Kazekage Ninja-Chapter 49: Setting the Trap

Nogae Kamesan was the cousin of Nogaegawa II, deputy general manager of the Hiame Group. Back when Nogaegawa II was still serving as the "union chairman" for the Hourglass Group, Nogae Kamesan was already working at his side, lending a hand. In terms of seniority, he was a founding member of the so-called "union faction." Yet now, he'd fallen to the lowly rank of overseer at the Sumu Iron Mine—a surprising turn of fate that left many scratching their heads.

It wasn't that Nogaegawa II was some paragon of fairness who refused to play favorites. In fact, when the Hiame Group first took over the Shule River industries, he'd gone out of his way to take care of his little cousin, immediately promoting him to chief manager of the Sumu Iron Mine. Overnight, Nogae Kamesan found himself in charge of nearly ten thousand miners—a position of real power.

But Nogae Kamesan was a thug at heart, barely literate, and utterly clueless about business management. The only thing he understood was the whip in his hand—anyone who didn't toe the line got a beating.

When iron ore prices started to soar and General Manager Kijima called for doubled output, Nogae Kamesan had no new ideas. He fell back on old habits, assembling a team of overseers made up entirely of his former "union" cronies. He led them straight into the mines, and anyone caught slacking or resting got whipped—no questions asked. The miners' original hours, nine to six, were already grueling, but Nogae Kamesan ramped it up to nine to nine! In other words, the moment you opened your eyes, you were down in the pit, digging for all you were worth. Aside from a single hour for meals and bathroom breaks, there was no rest. Anyone who dared stop for even a moment got the lash. Output did go up, but the miners were pushed to the brink and soon took to calling him "The Living Yaksha" behind his back.

Fortunately, the first wave of orders from the Land of Craftsmen came in, and the pressure eased for a while. Kijima ordered production to slow, giving the miners a much-needed breather. But Nogae Kamesan didn't change his ways. He seemed to relish the power, the fear in people's eyes as he abused and bullied at will. At Sumu Iron Mine, he let his thug instincts run wild—extorting, harassing, preying on the weak, and committing every sort of vice. The miners' resentment boiled over, and it looked like a full-blown revolt was about to erupt.

But the Akatsuki had its own intelligence network, and the veteran Konan was in charge of these affairs. She quickly brought the situation to Kijima, demanding action.

In truth, Kijima was well aware of everything that was happening—he'd even turned a blind eye on purpose. After all, with the sudden flood of orders, you needed "special methods" and "special people" to squeeze out every last bit of profit.

But now, with worker anger at the breaking point, he had to act before things exploded. First, Kijima called Nogaegawa II in for a private talk. That very afternoon, he convened a workers' assembly in Amegakure Square, publicly berated Nogaegawa II, stripped him of his deputy general manager title (making him only acting manager), and dismissed all his cronies. The first to be dealt with was Nogae Kamesan, head of the Sumu Iron Mine.

Not only was Nogae Kamesan demoted to a mere overseer, but all his assets were confiscated. As his cousin told him, if not for their family ties, "I'd have had your head on a pike already. You wanna be an overseer and beat people, fine—but why stoop to such vile acts? You think you're still some street punk? Trash like you doesn't deserve a seat at the table."

With worker resentment running so high, the higher-ups' message was clear: lay low, let the storm blow over, and don't stir up trouble. "Keep your head down for now. Later, I might have other uses for you."

That's what they said—but going from chief manager to a lowly overseer overnight was a bitter pill to swallow. Nogae Kamesan simmered with resentment. So what if he'd beaten a few poor bastards to death? So what if he'd slept with a few miners' wives? Did that really warrant stripping him of everything?

Depressed, Nogae Kamesan stopped bothering with the mine, instead spending his days getting drunk in the taverns along the Shule River. Without the "Living Yaksha" lording over Sumu Iron Mine, the miners found life much easier—less bullying, more harmony.

One day, Nogae Kamesan showed up at the mine for roll call, then—true to form—headed straight to the tavern to drink. Soon, he was slumped in a drunken haze. His old reputation still carried weight, so the tavern always reserved a quiet corner for him, and no one dared provoke him.

But today, a young man with no fear of trouble sat down at his table.

"Huh? Who the hell are you, kid? Don't you know who I am?" Nogae Kamesan grumbled, rolling his eyes, ready to lash out—only to freeze, transfixed by a pair of mesmerizing, blood-red eyes.

"Those eyes… You're—!"

He never finished his sentence. In the blink of an eye, Nogae Kamesan was like a puppet, staring blankly, silent.

The youth across from him wore a black cloak, his face hidden in shadow, but those eyes glowed faintly beneath the hood.

"You need to go to work," the youth said.

"I need to go to work," Nogae Kamesan echoed dully.

"If anyone slacks off, I'll beat them."

"If anyone slacks off, I'll beat them."

"If anyone disobeys, I'll beat them."

"If anyone disobeys, I'll beat them."

"If anyone resists, I'll beat them."

"If anyone resists, I'll beat them."

"Beat them to death."

"Beat them to death."

With every command, Nogae Kamesan repeated the words like a broken record.

The youth then placed a soft whip with iron barbs on the table. "Take it. Go to work."

Numbly, Nogae Kamesan picked up the whip and, like a marionette, staggered out of the tavern, heading straight for Sumu Iron Mine…

"What?! The Land of Craftsmen canceled their orders? Why?" Yahiko's brow furrowed.

"Their representative didn't say, but after a little probing, he let slip that some major power pressured them," Kijima replied, his expression dark.

"No need to guess—it's definitely Konoha. A few days ago, our leader embarrassed Danzō and turned him down. Now he's getting his petty revenge." The speaker was Aotu Tailuo, now clad in the red cloud cloak as Yahiko's advisor and a senior member of Akatsuki.

"Hmph! What's there to be afraid of? Iron ore demand is sky-high—we'll just sell to someone else," Yahiko scoffed.

"I doubt it's that simple. Konoha's plans are always layered—there's definitely more to come," Aotu Tailuo said coolly.

"Oh? Like what?"

"If I'm right, iron ore prices are about to crash."

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