"Lord, this one is an elite Jonin from Konoha..."
After they hurried into the Daimyo's bedroom, the Palace Guard Captain immediately whispered to the most prominent figure present, introducing Haseo's identity and background.
Upon hearing the Guard Captain's words, that "Lord" gave a slight raise of his brow before quickly adopting a bitter smile and walking toward Haseo to introduce himself.
"Lord Haseo, I am Hisakubo... truly didn't expect you'd witness a scene like this."
All things considered, for the nobles of the Land of Fire, having a Konoha Jonin appear at this moment was the best possible scenario.
Before arriving at the Daimyo's castle, Haseo had already conducted a basic understanding of the Daimyo's extended family structure. This "Lord Hisakubo" was particularly important because he was the late Daimyo's paternal uncle.
Just from these two sentences spoken by Hisakubo, Haseo could clearly hear the subtle implication that the Daimyo's death had nothing to do with him.
Right now, Haseo wasn't just functioning as a Jonin - because of his unique timing, his role was practically equivalent to that of the Hokage... representing Konoha's official stance.
Lord Hisakubo still felt somewhat nervous because instead of suspecting someone from Konoha, he was more worried that Konoha might suspect him.
After all, who benefited the most? Who had the strongest motive? The Daimyo's private affairs had naturally been kept under wraps, so nobody would know about Konoha's dislike for him.
"Lord Hisakubo, did you gather everyone in this room yourself? Are they... reliable?"
"Yes, of course. Given how serious this matter is... everyone here are direct blood relatives of the late Daimyo, the pillars of our Land of Fire, so there shouldn't be any problems."
Anyone who actually believed that statement would have to be out of their mind. Based on first impressions alone, Haseo could determine that quite a few people in this room were idle parasites feasting off the Land of Fire.
Haseo gave Hisakubo a long, penetrating stare, and everything unspoken passed silently between them.
Regardless, there were definitely too many people in this room. The Daimyo's death appeared somewhat disgraceful, and if they wanted to protect his reputation, naturally the fewer witnesses, the better. But right now, with so many people talking, keeping secrets was completely pointless...
But that was just how power struggles worked. Hisakubo had no reason to protect the deceased Daimyo's reputation.
After all, Hisakubo's older brother was once the Daimyo, and his nephew was also a Daimyo. While their bloodline was equally noble, simply because he was born slightly later, he remained just an ordinary noble... or at least should have been. Now, however, wasn't this his opportunity?
Lord Hisakubo appeared to be in his early thirties, while the late Daimyo was even younger. Plus, the Daimyo left no heirs. What more needed to be said?
"I'll... examine the Daimyo's condition first."
With those words, after seeing Hisakubo nod, Haseo walked toward the bed and began his inspection with a showy performance.
"The time of death should be around two in the morning. The Daimyo was killed with a single slash to the throat—the killer didn't hesitate for a second. And the man beside him had his neck broken around the same time. Neither showed signs of struggle, which means the killer had a clear objective. It was premeditated... Most likely the work of a ninja."
The murderer himself being the coroner, of course, meant he would slip some personal bias into the report. Clearly, the dead ninja's death occurred three to five minutes after the Daimyo's. Yet Haseo claimed they died at the same time.
What kind of "same time" does that imply if not confirming they both died in bed together?
"The killer was extremely cautious and left behind no useful clues. We can't even rule out the chance it was someone close. Who exactly was this person beside the Daimyo?"
After a quick examination, Haseo stood up. He reached a conclusion designed to confuse the issue… For someone as bold as Haseo, such behavior was rare—he boldly returned to the crime scene himself—and even brought back the murder weapon.
If anyone examined the weapon he brought back and compared it to the Daimyo's wound, suspicion would certainly fall on him. However, no one would ever do that to him—Haseo was a ninja. It made perfect sense for him to carry a blade.
Even more importantly, Lord Hisakubo was an unusually perceptive man. As a ninja himself, Haseo's judgment regarding the Daimyo's death carried significant authority. But beyond that, the conclusion also benefited Hisakubo directly, so he continued saying:
"Lord Haseo, the other victim was a ninja who enjoyed very special 'favor' from the Daimyo… Additionally, we suspect the killer was also a ninja since nobody noticed anything unusual that night. Only by dawn the following day did people finally discover what had happened here."
He put extra emphasis on the word "favor". The implication was obvious—he was silently helping Haseo pin the blame onto the Daimyo.
The Daimyo really had been deeply wronged. But the dead can't speak for themselves.
And yet, you couldn't say everything Hisakubo said was untrue either. If the Daimyo hadn't trusted the ninja, why would he let him guard the entrance to his bedroom? The ninja was good-looking too, much more pleasant to look at than those Konoha ninjas who always hide behind their creepy masks. Still, calling that a "special favor" sounds like a stretch.
Hisakubo continued explaining, "Earlier, the Daimyo somehow decided to send away the Konoha guardian ninjas, then recruited many wandering ninjas instead. Well... the Daimyo sure paid the price for trusting the wrong people."
After the Daimyo's death, most of the ninja he'd recruited fled, while a small group seized control of the main chamber of the palace and were now attempting to negotiate terms with them.
Haseo gave a bitter smile, clearly thinking something like, "How unlucky—I got dragged into this mess."
He continued, "During the commotion at Third Hokage's Wedding, envoys from other great nations were stranded in Konoha. Originally my squad was tasked with monitoring Kumo's envoys as they departed, but then Third Hokage requested that I stop by Daimyo's Castle on my way back to explain to the Daimyo about the unfortunate death of his envoy in Konoha and the matter regarding the Twelve Ninja...
Who could've expected something like this to happen."
Haseo appeared to be complaining, but subtly clearing his own suspicions and giving a reasonable explanation for his timely arrival.
"What about those wandering ninjas... Do you think they're suspects?"
"Not sure. But the ones who remained seem to want to get paid the reward money promised by the Daimyo before leaving," replied Hisakubo.
It was fine to pin blame on the Daimyo, but the fact that the Daimyo had died was still a serious matter, so he dared not casually point fingers at the killer.
After all, it wasn't Hisakubo who did it, nor could it possibly have been a Konoha ninja—that settled things right there.
Haseo frowned. Those fleeing wanderer ninjas might not be very smart, but at least they had some sense. However, the ones who stayed behind were truly idiotic. Didn't they understand how serious the Daimyo's death was? Would Konoha just ignore it? If Konoha sent their ninjas after them, who exactly did they think they were?
"There's too little evidence left at the scene. I suspect the killer didn't even stay in this room for 30 seconds total, so… leaving the Daimyo's corpse exposed like this is pointless. Let's have him collected properly." Then, leaning close to Hisakubo's ear, Haseo added softly, "This looks really shameful. We should at least try to maintain some dignity for the Daimyo."
Hisakubo nodded in agreement. "You're absolutely right, Haseo. Everyone else, please step aside for now. Someone prepare to handle the Daimyo's remains, and we'll definitely get to the bottom of this case."
The two men, who'd played their part in ruining the Daimyo's reputation, were now putting on this show about protecting his dignity—it was almost amusing watching them play righteous.
Hisakubo seemed quite authoritative. After he spoke, nobody objected, and the nobles obediently began to disperse.
Needless to say, a large portion of them would struggle to keep their mouths shut, and news of the Daimyo's death would spread fast. Yet compared to the news that "the Daimyo had been assassinated," public attention would focus more bizarrely on "the Daimyo dying in bed with another man..." because nobles' dirty little secrets always drew attention—people just couldn't resist juicy rumors.
However, such information would remain as nothing more than rumors. In response to these rumors, officially the likely cause given for the Daimyo's death would probably be what Haseo previously suggested—"sudden illness"—while any actual investigation would quietly go underground.
Moreover, Haseo couldn't help but wonder—given how Hisakubo acted earlier, would he even bother investigating the former Daimyo's death once he became the new one?
Doubtful. The Daimyo was merely his nephew, not even his own father.
"Haseo, what should we do next?"
Once most of the people had left, attendants in the Palace began tidying up the Daimyo's appearance and preparing his body for burial. Hisakubo glanced at Haseo and said,
"Anyway… let's take care of those fools asking for death — those wandering ninjas first."
Haseo mused silently, "Let's grab these patsies first… The real culprit's probably long gone, but those wandering ninjas might at least offer some explanation for what happened."
P.S. Readers, time to step up. My heart's bleeding here.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>