"What are you trying to do? Do you know who I am?"
But then the man at the head, wearing a Yama mask, spoke up and said, " Kido Kōsuke, the president of the Wind Chime Chamber of Commerce, Arima Keiichi, the Finance Minister of the Land of Fire, am I right?"
"You... who are you? No one in the Land of Fire dares to touch me, you're dead!"
Those at the bottom didn't know his background and dared not offend him, while those at the top who did know his background dared not offend him even more.
"You deliberately create friction for your own selfish interests and engage in bounty trading with exiled ninjas. You are a destroyer of peace and a promoter of war."
It is also the best offering to Jashin.
" Jashin? What kind of religious organization are you? Actually, I can also believe in Jashin..."
Kido Kōsuke that these young people were all hotheads who didn't consider the consequences of their actions.
Survival is the most important thing; beliefs and such are irrelevant.
He goes wherever he goes, worshipping wherever he sees a temple or a god; there can't be any harm in that, right?
"NO... NO... NO! I'm going to send you to a place where there is no hatred or resentment, no sorrow or pain, no poverty or wealth, where everyone is born equal."
"What... what place is that?"
"May they die without a burial place!"
puff...
The massive scythe sliced across Kido Kōsuke's neck, and blood gushed out, dripping onto the ground.
A circular pattern with an equilateral triangle embedded within it was drawn, and the sacrificial array diagram was completed.
"Pain is the ladder to godhood. May the Lord Jashin protect you, Amen."
Amen!
The others followed suit with prayer, and then raised their sickles to begin a sacrificial ceremony for the rest of the people.
"Ah... have mercy... have mercy on me..."
Screams filled the air, and the shrine reeked of blood. This horrific and evil scene was witnessed by those hiding inside the shrine.
They trembled and dared not utter a sound.
"Sir, what should we do? These madmen might attack us too, wouldn't they?" someone asked anxiously.
"No, they're just using our space to punish the wicked. We're just priests; we haven't done anything wrong."
"May it be so, Great Goddess Amaterasu protect us."
Never before had they held such faith in the Great God.
The ceremony lasted about half an hour before it ended. The members of the Jashin Cult did not harm the shrine and disappeared into the darkness.
Swish, swish, swish...
A group of Konoha Ninja wearing green vests tracked them down and found the man hanging from the torii gate.
"Found it, it's here... Oh no, someone's been killed."
"This is... Kōsuke, he's dead!"
"Something terrible has happened! Report it to the village immediately!"
If an ordinary person died, no one would care. But this person is one of the main suppliers of weapons to Konoha, and the Daimyo will definitely hold him accountable.
It took Aoki Tsuki a while to find the underground Exchange in the capital.
"Guest, how may I help you?"
"I'm issuing a task to collect clues from the entire Shinobi World. The reward is 30 million taels."
This is a big order; we must provide excellent service.
The waiter quickly asked, "What matter would you like to gather clues about?"
"My dearest friend Shisui Uchiha, died under mysterious circumstances. I suspect he was framed by a villain. Whoever can provide me with valuable clues, this money is theirs."
"Uh... this..." Upon hearing this, the waiter's joy vanished, and he even seemed a little flustered.
"What's wrong? Didn't you claim you could even put bounties on the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages? Are you making false claims?"
"Distinguished guest, Konoha is not to be trifled with," the waiter cautioned.
"Hmph, Konoha is nothing to be afraid of. Just publish it according to my requirements."
The waiter nodded. "Okay, no problem. This bounty will circulate in the underworld tomorrow. Please pay the deposit and leave your contact information."
Bang!
A large box was slammed onto the table. "I'll send someone over to verify it every three days."
Having said that, he turned and left, but stopped after taking two steps. With his back to the waiter, he threatened, "I'm not well-educated. If you dare to lie to me, don't blame me for tearing this place down."
They then left the Exchange.
The waiter shook his head upon hearing this. "Alas, the Land of Fire is going to be in for some trouble."
This person is clearly after Konoha. Konoha themselves have said that Body Flicker Shisui was suicide, yet they insist on reopening old wounds.
That's really like bringing up a sore spot; they're just trying to stir up trouble.
The following day, news plunged the bustling capital into complete panic: Kido Kōsuke, the president of the Wind Chime Chamber of Commerce, and his guards were found hanged outside Shinmei Shrine in the suburbs.
Some kind of evil ritual was suspected to be taking place at the scene, Kido Family was robbed of everything.
For many years, no matter how chaotic the Shinobi World has been, this place has always been protected by Konoha. The Five Great Nations have tacitly agreed never to send anyone to attack the capital of the other.
The daimyo of the Land of Fire was furious about this and immediately summoned his ministers to discuss the matter.
" Keiichi, this dead merchant, he was one of yours, wasn't he?" The daimyo stared blankly at the finance minister.
With Arima Keiichi explained, "Your Excellency, the various chambers of commerce are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance. My dealings with this person are purely official; we have absolutely no personal relationship."
"Well, since it's official business, let's handle it according to the normal procedures."
The daimyo waved his paper fan and made a decision. "First, appease the public; second, issue a warrant for the arrest of the culprit; and third, send a manhunt order to Konoha, giving them half a month to resolve this matter."
"Hi!"
Outside the conference room, the Guardian Ninja ninjas were stationed at key positions to protect the daimyo's safety.
" Asuma, this incident seems to be aimed at your Konoha," Chiriku said.
He and Asuma were assigned to the same shift.
"Well, they're just a bunch of heretics. The village will send people over to deal with them soon."
Asuma exhaled a smoke ring. The days of being Guardian Ninja were really boring. He spent his days standing guard to pass the time, and even two packs a day weren't enough.
"How's your mastery of that technique going?"
"It's too early. Although your technique is powerful, it consumes too much Chakra. It will be dangerous if you encounter a tough enemy. It's more reliable for me to focus on mastering my Wind Release."
Asuma's words reminded Chiriku of an old story: a powerful enemy had once exhausted him to the point of collapse.
'I wonder if that guy has mastered it?'
Secret Ninjutsu cannot be learned simply by holding a scroll; some techniques are passed down orally, through the accumulated experience of countless generations.
"Why do you seem so worried? Shouldn't a monk be detached from worldly affairs?" Asuma said with a smile.
Chiriku himself had a perpetually bitter and resentful appearance, which often made Asuma and the others laugh at him.
"That guy Kazuma is recruiting others to join his clique, and their ideology has deviated from the original purpose of Guardian Ninja. Aren't you worried at all?"
"The concept of 'one village, one country' has long been a consensus in the Shinobi World. Ninjas specialize in military affairs. If everything is left to the daimyo to decide, it will be impossible to respond in time once a war breaks out."
Furthermore, the training system for ninjas is far too complex, encompassing early training, learning, combat experience, missions, intelligence gathering, and so on.
Only a Kage, who is also a ninja, can handle these matters better.
Chiriku nodded. "I think so too. Blindly concentrating power in one person's hands is a very dangerous thing."
" Kazuma wants to try, then let him. Our duty is to protect the daimyo."
Asuma looked completely unconcerned.
No one understood Konoha's strength better than him; a mere few Jonin could not possibly shake Konoha's position.
" Nauma, Seito, Tōu, Kitane share the same philosophy as us," Chiriku emphasized.
"All right."
In that case, they were a small gang too. Asuma was helpless; even as a Guardian Ninja, he was forced to choose sides.
He now seems to have become the leader of the conservative faction.
At this time, another group led by Kazuma was also gathered in the room to discuss the matter. As the leader of the radical faction, Kazuma believed that the Hokage was unnecessary and that everything should be controlled by the Daimyo.
"Boss, it seems like this attack is aimed at Konoha, and someone posted a 'seeking clues about Shisui Uchiha's death' notice on the underground Exchange."
Kazuma smiled slightly upon hearing this, "Perhaps this is our opportunity. Hoshisame, secretly gather intelligence on this group and give it to me."
"Understood."
At the same time, information about the terrorist attack on the capital had already been placed in the Hokage's office.
The Konoha Ninja, as the personnel handling the initial crime scene, obtained more detailed clues that were not available to outsiders.
" Danzo, what do you think we should do about this?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked first.
Danzo understood that this was a rebuke for not handling the situation properly, which allowed someone to use the matter to their advantage and smear the Konoha High Command.
"You really need to manage your subordinates," Koharu Utatane in.
Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses and followed closely behind. "We also need to improve our strength."
It's amazing that Shisui Uchiha managed to escape with so many people around. Luckily, Shisui was honest and didn't make a scene, otherwise the Uchiha would have taken the opportunity to attack, which would have been troublesome.
Squeak, squeak...
Danzo clenched his fists in anger. Those shameless old men had clearly been hinting for him to attack.
Now that a problem has arisen, they're shifting the blame onto him alone.
"The Root people will find that troublemaker within a week and secretly execute him," Danzo assured him.
Do you have anyone you suspect? Could these two events in Daming Prefecture be related?
"Could it have been done by someone from the Uchiha Clan?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi denied it, saying, " The Uchiha members are all under the surveillance of the Anbu, and no one has left the village recently."
"I already have a lead, it won't take long." Danzo seemed very confident this time.
You need to handle this as soon as possible.
Once the truth about Shisui's death is revealed, it will prematurely trigger an internal crisis in Konoha, demonstrating the enemy's cunning.
"The Root forces have suffered successive losses and urgently need to replenish their ranks. As agreed, each family must send one person to serve within the ranks."
Danzo the opportunity to make a demand, but one group was killed by Akatsuki members, and the rest died during the encirclement and attack on Shisui.
There's no one available.
"Um."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded first, then instructed, "You must consult with each clan and not force them."
That's pointless; Danzo always finds a way to get them to participate voluntarily.