A few days later, outside the City of Fire, Uchiha Takashi stood with several others, watching the soldiers on guard at the distant city gates.
Just as Yukimichi Uchiha's message had said, the city was now sealed off, leaving no way to sneak inside.
But this posed no difficulty for Uchiha Takashi. Under cover of darkness, while no one was watching, he concealed himself. The pinwheel in his right eye slowly turned, and he slipped inside without a sound, bringing the people behind him along.
The Uzumaki Clan members maintaining the barrier within the city noticed nothing.
Once inside the city, Uchiha Takashi immediately found Yukimichi Uchiha, who was hiding in an inn.
"Third Elder! What brings you here?" Yukimichi Uchiha asked, his face full of delighted surprise.
"This matter is rather complicated," Uchiha Takashi said. "You can't handle it, so I came in person. Stay at the inn from now on. I'm going to the daimyo's residence. Remember, don't reveal your identities under any circumstances without word from me!"
"Understood, Third Elder." ...
At the daimyo's residence in the City of Fire, the capital of the Land of Fire.
The daimyo listened to his subordinate's report with a displeased expression. He had just learned that Suke Fujiwara had bypassed him and sealed off the City of Fire.
The daimyo gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tight, his eyes seeming to spit fire.
Yet all he could do was force himself to take deep breaths and suppress his anger.
Because, to put it plainly, he was nothing more than a puppet now.
He was the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, yet three ministers beneath him had stripped him of his authority.
After the previous daimyo's departure, the daimyo had lost all his powers, including military command, administrative authority, taxation rights, legislative authority, and the like.
The three great families monopolized absolutely everything. Claiming that His Highness was too young to handle affairs of state, they brazenly gathered all power into their own hands!
However furious the daimyo was about this, there was nothing he could do. Within the entire City of Fire, he could not even command the samurai beside him!
The capital, the City of Fire, was entirely under the three great families' control. Not even a mosquito could fly out, let alone his orders.
The only people the daimyo could now trust and command were the two or three eunuchs beside him. Everyone else had been sent by the three great families to monitor him. Even his consorts were spies they had sent.
Seeing the daimyo's helpless expression, the head eunuch beside him lowered his head and asked, "Your Highness, are you all right?"
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire shook his head and exhaled before saying, "I'm fine. Just furious. In a City of Fire this vast, there isn't a single person I can use! They're all under those three scoundrels' control!
"I hate it! Am I supposed to watch them hold all the power and spend my whole life muddling along in this so-called daimyo's seat?"
As the daimyo spoke, his head drooped low, his voice filled with helplessness and sorrow.
The eunuchs beside him were affected as well, and sorrow appeared on their faces.
The head eunuch hurriedly said, "It will be all right, Your Highness! We just need to keep enduring! Wait for the right moment, and we'll surely be able to take everything back!"
The daimyo gave a feeble smile. "Endure? How many years have I endured since taking this position? Have I accomplished anything? Power is still in the hands of those three scoundrels!
"No one listens to my orders. Whatever I say, every minister, every guard, even the lowest-ranking samurai lets it go in one ear and out the other!
"And now that scoundrel Fujiwara has even gained the Senju Clan's support! They have ninja now. Even if you gave me a force of samurai, there would be no way for me to deal with them..."
"Your Highness!" the head eunuch said. "You mustn't give up! You have to keep going! As long as you persevere, there will be hope!"
The corner of the daimyo's mouth twitched. "What hope? All I've seen over these years is despair! Is someone going to descend from the sky to help me?"
Just as the daimyo was giving in to despair, a samurai walked in with a blank expression, and Uchiha Takashi slowly followed behind him.
The daimyo jumped in fright at the samurai's sudden entrance. At the sight, the head eunuch beside him immediately shouted in a shrill voice.
"Who dares trespass in the daimyo's residence?" Before he could finish, the daimyo beside him sent him flying with a kick. "Shut your mouth!"
Then the daimyo stared at Uchiha Takashi's scarlet eyes in disbelief and said, "You're an Uchiha?"
Uchiha Takashi nodded noncommittally. "That's right, Lord Daimyo. I am Uchiha Takashi, the Third Elder of the Uchiha Clan."
The daimyo narrowed his eyes. He was not puzzled about how Uchiha Takashi had reached him without a sound. After all, he had heard of the Uchiha's genjutsu.
"What business do you have with me? I don't believe I've had any dealings with the Uchiha," the daimyo said in a low voice.
Uchiha Takashi slowly extended a hand. "Lord Daimyo, I've come to help you. Don't you want to get rid of the Fujiwara Family and the other two families?"
Hearing this, the daimyo could no longer keep his composure. His face filled with excitement as he said, "You Uchiha can help me?"
Uchiha Takashi nodded. "That's right. We Uchiha can provide you with assistance. With our strength, getting rid of the three great families as you wish will no longer be a problem."
"What price do I need to pay?" the daimyo asked. "Surely you Uchiha don't work for free?"
Uchiha Takashi raised his head. "Of course not. We Uchiha never make deals at a loss (though most of our deals do lose money). To be frank, we have a feud with the Senju Clan.
"The Senju have recently been plotting to take the Fujiwara Family's assets. As it happens, so have we, so we hope you can help us, Lord Daimyo."
The daimyo stroked his chin. "I have heard about the feud between the Uchiha and Senju clans. I didn't expect your enmity to run so deep. But I'm only a puppet. I'm afraid I can't offer much help."
Uchiha Takashi shook his head. "No, no, no, Lord Daimyo. I'm afraid you still don't understand what your position represents. You don't need to offer any concrete assistance. All we need is your authorization as daimyo.
"Just give us something that represents your identity, and the Uchiha Clan will take care of everything for you. Once it's over, all you need to do is acknowledge our lawful ownership of the Fujiwara Family's assets."
When the daimyo heard that he would not have to pay any price, only lend a tiny bit of nominal authority that seemed utterly insignificant to him, his breathing immediately grew heavy.
"Really? Truly, I don't have to concern myself with anything? All you need is... authorization?"
Seeing that the fish had taken the bait, Uchiha Takashi nodded. "Of course. We Uchiha can guarantee it! Since you know our name, you must know our strength.
"We are fully confident that we can deal with all the Senju and rebellious samurai here."
The daimyo still hesitated. "But what excuse should I use to let the Uchiha Clan rightfully inherit the Fujiwara Family's assets?"
Uchiha Takashi smiled faintly. "Lord Daimyo, Miss Tsukina Fujiwara of the Fujiwara Family is currently a guest of the Uchiha Clan. Mr. Kai Fujiwara has already been murdered.
"As the sole heir, Miss Tsukina Fujiwara has chosen to place herself under our protection. Naturally, we Uchiha must safeguard these assets on her behalf. This is entirely legal, Lord Daimyo."
As the daimyo listened to Uchiha Takashi, his mind raced. Thinking of the three great families' arrogant faces as they held all the power, and his own extreme yearning for power, he ultimately agreed to Uchiha Takashi's proposal.
"Very well! The Uchiha, is it? I hope you won't disappoint me!"
"Of course, Lord Daimyo," Uchiha Takashi said in satisfaction. "You can rest assured of the Uchiha's reputation."
Afterward, Uchiha Takashi left the daimyo's residence, recalling his performance inside just now.
Only then did Uchiha Takashi belatedly realize, Why do I seem so much like a demon tempting a king in a Western fantasy novel? Why do I seem so much like a villain?
But he quickly drove that thought away. Pah, pah, pah! I'm part of the righteous Konoha Military Police Force! This is all to crush the evil Senju Clan's plans! I'm not a villain!