Chapter 8: Nation and Village
Everything had been progressing smoothly.
That was until the latest news from the capital of the Land of Fire shattered Danzo's good mood.
After the warehouse was burned down last time, Danzo had dispatched two more Jonin, posing as hired mercenaries, to oversee operations at the merchant association's headquarters.
But their presence failed to deter the hidden enemies.
The merchant association's transport convoys had suffered multiple attacks, and several shops in the capital had been raided by officials. Business partners of the association had begun to distance themselves, wary of the ongoing chaos.
According to intelligence from the merchant association, the Minister of Finance of the Land of Fire had been sighted in connection with these events. However, they dared not act rashly.
Danzo, however, was not one to tolerate interference. Cutting off financial resources was akin to murdering one's parents.
For months now, Root had been fully invested in developing the merchant association, using its profits to fund Root's expansion. This was the foundation of Danzo's strategic plan from the beginning.
But just as things were taking off, this obstacle had emerged.
Whether it was Orochimaru's research division, the training bases, or the intelligence networks across different nations, all of them were insatiable money pits.
The four hundred million ryo allocated by Konoha barely covered Orochimaru's research expenses for a single month.
Hunting down rogue ninja had only been a temporary measure. Over the past few months, Root had aggressively pursued and eliminated any rogue ninja with a bounty. However, most of the valuable targets had already been dealt with. The remaining ones were either in deep hiding or too formidable to be worth the effort.
Danzo set the letter down, sighing softly in the dimly lit chamber. His eyes gleamed with cold determination.
The merchant association could not be allowed to collapse. Not only would months of effort go to waste, but Root's growth—and his own plans—would suffer greatly.
After delegating Root's ongoing affairs to Nono Yakushi, Danzo selected six Jonin and set off for the capital of the Land of Fire.
This was his first time leaving Konoha since arriving in this world.
They avoided main roads, traveling swiftly across forests and rivers with the effortless movement of shinobi. With chakra enhancing their mobility, the terrain made little difference.
The Land of Fire was incredibly fertile, dominated by plains nourished by numerous rivers. The soil was rich, and the people prospered.
Villages and towns dotted the landscape every few dozen miles. Most of the populace lived in peace, and commerce flourished.
Compared to intelligence reports from Root, the standard of living here was leagues ahead of other nations.
It was no wonder so many foreign powers sought to invade the Land of Fire. Even if they couldn't conquer Konoha, pillaging its resources, grain, and people would still be highly profitable.
By the morning of the seventh day, Danzo and his team arrived at the capital and stealthily infiltrated the merchant association's headquarters.
"...We tracked the enemy… they entered the Minister of Finance's residence… there's a detection barrier around the area, so we couldn't risk going inside."
Danzo frowned upon hearing the report.
While the shinobi world was structured with a one-nation, one-village system—where the Daimyo governed the land while the village handled military affairs—the Daimyo of the Land of Fire still maintained his own armed forces.
Beyond standard troops and chakra-wielding samurai, he also had personal ninja bodyguards, including the renowned Twelve Guardian Ninja—most of whom were at the elite Jonin level.
Though not as formidable as Konoha, the Daimyo's forces were still a threat that couldn't be taken lightly.
The Minister of Finance was the Daimyo's right-hand man, and Danzo had no intention of escalating the conflict unnecessarily.
...
Nightfall
Under the cover of darkness, Danzo arrived outside a luxurious estate. He could sense subtle chakra fluctuations up ahead.
"Here."
"Yes, sir."
A figure stepped forward respectfully, forming several intricate hand seals.
Although nothing seemed to change visually, Danzo could feel the barrier ahead gradually parting.
The team slipped inside silently. One of them closed his eyes, focusing.
"Sir, this way..."
Before long, they pinpointed a specific room. The sensory ninja easily located the tracking mark left by their ally.
Without needing further orders, the team swiftly divided their roles.
As soon as the surrounding barriers were set, two assassins slipped inside. Moments later, they emerged with their target's severed head.
Even in death, the man's face remained frozen in shock and fury.
"Sir, the target woke up. We had no choice but to execute him."
"You did well," Danzo said indifferently.
Capturing a Jonin alive was exponentially more difficult than killing one.
Besides, this man had been responsible for burning down the warehouse and slaughtering twelve laborers.
Danzo felt no remorse in eliminating someone like him.
A Root member took the severed head and placed a hand over its forehead, frowning in concentration. After a long pause, he opened his eyes, visibly drained.
"Sir, this man was a rogue ninja from the Land of Earth. He was acting under orders from the Minister of Finance's son to attack the merchant association. There's another Jonin and five Chunin involved... but I'll need more time to extract additional details."
"That's enough for now."
...
Inside his lavish chamber, the Minister's son slept soundly.
"Mm…"
A sudden pain in his abdomen jolted him awake. Groaning, he sat up, clutching his stomach—only to see several dark figures standing in his room.
Just as he opened his mouth to scream, a flash of steel stopped a mere inch from his eye.
"..."
The scream died in his throat, leaving his face deathly pale.
After a long silence, he finally found his voice, trembling with fear.
"D-Don't kill me… My father is the Minister of Finance… I have a lot of money… I can pay you…"
"Shut up."
Danzo's voice was cold.
His order had no effect. The young man only became more frantic.
"Y-You can't kill me! I'm the future Minister of Finance! If you do this, the Daimyo will never forgive you—"
A Root ninja formed a hand seal.
"Spare me—! H-Help—!"
As sealing patterns crawled across his body, his words sputtered and died. Eyes wide with terror, he stared helplessly at Danzo's group.
Danzo hadn't expected him to be such a coward. He instantly lost all interest in negotiating.
There was only one way forward.
Stepping closer, Danzo slowly unwrapped the bandages around his head, revealing the long-sealed eye beneath.
In the darkness, the blood-red three-tomoe Sharingan glowed with an eerie light.
The Minister's son, already paralyzed with fear, gradually sank into a daze as their gazes locked.
"Why did you attack the Merchant Association?"
"They're a fat sheep… Their profits have been skyrocketing these past two months… They control several major trade routes… If I take them over, my father will be pleased."
"No one ordered you to do this?"
"No…"
"How did you know about their profits? Weren't you worried they belonged to another noble?"
"My friend works at the city gate collecting taxes… He records all incoming shipments… The noble families all intermarry, so their businesses are well-known… This is how things have always been done…"
Danzo was momentarily speechless.
So paying taxes was the problem?
And judging by his words, it seemed every major merchant association had a noble patron backing them.
He had assumed that with Root's intelligence network, he could expand the association quickly.
But now, it seemed noble society had its own set of unspoken rules.
Danzo studied the dazed young man.
For someone like this to be the next Minister of Finance...
Well.
"I suppose this will be easy enough."
He flexed his right eye, feeling the surge of chakra within.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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