Chapter 24

"Very well! Since that is what you desire, I shall grant that territory to your Uchiha clan. It seems there are several villages there; you shall also be entitled to all the tax revenue they generate!"

The Shogun, in high spirits, could not be bothered to ask further. To him, it was merely a stretch of desolate mountains, and whether he kept or discarded it made no difference. He gave his answer to Mingye, who immediately offered his thanks, appearing as if he were truly overwhelmed with gratitude for the Shogun's generosity.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

"What do you think of this boy?"

About ten minutes after Mingye and Shimizu had departed, the side door of the corridor was pushed open once more. Three figures appeared out of thin air. Fujiwara Muneyoshi stood between two ninjas, walking slowly into the Shogun's chamber with a gentle smile on his face.

"Heh heh heh heh heh! Does Your Excellency wish to hear the truth?"

Hearing Fujiwara Muneyoshi's words, the Shogun frowned slightly.

"Speak!"

Fujiwara Muneyoshi smiled and offered his counsel.

"He should be killed!"

The Shogun looked at Fujiwara Muneyoshi with dissatisfaction, completely failing to understand why he would make such a suggestion.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Heh heh heh heh!"

Fujiwara Muneyoshi chuckled again, sat down on a nearby cushion, and offered no explanation.

"Stop that laughing and speak plainly!"

Seeing Fujiwara Muneyoshi act this way, the Shogun was not angered; instead, his tone held a hint of entreaty.

"The boy's process of presenting the treasure and reporting the death was flawless. If one were to say it was because Shimizu helped him rehearse, that would be reasonable, but the perfection lies in the fact that Shimizu did not seem to be helping him at all—it was as if he were incapable of helping!"

Fujiwara Muneyoshi was not one for pretense. He meticulously described Mingye's behavior as he had observed it. Seeing the Shogun lost in thought, he offered his advice once more.

"Only those who remain unmoved by favor or humiliation possess true stability. Yet, observing this boy's words and actions, he actually showed agitation over a reward. Such posturing is nothing but deception toward Your Excellency! Kill him to prevent future trouble!"

The Shogun shook his head slightly. He took out the so-called Dragon-Trapping Pearl from the brocade box, toyed with it for a moment, and then, having made up his mind, spoke.

"The Uchiha clan is the sharpest blade in my hand; they must not be moved against rashly. With the winds of change gathering, I have need of their service. Killing them would be detrimental to my reputation. Besides, what you say is nonsense. How could a mere youth have so many devious schemes? It is likely that the Uchiha clan suffered losses in their conflict with the Hagoromo clan, and they hope to use this to make me lighten their burden of duties!"

"Your Excellency is wise!"

Seeing that his advice had not been taken, Fujiwara Muneyoshi did not press the matter. He bowed and offered his praise. The Shogun waved his hand, seemingly well-acquainted with Fujiwara Muneyoshi's temperament, and spoke again.

"Very well. Since today's business is concluded, let us discuss the matter of the Fuma Clan!"

"Your Excellency jests. This old man is but a chess player; how could I possibly eliminate the thorn in your side? Why not entrust this task to that young upstart?"

Fujiwara Muneyoshi shook his head and proposed a new scheme. Upon hearing it, the Shogun laughed heartily, looking at Fujiwara Muneyoshi with an amused expression as he teased.

"Heh heh heh heh! You truly are an old fox! Your skill at borrowing a knife to kill is nothing short of masterful!"

"If they cannot even resolve a mere Fuma Clan, then the Uchiha clan is truly nothing of note."

Fujiwara Muneyoshi waved his hand nonchalantly and replied to the Shogun with a scoff.

"Very well, we shall proceed as you suggest."

The Shogun nodded, stood up, and left through the side door with the pearl in hand.

"I truly never expected you to have such methods, Mingye! That tiny pearl actually hides such mysteries!"

In a secret room, a dull-looking thin snake lay before Mingye and Shimizu. Mingye tapped the center of the snake's eyes, and it began to speak in a human voice—it was the exact conversation between the Shogun and Fujiwara Muneyoshi in the chamber. Once they finished listening, a plan to earn a great merit formed in Mingye's mind. He turned to Shimizu and said:

"Uncle Shimizu, I leave the matter of hosting Fujiwara Muneyoshi to you. Help me keep him steady here for a few days; I must be away for a time."

Shimizu, confused, asked him:

"Where are you going?"

"Heh, you will know when the time comes!"

Mingye shook his head slightly, offering no clear answer. Seeing Mingye rise to leave, Shimizu, fearing he might underestimate the danger, warned him:

"You must be careful. That old fox Fujiwara Muneyoshi is no pushover. I suspect every move you make is already under his surveillance."

"It matters not. If he can find me, then he is truly formidable."

Mingye was unconcerned. He shrugged his shoulders, and his body suddenly dissolved into a mist, vanishing from Shimizu's sight.

In a gloomy and terrifying forest, the wind whistled like the cries of vengeful ghosts. A young blind man, dressed in tattered, thin clothing, carefully felt his way forward with a wooden staff.

Bang.

Two ninjas suddenly appeared simultaneously in front of and behind Mingye. The one behind him immediately struck the blind man's neck with a hand-blade, and the youth collapsed, losing consciousness.

The ninja looked at the blind boy's appearance and turned to his companion with great dissatisfaction.

"We searched for ages, and all we found was this damn blind man! What rotten luck!"

"He's blind. Do they even want a blind one?"

In a village, a man with a pockmarked face, wearing the iron badge of the Fuma Clan, looked at the blind boy with deep annoyance and complained to the two who had brought him.

"What if he's blind? Just because he can't handle delicate tasks like pouring tea doesn't mean he's useless for everything else. The clan happens to need manual labor, and since he's not a ninja, we might as well put him to work. Whether he dies out there or dies here with the Fuma Clan, it's all the same, isn't it?"

"That's true!"

One of the ninjas replied casually, looking at the pockmarked ninja with indifference. The other ninja beside him did the same, ignoring the pockmarked man entirely as they turned and walked away.

The pockmarked ninja turned to look at the blind boy. Though annoyed, he had no intention of taking his frustration out on him; bullying a blind person brought him no satisfaction. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the boy.

"Shangguan Yingjie, get over here!"

"Coming!"

No sooner had the pockmarked ninja shouted than a boy as young as the blind youth leaped quickly from a nearby house. The pockmarked ninja looked at the blind boy with visible disgust and said, "This kid is under your jurisdiction from now on. Don't waste my time!"

"A blind kid?!"

Glancing at the boy, Shangguan Yingjie asked the pockmarked ninja with some uncertainty.

"What else? What a pain!" The pockmarked ninja waved his hand irritably and turned to leave the housing compound. Seeing him go, Shangguan Yingjie chuckled and turned to the blind boy, offering some words of comfort. "Don't be angry. Don't mind Qi; he's sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. You heard my name just now—I'm Shangguan Yingjie. What's yours?"

The boy shook his head slightly, offering a smile in response to Shangguan Yingjie. "I'm not angry. I know myself. In this world, being blind is like losing half the joy of life. My name is Mingye."

"Mingye?"

"Ming as in 'tomorrow,' and ye as in 'night'!"

Seeing that the other did not understand his name, he explained it earnestly. Shangguan Yingjie nodded in understanding and began to consider how to arrange work for Mingye. The boy had no chakra energy in his body; he was just an ordinary person, albeit a bit sturdy. He nodded, having thought of a task for Mingye, and said, "Oh, Mingye! What a vivid name. Well, that's enough introductions. From now on, you'll be responsible for carrying firewood—you look like you have a sturdy build! I'll set up a guide rope along the path so you can walk back and forth by following it."

"Thank you, Lord Shangguan Yingjie!"

"Haha! Don't call me Lord Shangguan Yingjie. Just call me Xiao Jie!"

Mingye nodded in gratitude. When he heard Mingye address him as "Lord," Shangguan Yingjie blushed, feeling a bit shy, and shook his head in response.

Day after day, the work of carrying firewood repeated. After about a month, in the middle of one night, Mingye sat up from his straw mat. He sensed his surroundings, and after confirming that everyone was fast asleep, he stepped out of the hut and headed toward the nearby woods.

"Uchiha Yao pays his respects to the Third Young Master!"

A shadow flickered, and a ninja wearing the Uchiha clan's signature fan-patterned attire knelt before Mingye. Mingye gave a bitter smile; he had written a coded message on his very first day of infiltrating this place and sent it via a summoning snake to Shimizu, but he hadn't expected it to take a full month for a reply. He asked with some dissatisfaction, "You lot are certainly slow. You've left me to toil away for over a month!"

Yao, aware of Mingye's displeasure, offered an apologetic explanation. "Following the information provided by the Third Young Master, we have been scouting and investigating with all our might. It took us nearly a month to understand why the Fuma Clan ninjas have been appearing in such large numbers lately."

"Oh? You've found out?"

Hearing Yao's reply, Mingye raised an eyebrow. Yao nodded and answered, "Yes. Three days from now is the sixtieth birthday of the Fuma Clan leader, Fuma Kotaro. That is why the Fuma ninjas have been so active, and why they have been rounding up beggars and helpless wanderers from the wilderness to serve as forced labor."

"Fuma Kotaro!? I recall that Fuma Kotaro was the first head of the Fuma Clan, wasn't he?"

The name Fuma Kotaro was all too familiar. Mingye remembered that the first leader of the Fuma Clan was indeed Fuma Kotaro, and he felt a flicker of confusion.