Land of Earth: Capital.
The early morning sun gently rose above the horizon. Its golden rays covered the capital city of the Land of Earth in soft warmth.
Standing hidden in the shadows of a building was Dragon. 'This plan won't work without a big enough target. So that means I can't give him an edited version of everything that happened and keep sensei's name hidden from this situation.'
He was silently observing the mansion of the Minister of Intelligence, Ishida Masato. A place guarded vigilantly by several, yet utterly unaware of the imminent danger lurking just beyond their senses.
'Routine patrol structure. Guards on the inner ring and two more on the eastern side. They change positions every 15 minutes. They're confident. Good for them. This would be boring otherwise.'
Dragon closed his eyes briefly and a moment later, he vanished from the shadows.
—-
Inside Ishida Masato's private quarters, the Intelligence Minister was enjoying the tranquility of dawn from his balcony, sipping warm tea as a cool morning breeze brushed against his face. Ishida was a man in his early fifties, with a sharp gaze and vigilant senses.
Yet this morning, his senses betrayed him. The minister and his guards failed to notice the subtle distortion of space in the room behind him.
Dragon made a single, precise hand seal. Instantly, a small amount of Yin chakra flowed into the body of the minister on the balcony. Suddenly, Ishida's vision blurred slightly and the tea cup wavered in his grasp.
"Come inside," Dragon's voice echoed in his ear.
"Yes," Ishida whispered with a hollow voice.
He walked back obediently into his private study, leaving behind the guards obliviously watching from below. The balcony doors closed moments later showing nothing out of the ordinary.
Dragon placed a hand on the minister's shoulder and a moment later both men disappeared from the mansion.
—-
They reappeared far from the Capital, atop a barren land where cold winds blew small rock particles everywhere.
The moment Dragon released his illusion, Ishida staggered and blinked. He spun, eyes sharp now, taking in the horizon, the emptiness and the masked intruder. His heart raced with panic, but Ishida's experienced mind quickly assessed the situation, maintaining composure even in his fear. He glared at the masked figure before him angrily.
"You…! Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Ishida growled. Anger, clear in his words. He steadied his stance, hands flexing near his sleeves. "Do you know who I am? Kidnapping a minister is an act of war. The Daimyo will—"
"—do nothing." Dragon replied with a flat tone.
Ishida's jaw tightened. "You presume too much."
Dragon tilted his head slightly, unbothered by the threat. "Relax, Minister Ishida. If I wanted you dead, you'd already be lying lifeless on your balcony."
Ishida gritted his teeth, but soon took a deep breath and calmed down. He looked at the enigma in front of him and spoke in a calmer tone. "This stunt has sealed your fate. No matter what your reasons are, you will pay a price for this."
The disguised Daichi had plenty of patience but today he was getting annoyed quickly, hearing the petty threats. 'Arh… These damn nobles. They all think they're untouchable even when they're in front of people who can kill them with just their fingers.'
Dragon released his killing intent and focused it entirely on the man in front of him.
The results were immediate. Minister Ishida's body froze as terror spread through every part of him. "Wh–What is… this?"
To him it was as if the light had disappeared from the world and he was falling into a dark abyss of unknown. 'No. I'm going to drown.' His body trembled with fear.
Seeing that he got the point across, Dragon restrained himself and released the Genjutsu. He watched with crossed arms as the man fell to his knees and gasped for air. "I'll say this once. Don't waste my time with useless threats. If I don't get what I want from you, you're dead."
Ishida heard the chilling tone and slowly looked up to his abductor. 'He's completely serious. He really will kill me.'
Slowly he got a hold of himself and stood up. He looked at the man with hidden fear and caution and softly spoke. "Who are you? Why did you bring me here? What do you want with me?"
"So many questions. But I suppose it's fair considering the circumstances… My name is Dragon. As for why I brought you here, it's so that we won't be interrupted during our conversation. And as for what I want… Well, a few things actually." Dragon replied calmly.
'So he needs me for something. It seems I might make it back home alive after all.' The minister had a straight face and kept his thoughts to himself. "There were far better and less dramatical ways to get an audience with me. Was this really necessary?"
"Yes."
Hearing that simple reply, the minister crossed his arms. "What matter is so important that you would need to abduct someone of my position from my home to discuss?"
"Kuroda Michinori!"
A faint twitch nicked Ishida's eyelid. "Minister Kuroda? What does this have to do with him? Did he send you?"
"No no. Quite the opposite." Dragon replied with a chuckle.
Seeing the questioning look from the minister, Dragon continued. "I had an enlightening conversation with him yesterday. Well… conversation isn't the right word. Interrogation fits better."
Hearing those words froze the minister. His face paled as he looked at the man. "I… Interrogated? You actually did that to a member of the Earth Royal Court?"
"Yes. He had plenty to say." Dragon reached into his cloak, withdrew a small device, and gave it to Ishida. "You should listen to it."
'This is insane. Lord Daimyo will be angry when this comes to light…' The minister of intelligence took the recording with shaky hands and took a deep breath. 'What could be on this?'
Ishida pressed the switch and static crackled for a few seconds before he heard a familiar voice. "My name is Kuroda Michinori… Finance Minister of the Land of Earth. Three months ago, I was approached by Orochimaru…"
The confession rolled on. Shipments from the Land of Snow. The kidnapping of rare bloodlines from in and around the Land of Earth and Hidden Stone village. A plotted coup against the Daimyo and plans to kill Onoki the Third Tsuchikage and seize the Hidden Stone village as well as the entire Earth country.
'No… This can't be real… He wouldn't be that crazy… Would he?' The blood drained from the minister's face as he listened to the sounds from the tape. Ishida's eyes widened and his hands trembled slightly despite trying to hold steady.
"Ohh I think you'll find this next part particularly interesting." Dragon suddenly spoke as the confession of the finance minister was nearing its end.
Ishida clenched his hands a tad tighter on the device and focused. Kuroda's fearful voice filled his ears. "Yes! Yes, I was planning to frame Ishida for the kidnapping of Tsunade Senju! I wanted to create friction between him and the daimyo and then assassinate him… Please, stop! I told you everything, no more!"
Soon when the recording ended silence reigned. The minister had no doubt that what he heard was the truth and not some fabrications by the mysterious man near him. 'This explains so many of the anomalies I came across these last few months.'
"See. In some ways you can consider me as your guardian angel. Because if he went through with his plans, your fate would have been sealed." Dragon's words made Ishida silent.
"Is… is she dead?" Ishida asked with slight trepidation.
Dragon shook his head. "No. Luckily for this country, she's still alive. The Leaf ninjas rescued her and took her back to the village last night."
Several thoughts went through Ishida's mind before he uttered his next words. "You really tortured him?" Ishida finally spoke at last, voice low.
"I extracted the truth," Dragon replied.
"Is Kuroda…?"
"Dead? No," Dragon replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "But he paid the price for his greed."
A chill ran down Ishida's spine, though he maintained his bravado. He tried to understand the origin of the man near him and the purpose of giving him this information. "You're not with Orochimaru…Or maybe the Hidden stone…? No that can't be. Are you with the Hidden Leaf village? Did you save Tsunade Senju?"
"No." Dragon's calm reply confused the old man.
"I don't believe that." Ishida's gaze hardened. "You care about Tsunade Senju. If not, why else would you do this? You did something truly outrageous by attacking a minister. You wanted to save her didn't you?"
"You're overestimating Tsunade's value to me or my connection to the Hidden Leaf. What I care about is balance. I didn't do this to save her. I did this to stop Orochimaru and a potential war." Dragon replied unblinkingly.
Seeing the minister's expression, Dragon continued. "If the world believed that the Leaf's Princess was held in this country in her current state, every warmonger in the Hidden Stone would shout for her capture and then for war. The Leaf village will mobilize their forces without a doubt. The next great ninja war will start. Many young men will die from both sides. And someone like Kuroda will step up to take advantage of the chaos and grab more power. I prefer a less tragic outcome." He let that sink in as he looked at the man before him.
Ishida was silent for a few moments and then spoke carefully. "So then… What do you want with me?"
"You'll need to cover up the matter with the finance minister immediately. Along with the commotions that happened at the northern mine a few hours ago. And Tsunade's presence here must remain a secret from the Hidden Stone village."
"Control the narrative huh? And if I refuse? Why should I do any of this?" Ishida challenged defiantly.
"Well, let's see." Dragon took a deliberate step forward. His eyes glinted menacingly behind the mask. "I reached you once effortlessly. I can do that again." He decided to show the metaphorical stick in his hand. "I paid a visit to Orochimaru's base. Found several ledgers that implicated you in many transactions. He was keeping them for when the time came to control you."
Ishida was stunned and fell silent. He was visibly shaken by that revelation. "N…No. That's a lie. I never met him or made any deals with him."
"You didn't meet him directly but you did make deals with his people. Whether you knew who they really were or not… well it doesn't matter now, does it… Because once this evidence reaches the Daimyo or the Tsuchikage, it'll put your reputation at risk."
"They won't believe you." Ishida gritted his teeth in anger.
Dragon shrugged. "Maybe. But regardless, this news will still tarnish your reputation and considerably reduce your influence."
Dragon's words made Ishida clench his jaws in anger. Seeing the man's silence, Dragon began to take out the carrot.
"Orochimaru had plans for everyone—especially you. But luckily for you, his plans were interrupted by me. You should be grateful to me."
"How kind of you."
Dragon ignored the sarcasm in the minister's tone and continued. "I have an offer. Carve up Kuroda's territories and quietly offer a portion to the Daimyo. His greed will assure his compliance. Redistribute some among loyal nobles. I'm sure you can quiet the court with patronage and your influence. Keep a large chunk for yourself but in return, conceal the truth regarding Kuroda… Keep the Daimyo from taking any aggressive action against any other nation and finally as far as anyone else knows, Tsunade Senju never set foot here. Are you willing to do that?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not really."
Seeing that the Minister was still in the mood to argue Dragon spoke. "What do you think will happen if The Tsuchikage finds out that people with bloodlines were kidnapped from his village and in and around this country. And that's not mentioning the plans for the attack on the Hidden Stone village."
The intelligence minister's face twisted with anger. But there was also panic visible in his eyes. "You-"
"But I'm not interested in any of that."
Ishida's expression twisted in contemplation. "Fine. I can handle the investigation and keep all this away from the Hidden Stone village. And I'll be able to convince the Daimyo to back down. But you need to keep your word. None of this reaches the Hidden Stone ninjas."
"I can agree to that." Dragon nodded.
"But there is still one thing."
Dragon tilted his head and looked at the man. "What?"
"The attack on a minister in his home… That's something that cannot simply vanish. Someone must be held accountable."
Dragon was silent for a few moments. After thinking about it, he nodded to himself. "Alright. Blame me."
"What?" Ishida's gaze snapped upward, baffled. "You want the blame?"
Dragon chuckled, a faint, amused sound tinged with danger. "A reputation built on fear and power draws certain allies. Bounty hunters, missing ninjas, informants, smugglers… They'll all come to me instead of me going to them… They're right sort of people for me. Anyways, I have my reasons and I am the real culprit afterall. Besides, this is a good way for you to get revenge on me for this stunt, isn't it."
'Isn't he afraid of Daimyo's bounty? Why does he need this kind of a reputation?' "You're looking to build followers?" Ishida asked, testing the man near him.
"Maybe." Dragon shrugged nonchalantly. "You don't need to know why. And considering that you're the intelligence minister, isn't this convenient for you?"
"The fact that you're willing to shift the blame to yourself and not the Land of Fire or the Hidden Leaf village tells me you're one of them." Ishida wanted to know the man's origin and he put forth a hypothesis. He wasn't afraid that he'll be killed now that he has realized his value to the man before him.
"It seems you didn't quite hear me before. I don't particularly care for that nation or the village but I'm sure my words aren't enough to convince."
"That's right." 'Is he some kind of rogue Leaf ninja still loyal to that village?'
"Let's look at this from a different perspective. If I were a Leaf ninja or from the Land of Fire, then weakening the relationship between the Land of Earth Royal court and the Hidden Stone village would be of great benefit to me wouldn't it? If I gave all of this evidence to the Tsuchikage, what would you think he would do considering his stubborn character?"
Ishida's eyes widened as he realized the horror of such a scenario.
"What do you think the Tsuchikage would be more angry about? That a few Leaf ninjas snuck into this country and rescued the Princess of the Leaf from torture and experiments or the kidnapping of rare bloodlines and the plans of a coup and attack on the village from a Minister of the Daimyo court."
Sweat rolled down the side of Ishida's face. "If you do that…"
Dragon shook his head. "I already told you. I don't want to do any of that. I'm not interested in starting a conflict that destabilizes the world… If you still think I'm some kind of Leaf ninja… then in a few days you'll be surprised…"
The winds picked up speed and Ishida shielded his eyes for a few moments. As the gust died down he contemplated his situation. 'I can't believe I'm going through with this…' "You abduct me, threaten my life, and in the next breath ask me to commit to this… fiction?"
"It's more than fiction," Dragon said. "It's to prevent a possible disaster." He then stepped closer, and the temperature seemed to drop. "Understand something, Minister. If you try anything else other than what we're discussing regarding this matter, I will walk past your guards, past your locks, and put my hand on your heart while you sleep. You won't be able to hide from me."
Ishida didn't step back but he was scared by the threat. Several seconds of silence later, he spoke. "If I do this for you then I want something in return."
Dragon was silent for a moment before he burst into laughter. "Bwahahaha…" His laugh soon came to a stop and he stared into the man's eyes. "I already saved you from a potential death sentence. So right now, this is a one way transaction. I tell you what to do and you get it done… If you're not interested then I'll do this my way and you won't like the outcome of that."
Ishida clenched his fists and was silent. Veins slightly bulged around his throat. A few moments later he took a deep breath and calmed down. "Alright. I'll do what you ask. I'll deal with this matter."
"Thank you. Was that so hard?"
The intelligence minister ignored the man's sarcastic remark and continued. "The Daimyo has been dissatisfied with Kuroda for a while now, so this will be somewhat easy. And he likes tribute more than questions, and Kuroda's allies will change their loyalties when their pockets become full."
"And there's something else I want?"
Ishida resisted the urge to groan in anger. "What more do you need?"
"Information," Dragon said. "Detailed intelligence on the Three Princes of the Fire nation. Their alliances, vices, private debts. Everything. I also want your best profile on the Fire Daimyo. His habits, his strengths and fears and his failings."
'Why does he want those? Is he not really allied with the Land of Fire? Or is this a bluff?' The minister was confused but he kept those thoughts to himself.
Dragon then pointed to the north-west. "And I also want maps. Secret routes into the Land of Wind from Earth. Smuggler paths, abandoned war tunnels, safe wells. Updated within the month."
Ishida glared suspiciously. "Why those? Are you planning something across the borders?"
Dragon calmly stared back, voice colder. "My reasons are my own. You don't need to know anything else. Now… Do you accept or decline?"
The Intelligence Minister released a resigned breath. "Every word you've said makes me want to capture you and hand you over to the Daimyo and yet…" He exhaled through his nose. "And yet, you're right. You did me a favor today, whether I asked for it or not. If Kuroda truly intended to frame me, then my head would have been on a pike within the year."
"That," Dragon said, "was his intention."
Ishida weighed the masked figure, then gave a tiny, reluctant nod. "You'll have what you asked for. I'll provide the intelligence. But after this, our business ends."
Dragon inclined his head slightly. "Fair enough." In a swift motion, he grabbed Ishida's shoulder again, and in the next heartbeat they reappeared back within Ishida's study.
The minister staggered slightly, disoriented by the abrupt return. He looked around with wide eyes. 'Some kind of Teleportation jutsu?'
"Don't do anything stupid." Came the soft warning from the shadows behind him.
'This man… is terrifying.'
Ishida peered out into the corridor, and then moved to a wall panel. His fingers danced over hidden latches. A small compartment slid open, revealing sealed wax tubes and several ledgers bound in black leather. He went through them and soon returned to Dragon with a few documents and a particular black book.
"Everything you requested," Ishida said stiffly. "Dossiers on the three Princes and the Fire Daimyo. His chamberlain is the key if you want to know more about him. And here—routes to Land of Wind. Some were carved by bandits, some by soldiers. All viable."
Dragon took them, scanning the top pages with quick, efficient glances. "Acceptable."
He silently tucked the documents into his cloak, stepping back. "Pleasure doing business, Minister."
The minister's mouth flattened. "I'll send riders to Kuroda's estate immediately." He looked at the masked man. "If we never meet again, Dragon, I won't complain."
Dragon's reply was mild. "If we meet again, Minister, it will be because you failed to keep your end of our deal."
A heartbeat's pause and Dragon vanished as quietly as he came.
Ishida turned back and stared at the safe's open mouth. He put the contents back and then closed it with care. 'Blackmail. The abduction of a Sannin. A potential war between the Stone and Leaf. An unknown shinobi against a monster like Orochimaru. And I'm the thin line separating all this?' He exhaled slowly. 'What a headache. Looks like I have my work cut out for me.'
Ishida, breathing heavily, quickly recovered his energy and barked orders to his guards. He dispatched investigators immediately to Kuroda's mansion. He then leaned back against the wall, his pulse racing and his thoughts spinning wildly.
'Dragon… Just who are you, really?'
—-------------
Author's Note:
Daichi, moving with his own plans. Next chapter, Tsunade's treatment begins. How will our hero save her from this predicament?
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