Kapitel 158: 157-Help Me Help You

In the Land of Earth's capital, tensions were mounting. The recent murders had not only shaken the populace but had also directly impacted the Daimyo.

Unlike in the Land of Wind, where Satetsu had the relative freedom to manoeuvre with the village council, the situation in the Land of Earth was being blown out of proportion. The Daimyo, directly affected by the situation, was pushing for a swift and decisive response.

Satetsu's situation was delicate but manageable. As Kazekage, he wielded significant influence within the village council, which comprised various village and clan elders.

While he had to inform the Wind Daimyo due to the broader implications of the attacks on the nation's food supply and security, Satetsu had the advantage of being the one to break the news.

He knew the Daimyo well and could placate him if necessary. However, he was acutely aware that if the Daimyo were to become directly involved, the matter would become significantly more complicated.

Meanwhile, in the capital of the Land of Earth, the atmosphere was tense. The Earth Daimyo looked intently at the Tsuchikage, Onoki.

"So, what is our response going to be, Onoki?" the Daimyo questioned.

Onoki, who was well into his years with his hair now balding and grey, glanced at Asa, who was standing across from him. The Tsuchikage let out a deep sigh.

He had known Asa since he was a boy and had always treated him like a son. But recently, Asa had become distant, his actions unpredictable which worried him.

Onoki's mind raced back to the events that had led to this moment. He was aware that Asa had made a trip to the Land of Earth's capital, but he had not been privy to his exact plans. The sudden emergency summon had caught him off guard, and finding Asa in the midst of the turmoil was an unpleasant surprise.

'He was so innocent when he was younger,' Onoki thought, 'When Lord Mu died, I promised to raise him like my own son. I don't know why he's become so impatient. Does he think I enjoy being the Tsuchikage?

This is a tremendous responsibility. I don't even see myself as Tsuchikage in the next five years. As soon as Asa masters Lord Mu's Kekkei Tota, I'll gladly retire and leave the seat to him.'

"Lord Daimyo, while there are suspicions that the attackers were from Suna, we can't just go ahead and attack them. Our relationship with Suna has deteriorated over the years, and this could lead to a full-scale war."

Onoki pleaded, before continuing, "Starting a war with Suna right now wouldn't be beneficial for either of our countries. We are still in the recovery phase after the last war. Starting a new conflict would set us back significantly in the progress we've made.

Besides, I am wary of the other Kages. They are like vultures, always looking for an opportunity to take advantage. Konoha, Kumo, and Kiri would pounce on any sign of weakness. They would exploit the situation, just as I would if I were in their position."

"So, should we just ignore the crimes they committed against us?" the Daimyo asked.

"No, Lord Daimyo!" Usui responded promptly.

"You know how the nobles feel. They will demand some form of compensation to appease them. If we do nothing, you might lose their favour."

Usui's remarks seemed to sway the Daimyo causing him to sink into thought, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest of his seat.

'He is making sense; I need to do something,' the Daimyo thought.

Usui's words made sense. The nobles were a powerful faction, and their support was crucial.

Onoki, standing a few steps away, interjected "But Lord Daimyo, we cannot afford a war. Our forces are not enough, and we haven't been getting enough missions to support us apart from the funds you provide."

The Daimyo's gaze hardened as he considered Onoki's words. The financial strain was indeed significant, but the political pressure was equally daunting.

'I don't like doing this, but it seems that I have to,' the Daimyo thought. He took a deep breath and spoke,

"Onoki, I am sure you know that the nobles who I am trying to appease could very well rally and force me to reduce the funds we allocate to Iwagakure, making the financial situation that you are talking about worse. So help me help you."

Onoki's fists clenched involuntarily. The implications of the Daimyo's words were clear. The funding for Iwagakure was already stretched thin, and a further reduction could cripple the village's daily functioning.

'Did he have to resort to such tactics because of a few nobles?' Onoki thought.

The relationship between shinobi villages and their feudal lords was complex and symbiotic. While shinobi were often seen as tools of war and peace, they depended heavily on the financial and political support of their lords.

In turn, the lords relied on the shinobi for protection and military prowess. It was a delicate balance, and any disruption could lead to significant consequences for both parties.

Seeing that there was no way out of the situation, Onoki sighed deeply and made a decision.

"Fine, I will make plans to retaliate against Suna, but it will only be for show. If they also respond similarly, then we can put this matter to rest."

'I just hope that Satetsu does not escalate this.' Onoki thought.

The Daimyo's face lit up with a smile, his tension easing. "I knew you would see my reasoning, Onoki. Thank you for your cooperation."

Onoki bowed slightly, his mind already racing with the plans he needed to make. As soon as the meeting concluded, Onoki quickly left for Iwagakure with Asa by his side.

The journey back was filled with heavy silence, Onoki cursing under his breath at the situation he found himself in. He blamed Asa for much of the turmoil, believing that Asa's actions had exacerbated the crisis.

Little did Onoki know that Asa had, in fact, averted a far greater disaster.

By forcing Minato and his team to evacuate the Earth Capital quickly, Asa had prevented Yano and Renjiro from carrying out plans that could have unleashed further chaos.

As the two major shinobi forces prepared to retaliate against each other, Minato and his squad found themselves in the tranquil environment of Mount Myoboku.

Mount Myoboku was a place of surreal beauty and mystery. Waterfalls cascaded down cliffs, creating sparkling pools and streams that meandered through the lush foliage. The air was thick with the scent of flowers and the sound of croaking toads, adding to the serene atmosphere of the place.

The squad had been reverse-summoned there by Fukasaku to escape the dangerous situation they faced in the Land of Wind. However, this reverse summoning had not been straightforward.

Fukasaku had only been able to reverse summon Minato, the one with whom he had a summoning contract. The moment Minato arrived at Mount Myoboku, he was briefly exposed to the natural energy that permeated the environment.

This exposure enabled him to gather just enough Senjutsu chakra to teleport his squad to safety. Senjutsu was still something Minato was learning, he had not completely mastered it, but he had found a way to use it to supplement his chakra needs in dire situations.

Minato looked around at his team, "Is everyone okay?" he immediately asked when they arrived.

"We're fine," Hiro replied, though his voice carried the weight of their recent ordeal.

Sama nodded in agreement. "Thanks to you and Fukasaku-sama, we're safe."

Renjiro, though not a user of Senjutsu, could subtly sense the natural energy present. It wasn't a direct sensation but rather a prickling pain that reminded him of the first time he scaled the floating mountain where Uno and her kind lived.

'It seems that the natural energy here is not as dense as it was in the floating mountain where Uno and her kind live. Maybe it is because that was a mountain on a floating island,' Renjiro thought.

However, there was little time to sightsee. As soon as they arrived, Minato turned to Renjiro and Yano, "I need to know how your part of the mission went?"

=====

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Kapitel 159: 158-Unintentionally Brilliant

"We decided to make our move from the Earth Capital and bet on the chaos that would ensue to attack all other locations around the country because we feared that if we did the opposite, we might lower our chances of success as Iwa and the country at large would be more alert and increase security in important areas," Yano began, explaining their strategy to Minato.

Minato listened intently to his colleague who continued, "After agreeing on that, Renjiro and I snuck into a caravan which helped us get into the Earth Capital. Once in the Capital, we killed some nobles with Renjiro using his clones to frame the Iwa shinobi who were with Asa to confuse the enemies while also framing Suna shinobi."

"How did he do that?" Minato asked.

Yano turned to Renjiro, who was standing there absentmindedly. Only after a nudge from Hiro did Renjiro come back to his senses and answer,

"Originally, I had planned to use clones, who, using the transformation jutsu, would turn into the Iwa shinobi accompanying Asa. Afterwards, I intentionally let them be discovered. They then engaged the guards in an exchange of attacks and faked their injuries, turning into Suna shinobi, to make it seem like it was their true form before they dispelled themselves."

'That was a clever idea,' Minato thought before asking, "But why did you say that it was what you originally planned? Did something change?"

Renjiro hesitated before saying, "I somehow made a mistake and used the shadow clone's jutsu."

Minato's eyes widened slightly. "Which could be traced back to Konoha."

Minato considered this for a moment. "Do you think that's how Asa discovered you?"

Before Renjiro could answer, Sama, who had been listening intently, interjected, "Are we talking about Asa, the elite Jounin from Iwa?"

"Yes, he is now an S-rank shinobi," Minato confirmed.

While Sama was surprised at this fact, Yano shook his head and said "No, after he discovered us in the market, he kept on asking who we were and how many people we were working with. So it's entirely possible that me using the shadow clones created more doubt in their minds as to who was truly behind the attacks."

'It did?' Renjiro wondered, hearing Yano's analysis.

"You may be right," Minato began, nodding his head.

"With the shadow clones turning into Suna shinobi, they wouldn't be sure if it was Konoha impersonating Suna or the other way around. Either way, that was unintentionally brilliant. Good work, Renjiro." Minato's smile reassured Renjiro.

'I don't know why or how it happened, but I'll take it,' Renjiro thought, a bit relieved since his mistake did not have a devastating effect on the mission.

"And that led to the confrontation you witnessed when you arrived," Yano began again. "But I would like to know how the Kazekage found you guys."

Minato went ahead to explain how their part of the mission unfolded. He detailed their strategies, which involved attacking various towns on their way to the Wind Capital.

The goal was to create a cascade of chaos, ensuring that Suna would undoubtedly retaliate, setting off a domino effect of attacks between the two countries.

'That would have been more work, but it ensured more damage. This means that Suna will undoubtedly retaliate, setting off a domino-chain effect of attacks between the two countries. We would have done that, but the Land of Earth is more connected in regard to communication as compared to the Land of Wind.' Yano thought when he heard Mianto's approach.

After Minato finished his explanation, Hiro took over, detailing how the Kazekage stumbled upon them immediately after Minato left.

"I guess we were just unlucky," Hiro said with a sigh.

"It seems so," Minato agreed, "But I am glad that throughout the mission, our true identities were never revealed. We will rest for a day as we monitor the situation and prepare for our next A-rank mission."

"I did not know that A-rank missions were this tiresome," Renjiro muttered as he found a place to sit.

Although his time in the Earth Capital had been cut short, he had been running on adrenaline for almost a day continuously, and he was really tired. He felt the weight of exhaustion settle in as he finally allowed himself to relax.

Hiro and Sama joined him in resting, both sitting on either side of him. The three of them formed a small, exhausted trio in the serene environment of Mount Myoboku.

"Having a summon can be useful sometimes," Hiro remarked, enjoying the scenery and the brief respite from their mission.

"Have you thought of getting a summon, Renjiro?" Sama asked, turning to face Renjiro.

Renjiro hesitated for a moment before answering, "No, I haven't given it much thought. With my work in the force, I don't have much time to focus on my training.."

Sama's question had caught Renjiro off guard, and he hesitated before lying.

'I don't need to tell the truth. If I ever reveal Uno or any of her kind to them in the future, I'll just say seeing Minato's Toad inspired me,' Renjiro thought to himself.

"What about you?" Renjiro asked, redirecting the conversation.

"I have," Sama admitted, "But I have heard that it is quite dangerous using summoning seals. So I am waiting on my luck to come across a powerful beast I could enter into a summoning contract with."

"What about you, Hiro?" Renjiro asked.

Hiro shrugged. "I've also considered it, but I'm waiting until my chakra reserves grow since I have a lot of chakra-intensive jutsus. Having a summon would be detrimental. Besides, in my clan, we don't enter into a summoning contract with one beast but with a group of them, so the chakra needed is more than average."

'That makes sense.' Renjiro thought as he was aware of the kind of summons the Hatake clan had.

The three of them sat in silence for a while, each lost in their thoughts. The peaceful environment of Mount Myoboku was a stark contrast to the intensity of their mission.

As Renjiro closed his eyes and leaned back against a tree, he allowed himself to drift into a light sleep, knowing that his comrades were doing the same.

While Minato and his squad were resting in Mount Myoboku, in the town of Nagoya, which was close to the borders of the Land of Wind an old man with a straw hat made his way into the town. His grey hair peeked out from under his hat, and he walked barefoot, relying on an old cane for support.

The old man, moved through the town with a careful eye, taking note of the current security measures and the number of shinobi guarding the area.

His presence was inconspicuous, and he blended in with the ordinary citizens going about their day. He observed the patrol routes of the shinobi and the layout of the town, committing the details to memory.

As he wandered through the streets, Osaka made his way to the town centre. He paused, taking in the scene around him. The town was lively, with merchants selling their goods, children playing, and villagers going about their daily routines. It was a stark contrast to the other towns he had encountered, which had suffered destruction and chaos.

'Finally, a town that was not destroyed,' Osaka thought to himself. He stood there for a moment, contemplating his next move.

'I wonder if Lord Onoki sent other people besides me to cause some destruction here.'