Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 208
🕑 Added 2025-03-01 00:15:14 +0000 UTCThe current daimyō of the Land of Fire sat at the head of the hall, his face filled with worry. The atmosphere in this grand chamber, where he and his ministers held internal discussions, was heavy and solemn.
Since the daimyō remained silent, the ministers understood they needed to be cautious with their words.
After all, those present were first and foremost the retainers of the daimyō, and only then the ministers of the Land of Fire.
"Konoha's official documents have arrived. There is no doubt—the Hokage is furious. Those people are unlikely to escape death."
"Daimyō-sama, although they deserve their punishment, allowing Konoha to execute them freely goes against the original intention of the system. This could harm relations between the nation and the ninja village."
"If Lady Tsunade could return to Konoha, perhaps it would ease the Hokage's anger?"
"But she has made up her mind to travel outside."
The ministers discussed among themselves, but to the daimyō, it was all pointless chatter.
This elderly daimyō gave off a peaceful and easygoing demeanor.
In Konoha, he was highly regarded. Regardless of rank, he treated the Konoha ninjas with kindness and sincerity. Many believed that with such a daimyō, the bond between Konoha and the daimyō's residence would remain as close as ever.
However, in the eyes of others, the daimyō's image varied.
To his retainers, he was a ruler who concealed his true depths.
To the lords of other provinces, his reputation differed.
To the great nobles, he was a strong and decisive leader.
To the middle-class nobility, he was a ruler with a benevolent heart.
To the lesser nobles, especially the wandering samurai who sought positions in his court, he was a just and righteous sovereign.
As for the commoners of the Land of Fire, their impression of the daimyō came from his appointed officials. They believed he was a ruler who cared about the hardships of the people—having such a daimyō was their fortune.
But right now, this "fortunate" daimyō was truly feeling the heat.
In his view, there was no such thing as good or bad people. Nor did he have particular favoritism toward any relative. The moment he took the position of daimyō, his first priority became the entire ruling family.
The same logic applied to his relationship with Konoha.
He had no special preference for any Hokage. Nor did he have personal grudges against any of them.
He represented the noble class of the nation. The Hokage represented the ninjas of the nation.
What they spoke was not their personal words but the words of their respective institutions. Thus, their personal identities were irrelevant.
Yet, because of some short-sighted individuals, a crisis had emerged between the daimyō's residence and Konoha.
In truth, this crisis had existed for a long time—ever since the Third Hokage was no longer a Senju.
His surname was Sarutobi.
Had the Fourth Hokage been Tsunade, the daimyō would have felt much more at ease.
Instead, it was Minato.
To be honest, the daimyō would have preferred if the Hokage had simply been an Uchiha.
As someone from the present, who had not personally lived through past eras, the daimyō still understood the history of his family's cooperation with Konoha.
The Senju and Uchiha clans were the investments made by his family in the past.
From funding Hashirama and Madara in founding Konoha, to later intermarrying with the Senju clan, everything was aimed at ensuring an unbroken lineage of control.
This collaboration was built upon three families.
The Senju and Uchiha clan ruling alternately—that was what the Land of Fire had hoped for.
But…
Forget it. Plans never kept up with changes.
During the Third Hokage's era, the state of the Uchiha clan was something the daimyō's family never expected.
The once-mighty Uchiha were actually suppressed by a group of later generations? That seemed almost absurd.
Yet, compared to the Sarutobi clan, the daimyō's family still found the Uchiha clan more reassuring. But since reality had already shifted, they had no choice but to accept that the Hokage seat in Konoha had become "fluid."
The daimyō's family still held expectations for the Uchiha clan, but as they watched the Senju name disappear entirely from Konoha while the Uchiha caln remained aggressive yet unstrategic, they could only feel frustrated.
Fortunately, just as the daimyō's family was about to abandon their original partnership plan and invest even more to deal with an increasingly uncertain Konoha, an exceptional Uchiha emerged.
When Masashi arrived at the daimyō's residence, he received the daimyō's support.
To the daimyō, wealth was important, but not the most important. An Uchiha who could devise such a comprehensive plan—if he didn't become Hokage one day, that would be truly strange.
As a daimyō, he was flexible, yet also stubborn in his beliefs.
His family's partners were the Senju and Uchiha clan. Konoha was merely the product of that partnership.
Since the Senju members were no longer involved in the shinobi world, the only remaining partner was the Uchiha clan.
Konoha was too vast. If he treated the entire village as a collaboration partner, stability would be a negative factor, and he would have to invest heavily to maintain a steady relationship.
Seeing his retainers still discussing irrelevant matters, the daimyō decided to remind them.
"Has the Uchiha clan responded?" he asked.
His distant cousin was unreliable—he had realized this after spending a day with her in disguise.
The granddaughter of the First Hokage… was useless.
Hearing the daimyō's question, the ministers stopped arguing and sat up straight.
"Daimyō-sama, we have contacted the Hokage Advisor and the elders, but their response was not very promising. They hope the daimyō's residence can understand Konoha's difficulties."
But the daimyō didn't care about Fugaku's attitude.
Although Fugaku was the Uchiha clan head, the daimyō saw him as the same type as Hiruzen—constantly talking about Konoha.
The "Will of Fire" had no place for the daimyō.
Back when Hashirama and Tobiyama dealt with the previous daimyō, they also spoke of the "Will of Fire," but their situation was different.
The marriage alliance between their families was proof of that.
"What does Lord Masashi say?"
The ministers did not answer.
Which meant they hadn't contacted him.
The daimyō understood his ministers were all brilliant minds, and right now, they were deliberately playing dumb. He wasn't going to spoil their fun by pointing it out.
"Write a letter to Lord Masashi and ask for his opinion," the daimyō instructed directly.
Masashi was not a noble, but the daimyō enjoyed calling him that.
The ministers understood why.
It was simply because Masashi was a staunch supporter of the daimyō.
He hardly even seemed like a modern Konoha ninja.
At the same time, when dealing with other nobles, he was incredibly dominant.
The ministers had avoided contacting him because they didn't want to be berated into questioning their own existence—no matter how polite his words were.
"Daimyō-sama, if Konoha sends Masashi to the daimyō's residence as an emissary, what should we do?"
"The friendship between the Land of Fire and Konoha has lasted for decades. It should not be ruined by selfish opportunists," the daimyō declared. "If he comes to the daimyō's residence, you will respect him as you respect me."
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Seeing the daimyō's residence so close at hand, Masashi was reminded of the time when he first came here to establish the Association—it felt like it was just yesterday.
After much discussion, in the end, it was still him who had to come.
The Fire Daimyō was a good person, after all.
"Enter the city," Masashi ordered.
Behind him stood around a hundred elite members, handpicked from the Police Force.
When it comes to investigating cases, the ANBU were undeniably impressive.
But when it came to blockading people, the Police Force was still the best.
Since the daimyō's residence was a sensitive place, they couldn't be too conspicuous.
They couldn't just secretly assassinate people—that wouldn't be effective.
But they also couldn't be too aggressive—that would be overkill. After all, everyone was eating from the same pot.
As a large group of Konoha ninjas marched forward, the gate guards were startled.
The chaos caused by the various ninja villages executing people had already spread like wildfire. Even though each village only operated within its own territory and targeted non-civilians, it was still a terrifying matter for ordinary people and lower-ranking nobles.
Masashi thought the whole situation had been handled a bit too crudely.
The ANBU's style—stealthy assassinations—still ended up looking like acts of terrorism.
Upon entering the city, Masashi led his subordinates straight to the daimyō's residence.
A hundred well-mannered, disciplined military contractors stood in formation at the entrance, eyes fixed ahead.
Masashi entered the residence alone.
Dressed in his Konoha ninja attire, no one would dare stop him at the door—unless all one hundred of his men tried to enter with him.
The reckless actions of some fools had indeed caused tension between the nobility and the shinobi.
Fortunately, the Fire Daimyō was a good man.
When Masashi saw him again, the daimyō greeted him with a warm smile.
"Greetings, Daimyō-sama," Masashi bowed slightly. "You look quite well today. I hope the medicine from last time has been helping you sleep better."
"You're always so considerate, Lord Masashi. I never expected the Hyūga clan's secret medicine to be so effective even for an ordinary person like me," the daimyō chuckled. "Are you here today on official business?"
"Yes. The village has discovered spies from foreign nations lurking within the daimyō's residence, attempting to destabilize the Land of Fire. I have come to request a special permit to apprehend them. Given the possibility of resistance, I also seek authorization for immediate execution if necessary."
The daimyō's residence was special.
While the ninja village could usually ignore local nobles, freely entering cities to capture or eliminate targets without much concern, the daimyō's residence was a different matter.
The daimyō was not just another noble—he was an ally of the ninja village.
"No problem. If it's you, I trust you completely." The daimyō gestured to a servant. "Bring the item to Lord Masashi."
The servant bowed and left, soon returning with a tray carrying a white cloth strip.
Masashi picked up the cloth and tied it around his shoulder, ensuring the daimyō's official seal was prominently displayed.
"Thank you for your support, Daimyō-sama. I will handle this carefully."
"You are always welcome here, even when there is no official business." The daimyō sighed regretfully. "Speaking with you always brings me valuable insights."
"You flatter me, Daimyō-sama," Masashi smiled. "Please forgive me for leaving so soon, but the matter is urgent. Although we have been monitoring them, we must prevent any desperate actions that could disrupt the peace of the daimyō's residence."
"In that case, please proceed as you see fit."
"I appreciate your generosity. I take my leave."
After bidding farewell, Masashi exited the residence.
As soon as he stepped outside, over a hundred Police Force ninjas turned in unison.
"The daimyō has granted special approval. Let's get to work," he announced from the residence entrance. Knowing the lethal nature of his subordinates, he gave them a reminder, "But be mindful of your methods. Do not disturb the civilians. If someone screams and makes a scene, shut them up first."
This was the capital, after all—having people screeching in the streets would ruin the city's appearance.
The ninjas were momentarily stunned but quickly took the words to heart. Then, they vanished using the Body Flicker, dispersing to their assigned targets.
He remained standing at the entrance for a moment. A nearby servant wanted to ask what he was thinking but hesitated, recalling Masashi's reputation.
Fortunately, he did not have to wonder for long.
Masashi decided to head to the Association's headquarters first.
Activating the Flying Thunder God, he disappeared from the servant's sight and reappeared at the entrance of the headquarters.
At this moment, a crowd had gathered outside the Association's building.
All the senior executives of the Association were present.
Masashi's grand entrance into the city had terrified them.
Though the Trade Association had flourished over the years thanks to support from both Konoha and the Fire Daimyō, everyone was well aware of one fact:
The Association belonged to the Uchiha clan. All its resources existed because of them.
And the Uchiha clan's stance toward the Association depended entirely on Masashi.
They had once been ignorant of what would happen to an Association without Masashi. But after seeing what happened in the Land of Earth, they knew.
Over there, the local trade representatives had formed an Association branch. Now, they were trembling like pigs awaiting slaughter.
Regardless of whether Iwa, Suna, or Kumo emerged victorious, those merchants would be stripped to the bone.
"You're all here, I see." Masashi nodded. "Where are the suspects?"
"They've all been detained, Masashi-sama," the Association president replied with a forced smile.
But his smile quickly faded as Masashi's expression turned cold.
In the past, this man had always been courteous and polite.
Now, with just a shift in his demeanor, the president understood why Masashi had earned the nickname "Ghost".
"They may have made mistakes, but they've worked alongside us. Even if they lack merit, they've endured hardships. Locking them up like this—what does that accomplish?" Masashi asked.
Some people felt a flicker of hope at these words—only for fear to return even stronger.
"We've all been colleagues. When they die, at least let it be with dignity."
The room fell into stunned silence. Masashi raised an eyebrow.
"What? You don't want to grant them that dignity?"
"N-No! We're more than willing!" The president snapped to attention, stammering in his eagerness. "Masashi-sama, we will strictly enforce discipline from now on! This won't happen again!"
"Hmm." Masashi waved a hand dismissively. "I won't count on that. I'll send you a draft of the revised regulations—make adjustments accordingly. Oh, and be sure to compensate their families. If even a single coin is missing, use your own heads to make up for it."
"Understood!"
