Chapter 201: All Parties' Actions

Konoha Year 52, January 17th, the sky was cold, but the hearts of Konoha's senior officials were warm.

"Hahaha, it seems we misunderstood the Lord. I heard the bandit problem in Kyoto hasn't ended, yet the Lord sent people to brave dangerous areas and deliver this year's funds. Moreover, there's a bounty for the anti‑bandit mission, and on top of the ill‑gotten money the Hokage mentioned before, it looks like Konoha's budget will be plentiful this year!"

"What misunderstanding of the Lord? You don't know? I heard the Hokage sent someone to negotiate with the Lord, and only then did the Lord agree to allocate funds. Since the third generation, the Lord has been paying less and less attention to Konoha. Sigh, if it were like the Lord of the Wind Country, how would we survive in the future?"

"The Lord keeps cutting the budget, I think he."

The discussion continued, but the overwhelming majority of ninjas got their information from traveling merchants from Kyoto, so they knew little about events near Kyoto. Neither Shisui nor Nara Suzaku could tell them, so they could only guess wildly here.

However, under Shisui's deliberate guidance, the negative assessments of the Lord grew increasingly numerous.

Meanwhile, at the Hokage's building, upon learning that the funds were entering the Village, Tuan Zang arrived at the Hokage's office without delay.

"Funds for the Root? The Root is only a dozen or so people; if we give them too much money, the other departments might be reluctant~"

Shisui did not refuse immediately; his expression was rather hesitant.

Tuan Zang was just testing the waters; he didn't expect Shisui to not refuse at once. Feeling a stir, he said immediately: "Although the Root has few members, its tasks are heavy, especially now that the war is over. Other ninja villages are intensifying infiltration of Konoha, and there are also some ninjas within the Village who might threaten Konoha. I need to pre‑emptively eliminate them; it's all for Konoha!"

Tuan Zang said solemnly, Shisui paused briefly and remained silent.

Honestly, Tuan Zang's reasoning was hard to convince Shisui, but "the advice from Tuan Zang's consultant is not without merit; the Village does indeed have some spies. However, I need to use the Lord's funds elsewhere, so I can't give you too much."

"It doesn't matter; everything is for Konoha!"

Tuan Zang's conviction remained strong; Shisui forced a dry laugh, approved the fund request, and let him leave.

Soon after, Nara Suzaku entered the office.

"I've already selected the anti‑bandit squad; here's the list. Please confirm, Hokage."

"Trim some off; we don't need too many personnel, but make sure they understand the purpose of this operation. Remember to give them instructions; keep the timing under control."

"Understood."

After Shisui gave his instructions, he saw Nara Suzaku still standing there.

"Anything else?"

Nara Suzaku hesitated a moment, then said: "Hokage, there's something I need to tell you, regarding Tuan Zang's consultant."

Shisui's expression shifted, and he asked curiously: "Tuan Zang's consultant—what did he say this time?"

"Since the consultant returned last year, he has deliberately started selecting chū‑nin within the Village and teaching them ninja techniques. It began as a minor matter, but the consultant shows no restraint, continuously teaching techniques for months, causing many chū‑nin in the Village to acquire techniques outside official channels. This has already sparked discontent among many families."

Shisui was not surprised by Tuan Zang's exposure; with so many recipients, discovery was only a matter of time.

"Spreading ninja techniques, then—what do you think of this, Senior Suzaku?"

"Hokage, Tuan Zang may be trying to recruit chū‑nin, expand the Root, or have other motives, but whatever the reason, his actions will provoke the entire ninja clan's displeasure. Those families have already begun covertly seeking ways to curb Tuan Zang's behavior."

Nara Suzaku being able to recount these matters already pleased Shisui.

He smiled and said: "I heard the consultant say that replenishing Root personnel is difficult; I suppose they're at a dead end."

"But the Village cannot be chaotic. How about this: I'll find time to warn the consultant, and you help me soothe those families."

"Understood!"

As the conflict between the ninja clan and Tuan Zang gradually surfaced, the Lord's compromise spread throughout the Fire Country, but that was not what the nobles cared about.

A month later, after Konoha ninjas had cleared more than half of the mountain bandits in the capital region, a piece of news caught their attention.

Someone reported that a noble family in the capital had privately trained their clan members as ninjas, defying the Lord's orders. The Lord was furious, imposing a fine of three hundred thousand taels and reiterating the ban on unauthorized ninja training, calling it a threat to the stability of the Fire Country and a provocation against Konoha! The news spread across the Fire Country within days, and after nobles across the land repeatedly verified its authenticity, they fell into an eerie silence.

"The opportunity has arrived—my chance finally came, hahaha!"

In He Xi Road, Yamazaki Takada stared gleefully at the intelligence in his hand. Although he hadn't poured many resources into the Gourd Valley ninja academy, as the Uchiha‑designated middleman he earned a lot recruiting for the academy. With money, why fear being unable to train ninjas?

He immediately summoned his trusted aide and ordered: "Prepare; tally all eligible children within the domain, including those from the families. Also, take the money and go personally to Gourd Valley to discuss with the director. I need fifty slots!"

"Got it!"

Yamazaki Takada had his own information channels; he knew the situation in Kyoto and the Lord's displeasure with Konoha. He sensed that as long as the Yamazaki family produced enough ninjas in the future, they could secure substantial influence in the Fire Country—a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity! Not only him, but the entire He Xi Road aristocracy was buzzing. They were ahead of many nobles, having already poured considerable manpower and resources into the ninja academy, yet even now it was still far insufficient.

Although the training of the first batch of ninjas hadn't finished, they couldn't wait. They kept sending trusted aides to Yamazaki Takada, hoping for additional investment—this would be an excellent chance for them to advance further.

Meanwhile, in Kyoto, at the Matsuno household.

Matsuno Yoshiyuki was shocked by the Lord's idea, followed by excitement.

"The Lord actually began urging the aristocracy to train ninjas. It seems the Lord's tolerance of Konoha's actions is waning. This is an opportunity; with the Matsuno family's wealth, we can provide more military support to Jirō. If someday… perhaps it's not impossible!"

Matsuno Yoshiyuki thought, his breathing becoming a bit rapid, yet he kept his composure and summoned his aide: "Have the heads of those vassal families come see me immediately!"

"Understood!"

Although the Lord hinted that ninjas could be trained, this is, after all, the capital; large‑scale training would easily provoke the Lord's displeasure, so he must disperse the personnel.

"However, if we train ninjas, we still need teachers. Ordinary wandering ninjas and samurai are mediocre; they probably couldn't produce strong ninjas. Should we privately hire some?"

Matsuno Yoshiyuki quickly thought of Scorpion and Izayoi. Although Izayoi is from Konoha, dealing with Konoha is the Lord's business, and it has nothing to do with him.

"Let's try it first; if it fails, we can go to the Fire Temple, or have Konoha hire some ninjas. As long as the Lord doesn't find out, it's fine."

Matsuno Yoshiyuki placed his hand on his forehead; recent events were numerous and gave him a headache, constantly feeling that someone was scheming in the shadows.

"Tonight, you go yourself to those families; I've already found their leverage. You don't need to reveal your identity—just use this intel to threaten them into covering for us, and give them some money."

Outside the capital, the nameless manor that had concealed a gambling den was renamed by Yan Shifan as the "Gathering of the Worthy Manor."

Inside the manor, Yan Shifan took a sip of tea and then loudly ordered.

"Elder, the list consists of ordinary people, and their families aren't strong; they have little influence inside and outside the capital. Why not just let me use the Copy Wheel Eye to control them? Why give them money?"

Hearing that money was still needed, Izayoi was puzzled. He had personally acted, not slaughtering those people for money, yet he was being asked to foot the bill.

"Superficial! Pure threats bring us no benefit. The people around the Lord aren't vegetarians; trying to control so many could backfire at any moment. Combining kindness and force is the lasting way—let them work for us willingly. If they're willing to act calmly, why be stingy with benefits? We must think long‑term!"

"Think long‑term!"

Yan Shifan shook his head. These older generation folks, who never pursued clan studies, are trouble, yet their martial strength is high, making everything depend on them.

And that damned Sima Yi, a black‑hearted guy, who even used enhancement points to activate the Kaleidoscope, making him feel unsafe among the Uchiha.

Thinking of Sima Yi, Yan Shifan had to soften his tone. Before the enhancement, he needed to win over a sufficiently powerful Uchiha to protect his safety; someone like Izayoi, who has some brains but not much, fit the bill perfectly.

"The Lord's hint has already spread; nobles across the land are secretly training ninjas, but we aren't nobles, and this place is too close to the capital. Direct on‑site training would inevitably draw attention, possibly forcing the Lord to dispatch a large army to wipe them out."

Only by getting these nobles to help train ninja with them can we use that to hide our tracks.

Moreover, we can use their hands to win over other nobles and even influence the council, so voluntary participation is crucial.

Sss~

Shiliuye chewed slowly, then inhaled a cold breath; he really hadn't thought of these.

"Third Elder, wise!"

Shiliuye felt foolish, and his voice became much softer.

"Hahaha, no need for that. Lord Shiliuye, your power is outstanding; all affairs in Kyoto depend on you. This time, with you and me working together, we can definitely achieve great deeds here!"

"All will obey the Elder's orders!"

Shiliuye was stirred to a feverish zeal by the words, but he truly isn't good at such speeches, so he could only half‑kneel to show his resolve.

Yan Shifan hurriedly stood, helped him up, and after giving another reminder, let him set off with the list.

The strongest reaction to the Lord's hint didn't come from the various nobles, but from Tuan Zang, Shuihu Menyan, and the bedridden Third Hokage.

Konoha, Hokage's office.

At this moment, only five people were in the office: Shisui, Tuan Zang, Shuihu Menyan, Nailing Zhique, and Sarutobi Clan Rihui.

"Fifth Hokage, the Third Hokage truly has no other intention; this matter is far from trivial. The Lord clearly intends to let those nobles train ninja. Those guys have money and influence; if they are allowed to train ninja, it won't be long before the Lord can completely abandon Konoha!"

Ninjas do not engage in production; they live off mission fees, but the bulk of those missions comes from the nobles. If the nobles no longer need them, Konoha must either find a new livelihood, such as forcing the Wind Shadow to pan for gold, or adopt an elite‑troop policy, like the Mist Hidden.

As for the idea of defying the Lord, it almost never appears in a ninja's mind.

"It's time to give the Lord a lesson and make him behave!"

Tuan Zang snorted coldly, deeply displeased with the Lord. Proud as he was, he had once compromised with the Lord for Konoha's future, only to have the other fail to make him Hokage—what a useless fool!

"Hokage, this time we must take some action; if we let the Lord continue, Konoha will have no future."

Even the already laid‑back Shuihu Menyan couldn't help but speak up.

Shisui pondered briefly, then looked at Nailing Zhique and asked, "How is the anti‑bandit mission in Kyoto going?"

"Those mountain bandits are hard to track; so far we've only driven away half of them."

Shisui nodded, turned to the other three and said, "The Lord is still a Lord, and since he hasn't directly authorized the nobles to train ninja, we have no reason to act against him."

"This"

Shuihu Menyan sighed helplessly; the Lord indeed hadn't given permission, and moreover fined the nobles training ninja three hundred thousand taels, a trivial punishment.

"We can't just do nothing. Sending people to Kyoto to assassinate the Lord, whether they succeed or not, must make the Lord aware—Konoha is not something anyone can manipulate! Let me handle this!" Tuan Zang said gravely.

When those words were spoken, everyone was shocked and hurried to stop him.

Assassinating the Lord, if exposed, would provoke an assault from the entire ninja world, making Konoha's situation worse than the Third Ninja World War.

"Impossible. Advisor Tuan Zang, please calm down; things haven't escalated to that point yet."

Shisui's forehead broke into cold sweat; Tuan Zang never succeeds, this would blow up the Uchiha and Konoha together!

"Hmph, you're too weak, that's why the Lord can control you!" Tuan Zang said discontentedly.

"Hokage's point also makes sense; we have no reason to hold the Lord accountable, but we don't know how to resolve this moving forward," Sarutobi Clan Rihui quickly interjected, changing the subject.

"For now I have no other solution, but I think as long as the Village's growth outpaces the nobles, that's enough."

"Boosting the Village's strength? That's a method, but the Village needs money, the Lord himself."

"Haven't we only cleared half of those bandits? Then just keep them, let the Lord keep paying, that's also a sizable income!" Shuihu Menyan's mind sparked, and he suddenly spoke.

Shisui and Nailing Zhique paused, exchanged a glance, then together looked at Shuihu Menyan.

Shisui exclaimed, "Advisor Menyan truly is a pillar of Konoha, managing to devise such a clever plan. Senior Zhique, note this; we'll follow Advisor Menyan's suggestion shortly."

"Understood."

Praised by Shisui, Shuihu Menyan's calm heart was somewhat uplifted, yet he knew his situation hadn't made him complacent, and he merely smiled and said a couple of modest remarks.

"Boost the Village's strength"

Tuan Zang narrowed his single eye, thinking of what he was doing: is money more important, and ninjutsu less so?

Passing ninjutsu to the Chunin he values also helps Konoha strengthen its power!

Given Konoha's stock of ninjutsu, what can the nobles' trained ninja use to compete? "Indeed, only I am truly devoted to Konoha!"

With that thought, Tuan Zang rose immediately, his face solemn, and said, "I will use my own method to boost Konoha's strength; everything is for Konoha!"

Having said that, he turned and left, leaving the few with stunned faces behind.

(End of Chapter)