Chapter 167: Self-Proclaimed Political Enemies
"Captain, things are bad. The Mitokado clan's ninja are here to steal the credit."
Tekudō hurried to report the bad news.
"It's nothing, they're just a bunch of clowns," Sasuke replied, unconcerned. If Elder Homura had come in person, he might have had some scruples. But a mere group of clan warriors? They were delusional. The entire garrison camp was within the range of Sasuke's perception, so he knew what was happening.
It turned out that since the news of the Konoha Hundred's victorious return reached the village, the villagers had been greatly shocked. Especially after learning that the Daimyō of the River Country had also returned, many Konoha ninja became active. The Mitokado clan became more aggressive. While the other Konoha clans were still on their missions, the Mitokado clan dispatched their ninja warriors, riding their eagle summoning beasts, to the Land of Waves, intending to hijack the Daimyō of the River Country and claim the coveted title.
However, they were flatly stopped by the Konoha Hundred. The Konoha Hundred were no longer the same; they now possessed both strength and wealth, and even had a puppeteer squad. They were not afraid of a single jōnin squad of Mitokado ninja. In addition, the Mitokado ninja had come in such a hurry, without any official mission documents, that their plan to hijack the Daimyō of the River Country was impossible. Especially after the appearance of Uchiha Shun, the Mitokado ninja were left with only powerless rage. Without even seeing the Daimyō of the River Country, they were driven out of their base camp.
The Daimyō of the River Country, although stout, possessed considerable political acumen. Since he learned of Kirigakure's defeat at the hands of the Konoha Hundred, and especially after witnessing the terrible collapse of the sea defense fortress, he had lost his former arrogance and held the Konoha Hundred in high esteem. He even offered two of the Six Guardian Ninja to court the Konoha Hundred.
Sasuke took the opportunity to assign Ebihiko and Shiranui Shinji to the Daimyō of the River Country as bodyguards. As for the position of Guardian, a decision would be made after returning to Konoha Village and consulting with the Third Hokage, although Hiruzen seemed willing to facilitate the matter. Promoting Ebihiko and Shiranui Shinji to the positions of Guardian of the River Country offered numerous advantages. It would not only increase the political influence of the Konoha Hundred, but also ensure a better distribution of missions and security for the River Country after the Ninja War.
As for the reason why Ebihiko and Shiranui Shinji were chosen, in addition to their reluctance to part with the powerful forces of Yeshan, Shun, Hyōzō, and Aoi, it was also to ensure easier control. Yeshan and Shun were formidable fighters, already possessing the aura of an elite jōnin. For them, serving as guardians of the River Country would be a waste of their talents. Of course, Ebihiko and Shinji were also quite capable, especially after having recently acquired a large number of ninjutsu skills. Their strength had increased considerably, surpassing that of a regular special jōnin, and they were on their way to reaching the power of a jōnin.
In addition to their strength, the most important consideration in choosing them as guardians of the River Country was naturally their loyalty. Ebihiko had grown up with him and was undoubtedly very trustworthy. As for Shinji, they had also proven to be quite reliable after their time together. With Shiranui Rei, a rising star among the Konoha Hundred, Shinji would undoubtedly know how to choose and would be less likely to be coerced by other factions. While the adult Shinji's potential has been exhausted, Rei is a rising ninja prodigy, known alongside Ryo as the twin stars of the Konoha Hundred.
The Daimyō of Kawanokuni was also very satisfied with Ebihiko and Shiranui, and felt much more secure. This was especially true when they were in the main camp of the Konoha Hundred People's Army, where they felt particularly at ease.
The Mitokado ninja, unable to see the Daimyō and being driven out, began to find all sorts of excuses to cause trouble. After seeing dozens of ocean-going ships, he became even more greedy. However, these ocean-going ships had long been sold to the Wave Country Ocean Trading Company by Sasuke for 20% of the shares and 10 million ryō in cash. The 20% of the shares were paid as protection fees to Konoha Village and the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, and the 10 million ryō in cash had long been used to resettle the disaster victims of Kawanokuni, with not a penny left.
The Mitokado ninja became greedy and wanted to use force to force the Wave Country Ocean Trading Company to surrender and break the contract, but was defeated by Kakuzu and fled in a panic. The Wave Country Ocean Trading Company, a crucial force for the future of the Wave Country, had already established considerable influence and immediately offered diplomatic assistance to the Konoha Hundred. In a matter of national importance, the Konoha Hundred dared not neglect their duties and immediately arrested the Mitokado ninja, intending to take him back to Konoha Village for the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, to personally punish.
Shortly after the capture of the Mitokado ninja, numerous Konoha ninjas came, intending to capture the Daimyō of the River Country. Even the Uchiha Clan was among them, and the one who came was Uchiha Fugaku, the next heir to the throne.
These Konoha ninjas followed the proper procedures, and the Konoha Hundred could not stop them. However, the Daimyō of the River Country, feeling more secure under the protection of the numerous Konoha Hundred, refused their request. Only when confronted by the Uchiha ninja did the Daimyō of the River Country hesitate.
"The Uchiha deserted from the battlefield and abandoned us, and now they are trying to claim the credit. This is simply too much! Arrest them all."
Sasuke feigned rage and issued an arrest order. At this time, he issued such an unreasonable order, of course not for the merits of the Daimyō of Kawanokuni, but for deeper considerations. If the Konoha Hundred wanted to avoid their division and dissolution, it would require the combination of internal and external forces, and making an enemy of the Uchiha clan was the perfect solution.
If the Konoha Hundred went to war with the Uchiha clan, the high-ranking officials of Konoha and the ninja clan of Konoha would surely be happy to see it happen. With the external pressure of the Uchiha clan, the Konoha Hundred People would become even more united, and with the internal support of the high-ranking officials and the ninja clan of Konoha, it was possible that the Konoha Hundred People would even expand to balance the forces.
The Uchiha clan may seem powerful, but in fact, their influence is extremely limited, and their political tactics are relatively crude and not prone to turbidity. Instead, they constitute a good political opponent, and Sasuke is happy to use the Konoha Hundred People as a vanguard in their rebellion against the Uchiha clan.
"Umino Sasuke, you dare?"
Uchiha Fugaku shouted coldly, drawing his sword and pointing it at Sasuke.
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