Asuna and the others hadn't returned to Konoha Village for a long time. During their tenure as Guardian Ninja, they couldn't leave the capital and had to remain near the Daimyo. For years, they could only hear news of their hometown from others.
Now, they could finally escape the detestable Daimyo and return to their familiar homeland. Even Hiashi Hyuga and Shibi Aburame seemed excited at this moment.
"The air of my own hometown really feels comfortable to breathe," Mizuki said, taking a deep breath. "The capital, in later years, just felt increasingly polluted."
"If you think the air in our hometown is good, then let's go back soon," Asuna said.
The group immediately set off towards Konoha Village. The Konoha ninja responsible for inspection and defense at the village gate saw them, and someone quickly went to the Hokage building to inform Lady Rimi.
During Fumori Masaki's absence from the village, the Hokage Cabinet was primarily responsible for daily administration, with Hokage's wife, Rimi, reviewing and making decisions on his behalf. Rimi had gained some political experience through osmosis by being around Fumori Masaki, but she had never held a specific position, so she was certainly not as skilled as the Hokage Cabinet.
Therefore, Rimi served a supervisory role. Although the actual decision-making power was in her hands, she generally would not reject opinions that the Hokage Cabinet had jointly discussed. Moreover, she would participate in the specific discussion process, and the final outcome would also be one that she approved of.
Rimi naturally knew about Fumori Masaki's whereabouts. In her office, whenever she had free time, she would look out the window, wondering if her husband and daughter, thousands of miles away, were safe. Fumori Masaki generally wouldn't get into trouble; her main concern was her daughter, Asuna.
However, since Fumori Masaki had gone personally, Asuna should be safe. Despite thinking this, Rimi's heart held an unconcealed worry.
"Rimi." The office door opened, and Koharu Utatane walked in. Being both women, their relationship was quite close when working.
"What's wrong?" Rimi was reading a report, which already contained the opinions of the person in charge and the preliminary views of the Hokage Cabinet. However, she still needed to carefully assess it before making a decision. Seeing Koharu Utatane enter, she couldn't help but look up and ask.
"Haha, the person you've been worrying about is finally back, and not a single one is missing." Koharu Utatane smiled and pointed outside.
Rimi was slightly stunned, then immediately reacted, standing up with a joyful expression and walking outside. Koharu Utatane quickly followed. The ninja's speed was very fast. When she arrived,
Fumori Masaki and the others were still outside the village, as arrangements still needed to be made for Princess Senhime's family and the servants who attended to them.
Asuna spotted her mother at a glance. She quickly ran up and embraced Rimi. Asuna was now taller than her mother. She leaned on her mother's shoulder and said, "Mother, long time no see. How have you been?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Seeing her daughter after many years, Rimi was very excited. "But you, nothing happened, did it? Your journey this time surely wasn't smooth sailing." As she spoke, she looked Asuna up and down, checking for any injuries.
"I'm fine, Father was there," Asuna said.
"It was him who sent you there in the first place," Rimi glanced at Fumori Masaki and gently snorted. Fumori Masaki, with his keen hearing, gave a helpless smile and accepted the remark.
"This was my own decision, don't blame Father," Asuna said. "I'm fine now, so this matter is over."
"So, you've officially broken ties with the Daimyo?" Although she had long known this day would come, Rimi was still somewhat surprised to hear it confirmed.
"Is that so, Asuna?" Koharu Utatane asked. Unlike Rimi, who was concerned about her daughter, she was first happy for Asuna and the others' safe return, and then looked at the others. She was a very rational person; since she knew Asuna and the others were fine, there was no need to be overly joyful about it. Rimi, as a mother, was naturally blameless, but Koharu had other responsibilities.
First, Koharu Utatane noticed that besides the Konoha ninja who had gone to the capital, there were also Princess Senhime and her family. It seemed as if even the other people in her mansion had been brought along.
She cast an inquiring glance at Fumori Masaki.
"Let's discuss the specifics in the Hokage Cabinet," Fumori Masaki replied. "For now, let's settle Princess Senhime and her entourage. And to all of you, this mission was truly arduous. As Hokage, I thank you. Due to urgent matters, I cannot elaborate now, but you will be recognized for this mission later. For now, you may go and see your long-unseen relatives and get some good rest. And Ken, you should go to the hospital to check your injuries."
The latter part of his speech was directed at the Konoha ninja. Among them, Ken Uchiha was the only one with relatively serious injuries. Since Fumori Masaki was not skilled in medical matters, he sent Ken Uchiha to the Konoha Hospital. Of course, another purpose was to let Ken Uchiha see Lisa.
Everyone expressed their understanding. Now, Konoha Village and the Daimyo were practically at odds, and Fumori Masaki certainly had to deal with this matter. The completion of their mission could only be considered secondary. Fumori Masaki would definitely not ignore their efforts, so they confidently went to see their relatives.
Ken Uchiha also planned to go to Konoha Hospital to get his body checked and to see Lisa. He hadn't seen her in a long time and missed her terribly.
The other Konoha ninja dispersed, leaving only Princess Senhime, Sakumo Hatake, Asuna, Kagami Uchiha, Mizuki, and others. At this point, Rimi also noticed Princess Senhime, somewhat surprised, and said, "Princess Sen, why are you also…"
"The capital is now a very dangerous place. I'm afraid I would be in some danger if I stayed there, so Lord Hokage decided to take me away," Princess Senhime said gently.
"Is the situation in the capital really that serious?" Rimi looked shocked.
"Yes, Rimi, we need to urgently discuss how to deal with the situation in the capital. You should take Asuna back first, and tell Akemi as well," Fumori Masaki said, then looked at Princess Senhime and said, "Princess Sen, I'll have someone take you to your accommodation first."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Princess Senhime bowed slightly.
"Then I'll take Asuna back first. The work is back to you," Rimi said to Fumori Masaki, holding Asuna's hand, showing no attachment to work.
"Hmm," Fumori Masaki nodded, waved goodbye to Asuna and Rimi, and then went to the Hokage office building with Koharu Utatane and Kagami Uchiha.
Soon, all members of the Hokage Cabinet arrived. They had first heard the news of Asuna and the others' safe return and were all happy. Among them were children from the same clans, and their relationships were very good, so they naturally cared.
After the initial joy, everyone focused on the matter in the capital. Kagami Uchiha revealed to the others the true identity of Tobi, who was actually Katsuya Uchiha, a person who had been confirmed dead in the past, which immediately surprised everyone.
"Katsuya Uchiha? I know that person." Homura Mitokado had been responsible for dealing with the Uchiha Setsuna faction back then and had access to Katsuya Uchiha's information. He frowned slightly, "Leaving aside how this guy came back to life, even if he did, could he cause so much trouble?"
"To think he even awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, I never imagined it. This village traitor's ghost still lingers, causing us trouble even now," Danzo Shimura slammed his fist on the table.
"Masaki, how strong is this guy? Since he can do such things, he should be using his full power," Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.
"He's alright, not particularly troublesome. There are plenty of ways to deal with him. We have nothing to worry about now; we've reached this point, so let's go all out. It turning out this way is also the Daimyo's own choice," Fumori Masaki said.
"Then how strong are the chakra samurai he trained?" Torifu Akimichi asked.
"It's still uncertain, but according to Asuna and their descriptions, the chakra samurai they eliminated during the breakthrough battle should be around three hundred," Fumori Masaki said.
"Their strength is not simple. Even with the advantage of surprise, they could only eliminate this many. If they were ordinary samurai, the number would at least double, or even more," Torifu Akimichi frowned slightly. He was very knowledgeable about frontal combat, as the Akimichi clan was one of the few ninja clans proficient in frontal combat, and he could intuitively judge the strength of the chakra samurai.
"On a frontal battlefield, the chakra samurai's strength could be better utilized. However, we also have secret weapons on our side, so there's nothing to fear," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, stroking his beard and smiling.
Everyone smiled knowingly. There wasn't much suspense in this war. Konoha Village had many new technologies, and the Daimyo's mansion had no advantage whatsoever. Moreover, they weren't fighting alone; they also had friendly nobles they could cooperate with. Furthermore, even Princess Senhime had come, so they weren't lacking in moral justification.
"Danzo, I'll trouble you to get busy. Explain the situation here to them," Fumori Masaki said to Danzo Shimura. The "them" he referred to were those friendly nobles. "You can use Princess Senhime's name, and Princess Senhime has also agreed to provide assistance."
"Haha, Masaki, bringing Princess Senhime here is truly a clever move," Danzo Shimura smiled. With Princess Senhime present, Konoha Village would not lack moral justification.
"We must act fast. Before the other side makes their move, we must state our reasons and seize the advantage in public opinion. Even if the Daimyo's mansion tries to turn the tables, we can carefully manipulate the situation, and I believe discerning people will be able to judge," Fumori Masaki instructed.
"What if they say we abducted Princess Senhime?" Danzo Shimura asked.
"Princess Senhime can personally come forward, or their guards can check if Princess Senhime has been controlled by genjutsu," Fumori Masaki smiled. "We are acting openly and have nothing to fear. The Daimyo's mansion's reputation is already quite poor, so what we say will be more credible. With Princess Senhime's support and appearance, perhaps some people will stand with the Daimyo's mansion, but certainly more will stand with us!"
Everyone nodded slightly. Konoha Village had done a lot of work for this day. Konoha Village's image and credibility were fully established. In contrast, the Daimyo's mansion, due to repeatedly enacting policies that restricted Konoha Village, had many grievances among the populace. Even without verifying whether Princess Senhime was controlled, it was believed that more people would trust Konoha Village than the Daimyo's mansion.
"Alright, then I'll start working immediately," Danzo Shimura nodded and said.
"Before the other side officially starts the war, we will focus on public opinion and absolutely must not strike at the Daimyo's mansion first. Hmm, let's first question them about why they attacked our Guardian Ninja," Fumori Masaki said.
Meanwhile, in the capital, officials attended the morning court with unsettled minds. Everyone knew about yesterday's upheaval; the immense noise made it impossible to sleep peacefully. After the commotion finally subsided, the streets were cordoned off by the Daimyo's samurai, preventing anyone from leaving freely.
After a brief inquiry, according to the Daimyo's mansion, Konoha ninja had suddenly assassinated the Daimyo. Tobi and the Guardian Ninja who were not from Konoha had fought back, barely managing to protect the Daimyo's safety. Because of this, the entire capital was placed under strict lockdown, ostensibly to prevent Konoha ninja from carrying out further schemes.
Besides the assassination attempt on the Daimyo, it was also rumored that Princess Senhime had been abducted by Konoha Village. These two pieces of news caused officials to discuss animatedly. They couldn't believe Konoha Village would do such a thing, yet yesterday's battle was a definite reality. They didn't know the specific situation and dared not jump to conclusions.
In the court, the Daimyo expressed extreme anger, stating that Konoha Village was acting utterly recklessly and must provide an explanation, to see if it was an individual act or an order from the village. If the former, the mastermind must be handed over; if the latter, an army would be sent to subjugate Konoha Village.
In the hearts of the officials, it was highly unlikely that Konoha Village would betray the Land of Fire. At most, it could only be the private actions of certain individuals. However, those Guardian Ninja were important personnel from Konoha Village, and it was unlikely they would take such action without the village's orders.
The officials were uncertain for a while, but in court, they could only agree with the Daimyo's statement for now. In fact, this was reasonable, but until Konoha Village provided a response, it was indeed difficult to make a judgment. Of course, some officials who disliked Konoha Village openly supported the Daimyo.
Konoha Village's statement arrived very quickly, and its content surprised the officials in the capital, because it was a completely different account from the Daimyo's.