Chapter 109: For Mother
Having heard what Sota Masato had to say...
The Daimyo pondered in his mind for a long while before it finally clicked.
And then, he became even more furious.
So it's not that he's colluding with outsiders, it's that he hasn't gotten a single bite to eat from me at all!
"Sota Masato! How audacious!"
"Even if you didn't receive a salary, has this Daimyo mistreated you in any other way?"
"This Daimyo gave you a job! Gave you such a high status! Are you still not satisfied!"
Sota Masato: "Heh heh..."
Hearing the Daimyo's words, Sota Masato expressed his lack of desire to speak.
That's right!
The status was indeed not low, but there was no money!
It's still better at the new boss's place!
"You...!"
Looking at Sota Masato's disdainful expression, the Daimyo was so angry he couldn't speak, only able to point at him with a trembling finger.
It took a long time before he could catch his breath.
"Sota Masato! What benefits did Hidden Sand Village give you to make you so unscrupulous that you dare to say this in public?"
"No benefits..."
"They just sent a Ninja to protect me, that's all."
"Oh~, a Ninja?"
"Let me guess..."
"Uchiha Madara?"
"No!"
"Senju Hashirama?"
"No!"
"Then who else could it be, Hahahaha..."
"In this Ninja World, besides those two, who else... could protect your life amidst nearly ten thousand Samurai?"
"Ogawa Onji!"
"Here!"
Looking at Sota Masato's fearless appearance, and then looking at the extremely burly Ogawa Onji in front of him and the nearly ten thousand Samurai surrounding the Daimyo's Mansion.
The Daimyo roared.
"Take him down for this Daimyo! If that Ninja dares to come, kill them as well!"
"Yes!"
With that, Ogawa Onji beckoned to the Samurai standing on both sides.
Soon, Sota Masato was pinned to the ground by the Samurai.
Seeing the subdued Sota Masato, the Daimyo also stood up and walked over to him.
"Sota Masato! Considering your diligent service over the past few years, as long as you do one thing for this Daimyo, this Daimyo can spare you!"
That one thing was, of course, the matter of collecting rent from Hidden Sand Village.
After that cheap brother-in-law of his mentioned this method.
The first person he thought of was Sota Masato.
It couldn't be helped.
He had changed so many Finance Ministers, and he was the one who collected the most taxes.
Of course, he could never have enough.
But no matter what, Sota Masato... was a true talent.
"What is it?"
Hearing the Daimyo's words, Sota Masato replied calmly.
Just as the Daimyo knew his abilities.
He also knew... the Daimyo wouldn't kill him... because... in the entire Capital of Wind...
No one knew how to make money better than him.
As for why it was the Capital of Wind... it was because Hidden Sand Village had someone even better at making money.
What was his name... Kaku... Kakuzu!
"It's very simple..."
"You go and get the money from Hidden Sand Village... for this Daimyo!"
"???"
[Daimyo, are you really that brave?]
"What? What's with that expression?"
Seeing Sota Masato's 'what kind of bullshit are you talking about' expression.
The Daimyo was quite annoyed and immediately blurted out his plan.
"The entire Land of Wind belongs to this Daimyo, and since Hidden Sand Village is built within the Land of Wind, it should be under this Daimyo's jurisdiction!"
Sota Masato: "???"
"But..."
"This Daimyo is kind-hearted... and not an unreasonable person..."
"Hidden Sand Village has been in the Land of Wind for so long... although they haven't achieved much, they have made certain contributions to the peace of the Land of Wind. Even if there's no merit... there's still hard work..."
"So this Daimyo has decided to rent the land beneath Hidden Sand Village to Hidden Sand Village..."
"The rent isn't much..."
"Every year... just the amount of gold dust rumored to have enveloped a thousand Ninjas will do."
"And this task of collecting rent, this Daimyo has decided to entrust to you..."
Sota Masato: "???"
Seeing that Sota Masato was still in a daze, the Daimyo, having finished explaining his plan, could no longer suppress the greed in his heart.
He hurried forward again, urging Sota Masato.
"How about it? Sota Masato, as long as you agree, this Daimyo will release you right now!"
Looking at the Daimyo who was close at hand, Sota Masato also snapped out of his shock from the Daimyo's startling speech.
Then he spoke.
"Lord Daimyo... actually, it doesn't matter to me whether you release me or not!"
Daimyo: "???"
"What do you mean? Sota Masato. Do you really want to die?"
"You know... this Daimyo still thinks very highly of you..."
"No! Lord Daimyo! You've misunderstood my meaning!"
Daimyo: "???"
"Hmm? Then what do you mean!"
"I mean... the people from Hidden Sand Village already know what you said. There's no need for me to go over there!"
"!!!"
Hearing Sota Masato's words, the Daimyo was first stunned, then stood up and looked around.
But everything around was normal.
"Hmph! Sota Masato, are you trying to scare me? Where are the Hidden Sand Village people around here?"
Hearing the Daimyo's words, Sota Masato, who was pressed to the ground, did not answer, but merely glanced upwards with his eyes.
It was this one movement that made the Daimyo react.
He immediately looked up as well.
Right at that moment.
A violent vibration rang out in the meeting room.
Immediately following that, wood shavings from the ceiling began to fall.
"Protect Lord Daimyo!"
Ogawa Onji's voice echoed in the meeting room.
In an instant, countless Samurai shielded the Daimyo in the center.
And then... they saw... the entire roof fly off.
Sunlight poured in unhindered.
For a moment, everyone was blinded by the sun.
By the time the Daimyo opened his eyes again.
He saw a person standing in the sky, and under the glare of the sun, all he could see clearly... was dazzling red hair.
Following that... "Aaah~~~"
Screams of agony came from the Daimyo's side one after another.
The Daimyo turned to look and saw that those Samurai who were just pressing Sota Masato down had all been thrown away.
At this time, Sota Masato also stood back up.
And he stood very straight.
"Lord Daimyo! The messenger from Hidden Sand Village has arrived. You can talk to him about the rent now."
Daimyo: "???"
---
Ultimately... after a morning of peaceful negotiations... under the circumstances where Ogawa Onji and ten thousand Samurai were subdued in a single move by the opponent.
The Daimyo, under the persuasion of the ministers led by Sota Masato... successfully returned to his bedchamber... "Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sounds of countless porcelain pieces shattering echoed from within the Daimyo's bedchamber.
Accompanied by the Daimyo's heart-wrenching roars.
"Rebellion! They've all rebelled! I am the Daimyo! I am your King!!!"
"You guys..."
"Actually..."
"Dare... to imprison me!!!"
"Heh Hoo Heh Hoo"
He seemed to have shouted himself tired, or perhaps he had resigned himself to fate.
The Daimyo finally slumped weakly into his chair, murmuring to himself.
"Is the foundation of the Land of Wind going to be destroyed in my hands!"
"Lord Daimyo~"
"Lord Daimyo~"
Just as the Daimyo sat slumped in his chair in grief.
A series of faint calls came, reaching the Daimyo's ears.
"Ah! Who! Who is it!"
The Daimyo was startled when he heard that someone was in the room.
He hurriedly looked around, even checking the direction of the ceiling.
Fearing that another person had come from above.
"Lord Daimyo~ I'm over here, look down!"
Seeing that the Daimyo had still not discovered him, the person making the sound spoke again to guide him.
The Daimyo looked in the direction the voice guided him.
He saw... a pitch-black humanoid creature with only its head poking out from the ground, looking at him.
"Black ghost?"
Black Zetsu: "???"
Where are your manners?
"Heh heh heh... Is this how Lord Daimyo addresses someone who has come to help you?"
"You? Help me?"
"Precisely."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because I have also been persecuted by Hidden Sand Village, especially the current Kazekage. I wish I could drink his blood and gnaw on his bones!"
"Oh~"
Upon hearing what the black head on the ground said, the Daimyo also developed a hint of interest.
He immediately squatted beside the black head with an eager look on his face.
"Tell me about your encounter in detail."
Black Zetsu: "..."
"I won't hide it from Lord Daimyo. This lowly one was originally a normal human living in a small oasis in the Land of Wind. I had a house and fields, two brothers who were caring and considerate, and a virtuous mother who sewed clothes for me at home. Life was joyful and without worry..."
"Who would have thought that the Third Kazekage, he was arrogant and unreasonable, blinded by lust when he passed by my house..."
"He saw my mother's virtuous side and wanted to share a bed for a night. My brothers confronted him and were tragically kicked aside by him."
"My mother called him a beast, but he said my mother really understood him, and she was dragged into the room by him..."
"A hundred times! A hundred times!!!"
"In the end, he even said my mother was very smooth and tender, and she was locked in the room all alone with no one by her side."
"He also captured me and sent me to a laboratory, turning me into a black ghost. I originally wanted to end it all and leave this world."
"But thinking that my mother was still suffering, I escaped from the laboratory."
"Who would have thought that Third Kazekage, he is simply too powerful. The place where my mother is held is extremely heavily guarded, making it impossible for me to even get close."
"To save my mother, I walk the Ninja World with this broken body, only to be able to destroy Hidden Sand Village and meet my mother once again."
"Meet again!!!"
Having finished his explanation, Black Zetsu could no longer hold back and started crying.
[Mother, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, but in order to save you, boohoohoo...]
As for the Daimyo, hearing Black Zetsu's words and seeing his true display of emotion...
He believed most of it.
It couldn't be helped, the emotion was too real.
This emotion was more real than those displayed by the dying people when he killed them.
And it was said that the Third Kazekage... was extremely lecherous!!!
So... it made sense for such a thing to happen!
"It's truly tragic. I didn't think the Kazekage was such a person. Child, as the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, it is my dereliction of duty to have allowed such a sinister person to become the Kazekage."
As he spoke, he even reached out to pat Black Zetsu's head.
Not to mention, it was quite smooth and round.
Black Zetsu: "!!!"
[I must endure!]
"It's all right... Lord Daimyo, you have so many affairs of the Land of Wind to handle every day, it's inevitable that there will be some oversights."
"But I believe... as long as the Daimyo gives the order, you definitely have the ability to make Hidden Sand Village, especially the Third Kazekage, submit obediently!"
Hearing Black Zetsu's words, the Daimyo's stroking hand paused slightly, then he leisurely withdrew it and let out a sigh.
"Sigh~"
"Child, you've come too late. If you had come a bit earlier, this Daimyo could have still helped you see justice done, but now this Daimyo is confined here, there's truly nothing I can do!"
"There is a way, Lord Daimyo."
"Oh~, there's a way? Quick, tell me!"
Hearing what the dark fellow said, a glint appeared in the Daimyo's eyes, and he looked at Black Zetsu on the ground with great hope.
"Lord Daimyo has no way to get out, but I can! As long as the Daimyo writes a letter and asks the other Four Great Nations for support, I believe Hidden Sand Village definitely won't be able to hold out..."
"When that time comes..."
"Lord Daimyo can deal with the Third Kazekage however you wish."
"This..."
Hearing Black Zetsu's suggestion, the Daimyo didn't show much excitement, but instead fell into deep thought.
Indeed.
As the dark fellow on the ground said, this could indeed solve the problem of Hidden Sand Village.
However... this would also draw in the other Four Great Nations.
Although he was greedy for money, he was no fool.
He still understood the principle that it's easy to invite a god but hard to send one away.
At that time... if Hidden Sand Village really developed... and the situation didn't end up completely one-sided, and Hidden Sand Village successfully survived, then it would be fine.
Then he would just need to divide Hidden Sand Village's interests.
But if Hidden Sand Village didn't develop and was wiped out in the war!
Then it wouldn't be about dividing Hidden Sand Village's interests... it would be about directly dividing the Land of Wind's interests!
After all, if Hidden Sand Village was gone, as the only one of the Five Great Nations to lose its Ninja village, anything could happen then!
Watching the Daimyo fall into thought, as an old monster who had lived for a thousand years, how could Black Zetsu not know what he was thinking now.
"Lord Daimyo, do you still remember that red-haired Ninja from during the day?"
"Hmm? What about that red-haired Ninja?"
"Heh heh! Lord Daimyo might not know, but the background of that red-haired Ninja is not simple~"
"Oh~, how is it not simple?"
"I'm telling you, that red-haired Ninja's eyes are the legendary... eyes of the Six Paths Sage..."
"Rinnegan!"
"What! Such eyes really exist!"
Hearing what the dark fellow said, the Daimyo exclaimed on the spot.
How could he not know about the Six Paths Sage? That was the founder of Ninjutsu, the one and only Sage!
And if that Ninja from earlier possessed the same eyes as the Six Paths Sage... didn't that mean... then there's no point in even trying.
Thinking of this, the Daimyo slumped directly onto the ground, starting to just give up.
Black Zetsu: [??? Oh no, the stimulation was too much.]
"Lord Daimyo Lord Daimyo"
Only after Black Zetsu called several times did the Daimyo snap back to his senses.
"Little Blacky, it's not that this Daimyo won't help you, it's just that this Daimyo is also powerless. The other side has..."
"It's different, Lord Daimyo!"
"Hmm? Different?"
"Yes! It's different, Lord Daimyo. According to the information I've gathered, that Ninja is still young and hasn't grown up yet. Although he has the same eyes as the Six Paths Sage, but..."
"His strength is far from the level of the Six Paths Sage!"
"We can fight!"
"We can fight?"
"We really can!"
"And think about it, Lord Daimyo. If we don't fight now, in a few years, as that Ninja gets older and his strength gets stronger..."
"Then we won't be able to fight even if we want to!"
"I'm afraid at that time Lord Daimyo won't just be staying in the bedchamber..."
Daimyo: "??!"
Right!
Must fight!
If we don't fight, we won't be able to in a few years!
"You're right, I'll go write the letter right now. Little Blacky, I'm counting on you for everything!"
Black Zetsu: [...]
"Rest assured! Lord Daimyo, for the Daimyo and for Mother, I will definitely do it!"
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