(The Bonus Chapter ^^)
Having listened to his retainers argue, the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning felt his tension ease a little.
Yes. He'd been worrying too much.
Since ancient times, no shinobi had dared defy a daimyo's orders.
Amused at his own thoughts, the Daimyo gave a light laugh and said calmly, "You're right. This time I will properly punish those shinobi."
"Especially the Uchiha clan."
"We took them in, and they repay us with ingratitude — worse, committing such an act of treachery…"
"They must be severely punished!"
No sooner had the Daimyo finished speaking than the door to the room was flung open.
Fugaku Uchiha, A, and Hatake Sakumo charged in.
Behind them a black‑haired, black‑eyed youth walked in at a measured pace.
The Daimyo and his ministers froze for a moment, then anger flared across their faces.
"You bastards — who let you barge in here?"
Fugaku, A, and Sakumo remained silent. Yuzuru spoke slowly, "I am Yuzuru, the one who released the Chinoike clan's shinobi from Hell Valley."
A minister rose and barked coldly, "Have you come to confess and accept punishment?"
Yuzuru sneered. "Clearly, I came to make trouble."
The Daimyo suddenly shouted, "Guards! Seize them! Kill these traitors!"
Even a fool could understand now—
The shinobi of the Cloud Hidden Village had rebelled.
At the Daimyo's command, a dozen bodyguard ninja materialized and instantly surrounded Yuzuru and his companions.
Ever since the decline of the samurai, the Daimyo of every nation had hired shinobi to protect them.
They answered only to the Daimyo, and their strengths varied.
In the original story, Sarutobi Asuma once served as a Guardian Shinobi for the Daimyo of the Land of Fire for a period.
"Fugaku, A, Sakumo, you deal with them."
Yuzuru spoke calmly, then began to walk slowly toward the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning.
The dozen or so Guardian Shinobi immediately launched their attacks at Yuzuru, but Hatake Sakumo and the others were faster.
Amidst a series of blood-curdling screams, Yuzuru reached the Daimyo.
Looking at the exquisite fruit platter placed before him, Yuzuru took out a kunai.
Feeling the cold chill emanating from the kunai, the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning swallowed hard.
It was only when death was upon him that he realized how foolish his and his ministers' words had just been.
No matter how high and mighty they usually were, the moment the shinobi under them rebelled, they would become nothing more than pigs and sheep awaiting slaughter.
Having understood this, the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning said with a trembling voice, "Can... can we reconcile?"
Yuzuru raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Are you joking?"
With that, the kunai sliced directly across the Daimyo's throat.
The Daimyo clutched his neck tightly, but he couldn't stop the flow of his life.
Before his consciousness faded, only one thought remained in his mind—
'Why did I have to provoke this bunch of desperados over an insignificant ninja clan?!'
"They killed the Daimyo — those lunatics!"
"P‑please don't kill me. I'll give you anything!"
"By publicly assassinating the Daimyo, you have broken the old compact! The Hidden Cloud Village is finished, and the Land of Lightning will be plunged into misery because of you!"
"That's right! From this day forward, you are the enemies of everyone in the shinobi world!"
When Senju Hashirama established the village system, he stipulated the relationship between the Daimyo and the shinobi.
The Daimyo was the master of the country, with the right to decide on all national matters.
This concept was deeply ingrained in people's minds and had persisted for decades.
Now that the Hidden Cloud's shinobi had openly murdered their Daimyo, the other Daimyo would not sit idly by.
Once they dispatched their troops, both the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Cloud Village would be doomed!
Ignoring the ministers' roars, Fugaku Uchiha walked up to Yuzuru and asked, "Yuzuru, what do we do next?"
Yuzuru scanned the room and said slowly, "Choose one of the daimyo's heirs — a girl willing to proclaim that the daimyo submits to the Kage — and install her as the new daimyo."
"Tell our plan to the ministers who are willing to submit to us. Kill all who are unwilling."
The concept of the Daimyo's supremacy was deeply ingrained. To make shinobi the ruling class, it wasn't enough to simply kill the Daimyo; they also had to make people accept the concept of shinobi supremacy.
And that would require a transition period.
After all...
Having the original rulers proactively promote this matter would be far more effective than them trying to spread it themselves.
Hearing this, Fugaku glanced at the ministers in the room and asked, "What if none of them are willing?"
"Then kill them all and promote new people from the lower ranks," Yuzuru snorted coldly. "There's no shortage of people who would scramble for the status of royalty and nobility."
After hearing Yuzuru's words, all the ministers present couldn't help but show looks of terror.
They never imagined that this young man, who appeared so harmless, could be so ruthless and cruel.
Some of the quicker-witted ministers immediately knelt on the floor, shouting loudly, "We are willing to submit to you from now on! Please spare our lives!"
Seeing the once high-and-mighty ministers kneeling on the ground, anxiously awaiting their judgment, Fugaku Uchiha, Hatake Sakumo, and A felt a wave of complex emotions.
'This is the kind of person who used to rule over us?'
'To have sacrificed so many lives for people like this... it truly wasn't worth it for our fallen comrades!'
"Fugaku, place a prohibition curse on them. If they dare have any second thoughts, annihilate their entire families!"
Seeing the ministers take the initiative to surrender, Yuzuru didn't push for a complete slaughter.
It was just a transition of power, anyway. Sparing their lives wouldn't hurt.
Once everything stabilized in the future, these ministers would no longer be necessary.
Hearing Yuzuru's command, Fugaku Uchiha immediately nodded in agreement.
He then began placing prohibition curses on the ministers.
While Fugaku was busy, Hatake Sakumo spoke up, "Yuzuru, what should be the official story for today's events?"
Without a second thought, Yuzuru said, "Just say the Daimyo slipped and fell into the water, and the new Daimyo received a divine dream, telling her to cede authority to the shinobi!"
"Without changing a single word?"
"Not a single word is to be changed!"
After arranging all the follow-up matters, Yuzuru found a place to start training.
He had killed the Daimyo today and seized control of the situation in the Land of Lightning. However, when the news that the Daimyo was now subordinate to the shinobi spread, it would surely cause a massive uproar in the shinobi world.
The Daimyo of the other nations, in order to protect their own rule, would absolutely not let this go.
Next, it was highly likely they would have to face a tough battle.