Upper Nobles' Scandal

Upper Nobles' Scandal

He had nearly been scared to death.

But at the same time, Shinteng Zoi was furious. In the eyes of nobles, shinobi were nothing more than servants—lowly, inferior people.

He had never expected these lowly shinobi to attempt to murder a noble.

Shinteng Zoi said, "I could tell long ago. Those shinobi who came to rely on us are nothing but ungrateful curs!"

"Good thing I hired Uchiha Clan shinobi, or I would have been in danger."

Ying said, "Lord Shinteng Zoi, as far as I know, the Chinoike Clan completely pledged themselves to the Land of Lightning several years ago. Why would they attack you, a noble of the Land of Lightning?"

Uchiha Jobu also wanted to know the answer. Life was difficult during the Warring States Era. Many shinobi clans could not survive solely by taking missions and could only attach themselves to powerful nobles or willingly become weapons of other countries.

The Land of Lightning.

One of the strongest nations of the Warring States Era, it possessed an army far larger than those of other countries.

Logically speaking, after pledging themselves to the Land of Lightning, the Chinoike Clan should never have attacked Shinteng Zoi. Such an act would be considered treason and would bring the collective extermination of the Land of Lightning's upper ranks upon them.

"Hmph! What else could it be? The Chinoike Clan chief's daughter, that lowborn wench, rose to power and married the Daimyo."

Perhaps because he had watched Uchiha Jobu kill everyone, Shinteng Zoi had grown bolder as he spoke.

"These lowborn wretches who know no distinction between high and low think that just because they have latched onto the Daimyo, they can lay hands on nobles like us."

"Wishful thinking! I know exactly what the Chinoike Clan shinobi want. They want to kill me and leave my sister helpless, so they can make their clan chief's daughter the Daimyo's only wife!"

Uchiha Jobu nodded in understanding. So that was it. All he could say was that the circles of the elite were truly a mess. To elevate the clan chief's daughter, they planned to kill Shinteng Zoi and remove the current wife of the Land of Lightning's Daimyo.

"My mission only involves escorting you back to the Land of Lightning. I will deal with any enemies encountered along the way."

"Uchiha! I want to add to the mission. I want your Uchiha Clan shinobi to attack and kill the Chinoike Clan shinobi for me!"

"You should know that during the Warring States Era, Uchiha Clan shinobi command the highest hiring fees. To deal with a shinobi clan of considerable strength, we would need to deploy at least fifty shinobi and bring in powerful elites. You need to pay more. Understand?"

At the mention of money, Shinteng Zoi immediately looked disdainful. He lifted his chin and said, "One hundred million ryo."

In the Shinobi Village Era that emerged after the Warring States Era, shinobi missions were divided into five ranks: S, A, B, C, and D. S-rank missions paid over one million ryo, A-rank missions paid several hundred thousand to around one million, and the upper limit of the rewards decreased from there.

Not to mention that this was still the Warring States Era. One hundred million ryo was enough to support the entire Uchiha Clan for one or two years.

Uchiha Jobu said, "Ying, return to the clan first and report the situation here."

As expected of one of the Land of Lightning's highest-ranking nobles, Shinteng Zoi had casually offered one hundred million ryo to add to the mission.

Ying was also stunned by the one hundred million ryo Shinteng Zoi had offered.

Upon hearing Uchiha Jobu tell her to return to the Uchiha Clan first, Ying immediately turned around and hurried back toward the Land of Fire.

If they had contracted summon beasts, they could have simply called one to deliver the message.

Watching Ying's departing figure, Uchiha Jobu calculated how long it would take the Uchiha Clan to reach the Land of Lightning. As he carefully considered it, he suddenly sensed that something was wrong. He frowned and asked, "If things truly happened as you said, do you think the Chinoike Clan shinobi would be the only ones to attack you?"

Shinteng Zoi stared blankly. "Could there be others looking to die?"

Uchiha Jobu said gravely, "We have not truly entered the Land of Lightning yet. We are on the border between the two countries. A mission that can only be considered medium-scale could never have had the means to learn your route home and wait here to ambush you."

He had not noticed it before, but a sudden flash of insight made him feel certain that more than just Chinoike Clan shinobi were involved. Otherwise, they could not have known Shinteng Zoi's location before he even entered the Land of Lightning and waited for him here.

There were two reasons. First, judging by how the Chinoike Clan appeared and attacked, they were extremely familiar with the surrounding terrain. They could not have just arrived.

That could only mean the Chinoike Clan shinobi had come here in advance, at least a day earlier than Shinteng Zoi.

Second, there had been no danger or enemies along the way. There was a strong chance that someone had deliberately arranged things this way, solely to allow Shinteng Zoi to reach the Land of Lightning sooner.

Of course, it was only a guess. Uchiha Jobu did not dare be certain. Shinobi could not be judged by common sense. Who knew what the Chinoike Clan was thinking? Especially since many shinobi from that clan seemed mentally unstable, crazed and deranged.