Chapter 344: Rapidly Changing Situation

Under the guidance of Fūka Sayuki, Muzuki went to Fūka Sōsetsu’s study.

To Muzuki, Fūka Sōsetsu’s study looked more like a research lab, filled with various mechanical devices.

“Sayuki, Father has work to do right now and can’t play with you.” Fūka Sōsetsu put down the book in his hand and said with a hint of apology.

Fūka Sōsetsu thought Fūka Sayuki had come to play with him because there was no court session today.

“It’s not me looking for Father—it’s Big Brother Muzuki who has something to discuss.” Fūka Sayuki indicated that she wasn’t a child just looking for fun.

At that moment, Muzuki nodded to confirm Fūka Sayuki’s words.

“Good work, Sayuki. This is your reward—go ahead and eat it, but do it outside, or it’ll leave a smell in the room.” Muzuki produced several beautifully wrapped candies like a magician and handed them to Fūka Sayuki.

After all, Fūka Dotō was Fūka Sayuki’s uncle; it wouldn’t be good to leave unpleasant memories for a child.

“Mm-hmm, thank you, Big Brother Muzuki.” Delighted by the praise and reward, Fūka Sayuki smiled happily and left the room.

Watching Fūka Sayuki’s joy, Fūka Sōsetsu also smiled.

“It seems you’re quite good with children, Muzuki. Sayuki likes you.” Fūka Sōsetsu adjusted his glasses with his right hand and chuckled.

Although Fūka Sayuki was a fairly sensible child, she had grown up as a princess, raised with all the doting—not someone easily won over.

“Probably because I often teach students around her age, so I have some experience.” Muzuki replied with a faint smile.

“Lord Sōsetsu, the reason I came to see you today is that I accidentally discovered someone in the Land of Snow plotting a rebellion.” After a brief exchange, Muzuki cut straight to the point.

In places where he could overpower them with sheer strength, Muzuki didn’t want to waste effort—rather than waiting for the enemy to act, he preferred to strike first.

Since Fūka Dotō’s identity was rather special, Muzuki chose to confess everything to Fūka Sōsetsu first; otherwise, as a Konoha ninja, meddling in another country’s political affairs would be a bit sensitive.

“Rebellion? How could that be?” Fūka Sōsetsu’s first reaction to Muzuki’s words was skepticism.

After all, Muzuki was merely a ninja he had hired to protect Fūka Sayuki—normally, he shouldn’t have access to such matters.

“And the ringleader is none other than your younger brother, Fūka Dotō.” Muzuki took out a scroll and continued dropping bombshells.

“Impossible. Dotō has always been devoted to the country; how could he commit such a treasonous act?” Fūka Sōsetsu frowned, even more unconvinced by Muzuki’s words.

At this moment, the good impression Muzuki had built with Fūka Sōsetsu vanished completely. Fūka Sōsetsu was even about to terminate the mission and send Muzuki back—these words, in his view, were malicious.

Just as Fūka Sōsetsu was about to throw Muzuki out of the study, the next thing Muzuki produced plunged Fūka Sōsetsu into deep thought.

“These are all deals Fūka Dotō made with the Snow Ninja Village by abusing his authority. Do you, as the daimyo, know how close his ties are with the Snow Ninja?” Muzuki laid out the documents and said calmly.

The leader of the Snow Ninja Village wasn’t stupid. If Fūka Dotō was just drawing a pie, promising money after a successful usurpation, why would the Snow Ninja support him fully? Fūka Dotō had been using his power all along to help the Snow Ninja develop.

Of course, money doesn’t appear out of thin air nor vanish without a trace. The funds Fūka Dotō gave the Snow Ninja Village were diverted from elsewhere.

Overwhelmed by the sudden flood of information, Fūka Sōsetsu found it hard to accept—how had his good brother suddenly turned into a schemer abusing power for personal gain with hidden malice?

“My task was only to protect Sayuki—how did you obtain these materials?” After calming down, Fūka Sōsetsu asked.

“Probably because he mistook me for someone hired to investigate him. After I noticed someone was watching me, I did a little digging, and to my surprise, I uncovered such a big find.” Muzuki replied calmly.

Strictly speaking, most of what Muzuki said was true. Fūka Dotō had indeed sent people to spy on him, which gave Muzuki the idea to act—originally, he had only wanted to focus on studying sealing techniques.

“Normally, I wouldn’t get involved in matters outside the mission, but I felt that this country, already enduring long-term severe cold, shouldn’t have to suffer more turmoil. So I came to you.”

“You’re right, Muzuki. This country shouldn’t endure any more. On behalf of the Land of Snow, I thank you for your efforts. However, this matter is too serious; I need to send someone to verify first. If it proves true, I will certainly give you a generous reward. Also, I entrust Sayuki’s safety to you.” Fūka Sōsetsu thought for a moment and said.

In truth, when Fūka Sōsetsu first saw the documents, he still didn’t believe it. He even felt that since Fūka Dotō had studied at the Snow Ninja Village, treating them well was somewhat understandable.

But after thoroughly reading these extremely detailed materials, Fūka Sōsetsu could no longer make excuses for Fūka Dotō. All the projects meant to benefit the people had been twisted under Fūka Dotō’s hands, solely to fatten the Snow Ninja Village.

In fact, after finishing, Fūka Sōsetsu had already confirmed the authenticity of the materials in his heart. Someone like Muzuki, who had just arrived in the Land of Snow not long ago, couldn’t possibly know so many state secrets—forging them was even more unlikely.

But this matter had too many implications; acting without investigation would be too reckless.

“Please do it quickly.” Muzuki nodded, not particularly disappointed.

After all, Fūka Dotō was Fūka Sōsetsu’s younger brother and an important figure in the Land of Snow. Plus, it involved the Snow Ninja Village—it was normal for Fūka Sōsetsu to be cautious.

Of course, Muzuki thought the ideal scenario would have been for Fūka Sōsetsu to directly nod and give him the authority—then Muzuki could take down Fūka Dotō first, followed by capturing Kankō Hyōfū, and the matter would be perfectly resolved.

Watching Muzuki’s retreating figure, Fūka Sōsetsu sighed. He never thought something like brother turning against brother would happen to him.

“Dotō… why did it have to come to this…”

When Muyue walked out of the study, Fūka Koyuki outside the door was still happily eating the candy she had earned through her own labor.

"Let's go, Koyuki. What kind of story would you like to hear today?" Muyue asked with a smile.

"I want to hear the story of the Senju and the Uchiha during the Warring States period." Fūka Koyuki was still thinking about the history Obito hadn't finished telling.

"But you can't stop in the middle and then ask those difficult questions." Fūka Koyuki added as she remembered something.

Obito's inhuman behavior had indeed left some psychological trauma on Fūka Koyuki.

"Of course not." Muyue said, patting Fūka Koyuki's little head.

"But the story will have to wait a little while. I need to arrange some things first."

Obito and the others still didn't know about Fūka Dotō's plan to usurp the throne; they thought it was a simple escort mission.

Fūka Koyuki obediently nodded and waited inside the room.

Next, Muyue told Kakashi and the others in concise terms about what was going to happen.

"Situation has changed. Fūka Dotō is going to usurp the throne. Everyone, prepare for battle."

"So it's a usurpation. I thought someone sent a letter saying they were going to kidnap the princess. Wait, usurpation?" Obito was a little disappointed at first, but when he realized the meaning of the word, his expression gradually turned to surprise.

"Is it the kind of usurpation where you seize the daimyo's position?" Obito's expression was somewhat excited. This was a big event.

Usually, this kind of plot only appears in the later stages of a ninja novel when it's about to conclude; after that, it's only about saving the ninja world.

"Fūka Dotō, the daimyo's younger brother?" Kakashi recalled for a moment and remembered Fūka Dotō's stern face.

When they first entered Fūka Castle, they had happened to meet Fūka Dotō briefly.

"Teacher Muyue, what should we do? Should we send Koyuki to a safe place first?" Nohara Rin asked with some concern.

Because the mission was to protect Fūka Koyuki, Nohara Rin's first priority was Fūka Koyuki's safety, not putting down the rebellion.

"Not for now." Muyue shook his head.

With his current strength, there was no safer place in the entire Land of Snow than by his side.

"You don't need to do anything else for now. Just protect Koyuki as before, but be more vigilant."

"Although I have found evidence of Fūka Dotō's intent to usurp, the daimyo still needs to verify it, so don't act rashly for now." Muyue explained.

"So troublesome. We already know he's the bad guy. Can't we just arrest him directly?" Obito scratched his head, greatly puzzled.

"Who do you think that is?" Kakashi looked at Obito as if he were an idiot. It was no exaggeration to say Fūka Dotō was the second most important person in the Land of Snow.

"I really don't remember who Fūka Dotō is. He sounds like Koyuki's relative." Obito answered honestly.

When Asama Santayū was talking about Fūka Dotō, Obito was completely focused on the princess and wasn't listening.

"It doesn't matter who the opponent is. As long as you protect Koyuki, there won't be a problem. Of course, you also need to protect yourselves." Muyue stated the core point.

This time, they would most likely be facing a ninja village. Even a small ninja village was not something Obito and the others could handle right now. So the main force for this mission was Muyue; Obito and the others just needed to deal with the minor enemies.

…………

As a daimyo, Fūka Sōsetsu might have been a bit naive, but he was not stupid.

Before the investigation results were out, Fūka Sōsetsu had already dispatched the ninja forces that only answered to him to secretly seal off Fūka Dotō's residence, so that if Fūka Dotō made any move, they could immediately capture him.

Because Fūka Sōsetsu knew that Fūka Dotō was the core of the usurpation plot; without Fūka Dotō, the Snow Ninja wouldn't dare act recklessly.

However, Fūka Sōsetsu still underestimated his ambitious younger brother.

When you want to test the hardness of a piece of glass, the shattering of that glass is already destined. When suspicion arises, people will use all means to prove their suspicion, until it actually happens.

When Fūka Dotō suspected that his usurpation plan was exposed and that Fūka Sōsetsu had hired Konoha ninja to investigate him, Fūka Dotō was already conducting a full investigation into the matter and preparing for exposure.

So when Fūka Sōsetsu actually began investigating Fūka Dotō, Fūka Dotō immediately discovered Fūka Sōsetsu's investigation. From Fūka Dotō's perspective, this undoubtedly meant his premonition had come true.

So Fūka Dotō immediately activated his arrangements. On one hand, he secretly contacted the Snow Shinobi Village to prepare for a forced usurpation; on the other hand, under the cover of a body double, he slipped out of the blockade.

Fūka Sōsetsu did not know that his younger brother could go this far for the sake of usurpation. When the verification of the evidence was one-third done, Fūka Sōsetsu mobilized his forces to take control of all the personnel in Fūka Dotō's residence, because this was already enough to make a state official a death-row prisoner.

"Dotō, why do this? Didn't we say we would make the Land of Snow prosperous and strong together?" Fūka Sōsetsu said with a pained expression to Fūka Dotō.

"That's just your wishful thinking." Fūka Dotō's body double said with a mocking expression.

Fūka Sōsetsu frowned slightly, sensing something off—this reply was not in his younger brother's style.

"You're not Dotō. Who are you?" Fūka Sōsetsu demanded.

"How strange, an ordinary person actually saw through my exquisite Transformation Technique. You know, this is the result of me constantly imitating Lord Dotō's every move by his side every day." Seeing that his disguise had been seen through, the double dropped the act.

The ninja on Fūka Sōsetsu's side instantly changed expression, because this meant that Fūka Dotō had slipped away right under their noses.

"Forgive us, Lord Sōsetsu. We failed to complete our mission." The lead ninja knelt on one knee and admitted his mistake.

"I will immediately send people to conduct a thorough search and strive to find the criminal Fūka Dotō as soon as possible." Then the lead ninja proposed a remedial measure.

"Hahaha, it's already too late. No need for you to look for Lord Dotō—Lord Dotō will soon come looking for you. Only Lord Dotō can bring strength to the Land of Snow!" The double laughed loudly.

Seeing the double being so arrogant, the ninja holding him punched him hard in the stomach, signaling him to be quiet.

As if to answer the double's words, in the afternoon Fūka Dotō led a group of Snow Ninja in a surprise attack on Fūka Castle.

Although Fūka Sōsetsu had strengthened Fūka Castle's defenses thanks to Muyue's warning, the ninja power he commanded was still far behind that of the Snow Ninja Village—he had cut not just the ninja village's budget, but the entire country's military funding.

As for ordinary soldiers or samurai, they were even more useless; the Snow Ninja could strip them of their combat ability with just a few large-scale Snow Ninjutsu.

Wary of Muyue and feeling that Fūka Koyuki's identity might pose a threat, Fūka Dotō led the Snow Ninja to attack toward Fūka Koyuki's location. Fūka Dotō knew his naive elder brother too well—he wouldn't run.

So the main battlefield gradually shifted toward where Fūka Koyuki was. The commotion grew louder, drawing the attention of Obito and Fūka Setsugetsu.

"So noisy... Did something happen?" Fūka Koyuki stood on tiptoe and peered into the distance.

At that moment, Fūka Sōsetsu arrived with a group of guards and said apologetically to Muyue:

"I'm sorry, I wasted the intelligence you obtained, Muyue, and failed to resolve the issue in time. Please take Koyuki and leave Fūka Castle and the Land of Snow. This is my request as a father."

The situation had developed beyond Fūka Sōsetsu's expectations; he hadn't thought Fūka Dotō would move so quickly. If he hadn't acted ahead of time to arrest him, they probably wouldn't have even finished examining all the evidence yet.

The forces supporting Fūka Dotō also exceeded Fūka Sōsetsu's expectations. The defenders of Fūka Castle were completely outmatched.

Although Muyue might be an excellent ninja, Fūka Dotō had hundreds of Snow Ninja on his side. So Fūka Sōsetsu decided to let Muyue take his daughter and break out, while he himself stayed behind to live or die with Fūka Castle.

"Ah, why do we have to leave the Land of Snow? I don't want to be separated from Father." Fūka Koyuki asked in confusion.

Although she was somewhat looking forward to the Land of Fire, she felt something was wrong.

"Because Father made a very big mistake, so he must be punished. If you stay with Father, you'll be punished too." Fūka Sōsetsu smiled and patted Fūka Koyuki's head as he spoke.

"Then I want to be punished together with Father." Fūka Koyuki grabbed Fūka Sōsetsu's arm with both hands.

Fūka Sōsetsu showed a helpless expression, picked up Fūka Koyuki, and tried to have Muyue forcibly carry her away.

But Muyue did not take Fūka Koyuki from Fūka Sōsetsu's hands. Instead, Muyue raised his black-rimmed glasses with his right hand and smiled:

"Although the mission is to protect the princess, upgrading it to quelling a rebellion isn't a big problem. But you'll have to add the commission fee afterward."

Fūka Sōsetsu's actions could be called those of a terrible teammate. However, for Muyue, who had absolute overwhelming power, whether it was the best or worst case scenario made little difference—at worst, it was just a small ninja village in a remote area.

If anything, the worst case might actually benefit Muyue more, since it could train Obito and the others and add more rewards to the mission.

"Muyue, I need to remind you: Dotō has hundreds of ninja." Fūka Sōsetsu warned.

Given Muyue's intelligence-gathering ability, he was certainly an excellent ninja, but could even Muyue fight hundreds of ninja alone?

"Lord Daimyō, I need to remind you: Teacher Muyue is super strong." Obito stepped forward and said.

A small request for monthly tickets. I'll try for ten thousand words again tomorrow. If I fail, I'll post fifty in the group. I don't believe I can't break ten thousand this time. Last time I was only short by a little over two thousand words. This time it'll be fine for sure.