Daimyo in Danger

The Konoha squad gradually disappeared at the end of the road outside the palace, and the sounds of footsteps and conversations also faded away.

The Daimyo stared intently out the window, a hint of caution in his expression, and quietly asked the maid beside him, "Have the people outside gone far?"

The maid bowed slightly, looked carefully into the distance, and then respectfully replied, "My lord, they have already gone far away."

Upon hearing Daimyo, Daimyo's tense shoulders instantly relaxed, and he let out a long sigh, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. "The Uchiha Clan members are not easy to deal with."

Just then, the little girl who had been hiding behind the Daimyo's throne Earth Flow out. She was the Daimyo's granddaughter, Sonoko.

The messenger stepped forward, a hint of displeasure on his face, and said indignantly, "This boy is too rude. Why doesn't Your Excellency punish him? Letting him go so easily is far too lenient."

The Daimyo smiled and shook his head, not immediately answering the messenger's question.

He gently squatted down, opened his arms, and held his granddaughter on his lap, his eyes full of love.

Looking out the window at the Sky Manipulation, Daimyo's thoughts drifted back to many years ago. He slowly began to speak, "When I was very young, I met my grandfather, who was also my father's grandfather, and he had dealings with the village chief of a village that had become wealthy by selling ninja tools. At its peak, that village could even challenge the entire Shinobi World. It was called Mimura."

"Back then, there was no Konoha. All the military power was controlled by my grandfather. He advocated expansion, and there were constant wars around the borders, resulting in many deaths and injuries. The blacksmithing technology and iron ore production of the Land of Fire alone could not meet the needs of such a war. So my grandfather bought a lot of ninja tools from Mimura."

"Because at that time, the Land of Land of Fire was at war with both the Land of Wind and the Land of Water. The Land of Fire's financial reserves had long since collapsed, and there was very little left in the warehouse. The old man negotiated with the Mimura and agreed to pay off the money for the ninja tools in two years. They signed a contract that now seems extremely expensive and unreasonable."

"However, the Land of Fire failed to win the war for a long time, while Mimura, having supplied the Land of Fire with ninja tools for many years, had a per capita standard of living that even rivaled that of noble families. When the old man saw how wealthy Mimura was, he thought that if he could take over Mimura, he wouldn't have to pay back the money for the ninja tools and would also get more resources to continue expanding his territory."

"As a result, Mimura won, but the old man didn't win the war; the national economy was dragged down."

Sonoko blinked her big, watery eyes and asked curiously, "And then, Grandpa?"

"When the representative of Mimura came to see my grandfather, he showed no manners whatsoever. He even stood next to my grandfather and shook hands with him. After that, the representative lived in the Land of Fire and established a ninja base. However, later on, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha established Konoha. Relying on Hashirama Senju's deterrent power, Mimura withdrew its troops, and the Shinobi World ushered in a long period of peace. Mimura could not profit from the war, so it was destroyed."

Daimyo continued, "When I recalled this period after I grew up, I wondered why the old man wasn't angry and why he was so polite to a commoner. Later, after experiencing many things, I understood three principles."

"What's the reasoning behind that?" Sonoko asked impatiently, her eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge.

"Sonoko, I have a question for you. Why are your two dogs treated so differently? The puppy never gets the same food as the big dog."

Sonoko pointed to her chin, "It's because the big dog has a big appetite."

"No, you already took extra care of that big dog when it was still a puppy. Remember? It bit your hand once."

Sonoko nodded. "Yes, my mother told me not to raise them anymore, saying they were wolves that could never be tamed."

Daimyo smiled and said, "So why did you give it extra food later?"

Sonoko thought about it carefully for a moment, "But, maybe, I just want to fill its belly so it won't bite me."

The Daimyo smiled without saying a word. He gently patted his granddaughter's head and turned to the servant beside him, instructing, "Go, give the order to treat the Konoha team well and make sure everything is arranged perfectly."

Others couldn't understand it, but the messenger who had been in contact with the Hokage and Danzo understood it.

No wonder the Daimyo was so polite to Danzo during every meeting, but had a lukewarm attitude towards Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The reason is that vicious dogs bite people, but gentle dogs won't do anything even if they don't get enough to eat, right?

This is the first principle.

Learning to be patient is the second principle.

What about the third one?

No, we need to investigate further.

The messenger, looking like he had learned something, bowed to the Daimyo and said, "I'll make the arrangements right away."

"Snap—"

The crisp sound of fried lotus root slices breaking was particularly clear in the quiet banquet hall. Anko stood frozen in place with her cheeks puffed out, and the crab roe sauce on the tip of her chopsticks dripped "plop" onto the table embroidered with gold thread.

The Konoha ninjas all had rosy cheeks. Although the sake was weak, the quality of the sake from the Daimyo's place was so high that everyone drank to their heart's content.

Uzuki Yugao tapped her soup spoon lightly on the rim of the porcelain bowl, her cool voice carrying a hint of amusement. "Senior, this is the fourth dish you've stolen from us tonight. You said you'd order your own."

"I'm testing the food for everyone!" Anko said matter-of-factly, dragging the whole plate of shrimp in front of her.

Sasuke sat upright on the cushion, his chopsticks secretly reaching for the cold tomato dish in front of Uchiha Yu.

Kurenai Yuhi suddenly leaned over and poured him a cup of plum syrup, a camellia flower brushing against the boy's hair as she said, "Little Sasuke's chopsticks are steadyer than his Kunai."

Sasuke quickly withdrew his hand, looking embarrassed.

Both are Sasuke, but the original Sasuke lived alone for many years after his entire family died, so it's normal for him to become withdrawn.

Now, Sasuke has an older brother Uchiha Yu, who Tenten has hellish jokes on his lips, and his personality is more cheerful and lively than the original Sasuke.

"Try this."

Yamato scooped a spoonful of tofu into Sasuke's dish, but when he turned around, he found that his eel rice had turned into Anko and chili rice.

Anko, with an eel tail in his mouth, seriously commented to the maid, "The cooking is far inferior to the chashu at Ichiraku Ramen. Next time, remember to smoke it with cherry wood."

The maid stared in disbelief at the empty tray, completely unaware that half of the sashimi platter for ten people that had just been served was missing.

The teriyaki chicken wing that Anko was about to pick up suddenly turned into a stuffed bitter melon—the tips of Kurenai Yuhi's fingertips glowed almost imperceptibly in the candlelight.

"Using Genjutsu at the dinner table is too despicable!" Anko slammed her hand on the table, ready to protect her food.

Kurenai Yuhi said, "The food you ordered wasn't good, so you stole ours."

"No! No!" Anko pouted. "I'll eat mine later too."

"Alright." Uchiha Yu interrupted the argument between the two, "Anko- senpai, you should eat less. If you keep eating like this, you'll turn into Anko Sweet Potato in a few years."

"Jingle--"

The wind chimes under the eaves suddenly rang softly, and the maids all knelt down in unison.

When the Daimyo emerged from behind the screen, waving a gold-leafed folding fan, he laughed upon seeing this scene, "Your dining etiquette... is very ninja-like."

Everyone quickly stood up, even Uchiha Yu stood up.

After all, one is obligated to those who feed them.

"It's nothing. I just wanted to see how you were eating. It's getting late. After you finish your meal, the maids will arrange for you to go to bed."

Yamato bowed. "Thank you for the hospitality!"

After seeing the Daimyo off, Uchiha Yu clicked his tongue, "This Daimyo is much more powerful than I imagined. He has high emotional intelligence, no wonder few ninjas try to assassinate him."

Yamato nodded. "Yes, I had a mission related to the Daimyo two years ago and had a brief contact with Daimyo. He is far more than he appears."

Sasuke couldn't understand what the two were saying, so he tugged at Uchiha Yu's sleeve and asked, "When are you going to teach me the Great Fireball Technique?"

"Why learn Great Fireball? I'll teach you Dragon Fire Technique!"

Mitarashi Anko's elbow pressed heavily on Sasuke's shoulder, and the strong smell of alcohol made the boy frown and take a half step back.

Her reddened eyes glistened with tears in the lantern light, and her knuckles were white as she gripped the sake bottle, as if she were trying to pour some kind of burning emotion into Sasuke's body.

Uchiha Yu raised his hand to separate the two. "He hasn't graduated from the Ninja Academy yet, it's a bit early for him to learn C-rank Ninjutsu."

"Graduation?" Anko suddenly scoffed, her wine jug hitting a pillar and splashing amber liquid. "When I was seven, I could already dissect a bear alone in the Forest of Death."

"Back then."

Anko's voice stopped abruptly. She stared at the wine stains winding in the moonlight, as if she could see blood overflowing from a laboratory on a snowy night.

The reason she became the "strongest" person she is today is actually because of Orochimaru.

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Yu was immediately displeased. He stood up, pointed at himself, and said, "You want to steal my disciple, huh?"

Mitarashi Anko, hands on her hips, said defiantly, "What can you teach him? I know far more Ninjutsu than you do."

"Hey! It's one thing for someone else to say that, but you?"

"What's wrong with me! I've been on hundreds of missions! You've only done a few!"

"Including this third time, oh right, every mission involved fighting Kage Level ninja. What about you?"

Fueled by the alcohol, Anko retorted, "You're kidding me!"

The two argued back and forth, neither willing to give in, and finally decided to settle their differences by going to the lake outside to see who was more qualified to teach Sasuke Ninjutsu.

The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the calm lake surface, creating shimmering ripples.

Mitarashi Anko stood by the lake, took a deep breath, quickly Hand Seal, and shouted, "Dragon Fire Technique!" In an instant, a thick flame shot out from her mouth, like a roaring fire dragon, rushing towards the lake. The moment the flame touched the lake water, water vapor rose and made a "sizzling" sound, creating a spectacular scene.

"How about it, Sasuke? Pretty impressive, huh?" Mitarashi Anko looked at Sasuke with a smug look in her eyes, her eyes full of anticipation.

Sasuke's eyes gleamed with excitement as he nodded repeatedly, his face filled with a desire to learn.

Uchiha Yu smiled dismissively and stepped forward, saying, "What's the big deal?"

As he spoke, he took a deep breath and combined the Great Fireball with the Masked Monster's pressure to form the Composite Ninjutsu: Flame Wind Violent Wave!

The range and destructive power of this technique are much greater than Mitarashi Anko's Dragon Fire Technique, Sasuke's eyes suddenly lit up!

"If only... if I could learn this, then Itachi..."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Teach me!"

This left Uchiha Yu speechless, and he could only come up with an excuse. "You don't have a high 'affinity' for wind-style chakra, so you can't use it."

Anko snorted coldly, "Although your technique is more advanced than mine, he's too old to use such a technique! I'm still better!"

Uchiha Yu his lip, "I can do everything you can do, what's so great about you?"

Upon hearing this, Mitarashi Anko became even more indignant. She Hand Seal again and uttered a low shout, "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Her arms suddenly stretched out and transformed into countless thick pythons, which lunged at Uchiha Yu, their tongues flicking and their momentum menacing.

Uchiha Yu remained calm and composed, Hand Seal as well, and shouted, "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

In an instant, his arm also transformed into a python, colliding with Mitarashi Anko's python. For a moment, the shadows of snakes intertwined, accompanied by constant hissing sounds.

Seeing this, Mitarashi Anko's eyes widened in shock, her face filled with disbelief. "How is this possible? This is a technique personally taught by Orochimaru, how could you know it?"

Uchiha Yu smiled and lowered his arm, and the pythons instantly disappeared.

He gently pulled open his collar, revealing the Heaven Curse Mark on his neck. The eerie black patterns shimmered with a mysterious light under the moonlight. "Don't you know anything about your teammates?"

Looking at the Cursed Seal, Mitarashi Anko felt a mix of emotions. She never imagined that Uchiha Yu was also involved with Orochimaru.

Yu is much younger than Anko, and they both possess the Heaven Curse Mark, which means...

Did Orochimaru use him as a new vessel?

Having seen Orochimaru's confirmation, Mitarashi Anko was truly impressed.

No matter how much you talk about it, it can't compare to Orochimaru's selection.

"Alright then, you teach him."

"That won't do." Uchiha Yu suddenly called out to Mitarashi Anko: "I didn't say you can't teach. If you want to teach, then teach him the basics. I'm just competitive, not just bored."

Mitarashi Anko forced a smile, "How about a bet! Whoever teaches him Fire Release first, the other treats!"

"Tch, you think your appetite is invincible, huh? I just can't eat that much." Uchiha Yu rolled his eyes at Anko and continued, "Then you teach me first, I'm going back to sleep."

After this commotion, Sasuke's snake-style Ninjutsu has returned to normal.

At midnight, Fire Temple, a furtive figure slipped out of the sight of a patrol of warrior monks and leaped onto the courtyard wall.

Kazuma's son, Kong, looked around to make sure no one had seen him, then jumped off the courtyard wall and ran down the mountain.

Kong had done this many times before. Whenever he was wronged in the temple, he would angrily "run away from home" and wait for Chiriku to come down the mountain to find him. At that time, his fellow disciples who rolled their eyes at him would inevitably give him a lecture.

Kong's plan was good, but unfortunately he shouldn't have come down the mountain at this time.

Just as Sora reached the halfway point of the mountain, a man wearing Hannya Mask appeared behind him in an instant, grabbed Sora by the collar, and lifted him up.

"Who are you! Let me go!" Kong angrily waved his hands, but the other party was unusually strong. After a few struggles, his neck felt sore and he passed out.

"Hehe."

Kazuma then removed his mask and looked at his companions in the distance. "Got it, disperse!"

A beautiful young woman beamed with delight. "With him, Daimyo definitely won't survive until tomorrow night!"