"Shun, you go meet the Daimyō of the Land of Rivers. I won't be showing myself."
Umino Yoru stared at the extravagant mansion ahead, sensing a foul, decaying stench from afar. It was deeply unpleasant.
So, he left the tedious political wrangling to Uchiha Shun instead.
Given the Uchiha clan's standing in the shinobi world—and the fact that Shun was the son of Uchiha Kagami—even the Daimyō of the Land of Rivers wouldn't dare put on airs. In fact, he might even grovel, hoping to curry favor with the Uchiha to help him reclaim his legitimacy in the Shinano Plains and regain the Fire Daimyō's recognition.
Less than ten minutes after Uchiha Shun entered the daimyō's residence, Umino Yoru and the Konoha Hundred took control of the entire estate.
The dozens of Suna-nin guarding the mansion were either killed or captured. As for those hiding among the civilians, Yoru rooted them all out.
He even did Sunagakure a favor by exposing a few Kiri spies.
Unlike the Suna-nin stationed there, these Kiri operatives had far more spine—they all chose to take poison rather than be captured.
The Suna-nin guards, however, were mostly from minor clans, their strength mediocre at best—mostly genin and chūnin. They had likely pulled strings to get posted here, hoping to enjoy an easy life in luxury. Instead, they fell into the hands of the Konoha Hundred and faced torturous interrogations.
Luckily, the Konoha Hundred was full of talent. Among them was a genin from the minor Morino clan, skilled in interrogation, whom Yoru promptly promoted to lead the interrogation support team—effectively making him a temporary chūnin.
Under this Morino prodigy's methods—combined with Yamashiro Midori's intelligence squad—they dug up plenty of valuable intel.
Some Suna-nin even broke under the torture and chose to defect willingly.
But Umino Yoru had zero trust in turncoats. He immediately made them write "confessions."
"Here, write this: 'The Wind Daimyō is a fat pig who can't get it up. The Third Kazekage assassinated Shamon to take his position and is sleeping with Elder Chiyo. The Kazekage's clan leader even made advances on his own daughter-in-law…'"
Predictably, the Suna-nin balked at such venomous slander, especially against their daimyō. They'd rather die than comply—everyone knew how petty and vindictive the Wind Daimyō was. If he ever found out about these lies, their entire clans would suffer.
Only one chūnin from a minor Suna clan cracked. He wrote a lengthy "confession," stamped it with his blood, and even killed two Suna elites from major clans as proof of his betrayal.
By the time they finished with the Suna-nin, Uchiha Shun returned from his audience with the daimyō.
"Lord Yoru, the Land of Rivers' daimyō has finished drafting his plea for aid. Also, Chagakure Ryūsuke volunteered to go to the Coastal Fortress for reinforcements."
"Oh?" Yoru feigned surprise but inwardly sneered. This Ryūsuke is definitely a spy—probably from Kiri or Iwa. Not that it matters. As long as he's not from Suna, we can use him.
"Then send Chagakure Ryūsuke and Kaitō Uba to deliver the request."
"Can we trust this Kaitō Uba?" Shun glanced at the kneeling Suna defector, skepticism in his eyes.
"Relax. He's from the declining Kaitō clan. Their assets have already been swallowed by Suna's major clans. If these 'confessions' ever get out, those clans won't hesitate to wipe out the Kaitō's women and children under the pretext of 'cleansing traitors.'"
Leaning down, Yoru whispered darkly, "You're a smart man, Uba. You know what to do, right?"
"Y-Yes, I understand." Uba nodded frantically, regret gnawing at him.
He had defected only to preserve his clan—to ensure they wouldn't lose their last chūnin. But now, he had fallen into the White Blood Demon's trap. Even if the daimyō rumors never surfaced, his mere betrayal would give Suna's major clans an excuse to exterminate the Kaitō.
Damn it. I should've just died.
"Don't worry, Uba. As long as you stay alive and obey, your clan will be safe." Yoru patted his shoulder, the words sounding like comfort but carrying a clear threat: If you kill yourself, your family dies too.
Uba wasn't stupid. He understood perfectly.
"Once we crush Suna, we'll relocate your clan to Konoha. Problem solved."
"Move… to Konoha?" A flicker of hope lit in Uba's eyes.
Yoru seized the moment to sweeten the deal. "Consider these two jōnin-level puppets a welcoming gift. Konoha has no puppeteers—we need your clan. Who knows? You might rise to become a great clan like the Uchiha or Hyūga."
His words dripped with temptation.
Staring at the two high-level puppets and hearing Yoru's grand vision, Uba's resistance crumbled.
If there's no way back… then forward it is. Maybe this really is our path to survival.
In Suna, the Kaitō clan had been struggling. But Konoha was the strongest, richest village in the shinobi world—with no puppeteers. If they joined, becoming a top clan like the Ino-Shika-Chō might be possible. The only challenge was relocating everyone safely.
After further discussion, Chagakure Ryūsuke and Kaitō Uba set off for the Coastal Fortress.
Watching them leave, Shun frowned. "Are you sure it's safe not to place a cursed seal on Uba?"
"Don't worry. The seals on the heart are far stronger than those on the body."
Yoru didn't know how this would end. But he understood the shinobi world's cruelty—entire clans could vanish overnight.
Uba knew his choices better than anyone.
And truthfully, his loyalty to Suna had always been shaky. For the Kaitō clan, moving to Konoha might be their best shot at survival.