[Rice Palace, Oto no Kami]
"Takigakure has issued a bounty on the Rice Daimyo, and the various nobles. I would like you, Danzo-sama, to perhaps talk them out of it", Takeshi spoke, "Your words hold weights. I am fully aware that it might decrease the requests of protection you receive from the nobles, but if they were to be killed, the political instability would reduce the wealth generated by the country by a large margin, and, in turn, hurt your business even more"
Danzo frowned, and looked at Harumi, who held connections to Oto spies accross the country: "I have heard no such information. How come?"
Takeshi issued a wry smile: "Do you think the nobles would come to the summit, if they knew their lives were in danger? No. We controlled information the best we could, killing brokers, capturing the ones who knew. However, there is only so much time before the news get out and mercenaries start attacking...Unless Takigakure stops its orders"
"This is no small request. Takigakure is not one of the six major hidden village, but they possess a tailed beast and a kage-level figure capable of defending themselves just fine, not to mention they signed a peace treaty with Iwagakure. In the next kage summit, Iwa will not hesitate to bring this up"
Takeshi nodded: "This would undermine the efforts of bringing peace to the continent. This much, I can understand. This is why I would like you to do it unofficially. In other words, an assassination attempt. Without their kage, they would not know who they offended and retract all bounties. This much is basic procedure in all major hidden village, not just Takigakure"
Danzo considered the offer for a while, ultimately shaking his head: "No matter how much you offer, Takigakure is not a small foe. Their leader Tansen is one of the strongest user of Suiton, and more importantly, possess a treasure called 'Hero Water', capable of duplicating chakra pool at the cost of lifespan"
Takeshi revealed a scroll: "These are the Rice Samurai techniques from my family. We know from our reports that the Shimura clan has an expertise in sword play. The Samurai techniques are different in nature from regular samurai techniques, but they are much older. Maybe you can find inspiration to raise your own Shimura Kenjutsu Art to the desired level. Although I lack the power to provide you with samurai who swore fealty to the Rice Daimyo, I can offer you treasures of Oto no Kami. Katanas, named artefacts, jewelries...Anything"
Danzo considered the resource he was lacking most, and eventually had a thought. The reason why he was going to send Hebikaze poison specialists to Sunagakure under the prestence of joint collaboration was initially brought from a lack of experimental subjects in Oto. Poison mastery would raise the overall battle prowess of the Otogakure Assassination Corps by leaps and bounds, especially with their ability to naturally produce poison on their own.
However, for the 'other' research, 'Ether Powder', a drug he was developping to raise the chakra talent of regular civilians, he needed more experimental subject. Organic growth could only achieve so much, and to keep pace with the other, bigger major hidden village, Danzo concluded that increasing the quality and talent rate of his population, the Ether Powder was the only solution besides mass migration, which too posed a problem.
"Do you think you could make a law be adopted in Oto no Kami?", Danzo asked, "Thieves, bandits, criminals of all kind sentenced to death, and sent to Otogakure?"
Takeshi gulped: "This...There are thousands of them..."
"Can you?"
Takeshi finally nodded: "I will make it happen"
"Then we have a deal. The Takikage will soon die, but he will be replaced. Nobody will know what happened", Danzo sent a knowing gaze to his wife, who simply whistled.
Otogakure was growing stronger, but Danzo's latest acquisition needed further testing.
Takigakure was thoughtless.
But Danzo was not stupid. He knew exactly the reason why they would do that. After all, Danzo's products, its glass industry, was distributed accross noble circles, since they were the only ones, for now, capable of affording the highest quality products.
However, this used to be the core of Takigakure's economy. Possessing the waterfall as a natural cooler, they could make glass of higher quality than most artisans, but this was before Otogakure's factories filled with wind seals, geothermy and technology based on actual science came in with perfect, defect-free products that conquered the hearts of nobles accross the continent.
Oto nobles, under the protection of Otogakure, naturally acted like sharks. They did not show mercy at all, and despite being neutral in the last war, Takigakure was in the middle of a stark financial crisis. More and more merchants were also beginning to request other major hidden villages, including Otogakure, for services, further denting their economy.
Furthermore, their humid lands were improper for farming, attracting insects eating corps before they were harvesting, making them dependants on imports for something as necessary as food.
They wanted to send a message, but little did they know, for Otogakure would not stay still.
It was not officially breaking the peace agreement of five years either, since Takigakure did not count as a major hidden village. Even if it was allied to Iwagakure, it did not count. Of course, Iwa would not sit still if there were proofs of Otogakure's implication in the assassination, but Harumi possessed just the right technique to isolate the kage and kill him.
Danzo and Harumi were not average kage-level figures. Besides their individual strength, their strength combined quite perfectly over years of side by side training and joint operations. Additionally, two tailed beasts were hosted in them two.
Besides the Raikage who was always followed by the eight-tails jinchuriki, few kage-level figures could even hope to rival them once they set their eyes on a target.