Chapter 161: A Private Deal
"Those who surrender will be spared, those who flee will be killed!"
With the help of Samehada, Sasuke immediately unleashed a vast swarm of shadow clones, manipulating various puppets. Using a small force to encircle the larger one, he completely surrounded all the Mist Ninja trapped on the river. Some Mist Ninja, still determined to escape by climbing the rock walls, were thrown back by the infrasound waves, falling like dumplings. Under the crossfire of the puppets, they were instantly shattered.
Each of these shadow clones employed the Red Secret Technique: Double Unit Maneuver, manipulating two standard Sunagakure jōnin puppets. In the mist, they rivaled the power of normal jōnin warriors.
After the massive chakra transfer from Samehada, Sasuke unleashed more than thirty shadow clones in rapid succession. Faced with such a jōnin-level force, the Mist Ninja, responsible for logistics, were no match and were quickly annihilated.
Many Mist Ninja tried to disguise themselves as looted civilians, some even as civilian women, but the sonar radar made it impossible to hide.
Just as Sasuke had eliminated all the Mist Ninja, the Konoha Hundred finally arrived, ready to help recover these huge ocean-going vessels.
Sasuke's true form located the sunken ship. The bow had been pierced by a whirlpool of water spears, leaving one end tilted and sunk in the river, while the other end rose high, blocking all the larger ships behind. He had not come to salvage the ship or dredge the river, but to obtain the gold, silver, and jewels on board.
It was a huge fortune. Although many antiques had depreciated during the Ninja War, the gold, silver, and jewels were readily available for sale, with a value of hundreds of millions of ryō.
In order to get this treasure, he even merged with Samehada, transforming into a shark and diving to the riverbed. He then stored all the treasure in a huge sealing scroll, securing it for himself.
By the time Sasuke finished his looting, the Konoha Hundred had already taken control of the entire ocean-going fleet.
"Captain, we've struck it rich,"
Tekudō exclaimed, his eyes narrowed, his mouth agape, almost drooling. With so much loot, those Mist Ninja were completely insane. They had practically plundered the entire southern area of the River Country like a plague of locusts. Dozens of huge ocean-going vessels were practically full - what a treasure!
"Send Gang Sengoku to salvage this wreck and see if it can be repaired." "
"Alright!" Tekudō hurried to find someone. They were huge ocean-going vessels, each worth at least a million ryō, and they were all incredibly valuable. Even if they weren't used to dredge the river, they wouldn't be wasted.
After Sasuke handed over the clean-up responsibilities to Tekudō, Gang Sengoku, and the others, he set off on his Shirotaka for the Daimyō's residence in the River Country. Now that access to the sea has been opened, even with the arrival of large ocean-going vessels, it is time to lead the Konoha Hundred out of the River Country.
His mission at the Daimyō's mansion in the River Country, in addition to gathering the garrison troops, is also to bring the Daimyō of the River Country and his officials back to the Land of Fire. Bringing him back, in particular, is more than just a high-level S-rank mission; the political significance far exceeds that of ordinary S-rank missions.
The merits obtained by the Daimyō of the River Country alone might even exceed the combined merits of this mission behind enemy lines.
It is undeniable that the consensus in the ninja world is that ninjas are tools, and these daimyōs are the ones who fund them. The Daimyō of the River Country is closely related to the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, and bringing him back would give the latter the right to maintain control of the River Country, a merit that he would undoubtedly receive.
It is even possible that this mission would prompt the Daimyō of the Land of Fire to increase military spending in Konohagakure. Being able to help the village with additional military expenses was a tremendous achievement. Not even those in Konohagakure would dare to say anything, for fear of being drowned in their spit.
"Captain, the Daimyō of the River Country has left,"
Ryo organized the tedious relocation work, and then reported, "But some nobles are unwilling to leave. You see..."
Hearing this, Sasuke's gaze shone with a cold light, but his expression remained completely calm. "Since they want to stay, then forget it. Don't worry about them."
However, shortly after Ryo left, escorting the Daimyō of Kawanokuni and his family, a group of defeated Mist Ninjas appeared and looted the nobles who still remained in the Daimyō's mansion. They even looted treasures hidden in flowerbeds and under trees, not to mention the hidden chambers.
Sasuke, laden with sealing scrolls, walked out of the Daimyō's mansion, and with the intention of using the instant body movement technique to catch up with Ryo and his men, he stopped in his tracks.
"Tokiwa and Sandfall, why are you back?"
Sasuke detected a group of Suna Ninja, who seemed to be parading through the Daimyō's mansion, even chasing after them at full speed. Soon, they saw Sasuke, who was waiting for them in the middle of the road.
"Sasuke-kun, I am Jōran Fūma, from the Jōran clan. Could we discuss this in detail?"
Jōran Fūma's attitude was extremely polite, clearly seeking a favor. More precisely, he was there to make a deal, willing to claim Pakura at any price. For Pakura's sake, he even brought the Kekkei Genkai Fusion Scroll.
Kuji Tokiwa and Sandfall were diplomatic. Hearing Jōran Fūma's words, they immediately left and stood guard, giving the two of them ample space to converse.
"Jōran, we are enemies. What is there to discuss?"
"Sasuke-kun, I heard that you made a deal with Ruriyu. Do you mind?"
Jōran had been fully prepared, completely skeptical that Sasuke would refuse the deal, or he would have already taken the initiative.
"Oh, has the word of my deal with Ruriyu spread?"
Sasuke's eyes lit up, his heart filled with joy. It seemed that the information that Karuo had transmitted to him before he died was beginning to take effect.
"Of course I mind, but as long as you add money, everything will be fine."
Sasuke feigned greed and said with a smile, "I wonder what assassination mission Fūma-kun asked me to help you eliminate which political enemy."
"Eliminate political enemies, could it be...?"
Hearing this, Jōran was shocked and couldn't help but ask, "Sasuke-kun, Ruriyu traded you so many wind escape inheritances. Could it be that Ruriyu was trying to eliminate dissidents?"
"Fūma-kun, what did you think the exchange was about?"
Sasuke was also surprised at first. He didn't expect that after the arm exchange, Arashi didn't put it back, but still kept the same mechanical arm. So he couldn't blame Ruriyu for exchanging it for something else.
Then, Sasuke simply hinted at a keyword, "Karuo."
This reminder immediately made Jōran think that the wind escape inheritances that Ruriyu had exchanged could not really be used to eliminate dissidents and weaken the power of the Kazekage candidate, Rasa. Although such things were common in the past, times have changed. Not many people would dare to take the risk, right? In addition, Ruriyu does not seem like someone who can do such a thing.
Seeing that Jōran's initial suspicion had turned to disbelief, Sasuke added fuel to the fire and hinted, "The one I am trading with is not Ruriyu, but Arashi." "
"I see!"
Jōran instantly understood. Ruriyu couldn't have done such a thing, but Arashi certainly could.
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