Chapter 280: Even Assassinating the Daimyō Requires Waiting in Line?

Chapter 280: Even Assassinating the Daimyō Requires Waiting in Line?

The journey from the Land of Frost to the capital of the Land of Lightning, Yunming City, should, in theory, take less than half a day at a ninja's pace.

However, that only applies to those with a sense of direction—exceptions exist.

Because if someone couldn't even pinpoint their location on a map, then reading a crude map was out of the question.

After a long, silent moment around the campfire, Uchiha Ci's bizarrely assembled team ultimately chose the dumbest but most foolproof method.

Both the Land of Frost and the Land of Lightning bordered the ocean. As long as they followed the coastline northward, they would eventually enter the Land of Lightning. Along the way, they would inevitably encounter numerous Cloud Village outposts, but with their exceptional abilities, bypassing these watchpoints wasn't an issue.

After leaving the war-torn, desolate regions and crossing several coastal outposts, they finally found a settlement in the Land of Lightning.

Well, calling it a "settlement" was a stretch.

The people here were former fishermen who had transitioned into their current occupation—banditry.

After extracting detailed route information from these bandits and relieving them of some money, the three-man team finally arrived at the Land of Lightning's largest city at midday the following day—

Yunming City.

However—

"The city is sealed? No one can enter or leave?"

"Because of rampaging Immortal Heretics? They raided the execution ground? And there's an entire team of nearly a hundred people?!"

"Wait, so aside from the executioners, the entire audience was enemies?"

Upon reaching the city gates and inquiring about the situation from the similarly stranded travelers, Uchiha Ci was immediately hit with this absurd information.

For a moment, he was dumbfounded.

A small cult dedicated to Jashin had managed to gather so many followers? Was this the power of religion?!

The cult that had been quietly lurking in the Land of Hot Water had suddenly flourished upon arriving in the Land of Lightning?

Standing beneath the towering city gates, Sasori, his face partially hidden beneath a straw hat, spoke calmly.

"Just as I expected."

Uchiha Ci scratched his head, glanced at him, and asked,

"What do you mean?"

"At this point in time, there are plenty of people who want the Land of Lightning's Daimyō dead."

"All of them are looking for an excuse to stir up trouble."

Sasori furrowed his brows as he stared at the wanted posters plastered on the city gate.

"For nations other than the Land of Fire, the best outcome is for the Land of Lightning to continue waging war against Konoha."

"But now, with information leaks, further aggression against Konoha is actually detrimental to the Land of Lightning."

"Cloud Village currently has three choices:"

"One, take advantage of the ongoing conflicts between the great nations to plunder smaller surrounding countries and quietly prepare for the next war."

"Two, launch a naval assault on the Mist Village, which is currently weakened by internal strife and a recent battle with the Stone Village."

"Three… Hmm, that one's unlikely."

Sasori shook his head as if dismissing an absurd thought.

Uchiha Ci glanced at him—the current "team strategist"—and clicked his tongue.

"That's a lot of vague speculation."

"This is the Daimyō we're talking about—the real aristocracy of this world. How could a ninja conflict possibly impact him?"

"Who would dare defy the entire world and assassinate the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning?"

As he spoke, he naturally excluded himself and Oyashiro En from this equation.

Uchiha Ci glanced sideways at Sasori with a smirk.

The ninja world's system had remained unchanged for centuries. Aside from himself, who disregarded it entirely, and someone like Oyashiro En, who had suffered directly under it, most ninjas had long since accepted the division between military and political authority.

Would they really attempt to overthrow such a system?

Besides, even though the original story never delved into it, the Daimyō must have his own personal armed forces. Combined with the political balance between factions, attacking the Daimyō would be more trouble than it was worth.

It was enough to make even the most powerful ninjas hesitate.

"Heh."

Sasori scoffed, shaking his head as he recalled the struggles within Sand Village—the desperate higher-ups bound by the Daimyō's control, unable to voice their frustrations.

"People experience anger, and when ninjas get angry, it's like thunder rolling across the sky."

"The ninja world is structured on a delicate balance. Do you really think the higher-ups of the villages are content with having their finances controlled by aristocrats?"

"Up until now, no one has dared to set the precedent."

"But now, hasn't Uchiha Ci already begun?"

"Still, such matters are too mundane for me."

"Success or failure, in the grand scheme of time, they are merely fleeting waves in an endless river. Only eternal things… can be called—"

"Art!"

Unlike others, Sasori viewed the world from the perspective of art, nihilism, and time itself, making him more of a detached observer.

Ironically, this detachment allowed him to see things even more clearly.

However, he had no interest in changing the system.

Hearing Sasori mention his name, Uchiha Ci was momentarily stunned. Then he realized—Sasori wasn't talking about him. He was referring to "Uchiha Ci" in another sense.

The one actually targeting the Daimyō was none other than Hidan, whose actions had been influenced by Uchiha Ci, sparking a chain reaction that spread to others.

The Land of Hot Water, its ninjas victims of war, had finally erupted in fury and initiated a counterattack—

They had fired the first shot in the revolution to reshape the ninja world.

Realizing this, Uchiha Ci scratched his head.

At first, all he wanted was a safety net.

He never planned to save the Uchiha clan.

He never intended to change the world.

So why the hell had things come to this?

"Look,"

At that moment, Sasori turned his head, glanced toward the main road outside the city, and smirked wickedly.

"The ones who truly want the Daimyō dead… have arrived."

Oyashiro En, who had been silently holding his daughter, shuddered at those words, fearing that Sasori had seen through his real intentions.

Was this brat about to expose him on the spot?!

But when he turned around—

He saw them.

In the distance, a three-man squad slowly approached along the road.

Leading the group was an elderly woman dressed in a loose black robe. A white veil covered her chest, and she carried a yellow storage scroll bag. Her pale purple hair hung down to her shoulders, and her wrinkled face exuded wisdom and age.

Beside her were two others—a young woman with a revealing outfit, her hair a mix of birch and green, and a goat-bearded young man wearing a headscarf.

Uchiha Ci's eyes widened.

He recognized them instantly.

The old woman was none other than the Sand Village elder Chiyo, with whom he had a deep-seated grudge.

The woman beside her was Pakura, a Scorch Release user who had survived thanks to him during the Third Great Ninja War instead of being betrayed and killed by Rasa.

As for the man—he appeared to be an upper-ranked ninja named Yura, likely controlled by Sasori through his Brainwashing Sand Jutsu.

Before Uchiha Ci could process this, the long-sealed city gates finally opened.

A Cloud Village messenger stepped out and announced loudly—

"Welcome to the envoys from Sand Village and Stone Village. Only official envoys may enter. All others must wait for the city to reopen!"

Uchiha Ci looked past the Sand Village team and saw another duo approaching—

A burly man with a round face in a red Stone Village uniform, accompanied by a red-haired, monk-like man with a thick beard.

He recognized them too.

The first was Kitsuchi, son of the Third Tsuchikage, a powerhouse who could smash a Tailed Beast and suppress the Gedo Statue.

The second was Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, who had fused his Tailed Beast's power to create the Lava Release.

"Wait… With all these people here, it feels like they're after the Raikage, not the Daimyō!"

"What, do you need to take a number just to assassinate a Daimyō now?!"

Uchiha Ci turned to Sasori, utterly baffled.

"Let's go, Yanzu. Even that troublesome old hag showed up."

Sasori frowned, turned around, and gestured for the team to follow.

"Last time I was in Yunming City, I had a safe house. Let's go there first."

Hearing himself called "Yanzu" made Uchiha Ci feel oddly pleased—until he caught the key detail in Sasori's words.

"Wait, you've been here before?"

"Then why the hell don't you know the way?!"

Sasori, of course, wasn't about to admit that last time, he had simply kidnapped a guide and spent the entire journey refining his puppets.

Irritated, he shot Uchiha Ci a glare.

"Shut up!"

Oyashiro En chuckled as he followed along with his daughter, giving Sasori an amused glance.

"Tsk, tsk. Ninjas these days—can't even remember a path after walking it once."

"Heh, guess I'm not so out of touch with this era after all. At least I can remember where I've been."

"You shut up too, you old relic!"

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