The two of them joked around in front of Itachi like they did when they were kids, before finally getting to the main topic.
"Those three towns... that was your doing, wasn't it? You might be able to fool the officials of the Daimyō residence, but you can't fool me—I spent nearly ten years in Root."
Asuma came straight to the point, calling out Takeshi's act of blatant disrespect.
Attacking the nobility was one of the ironclad rules of the shinobi world.
"Evidence, envoy-sama. If you're going to say something like that, you'll need evidence. To slander the acting Hokage without proof... that's the kind of thing that could land you in the Internal Affairs Department for tea."
Takeshi looked as if to say, "What can you do about it?" He had no intention of admitting anything.
"Stop playing dumb with me. Tell me—what's your real reason for doing this?"
Asuma leaned forward, his eyes fixed unrelentingly on Takeshi.
"For Konoha."
Takeshi's answer was simple. So simple that Asuma froze for a moment.
"Alright, back up a bit. Your smoke reeks."
Before Asuma could respond, Takeshi reached out and pushed his old friend's face aside.
The last thing he wanted was to end up like his own father, with his whole body smelling like tobacco.
"Is that so? Well, the Daimyō's residence sent me this time with the specific hope that I could persuade my old man to personally investigate the matter."
Asuma casually pulled up a chair and sat opposite Takeshi, laying out the purpose of his visit clearly.
"No wonder you didn't say a word when Root was disbanded. You were waiting for this moment all along."
Looking at what Takeshi had done, Asuma suddenly felt his past self was laughably naïve.
"Hmph." Takeshi neither confirmed nor denied.
He wasn't as calculating as Asuma made him out to be. He simply believed in doing one's duty for the position one occupied. The disbanding of Root hadn't been his to stop—that was Danzo's domain. Whether it continued or not had never been his decision.
"In any case, the Hyūga officials in the Daimyō's residence are still very displeased with your abolition of the Main Family. Right now, they're just looking for an excuse to go after you. You'd better be careful."
Asuma gave his warning.
"Petty clowns. The Daimyō's residence, hm... Asuma, since you're one of the Guardian Twelve now, you must have a very clear understanding of the Daimyō's defenses, don't you?"
At the mention of the Hyūga still fixated on him, a strange emotion flickered in Takeshi's eyes. After a few blinks, he suddenly asked about the Daimyō's military strength.
"What are you planning?"
Asuma was immediately on guard.
"Don't get so worked up. I'm not about to resort to assassination. But I want to know—if Konoha mustered the full strength of the village, could it stand against the Daimyō's forces?"
To know yourself and your enemy is the key to victory. What Takeshi knew about the Daimyō's residence was mostly secondhand.
He wanted to hear from someone who had actually lived in the capital.
"The Daimyō's technology is more advanced than Konoha's. Besides the samurai corps, he has both a musket unit and an artillery unit. In terms of combat ability... they could probably match genin in equivalent numbers."
Asuma hesitated for a moment, then chose to reveal what he knew.
"And don't underestimate the samurai either. They're not like the wandering ronin we sometimes run into on missions. Some of them are easily on the level of jōnin."
In truth, he wanted to avoid a direct conflict between Konoha and the Land of Fire at all costs. He preferred Danzo's approach—slowly undermining the Daimyō's power through covert means.
"If Konoha and the Daimyō's residence went to full-scale war, who would win?"
Takeshi was mildly surprised to hear about muskets.
Asuma hadn't expected that someone he once considered weak—Takeshi—was already contemplating total war with the Daimyō.
His eyes grew complicated as he looked at him. Based on what he knew, he gave his answer:
"If the Daimyō gathered all the nobles, they could hold Konoha to a standstill for a year."
As for victory... Asuma left it unsaid.
But he knew Takeshi would understand.
If Konoha dared to declare war on the Daimyō, then the entire Land of Fire would become its enemy.
The common people would never support a government run by shinobi. To them, the Daimyō was everything. Centuries of ingrained thought bound them.
In the end, the losers would only be the shinobi.
"I see. Sensei hasn't seen you in a long time. You should visit him."
Takeshi nodded, his face expressionless, as though he had already expected Asuma's answer.
"Do you need me to return to Konoha?"
Asuma wanted to help his friend—at the very least, see Danzo's vision realized first.
"No. Staying at the Daimyō's side is more useful than returning to Konoha."
Takeshi's words made Asuma's brow twitch. His mouth fell open in surprise.
"Don't tell me you're planning..."
"Relax. I'm not that bold." Takeshi smiled faintly, reassuring him.
"Besides, even if I did, it would only result in another Daimyō taking the throne."
...
Asuma's visit didn't cause much of a stir in the village. Takeshi, as usual, arranged a standard reception for him, then went about his own business.
The first place he went was the Konoha Research Bureau under Orochimaru's control.
After hearing about the Land of Fire's level of technology, Takeshi had even greater expectations for Orochimaru.
"Well, if it isn't Acting Hokage-sama. What brings you here today?" Orochimaru rasped with amusement, though his hands never stopped working.
"Nothing much. Just came to check in. Mainly, I want to know whether that black substance I brought you has behaved."
Takeshi was curious about Black Zetsu's current state.
"Behaved? I already dispelled the seal. What's left is just an interesting lump of black mud. Nothing special."
At the mention of Black Zetsu, Orochimaru freed a hand and gestured toward a nearby culture dish.
"Black mud?"
Takeshi froze, then followed Orochimaru's direction to the culture dish.
Sure enough, inside was only a dark, muddy lump—no trace of Black Zetsu's mocking face.
Damn it. Had he only severed part of its body?
"As for the White Zetsu, I've figured out quite a lot. Fascinating, really. The Hashirama cells on it are unusually docile—completely unlike the ones I worked with back when I cooperated with Danzo."
Orochimaru gently set the test tube he was holding onto the rack. Inside were cells extracted from White Zetsu.
"As for the black substance, according to both Hiruko and myself, it contains the properties of all five basic elements along with Yin–Yang Release. It has already surpassed both Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta."
Orochimaru stuck out his tongue, licking his lips with excitement.
"I can't help but wonder—what would it look like if it were alive?"
"If I get the chance, I'll let you see it." Takeshi shrugged.
He hadn't managed to capture Black Zetsu this time. Who knew when he'd encounter it again?
"I'll be looking forward to it." Orochimaru's eyes glittered with excitement.