chsdbacks Chapter 108 The Nobles Plot a Rebellion
Chapter 108 The Nobles Plot a Rebellion
Before dawn, in the Death Forest, mist rises from the ground, shrouding the entire forest in a thick veil.
Thirty-six ANBU ninjas were cautiously scattered around, exuding a chilling aura of death.
Suddenly, a tall, slender figure emerged from the shadows, seemingly blending into the darkness.
Uchiha Mitsumine was dressed in a black outfit and was not wearing a mask.
He slowly swept his gaze across the crowd, issuing his orders in a calm tone.
"Mission Code: Chrysanthemum's Fading, Rank: B. Team A will disguise themselves as traveling merchants, Team B as ronin, and Team C as scholars. The objective is to infiltrate the Daimyo's residence and spread the idea of 'One Country, One Jewel,' convincing the Daimyo of the Land of Fire that... the Land of Fire only needs one ruler and the ninja village system should be abolished. Remember, your mission is not to incite emotions... to drive the Daimyo to madness..."
The members of the Dark Guard nodded silently once more, then transformed into streaks of black shadow and vanished instantly into the morning mist.
......
Inside the restaurant, the drunken men, slurring their words, were saying, "One country, one jade—that's the right path!"
Inside the geisha house, the courtesans no longer sang those tender love songs, but instead turned the conversation to the idea of "one country, one jade," which drew nods of approval from the guests.
Even the monks in the temple would occasionally discuss this popular topic while chanting scriptures.
The idea of "one country, one jade" seems to have taken root in people's hearts and become a topic of conversation.
When it finally reached the ears of the daimyo, the ruler was enjoying a Noh performance.
"One country, one jade? Well said! That's exactly how it should be!"
The golden fan in the daimyo's hand stopped in mid-air, and an undisguised joy appeared on his face.
Immediately afterwards, a document of "concession" personally signed by Tsunade was delivered to the Daimyo.
The daimyo took the document, looked at Tsunade's signature, and couldn't help but smile slightly.
He tossed his meticulously manicured beard and let out a hearty laugh: "Hahaha! Even a woman like Tsunade knows how to read the room!"
The Tsuchigumo clan chief, standing to the side, quickly bowed respectfully and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. Tsunade seems to have come to terms with reality."
The daimyo nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to the more than 7000 ninjas lined up neatly below.
These ninjas, dressed in uniform and holding various weapons, stood there solemnly, awaiting the daimyo's inspection.
The daimyo stood on the high platform, looking down at the group of well-trained ninjas, and felt an unprecedented sense of power.
This feeling intoxicated the Daimyo, as if he could see his power expanding continuously while Konoha Village gradually declined under his pressure.
The daimyo slammed his fist on the table excitedly and said, "Send the order! Increase the number of the Protectorate Ninja Army from 7000 to 10000! In addition, increase the tax rate for nobles. We need more funds to maintain the expenses of this ninja army."
Upon hearing this order, the finance minister's face turned deathly pale, and a fine layer of cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.
He stepped forward tremblingly and said hesitantly, "But, Your Excellency, the war has only just ended, the national treasury is already empty, and we have already increased taxes twice. If we increase taxes again, I'm afraid..."
The daimyo narrowed his eyes sharply, snapping his golden fan shut with a resounding "snap," radiating an aura of suffocating authority: "My finance minister, what are you afraid of? Does anyone dare disobey my orders?"
Upon seeing this, the finance officer's legs went weak, and he immediately knelt on the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably. He stammered, "Yes, yes! I will do it immediately! I would never, ever disobey Your Excellency's orders!"
This scene was clearly seen by Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was standing in the shadows.
He stood there quietly, as if blending into the darkness, his right hand unconsciously stroking the pipe in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed, and his eyes carrying a complex emotion.
He had long noticed the abnormality of the "one country, one jade" ideology and knew that someone must be pushing it behind the scenes, but he never expected that the daimyo would be so easily misled and even make such a short-sighted decision.
The daimyo of the Land of Fire noticed Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes: "Hiruzen, you seem to have something to say? What, do you also think that my policy is inappropriate?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly raised his head, his eyes looking somewhat cloudy, as if he hadn't been sleeping well lately.
"Your Excellency, the nobles have already complained about the tax increase, and they may not accept it if the tax is increased again."
The daimyo's eyes flashed with disdain as he scoffed, "Hmph! They're just a bunch of trash. Now that I, the daimyo, command the Protectorate Ninja Army, do you think I'm afraid of them? Anyone who dares to resist, don't blame me for being impolite!"
The Tsuchigumo clan chief quickly stepped forward and echoed, "That's right! Your Majesty is wise! With the Daimyo's ninja army suppressing them, even if those nobles have grievances, they can only obediently submit. Who would dare to disobey?"
Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing more, but simply lowered his head slightly and continued to stroke the pipe in his hand.
He knew that further words were pointless; Da Ming had been blinded by power.
He could only sigh silently in his heart; it seemed that the storm in the Land of Fire was not far off.
......
As night deepened, in the secret chamber of the Fujiwara noble family.
The six nobles sat together, each with an unusually gloomy expression.
Teacups sat on the table, the tea long since cold, yet no one touched them.
The head of the Hirano family clenched his teeth, and a slight "crunching" sound came from the corner of his mouth.
Suddenly, he slammed his fist on the table, causing the teacup to bounce and spill the icy tea.
"This is outrageous! It's outrageous! In my family's territory, three villages have already suffered from famine last month! The people are digging for wild vegetables, eating tree bark, and some farmers are even selling their children just to get a bite to eat! All of this is thanks to the daimyo's endless tax increases! If he continues to exploit the land like this, my family will collapse before the people even revolt!"
"Hirano-kun is absolutely right! This is practically driving us to our deaths!"
The head of the Sato family, who had a short beard, also slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his chest was heaving violently; he was clearly furious to the extreme.
"The situation in my territory isn't much better! Last year's drought already drastically reduced the harvest, and the first two tax increases have already emptied our coffers. Now we can barely afford to feed the servants in our manor! And the daimyo wants to increase taxes again? He's trying to crush us to extract oil from our bones!"
"My people are already full of complaints. If this continues, they'll rebel with their hoes before we even have a chance to act!"
As the initiator of this gathering, the head of the Fujiwara clan spoke with a grim expression: "Gentlemen, stop deceiving yourselves! The daimyo's actions are aimed at eradicating our roots! He needs money to expand his Protectorate Ninja Army, so he's targeting us. This tax increase is just the beginning; next time, he might reclaim our territories and strip us of our titles! If this continues, our families, which have been passed down for hundreds of years, will eventually be wiped out one by one!"
The obese head of the Suzuki family paced anxiously, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, his eyes filled with despair and resentment.
"It's all that traitor Hiruzen Sarutobi's fault! He led the four great clans—Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Minato—to pledge allegiance to the daimyo! With the backing of these four clans' ninjas, the daimyo's arrogance has grown! Before, he had to show us some respect, but now he treats us like dirt! He raises taxes whenever he wants, without even consulting us! We're no match for him now, and if we continue to be slaughtered like this, he'll eventually uproot us all!"
The head of the Fujiwara family raised his hand to stop the complaints, his eyes revealing deep worry and a ruthless determination to perish together with the others.
"I called you all here not to complain, but to work together to find a solution to this problem. Please feel free to share any ideas you have."
A brief silence fell over the secret room as everyone pondered.
"Once the daimyo dies, the tax increase policy will gradually disappear..."
"That's not a good idea. The Daimyo has so many ninjas around him; with just the few of us, it'll be very difficult to kill him!"
After a moment, the youngest head of the Inoue family hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I know some ninjas from the Yotsuki clan. Perhaps we can contact the Hidden Cloud Village and seek their help."
The head of the Hirano family widened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing across them, followed by hesitation: "Contact Kumogakure? Kumogakure has always been at odds with our Land of Fire. Would they be willing to help us? Besides, the risk is too great. What if they invade the Land of Fire and, while they're at it, burn, kill, and plunder us?"
The head of the Fujiwara clan stroked his beard, his eyes unusually resolute: "There are naturally risks involved, but we have no other choice now. In my opinion, we should either not do it at all, or we should go all out. Simply contacting Kumogakure isn't enough; we can also try contacting Onoki of Iwagakure and the three peaks of the Uchiha clan of Konoha. These two are not ordinary people, and they have a long-standing feud with the daimyo. If we can persuade them to join forces, we will have a chance to contend with the daimyo."
His words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples in everyone's hearts.
The group exchanged glances, seeing surprise and hesitation in each other's eyes, but even more so, a resolute determination born of being driven to the brink.
After a long silence, the head of the Hirano family nodded first: "Alright! Let's do as the head of the Fujiwara family says! Rather than waiting to be killed, we might as well take a gamble!"
"I agree... I have a way to contact Onoki..."
"I agree... I'll contact the three peaks of the Uchiha clan..."
The people in the secret room expressed their opinions and exchanged knowing glances.
A storm that is about to sweep across the Land of Fire is being secretly plotted and brewing.