Naruto: The Hidden Shadow Style

A Daimyo cannot interfere in the affairs of ninja villages. The Fire Daimyo cannot interfere in the affairs of the Hidden Leaf Village, and no Daimyo can interfere in the matters of any ninja village.

The intelligence received by the Third Hokage was merely enough to cast suspicion upon the Fire Daimyo as someone who might want to eliminate his own nation's military commander—but mere suspicion was sufficient. The Hokage had never made decisions based solely on one hundred percent certainty.

Now, with the Great Ninja World War still ongoing, an ambitious and intelligent Fire Daimyo would definitely not choose this moment for internal strife. Yet precisely because both the external and internal situations of Konoha were trending toward stability, he tried to seize opportunities at this unstable transitional moment—like trying to snatch chestnuts from a fire, risking danger for potential gain.

Even if the Hokage didn't fully obey the Daimyo, the Daimyo still deserved some influence within the Hidden Leaf… this was what the Fire Daimyo believed. And if Konoha had already lost two Hokage successively, then as long as things were skillfully arranged, he could easily select and support a Hokage candidate loyal to the Daimyo.

Frankly speaking, this Fire Daimyo actually possessed far more courage than Haseo himself ever did. After all, since the beginning, Haseo had never resisted the ninja system. Ever since entering Konoha, he had accepted various good or bad arrangements silently, bearing their consequences… because he knew he fundamentally lacked the ability to resist the ways of ninja.

But the Daimyo was somewhat different. As the ruler of a nation, he at least had more means to resist the ninja system than Haseo did—though those means were still very limited—and he certainly didn't lack ambition, courage, or the will to act… wasn't issuing a bounty mission aimed at killing the Third Hokage itself a perfect example?

If successful, massive gains. If failed, no real loss—so why not give it a try? So long as he wasn't caught, then technically, it wouldn't even count as doing something wrong... Everything would've gone exactly as planned by this young ruler if there hadn't been that particular maid by his side.

Unfortunately, no matter how sly a fox may be, it can't outsmart a Saiyan [a humorous exaggeration referencing Dragon Ball characters]; possessing a militarized mindset without matching physical strength leads only to failure. Whether it was treachery or deep scheming, the Second Hokage was undoubtedly among the most intelligent people in the world—one whose intellect surpassed the Fire Daimyo's by far.

Upon learning that this seemingly cordial Daimyo before him was a prime suspect in an assassination plot against himself, the Third Hokage didn't erupt immediately. Instead, he continued drinking and chatting amicably with the man, appearing wholly immersed in enjoying the banquet.

The feast lasted until late into the night. Even after returning to his private quarters, and even after his guards were reassembled, and even after Jiraiya returned from outside, he still didn't elaborate further about the matter to his subordinates, simply instructing everyone to rest well and prepare to return to Konoha on time the next day.

Was such a serious matter really going to be brushed aside so easily?

Haseo found it hard to believe that the Daimyo's mistake could be forgiven; after all, it had been extremely serious. Even if the Daimyo's assassination attempt could somehow be pardoned, there was absolutely no way he'd be allowed to extend his influence into the Hidden Leaf Village. The Hidden Leaf was a precious treasure created through the lifelong efforts of both the First and Second Hokage. How could they possibly hand it over to someone else?

Haseo didn't know exactly what actions the Third Hokage would take, but he was certain the Hokage wouldn't sit idle. Perhaps something would happen as early as tomorrow.

After the Hokage's entourage departed, servants began clearing up the mess in the banquet hall. However, instead of resting directly, the Daimyo stood upon a high terrace of the palace tower, gazing at the night outside the city.

"It failed... As expected, ordinary ninja are no match for the Hokage," the Daimyo murmured after a long silence.

If the Third Hokage had safely arrived at the Daimyo's castle today, that naturally meant all preparations previously made by the Daimyo had failed.

Still, failure itself wasn't necessarily a major concern. After all, aside from sending some money to the black market, the Daimyo had absolutely no connection with those assassins nor had he provided them directly with any information regarding the Hokage's whereabouts. In the Daimyo's own opinion, his operations had maintained an exceptionally high level of secrecy.

"From the moment The Third Hokage arrived at the castle until the banquet ended, his behavior was completely normal. He clearly hadn't associated this incident with us. That's good news," continued the Daimyo.

At this time, only his maid and three officials were present beside him.

"The Hokage has countless enemies throughout the ninja world. There's absolutely no way he could suspect us of the assassination. Secrecy is my personal responsibility. Lord Daimyo, I guarantee the information will remain secure. Otherwise, I shall accept punishment willingly," one official said while bowing respectfully.

"If the matter comes to light, assigning blame will accomplish nothing," whispered the maid standing behind the Daimyo. She was playing her role of devoted servant perfectly.

The official essentially meant he'd eat crow—and swallow it whole—if the secret leaked.

The maid essentially meant that even if you have a taste for something, you shouldn't overindulge.

Had Haseo or the Hokage been here, they might have noticed that this maid hadn't reported everything she actually knew.

The Daimyo smiled gracefully before saying, "Call off the operation, retrieve the funds, erase all traces of our involvement, and await another opportunity. For now, I don't wish to provoke that young one, the Hokage."

Even though he had failed, he still appeared supremely confident.

......

That night passed uneventfully from the Hokage's perspective. Then on the following day, the Third Hokage was supposed to return to Konoha after completing a brief farewell ceremony. However, during this very ceremony, the Hokage suddenly took action.

"Lord Daimyo, I almost forgot to mention something... Yesterday, while traveling toward your castle, I was ambushed by a group of twelve ninja. Fortunately, my subordinates protected me well enough to prevent my untimely demise."

Although the Third Hokage didn't have a single hair out of place after the assassination attempt, he was now deliberately treating the incident with utmost seriousness.

Why had he suddenly brought this up? The Daimyo's heart subtly tightened. On the surface, though, he simply furrowed his brows and feigned surprise and concern as he replied, "What? Someone actually attempted to assassinate Lord Hokage? And who were these assassins exactly? How could they have infiltrated deep into the Land of Fire and even approached near the Daimyo's Castle?!"

The Daimyo was testing—trying to gauge how much the Hokage actually knew about the incident.

The Third Hokage merely shook his head and continued, "We currently don't know the identity of the assassin. Attempted assassinations are quite common. Both the First and Second Hokages experienced many such incidents. So I don't plan to keep investigating any further."

Up to this point, the Hokage's words had greatly favored the Daimyo. Then came the turning point.

"However," the Hokage continued, "considering that Konoha has only just stabilized after the chaos caused by the loss of the Second Hokage, had the assassination succeeded, the consequences could've been catastrophic. Furthermore, since the war may continue indefinitely and I might die on the battlefield at any moment, should the next Hokage succeed me amidst wartime turmoil, there would be no need for them to visit the Daimyo's Castle. It would be enough if the Daimyo simply sent the commission directly to Konoha..."

Though the Hokage spoke slowly and calmly, each word stabbed into the Daimyo like a blade—another move to cut the political ties between the Hokage and the Daimyo, securing Konoha's full independence. What he called wartime customs was merely a courteous excuse. The Hokage was clearly saying that from now on, Konoha wouldn't need the Daimyo's token approval for the Hokage succession at all.

He no longer even needed the Daimyo's symbolic endorsement. And if the Daimyo became nothing more than a rubber stamp, how could he possibly interfere in village affairs?

"But Lord Hokage, you must understand—the rules regarding Hokage succession were established by the First..."

The Daimyo tried to argue, but the Third Hokage cut him off directly: "Additionally, given that I myself narrowly escaped an assassination attempt, it's possible the Daimyo might also find himself in danger. Therefore, Konoha has decided to dispatch twenty-four ninja to guard the Daimyo at all times. I hope Lord Daimyo will not refuse this goodwill from the village."

Protection my foot! That was clearly surveillance!

This was absolutely unacceptable to the Daimyo. His composed, indifferent expression finally cracked—he looked visibly disturbed, even contorted.

But the Hokage wasn't done yet: "Lastly, considering that the war will persist and that later on, economic pressures on the Ninja Village will continuously mount, I respectfully request that the Daimyo increase financial support to the village by eighty million ryo starting next year... Please give it serious consideration, Lord Daimyo. Eighty million precisely—not a single coin more, not a single coin less."

The words 'eighty million' hit the Daimyo like a ton of bricks, instantly dousing all thoughts of protest.

He knew. He definitely knew!

—Why emphasize exactly eighty million? That was obviously the bounty reward he had secretly offered for the Hokage's head. Clearly, the Third Hokage had already seen through everything he'd done.

The Daimyo's hand, hidden beneath his sleeve, trembled uncontrollably out of fear.

The Third Hokage had already been generous enough—he wouldn't start demanding the money until next year. After all, if the Daimyo's Castle could afford such a sum for questionable purposes, it might as well be given to the Ninja Village as war funding.

Looking into the Third Hokage's calm eyes, the Daimyo knew he absolutely couldn't refuse these three proposals; refusal would mean complete and utter confrontation between both sides. And such a confrontation meant one of them must die—and certainly not the Third Hokage… So guess who was going to die?

In a voice that chose not to reveal itself, the Third Hokage declared: "The money is mine, the power is mine, and even you yourself are mine."

The Daimyo struggled with his expression, but eventually suppressed his emotions and spoke out, "24 ninja is far too many—I don't need that many guards."

"Then how about 12? Halving the number should suit your wishes, shouldn't it?" said the Third Hokage. Twelve ninja might not be enough to control the entire Daimyo's Castle, but they'd be more than sufficient to control the palace itself. Truthfully, when he originally proposed 24, the Hokage had already left room for negotiation.

"Do you still have any other issues, Lord Daimyo?"

At this point, everyone present at the farewell ceremony had noticed something was wrong… Compared to yesterday, the Third Hokage was simply being too aggressive.

Yet no one dared step forward to intervene now.

The Daimyo was merely a feudal lord—while the Hokage would always remain the Hokage.

"There's no problem!" The Daimyo gritted his teeth while speaking; he'd already begun losing control over himself.

"Perfect! I must say, visiting the Daimyo's Castle this time has truly been a delightful journey." The Third Hokage stretched out his hand, forcibly grasping the Daimyo's.

The Daimyo wanted to keep his composure—he really should smile now—but when he tried to force a grin, his face just wouldn't cooperate.

Even Haseo felt a bit sympathetic toward this Daimyo. He even considered singing a line—"Pain, pain, go away"—to comfort the poor man's wounded soul. Honestly, who'd have thought the Third would be such a shady character?

Well, all things considered, Hiruzen was actually quite broad-minded. Even regarding Kakuzu's assassination attempt, he didn't care much—it was merely a dispute among ninja. However, he absolutely forbade outsiders from meddling in ninja business... His retaliation came down with shocking speed and severity.

Brave indeed was the hero resisting the way of the ninja, but his courage was swiftly burned into ashes.

What use were ambition, aspirations, or grand goals? In the end, this world belonged entirely to the ninja.

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