did I only cut off a part of his body?
"I've figured out that White Zetsu. It's very interesting. The Hashirama Cells on it are very well-behaved, completely different from when I worked with Danzo before."
Orochimaru gently placed the test tube in his hand on the test tube rack; the contents inside were cells from White Zetsu's body.
"As for the black substance, according to my and Hiruko's opinion, it should contain five attributes along with the nature transformation of Yin-Yang Release, which has already surpassed Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta."
Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked his lips with some excitement.
"I'm very curious what this thing would look like if it were alive."
"If I have the chance, I'll let you see it." Kazashiro shrugged.
If they failed to capture Black Zetsu this time, who knows when they'll encounter him again?
"I'm really looking forward to it." Orochimaru's excitement intensified.