Chapter 162: Returning Fully Loaded
"What? You really plan to use an Earth Release Ninjutsu to get Pakura back? Don't you know that releasing prisoners is against ninja law?" Sasuke feigned embarrassment, which quickly turned to greed. "You'll have to pay more!"
Jōran, the clan leader who had come to negotiate, barely blinked. He understood that, in the end, it was all a matter of price. As long as he could get Pakura back, everything was negotiable.
"Jōran," Sasuke continued, laying his cards on the table, "I've heard that the Third Kazekage is not very satisfied with either Arashi or Rasa. He believes both candidates have character flaws. On the contrary, he is very pleased with the young Pakura from your own clan, isn't he?"
The intelligence, obtained from Aoi's interrogations, was accurate. The Third Kazekage, seeking a safeguard, had included the significantly younger Pakura on the list of candidates to succeed him.
"Sasuke-kun, how do you know so much?" Jōran asked, surprised.
"Do you think Ruriyu only traded the Wind Style inheritance, and not information?" Sasuke lied with a smile.
Damn that Ruriyu! Jōran thought, feeling a deep resentment. To trade for a talented ninja from the Jōran clan and a Kazekage candidate... the price would be astronomical. But for the sake of his clan, so they could finally produce a Kage, he had to pay.
After much haggling, Jōran finally gave in. He traded not only a large amount of Earth Style ninjutsu and several mid- and high-level sealing techniques, but Sasuke even extorted the Kekkei Genkai Fusion Scroll from him.
"This scroll was developed from the One-Tailed Shukaku," Sasuke read. It was invaluable.
"Sasuke-kun, while we're at it, why don't we exchange some information?" Jōran proposed.
"Oh?" Sasuke's eyes lit up. He agreed immediately.
"What? The Sandfall clan is smuggling with your Mitokado clan of Konoha?" Jōran asked, incredulous, after Sasuke presented him with the account book. "Fūma-kun, this is important evidence for you to control the Sandfall clan. It will be of great help for Pakura's future as Kazekage. You won't disappoint me with the information you provide, will you?"
"Sasuke-kun, how could that be possible? In the future, we will have to share what we have," Jōran promised, and provided Sasuke with a large amount of information about Konoha's internal factions.
"I haven't even returned to the village yet, and they are already plotting against my ninjutsu. It's truly disheartening," Sasuke thought upon learning that several clans were already planning to force him to hand over his techniques.
He knew the puppet technique would have to be transferred eventually. If he were the only one in Konoha who knew it, Suna would never leave him alone. But his sonar radar technique was the foundation of his life; he couldn't reveal an iota of it.
The transaction with Jōran went smoothly. That same night, a team of "Sand Ninja" inexplicably appeared and "rescued" Pakura, leaving the Konoha Hundred without a single casualty.
The next day, the Konoha Hundred boarded a large ocean-going ship, transporting the Daimyō of the River Country and thousands of homeless civilians, and set sail for the sea, finally returning to the Land of Fire.
The couple, Arashi and Ruriyu, who had arrived with five hundred men to intercept them, could only watch helplessly as they departed. Seeing the coastal fortress destroyed and the river blocked, they were furious. Arashi, in particular, had believed the Konoha Hundred were doomed, but seeing his enemies escape, his resentment became even more radicalized.
- - - - - -
Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed this chapter, I have great news. On my Patreon, I have over 150 advanced chapters ready for you to read.
@patreon/iLikeeMikee
Plus, subscribers get 5 daily chapters of all my novels. It's a great way to catch up and support my projects!