Abe Taichi was still fast asleep, but at this moment, he was the only living person left in the mansion.
Uchiha Touhuan and Kakashi entered the old man's bedroom. Kakashi immediately placed a sword to his neck, while Uchiha Touhuan gently patted his face.
Abe Taichi slowly awoke, but upon seeing Uchiha Touhuan's face and the sword beside his head, he instantly snapped back to reality. Just a moment ago, he was dreaming of joining forces with Ma Tian to eliminate the traitors of the nation, successfully becoming the Grand Minister of State, eliminating the corrupt officials in the court, and achieving lasting fame. But the next second, a sword was already at his throat.
"Good morning, Minister of the Left," Uchiha Touhuan said with a light laugh.
"You...you...you..." Abe Taichi raised a trembling hand, pointing at Uchiha Touhuan.
"So, Minister of the Left is asking why I'm still alive?" Uchiha Touhuan chuckled. "Well, there's nothing I can do about it; the assassins you hired were too incompetent."
With that, Uchiha Touhuan retrieved Kazuma's unseeing head from the sealing scroll and gently placed it beside Abe Taiichi's head.
Abe Taichi, the old man, had never seen anything like it before, and his face immediately contorted with terror: "I...I don't know what you're talking about."
"Lord Abe, do you not want to admit it? No problem, my Yamanaka clan of Konoha has a secret technique that allows us to extract information directly from the heads of the dead," Uchiha Touhuan said. "Therefore, for the sake of my innocence, I request that Lord Abe and your cronies lend me their heads."
"You...what have you done to them?" Abe Taichi's heart tightened upon hearing this.
"Lord Abe, what are you saying? I'm a ninja; my job is to kill entire families. What do you think of your cronies?" Uchiha Touhuan's smile widened, but Abe Taichi felt a chill run down his spine.
"To kill a minister without authorization is treason," Abe Taichi gritted his teeth.
"So Lord Abe knows how to write the word 'treason,'" Uchiha Touhuan said. "I thought you didn't, otherwise you wouldn't have gone so far as to hire someone to assassinate me, the Grand Minister of State appointed by the late king."
"However, since you've lost, then Lord Abe, please depart." Uchiha Touhuan's expression turned cold as he spoke.
Kakashi, who was standing nearby, heard Uchiha Touhuan's command and, with a swift stroke, beheaded Abe Taiichi.
After dealing with everyone, it was already dawn, and the court assembly was about to begin.
Uchiha Touhuan simply changed his clothes and strode towards the imperial city.
As the court assembly began, the officials of the Land of Fire immediately noticed that there were far fewer people present. None of the Left Minister Abe Taiichi's faction were there, and similarly, Uchiha Touhuan, who should have stood at the forefront of the officials, was also absent.
Fortunately, not long after, the eunuch responsible for announcing the arrival brought news from outside the palace gates that Uchiha Touhuan had arrived.
Soon, Uchiha Touhuan strode into the main hall. The moment he entered, the ministers at the door showed expressions of horror. The reason was simple: Uchiha Touhuan, who hadn't even bathed after killing people, reeked of blood and exuded a terrifying killing intent.
"Your Highness," Uchiha Touhuan bowed, "I had important business to attend to last night, and thus I was delayed in attending court. I beg Your Highness's forgiveness."
"It's alright, teacher, please come to the front." Upon seeing Uchiha Touhuan arrive, Minamoto no Yuuki jumped down from the throne and tried to reach him with his short legs. However
, the moment he approached Touhuan, he was terrified by the murderous aura and bloodlust emanating from him, freezing in place. His legs trembled, his face turned pale, and he forgot how to speak.
Uchiha Touhuan glanced down at Minamoto no Yuuki, bent down, picked him up, and slowly walked to the throne, gently placing him on it.
In those short few dozen steps, facing the murderous aura and bloodlust of Uchiha Touhuan at close range, Minamoto no Yuuki had stopped thinking, his body trembling uncontrollably. Only after being placed on the throne did he briefly regain his senses.
"Ugh!" Minamoto no Yuuki vomited as soon as he sat down, tears welling in his eyes. A nearby eunuch rushed to his aid.
Uchiha Touhuan glanced back at him before standing beside the throne, coldly observing the assembled officials below.
"His Highness the Daimyo is unwell, and today's court session should have been postponed. However, the events of last night necessitate an explanation. Therefore, I will preside over today's session." Uchiha Touhuan finished speaking and turned to the eunuch beside Minamoto no Yukichi, "Escort His Highness the Daimyo back to rest."
The eunuchs around the Daimyo, equally intimidated by Uchiha Touhuan's murderous aura, dared not utter a word of objection. They could only carry the still-crying and vomiting Daimyo to the inner palace at the back.
After the daimyo left, Uchiha Touhuan stood on the high platform where the throne was located, looking down at the officials who were bowing their heads like quails, and said, "I think many of you are curious as to why the Left Minister and his friends did not come to court today. It is because something very unpleasant happened last night."
"Last night, I was assassinated in my residence."
As soon as Uchiha Touhuan finished speaking, the assembled officials were in an uproar.
"Fortunately, as the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure in the Land of Fire, I possess some chakra and managed to slay the assassin. However, the assassin's identity is quite interesting. You may all guess who dared to attempt to assassinate me."
As Uchiha Touhuan's words fell, the vast court fell into an eerie silence.
After a while, Uchiha Touhuan unfurled a sealing scroll, retrieved Kazuma's head, and threw it at the assembled officials.
Kazuma's head rolled twice on the ground before stopping at Miura Kazuo's feet.
Miura Kazuo was so terrified by the sight that he collapsed to the ground. At that moment, the court officials recognized the head's owner.
"This…"
Kikuchi Tomokane and the others were speechless with shock.
"One of the twelve guardian ninja of the late king has actually committed this act of treason!" Uchiha Touhuan exclaimed. "But that's not all." "
Our Yamanaka clan of Konoha has a secret technique that can extract the memories of the deceased from their brains. After extracting those memories, I discovered something very interesting. The mastermind behind this assassination is none other than our Left Minister, Abe Taiichi."
"Furthermore, these two are colluding with the rogue ninja Orochimaru. It was with their help that Orochimaru was able to infiltrate the palace and assassinate the late king!"
"As the Fifth Hokage of the Land of Fire, and entrusted with such a heavy responsibility by the late emperor, how could I tolerate such traitors continuing to roam free?"
"Therefore, I had no choice but to act immediately tonight and exterminate all these traitors. Only in this way can I appease the spirit of the late emperor in heaven!"
After Uchiha Touhuan finished speaking, he looked at the ministers below again, and after a while, continued:
"And that is why I'm so late in court today."
At this moment, Kakashi entered the court, quickly passing the assembled officials before arriving at Uchiha Touhuan. He bowed and said, "Reporting to the Grand Minister of State, all those involved in last night's case and their families have been executed, and their bodies have all been transported to the mass grave outside the city."
Upon hearing this, the officials present tensed again, cautiously raising their heads to look at Uchiha Touhuan beside the throne in disbelief.
Only now did they truly realize that Uchiha Touhuan, besides being the Grand Minister of State appointed by the late king, was also the highest-ranking officer of all the armed forces in the Land of Fire. If they truly angered him, he truly meant it—he could kill their entire family.
"Miura Kazuo," Uchiha Touhuan suddenly began calling out names.
Upon being called upon, Miura Kazuo jolted awake and immediately knelt before Uchiha Touhuan, saying, "Your subject is here." "
The Left Minister has been executed. You are now the highest-ranking person in the court besides myself. What are your thoughts on this matter?" Uchiha Touhuan asked calmly.
"This is all because that traitor Abe deserved it! We should thank the Grand Minister of State for his timely intervention, restoring peace and order to the Land of Fire! Otherwise, who knows how long these traitors who ate the emperor's food but harbored rebellious intentions would have remained at large." "Is that so?"
Uchiha Touhuan chuckled, then called upon another person's name, "Nagano Kirito."
"Your subject is here." Nagano Kirito also stepped forward and slid to his knees at lightning speed. Compared to the others, as one of those kidnapped by Kakashi that night, he understood the Grand Minister of State's methods much earlier. For the safety of his family, Nagano Kirito knelt even faster than Miura Kazuo.
"Abe Taiichi probably wanted to commit this treason for a long time. The assassination of the late king was probably because he discovered their treachery, and they, in their desperation, led to this tragedy. The Grand Minister's swift and decisive action in thwarting their plot is a great service to the country and its people! As for these traitors, they deserve to die!"
"Good, good, good." Uchiha Touhuan nodded. "It seems that our Land of Fire is not lacking in loyal and righteous people. Therefore, the aftermath of this matter will be handled by you all."
"Yes!" Everyone present knelt down in unison.
"Do any of you have anything else to report?" Uchiha Touhuan asked.
At this moment, Miura Kazuo gritted his teeth and said, "I have an important matter to report to the Grand Minister."
"Speak." Uchiha Touhuan glanced at the man and uttered a single word.
"Although the mastermind behind the conspiracy with the rogue ninja has been executed, Orochimaru, the rogue ninja who assassinated the late king, is still at large. They have been operating in the Fire Capital for many years and likely have other plans. The Fire Capital is probably no longer safe. For the sake of His Majesty's safety, relocating the capital is now of utmost urgency."
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