The Threat of the Akatsuki

The Capital of Fire.

A streak of blue light streaked across the sky, landing outside the city like a falling meteor.

Taiichi's face was gloomy as he looked at everything before him.

Most of the city wall has collapsed, with broken bricks scattered everywhere.

Inside the city walls, for about a kilometer, there were burning houses everywhere, and cries for help and screams rose and fell, creating a scene of utter hell on earth.

As Taiichi approached, a group of people immediately rushed out of the city.

The ninjas stationed there were on high alert, and any slight movement would trigger their vigilance, let alone a streak of light descending from the sky.

Once both sides could see each other clearly, the newcomer was overjoyed. "Taiichi, you've finally arrived! The Capital of Fire truly—in a terrible state."

The leader was the Konoha Ninja. Even after Third Shinobi World War, he hadn't frowned, but the devastation in the Capital of Fire made him choke up.

Too many people died. The total number of Konoha ninjas who died in the entire Third Shinobi World War did not equal the Civilian who perished in the Capital of Fire during this attack.

The Akatsuki is utterly depraved; they attack Civilian cities without any restraint. Are they even human?

Taiichi patted the Jonin the shoulder to calm him down, then asked casually, "How did the enemy retreat, and how long have they been retreating?"

The Jonin composed himself and said calmly, "That Moryo left in less than half an hour. He retreated on his own. I could tell he clearly still had energy left, but it was as if he had planned it all along, retreating immediately at the appointed time."

Taiichi knew perfectly well that all of this was clearly a plan devised by the Akatsuki in advance. Konoha and Cloud Village were truly outmaneuvered by the Akatsuki this time, not only losing the Eight-Tails but also suffering heavy losses themselves.

Taiichi clenched his fist, feeling an itch in it, and really wanted to find an opponent to beat him up.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down, and Jonin the Konoha Jonin, he bid him farewell and headed towards the Daimyo's Mansion.

There's still a lot of blame waiting for him there!

The reception Reception Hall of the Daimyo's Mansion.

From the moment Taiichi arrived to request Daimyo until he was led into the reception Reception Hall, he had been waiting here for nearly an hour.

Not to mention his Daimyo, not even a single official who was supposed to host him showed up.

Taiichi knew that this was the Daimyo expressing his dissatisfaction to Konoha, but this action undoubtedly angered Taiichi as well.

He wasn't like Elders Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, who were older, more experienced, and more shrewd, with plenty of time to engage in politics with the Daimyo.

Taiichi wasn't that patient; he had many other things to do and didn't have time to waste.

He glanced at the pitch-black sky outside, and seeing that no one had appeared yet, his aura began to slowly rise.

At that very moment, all those in the Daimyo's Mansion with exceptional senses, whether Samurai or ninjas, immediately turned their heads toward Taiichi. The faint pressure weighing on their hearts, though not heavy, was a clear warning.

Meanwhile, in another room, the Daimyo was listening to an official's report on the losses.

He naturally noticed the unusual behavior of the ninja guards around him.

"Kenjiro, is there a problem?"

Jonin hearing the Daimyo's question, the Jonin named Kenjiro's lips twitched inexplicably. Feeling the increasing pressure on him, he carefully chose his words and said, "Daimyo- sama, Taichi Matsushita has been waiting for an hour. We'd better go and see him."

He deliberately emphasized the words "one hour" and "best" to remind Daimyo not to go too far.

Although he was not a ninja born in a ninja village, Taichi Matsushita's name was already widely known. Regardless of his identity, his power alone deserved the utmost respect.

The Daimyo knew his personal bodyguard well, and seeing him speak so solemnly, combined with his behavior just now, he immediately guessed what was going on.

His face turned ashen for a moment; he had been threatened. But the next instant, he composed himself. Just as Kenjiro had said, they had already put up a fight for an hour; it was time to stop. Otherwise—seeing the increasingly grim expressions on the faces of the guards around him, the Daimyo stood up abruptly.

"Let's go and meet our guests."

The instant the Daimyo uttered those words, Kenjiro felt the pressure that had been weighing on his heart vanish instantly. This sudden release of pressure nearly caused him to stumble and fall.

"Thump."

Kenjiro looked over at the sound and saw that he hadn't fallen, but another Samurai guarding the door had fallen to the ground.

Daimyo glanced at it, snorted, and left the room without saying a word.

In the reception Reception Hall, Taiichi finally met the Daimyo.

"Taiichi, Konoha's protection of the Capital of Fire is truly remarkable."

His Daimyo was sarcastic and he immediately made a sarcastic remark to Taiichi.

Taiichi didn't take it to heart, knowing that this was an inevitable result. Anyone whose home was smashed up would be in a bad mood.

"Daimyo is joking. This is not wartime. The defense of the city is the responsibility of the military. We in Konoha are only protecting important figures and facilities. If it were a matter of defending the city, the Daimyo's Mansion's office should be issuing the order directly to Konoha."

Taiichi was talking about theoretical rules, but the reason he called them theoretical is because it's not practical to implement them that way.

Normally, the city's defense doesn't require ninjas at all; that would be a waste of ninja resources and a huge financial expense.

The Land of Fire isn't just about the City of Capital of Fire; if the Capital of Fire ninjas to guard it, what about the other cities?

The saying "It's not scarcity that's worrisome, but inequality" is a principle that holds true everywhere.

The Daimyo was also annoyed by Taiichi's seemingly light but actually harsh rebuke. So, just because I'm venting my dissatisfaction, you dare to talk back to me?

However, Taiichi clearly didn't want to give the Daimyo a chance to lash out, so he went straight to the point.

"Daimyo, the organization that launched the attack on the Capital of Fire is a terrorist group called Akatsuki. You may have heard of them, but you may not know that their ultimate goal is to create a completely new world, Ninja World without war, and to usher in eternal peace."

Although Taiichi's words were not harsh, they sounded like thunder in the Daimyo to Daimyo, resounding in his heart.

As a ruler, he understood all too well the meaning of these words: "Establishing a new world," "eternal peace"—wasn't this just about overthrowing the Daimyo's rule?

I originally thought the Akatsuki were just rebels among the ninjas, and that the Land of Fire had been implicated by the Ninja World, which is why they suffered this undeserved disaster.

But now it seems that this is not the case at all. If what Taiichi said is true, then the Akatsuki is not only the enemy of the Ninja World, but also the enemy of their secular regime.

The Daimyo's expression turned serious, and he closed the fan he had been waving.

"Can Lord Taiichi take responsibility for his words?"

Taiichi, equally serious, straightened his back, looked directly into the Daimyo's eyes, and affirmed without hesitation, "Of course, Daimyo, please investigate. The Akatsuki's actions are no longer a secret. I believe that with your abilities, Daimyo, you will soon find out the answer."

In fact, the Daimyo already believed it to some extent. Just as Taiichi said, Konoha had no reason to deceive him about information that he was allowed to investigate.

But in this way----

The thought of the Moryo monsters that were clearly visible even in the Daimyo's Mansion, and how they could turn the sturdy city walls into rubble with a mere gesture, sent a chill down the Daimyo.

His attitude immediately underwent a complete 180-degree change, and he instantly became very attentive.

"Taiichi, your Konoha must investigate this matter thoroughly. These thieves dared to destroy the Capital of Fire; this is not only a slap in the face to the Land of Fire, but also to Konoha. Such a heinous organization must be executed."

Taiichi nodded repeatedly, completely approving of the Daimyo's current attitude. With the Daimyo's full support, all of Konoha's actions would be much more convenient.

Thinking of this, Taiichi suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and then a look of deep gratitude appeared on his face. He immediately began to complain.

"Daimyo, you may not know this, but Konoha has been undergoing reforms for the past two years to deal with the Akatsuki. Now, at this critical juncture, Konoha's finances are almost exhausted. You see—we are, after all, protecting the Land of Fire; shouldn't the Daimyo's Mansion also share some of the burden?"

The Daimyo, whose face was initially full of anger, froze upon hearing Taiichi's words.

Asking for money—why did they suddenly start asking for money after everything was going smoothly?

Daimyo looked closely at Taiichi, trying to make sure he hadn't misheard.

Seeing Taiichi's serious expression, she gradually gave up hope.

Well, this matter does involve his status after all. Let's give him some money; consider it a long-term commission.

"Slap"

The Daimyo opened his folding fan and used it to cover his face, concealing his unfriendly expression.

How much funding does Konoha need?

"This—" Taiichi looked at the Daimyo, and although he couldn't see the face, he could still see the gleam in the eyes, "I'll give you five hundred million taels first!"

"What?! Five hundred million?! Why don't you just rob someone?!"

The Daimyo stared wide-eyed at Taiichi, furious. Was he being treated like Daimyo's Mansion?

"That... four hundred million?"

Seeing that the Daimyo was still glaring angrily, Taiichi quickly changed his tune, "Three hundred million, that's the lowest I can go. Konoha has already been tightening its belt for two years to deal with the Akatsuki. We can't keep going like this, or we'll become a laughingstock to the other ninja villages, and we'll be laughing at the Land of Fire too."

Seeing Taiichi's reckless attitude, the Daimyo hesitated for a second, then agreed.

With the main tasks discussed, Taiichi didn't linger any longer. Today's business was far from over, and he still had many things to do.

When Taiichi's figure completely disappeared, the Daimyo turned to look at the official who had been standing silently to the side.

"Tell me, how much of what Taichi Matsushita said is true, and how much is false?"

"Apart from the part about insufficient funding at the end, which was somewhat exaggerated, most of the rest should be true."

Daimyo closed his fan and tapped it absently on the coffee table.

"The world is truly full of wonders. There are even such naive people. Ha, eternal peace? What a joke! Unless everyone is without desires, where can there be eternal peace?"

"There are always some people with wild ideas, let alone those ninjas. You needn't worry about it, sir."

"Hmph, ninja!"

Daimyo let out a heavy "humph," and when he thought about how the ninjas guarding the city had actually come to ask his own ninja guards to join the battle when the Moryo attacked, he was extremely angry. They had been coerced!

"Grand Minister, the ninja force controlled by the Daimyo's Mansion is still too weak. It's not just a problem of quantity, but also of quality. You must address this issue promptly. The Daimyo's Mansion must have its own dedicated ninja force."

Konoha, Hokage's Office.

Taiichi's trip lasted only a little over two hours, but the people in the office had not yet dispersed.

Now that Taiichi has returned, they all look at Taiichi expectantly, hoping to get good news from him.

"I was too late. The Akatsuki had planned this all along; they had already left before I arrived—"

Then, Taiichi recounted to everyone everything he had seen and heard in the Capital of Fire.

When Taiichi heard that Taiichi had "scammed" 300 million taels of gold from Minato Daimyo, even his face twitched slightly.

"This is probably the only good news I've heard tonight."

This statement has a touch of self-deprecation, but it is indeed true. After all, most things can be solved with money, and if they can't, it's probably because the money isn't enough.

"Taiichi, I still need to trouble you to go to Kumogakure. Although tonight's operation was unsuccessful, we still need to communicate between the two sides."

Furthermore, we also need to know what Cloud Village's plans are next, and what their losses are.

"No problem, I'll set off right away."

Taiichi had known this would happen, so he didn't waste any words and immediately left using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

When Taiichi reappeared, he was already not far from Kumogakure.

At this time of chaos and sensitivity in the Cloud Village, Taiichi did not want to be misunderstood by them for rashly barging in.

As soon as Taiichi approached Kumogakure, his whereabouts were immediately discovered by the Cloud Ninja.

Looking at the group of men staring at him warily, Taiichi, unusually polite, said, "Informing the Fourth Raikage Taichi Matsushita of Konoha has come to visit."

As soon as the name was announced, the four-man squad in front of them immediately stirred. They quickly sent one of them back to report, while the others continued to keep watch.

Taiichi stood there, the darkness obscuring his view, but the still-burning Kakkou revealed the extent of the Cloud Village's attack.

The losses must be enormous.

Taiichi long. From the darkness, a figure swiftly approached. Before the figure even arrived, a voice rang out. "Taiichi, I am deeply sorry, Cloud Village has failed to keep our appointment this time."

This attitude is commendable. Taiichi was satisfied and at the same time, he was once again convinced that Cloud Village had been seriously injured this time, otherwise they would not have taken the initiative to soften their stance.

As the figure finally drew closer, Taiichi recognized the person as his old acquaintance, Dodai.

"Has the Cloud Village also been attacked?" Taiichi asked knowingly, while also trying to build rapport, since Konoha and the Cloud Village were now in the same boat.

Dodai's eyes widened in disbelief. "Also? Could it be that Konoha also—"