Naruto: Starting by Marrying Uchiha

After avoiding Orochimaru, Takashi approached Shikaku Nara to inquire.

"Shikaku, how are the losses this time?"

In truth, he wasn't genuinely concerned about the casualties; he was just eager to revel in the chaos and enjoy the spectacle.

Of course, outwardly, he maintained a facade of worry for the village.

"They're significant..."

Shikaku Nara was genuinely pained.

Those who died were all part of the Hokage faction's private army of ninja clans!

In other words, the ones footing the bill for these losses were the ninja clans themselves. How could they not feel heartache?

Heart-wrenching!

That's the only way to describe it.

To support Sarutobi Shinnosuke's ascension as the second Hokage, the ninjas deployed this time were elite members from various clans, so the losses were considerable.

If they could have exchanged these losses for significant military achievements, they might have been able to endure it.

The problem was, not only did they fail to defeat the Sand Ninja army, but they were also routed by them, and even the commander, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, was captured.

They lost both the battle and the commander.

After hearing about the losses, Takashi, with a face full of (feigned) sorrow (and genuine) delight, consoled:

"It's okay, isn't it? At least half of them survived, right?"

Upon hearing his consolation, Shikaku Nara didn't know whether to feel happy or angry.

In the end, he could only respond with silence.

Next, it was naturally time to escort this battered army back.

Takashi had plans for these ninjas.

Who wouldn't want more power in their hands? Even if this power ultimately belonged to the village, at least he could use it.

To absorb... no, Takashi planned to have them continue fulfilling their mission.

Drive away the Sand Ninja!

However, in the future, it would be primarily led by the Southwestern Ninja Army.

After all, this ninja army had lost its commander, and coupled with heavy casualties, such an operation was indeed feasible.

The most important thing was that the reason was entirely justified.

If the village didn't reinforce them, how could the Southwestern Ninja Army, with only a few hundred members, withstand an attack from thousands of Sand Ninja troops?

Did they really think the Southwestern Ninja Army was full of 'Ip Man' who could take on ten at a time?

Yes, Takashi was using the Sand Ninja as leverage.

He was determined to take advantage of these clan ninjas!

As a smart person, Shikaku Nara naturally saw through Takashi's intentions, but he couldn't refuse.

So he simply reported everything back to the village and then acted according to orders.

Anyway, without explicit orders, he wouldn't do anything extra.

By the way, when Takashi escorted the remnants back to Kikyo Mountain, an incident began to spread.

The lord of Kamakura Castle in Nishikicho, along with his entire clan, was massacred by the Sand Ninja. Not a single survivor was left, not even a mouse.

Moreover, the family's wealth had completely disappeared.

This was the first noble to die at the hands of ninjas.

After the news spread, not only were the nobles of the Land of Fire outraged, but even the nobles of the Land of Wind demanded that the Sand Ninja hand over the culprits.

Yes, you heard that right.

Even the Land of Wind, the great nation where the Sand Village is located, was pressuring the Sand Ninja to hand over the perpetrators.

It's not surprising that this situation arose.

Because what nobles fear most is this kind of situation.

Defiance from below!

If ninjas could offend nobles without consequences, then nobles would never sleep peacefully again.

After all, the power of force is in the hands of the ninjas.

Nobles can sit high above, watching ninjas kill each other, using war and bloodshed to entertain themselves.

This is entirely because of the ninjas' reverence and the nobles' strict prevention of such incidents.

Once a ninja dares to defy them, all noble classes will band together, regardless of which country's nobles they are.

Now you understand why the death of just one noble has all the nobles reacting as if they've been stabbed in the back, right?

Takashi had considered this point beforehand, which is why he only dealt with the steward and left, while having Hyuga Aotsuki disguise herself as a bandit when she acted.

It seems she not only disguised herself as a bandit but also left clues pointing to the Sand Ninja.

Well done!

Anyway, since the invasion began, the Sand Ninja have already taken the blame for countless incidents, so one more doesn't matter.

In fact, under the pressure of numerous nobles, an 'investigation team' was formed, with two major ninja villages responsible for cooperating.

There's no choice; when the financial backers behind the ninja villages speak, they naturally have to show some respect.

If you don't show respect to others, when it comes time for funding, they won't respect you either, and by then, crying won't help. Soon, the investigation team arrived at Kikyo Mountain.

They were there to find the Honda Trading Company.

There had been conflicts between the two sides before, so it wasn't surprising that they came to investigate.

However, the investigation team noticed that the ninjas they encountered had somewhat strange looks in their eyes.

"What's going on here?"

A guardian ninja from the investigation team quietly asked the Konoha ninja leading them.

The person leading them was a government ninja specifically dispatched by Konoha to guide and cooperate with the investigation. Suna had also sent someone for the same purpose.

You could only say, this was a bizarre situation.

Clearly, the two major ninja villages were fighting desperately, yet they had to join forces to investigate the death of a noble.

"Nothing much!"

The government ninja leading them casually brushed it off.

For this investigation team formed by the nobility, no one had a good impression.

If it weren't for the funding, the village wouldn't even bother with them, so you can imagine how sincere their cooperation was.

The Southwestern Ninja Army!

It had already become Takashi's one-man show.

Don't be fooled by his usual lack of involvement; just based on his performance on the battlefield, as long as he doesn't betray the village, no one would dare defy his orders.

Knowing that the investigation team was there to look into the matter of Nishizuru Town, their reaction wasn't surprising.

The other party had offended their own commander, and now that the other party was dead, someone came looking for the truth. It's no wonder they didn't have a friendly attitude.

"Huh, weren't we here to find the Honda Trading Company's loss? This place is...?"

The minister of the investigation team, dressed in luxurious robes, looked at the building bearing the commander's emblem and asked in confusion.

"The person you're looking for is in Lord Takashi's office. You can ask your questions here!"

The government ninja showed identification to the two guards and then made a gesture of invitation.

The investigation minister stepped into the makeshift office building.

But those who followed, except for the government ninja from Suna, were stopped by the two guards.

"You..."

One of the guardian ninjas was about to say something when the leading guardian ninja held him back, signaling not to act impulsively.

Ninja villages and guardian ninjas are entirely different groups.

Guardian ninjas are a military institution established specifically to protect the daimyo, while ninja villages are mercenaries at best, tied to the country where the village is located, and have a transactional relationship with the nobility.

Ninja villages view guardian ninjas as the nobility's lapdogs, thinking they lack the dignity of true ninjas.

Guardian ninjas see ninjas as parasites and ingrates, taking the country's funds but not loyal to the daimyo.

The conflict between their positions makes them want to draw swords against each other.

Now you understand why the guards had such a poor attitude towards these guardian ninjas, right?

The external tension naturally didn't affect the commander's office inside.

The small office was quite spacious.

Besides the maps and sand tables along the walls, there were only two desks, one large and one small, and nothing else.

At this moment, there were people sitting behind both desks, and a middle-aged man was standing.

When the three members of the investigation team entered, everyone looked over.

"Lord Takashi, this is Minister Seigen, responsible for investigating the Nishizuru Town incident. He wishes to ask President Honda some questions!"

The government ninja explained the purpose of the visit.

Since they had communicated in advance, there was no worry that Takashi was unaware of the incident.

"Is that so? Go ahead and ask here!"

Takashi, sitting in the main seat, gestured for them to proceed with their questions.

He was well aware of the situation, which is why he had Honda stay at Kikyo Mountain for the past few days, precisely to help handle the investigation team.

He was afraid they wouldn't find the truth and would simply blame the Honda Trading Company.

Such things had happened before.

But with him there, it wouldn't be possible to play that game.

"This..."

Minister Seigen looked troubled.

Because in a place like this, many of their methods couldn't be used.

"What, is there a problem, or are you worried I'll be biased towards the Honda Trading Company?"

Takashi 'unhappily' questioned.

Is this giving me a chance to lose my temper?

After all, he was a Kage-level powerhouse and the commander of the ninja army. If he really found a reason to get angry, no one would be foolish enough to stand up and plead for the other side.

With power, you can do as you please.

(End of Chapter)