Chapter 117: Relocating the Capital and Assassination
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According to the intelligence Kakashi gathered, this Minister of the Right named Miura Kazuo, judged by worldly standards for officials, was definitely not a good person.
This man was greedy for money and fond of women. After becoming Minister of the Right, he used the power in his hands to amass wealth unscrupulously, and his residence was filled with countless beautiful wives and concubines. However, Uchiha Douhuan did see in the intelligence Kakashi obtained traces of the previous Daimyo's influence; in other words, this Minister of the Right named Miura Kazuo was likely a 'black glove' handpicked and promoted by the former Daimyo.
Only, this Minister of the Right hadn't been having an easy time recently. He and his faction had been utterly defeated in their political struggles against Abe Taiichi. If Orochimaru hadn't assassinated the Daimyo, it likely wouldn't have been long before this Minister of the Right would have been made a scapegoat by the Daimyo, serving one last function before both his political and physical life came to an end.
Therefore, after the Daimyo was assassinated and Uchiha Douhuan entered the Fire Capital and was entrusted with heavy responsibility, although Miura Kazuo didn't yet know exactly what had happened or why the Daimyo would issue such an outrageous order, Uchiha Douhuan's arrival was undoubtedly a lifeline appearing when he was at the end of his rope.
Consequently, without Uchiha Douhuan even needing to make contact, Miura Kazuo and his faction voluntarily offered their loyalty.
Uchiha Douhuan was naturally happy to see this happen. Whether Miura Kazuo had stains on his record was completely unimportant to Uchiha Douhuan; having stains actually made him easier to control.
Furthermore, Uchiha Douhuan now firmly controlled the entire Fire Capital. The vast fortune Miura Kazuo had amassed over the years was, to Uchiha Douhuan, merely a source of funds he could tap into at any time.
At this moment, the ritual of three refusals and three acceptances was complete. Uchiha Douhuan was now the universally acclaimed Grand Minister of State of the Land of Fire.
Even Abe Taiichi, who had been unconvinced from the start, had no choice but to accept this outcome. However, as he watched Uchiha Douhuan stand before all the officials dressed in the robes of the Grand Minister of State, an inexplicable light flashed in his eyes.
Over the next few days, the Land of Fire's officials also noticed things weren't quite right. All government affairs required Uchiha Douhuan's nod before they could pass. Compared to the four-year-old child sitting on the throne, Uchiha Douhuan seemed more like the real Daimyo. This situation made Abe Taiichi and others secretly anxious. Moreover, what alarmed them even more was that Uchiha Douhuan withheld all petitions regarding the repair of the palace halls destroyed by Orochimaru and Manda, taking no action.
This situation alone might not have meant much, but recently, rumors had spread within the Fire Capital that the capital's 'dragon vein' (geomantic energy line), after years of depletion, could no longer protect the Land of Fire's state, which was why the royal palace suffered such a disaster.
And since the Fire Capital was currently under the control of Hidden Leaf Village ninjas, anyone with discerning eyes could see that these so-called rumors were clearly released proactively by Uchiha Douhuan. Combined with his inaction on repairing the palace, what Uchiha Douhuan wanted to do was already blatantly obvious.
He wanted to relocate the capital.
After finishing work this day, the members of Abe Taiichi's faction, having eaten dinner, all used secret passages from their homes to gather in a secret room within Abe Taiichi's residence.
In recent days, with Uchiha Douhuan's tacit approval or even support, Miura Kazuo's faction had reversed its decline and continuously attacked them. Although Uchiha Douhuan would proactively step forward to act as the peacemaker whenever things reached the final stage, Uchiha Douhuan, however, collected every piece of evidence, both gathered and fabricated by the opposing side, without fail. This made them increasingly anxious. Uchiha Douhuan clearly intended to gather a large batch and settle accounts with them all at once.
Therefore, as soon as everyone arrived, someone immediately spoke impatiently: "I really don't know why the late king left such a final edict. Uchiha Douhuan is arrogant and domineering, controlling the court! Treacherous sycophants run rampant! If this continues, the nation will cease to be a nation!"
As soon as this person spoke, someone immediately burst into tears on the spot, while Abe Taiichi couldn't stop sighing.
However, their complaints were meaningless. This gathering, for Abe Taiichi and his faction, was more like huddling together for warmth. After all, the entire Fire Capital was now under Uchiha Douhuan's control. The Susanoo that Uchiha Douhuan had used to repel Orochimaru that day was, to them, no less than a god descending to the mortal world.
"Why are you gentlemen crying here? Can crying make him, Uchiha Douhuan, cry to death?" Just then, a strange voice suddenly sounded within the secret room, startling everyone.
"Who is it?" Abe Taiichi exclaimed in surprise.
From the shadows of the secret room, a man wearing a blank forehead protector slowly walked out. Tied to the corner of his clothing was a waistcloth inscribed with the character for 'Fire'.
"Is that you?" Someone present recognized the newcomer. It was none other than Kazuma, one of the former Guardian Shinobi Twelve of the Daimyo.
Recognizing the person, Abe Taiichi also calmed down. Although these civil officials weren't previously familiar with the Daimyo's Guardian Shinobi Twelve, he had heard about some of the other's ideals. He strongly agreed with the notion that the Land of Fire's ninja power should be controlled by the Daimyo, and that the system of ninja villages and the Hokage should not exist.
"Since this righteous warrior has spoken thus, could it be that you have a way to deal with Uchiha Douhuan?" Abe Taiichi asked.
"Of course," Kazuma nodded. "Although Uchiha Douhuan is strong, he is not invincible. I once learned a technique that can summon the deceased. I only need to use it to summon my former colleagues, the Lightning Release Four. Outside Uchiha Douhuan's residence, set up the combination ninjutsu, Lightning Release: Thunder Dream Lightning Chain. Everything within the range covered by this technique will turn into scorched earth. Even Orochimaru, who assassinated the Daimyo, wouldn't dare face this technique head-on. I believe killing Uchiha Douhuan with this shouldn't be a major problem."
"Is that so?" Abe Taiichi was overjoyed upon hearing this. If they could really eliminate Uchiha Douhuan as Kazuma described, it would be a great accomplishment.
"However," Kazuma's tone shifted, "the conditions for casting this technique are too demanding, and the required mediums are extremely precious. I cannot gather them all at short notice."
"Righteous warrior, how much more do you need? Our families possess some wealth; you may take whatever you need," Abe Taiichi quickly offered.
"You gentlemen are truly the pillars of our Land of Fire!" Kazuma said, moved.
"Righteous warrior, please don't say that. Although this undertaking is perilous, for the stability of our Land of Fire's state, please do not refuse."
...
Inside the temporary residence Uchiha Douhuan had requisitioned from a minor noble, within the luxurious tea room, Uchiha Douhuan calmly brewed tea.
"You seem quite idle," Kakashi, who had already been appointed by Uchiha Douhuan as the Fire Capital Security Commander, said with a smile as he pushed the door open and entered.
"Don't underestimate them. Any minor noble in this Land of Fire knows how to enjoy life better than even our Uchiha clan," Uchiha Douhuan looked up at the valuable antiques displayed in the tea room and said with a smile.
"The people coming to kill you are about to arrive," Kakashi delivered a piece of intelligence into Uchiha Douhuan's hands.
These Land of Fire officials and nobles, usually high and mighty, had clearly underestimated the intelligence gathering capabilities of Konoha's elite Jounin.
Their secret passage meetings were, to Kakashi, no different from the tricks pulled by children fresh out of the Ninja Academy.
And although Kazuma's strength could be considered elite Jounin level even in Konoha, being self-taught, his proficiency in the ninja staples of stealth and investigation was barely better than a village Genin. He could fool ordinary people, but in front of Kakashi, his methods were full of holes.
Uchiha Douhuan picked up the intelligence and glanced at it. Seeing Kazuma's plan detailed on it, he couldn't help but laugh: "Trying to kill me with Lightning Release? A bit ridiculous."
"How should we handle this?" Kakashi asked. "These conspiring civil officials have quite a bit of family property. Should we act directly?"
Having had several experiences in 'fundraising', Kakashi, after spending time in the Fire Capital and seeing the vast fortunes hidden in the homes of these officials and nobles, had long been itching for action. If not for the fear of disrupting Uchiha Douhuan's plans, he would have long since led people to raid the homes of these nobles and officials.
As for Kazuma's assassination plan, Kakashi really didn't take it seriously. If it were other means, Kakashi might have worried a little, but a Lightning Release combination ninjutsu? Forget about it.
As fellow experts in Lightning Release, the two had often trained together. He clearly knew just how strong Uchiha Douhuan's mastery of Lightning Release was. Under Uchiha Douhuan's special Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Uchiha Douhuan's control over lightning was terrifyingly strong. Any lightning-based attack could not harm him in the slightest; instead, it would be directly seized and utilized as it approached him. This was also why when Uchiha Douhuan fought, he could move freely within large-scale Lightning Release ninjutsu without harming himself.
"Let's wait until they make a move. Since they are willing to give me a reason to act, then I don't need to be polite anymore," Uchiha Douhuan chuckled.
To be honest, if he didn't know that the Land of Fire still needed some time to develop and couldn't directly wage war against the entire ninja world, Uchiha Douhuan would have long since started purging the Fire Capital's court. Back in the village, he was willing to play political games with Sarutobi Hiruzen, and even when formal conflict arose, he used the relatively mild method of a coup, simply because neither of them wanted to destroy their own village through infighting. But now, facing this group of officials and nobles, as long as the other side gave him a reason, Uchiha Douhuan didn't need to give anyone face.
"By the way, keep a close eye on that Asuma fellow during this time. If necessary, send him back to the village. Lord Third has already been through enough; don't let him taste the pain of losing another son in his later years."
(End of Chapter)
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