Ruling by the Book
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 12: A Toad in the Well
- Kazuya -
As we lay on my bed after a heavy makeout session, I recalled something important and spoke to her. "Kazumi-chan…"
"Hmm?" She looked up at my face from my arms.
"I found a family member of yours… from your mother's side." The words made her stiff. "He is your granduncle, your grandfather's brother. I didn't tell him about who you are but he wanted to get to know you if you agreed. The man has no surviving family and would love for nothing more than to meet one now."
She looked up questioningly.
"He is a good person. I can say this from personal experience. You can get to know him if you want." I added.
She looked in thought for a second before nodding. "I would love that."
"Great. Then I will take you to meet him tomorrow."
– Kuroka –
As she flew through the skies under an illusion, heading towards her target, she thought of the sudden changes in her life.
One moment she thought she was going to die and the other moment, she was in a completely new world.
It was like one of those fairy tales.
She was even saved by a genuine prince, someone who actually risked his soul to rescue her sister from devils.
It had only been slightly more than a month and yet, she enjoyed this life or hers much better than her last one. The other people in the group were accepting and kind to Shirone and her.
Kanae-chan, Kuina and the Princess were always trying to cheer her up. Sera, Saitō and Rose were strict but they helped in their own way.
Toji was a fun guy.
Although Kazuya-sama wasn't exactly like one of those princes from the fairy tales, she preferred his personality better. After all, those goody two shoes would never give her a job like she was doing now.
She was infiltrating the Village hidden in the Waterfalls under the orders of Kazuya-sama to find Hero Water, a priceless treasure of the village and something which had allowed the Land to survive this long even after being surrounded by four other countries including three major ones.
He said that the Hero Water could temporarily increase the chakra of the user by almost a dozen times and Kazuya-sama was planning to do some experiments with it.
The Village didn't have many guards, probably because they were naturally protected. The location was hidden by many waterfalls which could only be manoeuvred through a complex chain of caves which were inlaid by traps all over, making passing it without prior knowledge of the traps impossible even for jōnin level ninjas.
All these problems were however non existent for her as she could simply fly over the waterfalls and reach the place.
She directly reached the giant tree under which the village was built and sensed no one nearby. Although her senses did catch an enormous source of chakra in the distance. It must be the tailed beast of Takigakure, the seven tails, Chomei.
Kazuya-sama had written that only the head of the village was aware of the place where the water was hidden.
The defences were easy to bypass. Finally, she reached the place where the Hero Water was kept in a reinforced glass pitcher.
Carefully removing the jar from its place, she emptied the contents in a different container in her possession and filled it with plain water and kept it as it was.
Since everything was done, she directly teleported away from the place towards the next target.
Kazuya-sama had only marked the locations of the smaller villages to prevent attracting the attention of the five great ninja villages.
They didn't want to show any overt signs of power unless they were completely sure to be able to defend themselves.
- Kazuya -
I landed outside the hideout and put Kasumi, who was in my arms, down on her own feet. Although she was progressing nicely in her training, her speed was still nowhere near my level so I carried her all the way.
The fact that she was blushing the entire way while I did this was also fun to watch.
Currently, Kanae and Saitō were covering for us back in the warehouse using clones and henge while both of us left the city under disguise before I carried her to the hideout where the Uzumaki and Shirone were hiding.
On reaching the place, I touched an unassuming tree growing from the mountain wall and pulsed my chakra thrice before getting back.
A part of the ground suddenly slid, revealing a door inside. The door opened to reveal Mina who bowed when she saw us and welcomed us in and closed the door behind us. This was one of the five hideouts we had built in the Land of Flowers.
It was just a basic place with several rooms and supplies for anyone living inside. Our final plan is to completely hollow out the mountain and convert it into a lab and base for the Samurai under us.
A white cat jumped on my shoulder suddenly and licked my cheeks.
I picked her up and scratched behind her ears making her purr as the cat turned back into her real form.
"Are you liking the place, Shirone?" I asked, rubbing the girl's head.
"I don't like hiding here all day nyaa~" She complained with a pout.
"I am very sorry for this but this is for our safety. Please, just bear with it for a while. I will give you a great present when all this is over."
"Really?"
"Promise."
By now the other two members had come out too.
"Your Highness. Is everything alright?"
"Sensei. Yes. I am just here to tell you that I got the permission." I smiled.
It took him a moment to realise what I was saying and his eyes widened as soon as he did. "Where?"
"Well…" I turned towards Kasumi. "There you go."
"Eh…"
"I can understand your confusion. Well, it's like this…" I explained the whole story to them and it was probably the first time I had seen the man show such vulnerability. His situation was understandable too.
Yuka Senju was his niece, the last surviving member of his family…
"That foolish girl… she could have come to us…" He sighed, finally letting out a deep breath, his age showing in that moment.
"She was declared dead and was tasked to be a sleeper agent. If she were to reveal herself, it would have endangered everyone with the same mission as people would have doubts. She must have been a very good ninja to carry out her mission till the end. Not even Kasumi-chan knew about her and probably wouldn't have ever found out if not for my ability." I tried to offer some words of sympathy. After all, although dead, she would be my mother-in-law.
I looked at Kasumi and nodded my head. "I will leave you all alone for a while and take Shirone out to play. Come on Shirone. Let's go out and I will get you some snacks."
"Really?!" The cat girl jumped excitedly.
This girl was so easy to please.
x_
I took Shirone, who disguised herself to hide her tail and ears, out to a nearby town for some snacks.
"That one, nii-sama. I want that one." Shirone pointed towards a stall which was selling fried fish.
She had been cooped up in the hideout for an entire week. It was understandable that she would be happy to get out.
I paid the stall owner and got two plates of fried fish when we heard the cries of thief nearby. Looking in the direction, we saw a guy running and being chased by several people. I looked at Shirone who quickly gulped her fish and threw the wooden plate at the thief, hitting his legs. At the same time however, another stone hit the man on the back, making him tumble and fall over.
I looked at the other side and saw two kids with a man. It was one of the kids, who had thrown the stone. My eyes narrowed at the sight of the man.
The people caught the thief and he was taken away while I paid the show owner for the plate he had lost.
"Good job, Shirone." I patted her head. In the meanwhile, the group of three had also come to us.
"That was quite a good aim." The orange haired kid, who had thrown the stone said.
"Thank you." She thanked him politely while the man looked at the sword on my side.
"Are you a ninja too?" The boy asked, excitedly.
"Ninja? No. I am not. Why would I be a ninja? I am a samurai."
"Samurai?" The boy was confused.
"Samurai are different from ninjas." The man explained what samurai were in brief before looking at us. "Are you a samurai of the Land of Flowers? Sorry for interrupting your work."
"Don't mind it. They were doing the right thing so it's fine."
"How about I buy the little miss a snack for the one she lost. I am Ichiji by the way and these two are my students, Satoru and Kenji." The man offered his hand and I shook it.
"I ate everything before throwing the plate." Shirone interrupted, making me chuckle.
"Is that so hahahaha. Then consider it a reward for your bravery." The man laughed too.
I thought for a moment and nodded and we went inside a nearby restaurant to eat and talk over food.
The two kids were interested in Samurai so they were asking questions.
"So Samurai protect the people too? Then how are they different from ninjas?" The red haired one who had been quiet for so long spoke.
"Samurai generally only serve one master for life, dedicating themselves to protect them. They don't do missions like ninjas. If you want to know the difference then it would be the same as a soldier and a mercenary. Both are trained fighters but fight for different causes."
"So how do they earn money?" The orange haired guy asked.
"They are paid by their masters. In most cases that's the Daimyo or the nobles who are their patrons."
"But isn't that like the ninjas then?"
"No. The main difference between them is the code they follow. Samurai follow bushido. The core principles of Bushido are Justice, Courage, Mercy, Integrity, Honour and Loyalty. A true samurai will never attack unarmed opponents, weak and innocent. This is completely different from ninjas who work for the highest payer, without any bottom lines."
"Hey! That's not true, you know. Ninjas also have honour." The man protested.
"My apologies. It would seem our definition of honour is different from each other then. Would you please explain to us what a ninja is then?" I asked.
"A real ninja is one who endures no matter what gets thrown at him… Ninjas dedicate our lives for our village, to protect and let the younger generation grow in peace." He said it with so much conviction that there was no doubt that he indeed believed it.
The eyes of the two kids following him brightened at his words, however I just controlled my urge to roll my eyes.
I however didn't refute him but instead questioned him. "Oh. Then please enlighten me about what it is that you are protecting the younger generation against?"
"From the dangers of this world."
"Hmm, like the assassinations, massacres and wars right? Oh, by the way, who exactly are the ones who started the last war… or the current war?" I asked, making him wince. "The ninjas right?" I smiled.
Looking at him feeling guilty I didn't back away either. "Did you know that just a few months prior, five villages in this Land were burned to the ground, each and every person in the village slaughtered, from old men to newborn children… everyone burned…" I gritted my teeth as I recalled the head of the child but took a deep breath and controlled myself. The man was also silent.
"It was investigated and found out that all of this was done by shinobi. They attacked and killed everyone, just to loot their food, probably for the sake of this war of theirs. Is this also their way of protecting the younger generation?"
"Not everyone is like that." He protested.
"And yet can you deny that each and every village out there does this kind of thing?" I countered. "Can you put a hand on your heart and say that the village you are from has never done such things?"
His lips thinned but to the credit of the man, he didn't answer… he didn't lie.
"I believe that we can one day understand each other and… achieve peace." He said.
"Understand each other? Do you believe that understanding results in peace?" I asked.
"Yes. If everyone could understand the pain of other people, then we can achieve peace."
"Hahahahaha." I laughed at his face. "That's… a very noble thought… although foolish."
He frowned.
"Let me explain with an example. Let's take the Land of Rain as an example." I said making both the kids' expressions fall. "Do you think Konoha and Iwa don't understand that the people of the Land of Rain are suffering? Do you think they don't understand the pain of their loved ones dying? And yet… they continue their war in a completely uninvolved nation. Do you know why? It's simple human psychology. Because people are selfish. They want to get the benefits of the war and yet do not want their lands to suffer so they force the weaker lands to suffer the consequences of their greed. Understanding the pain doesn't always make someone sympathise with the other. Most of the time it drives them to do anything to not suffer the same pain… even if that action is horrible to others."
"That's not it…"
"Oh? Then why are Konoha and Iwa not fighting in the Land of Fire or Land of Earth? Why are they fighting in Rain and Grass? Why are they not burning and looting the villages of their country to get supplies? Not just them but anyone in their places would do the same thing. If I were a ruler, I might do the same thing." I questioned the guy but he clenched his fist and didn't answer. "Alright, let's remove the war. It is after all an extreme situation and we often see the worst of humanity in wars. Let's talk about something else."
I saw his expression lighten up and questioned again. "Let's assume that peace truly comes… then what will the ninjas do?"
His face was serious by now. "There are a vast range of things ninjas do. We protect caravans, act as guards, etc."
"Oh and who exactly do you guard against?" I asked.
"Bandits, thieves, wild animals…"
"And other shinobi." I interrupted. "Right. Then may I ask how much each of those missions cost? Actually hold on. Let me see if my memory serves me right. A C Ranked Mission is one where only enemies are non shinobi and it costs between ten to thirty thousand. However Ninja villages have missions up to S Rank. Anything above C Rank involves stealing, looting, assassinations and fights against other ninjas. Tell me… in a peaceful world… how will ninjas survive with only C Ranked missions?"
Whatever he was about to say was swallowed back into his mouth.
"At the end of the day, ninjas thrive because of violence. This is an irrefutable fact. What you endure… is not the burden of this world but rather… a monster of your own creation." I said and looked at them.
The entire table descended into a period of silence. The kids were looking blankly at us.
All this had turned into a discussion between two ideologies rather than simply sating the curiosity of some kids.
I let out a sigh. "I know my words might be harsh and might make you think that I hate shinobi. I don't. Trust me, I am getting married to one." I smiled, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "What I hate is… how they are wasting their gifts… for destruction. There is so much they can do and yet all they can think of is killing and massacres. It's… painful to watch." I wasn't even kidding when I said this. I genuinely felt like this.
The man looked sad at my words.
"Come here, let me show you something to make you understand." I got up and the group followed me outside. I found a group of kids playing nearby and walked towards them. "Hey there. Do you mind if we play a game? Anyone who wins gets a reward." I offered.
The kids were obviously excited while the group watched me from behind.
I looked at the students of the guy first and questioned. "Suppose you can use magic to use the ground and earth as you like. How will you use it?"
"Earth? Is it like Earth Style? We can use it to make traps, pitfalls, stone bullets, swamps and even earthquakes." One of them counted on his fingers.
"Great." I then looked at the group of children who were playing there first, who were looking at the kid who answered strangely. "What would you guys do?"
"I will make a house. Our house leaks during rains and it becomes hard to sleep. I will build a house so that we can sleep peacefully." The answer made me smile. I looked at the other kids and they answered one by one.
"I will make a slide for everyone to play. The one we have in the playground was broken earlier and we cannot play there anymore. I like slides." The girl said.
"I will help my father in the fields. It is hard to plough the land. I can easily help him grow even more crops. Then we will have a lot of crops and we can buy many takoyaki…"
"Amazing. You all are really great children. Alright, come with me, I will buy everyone sweets." I did exactly that and waited as we watched the kids eat in joy.
"See that… the answers are always in front of us. The same powers and yet two different ways of thinking it can result in. When you are raised to steal and kill, your thought process changes and even the greatest gifts in your hands only become a way to cause destruction. Ninjas are the same. They are capable of great good, as much as I am ashamed to say, even more so than samurai but they completely ignore this. Let's take the most renowned name among them as an example. Hashirama Senju."
The man looked at me and said in a serious voice. "The first Hokage was a great man."
"He was a noble man, no doubt. A kind man too… unfortunately, even he was a victim of the environment he was raised in." I looked at the man's stoic face and smiled. "What, confused? Let me explain. He was able to raise forests out of empty land, and change the entire terrain of a land, right?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Then what if he had done the same for the Land of Wind, changed their deserts into forests. It would have eliminated their lack of food completely. The people of the Land of Wind would have worshipped the ground he walked on. But what is happening instead? Most of their wars are waged to get fertile cultivable land from the Land of Fire."
He looked in thought so I continued.
"It's not like ninjas are not capable of moving away from this. It's that they refuse to even acknowledge that such a path exists. For example, take Medical Ninjutsu. They can save hundreds and thousands of lives. And yet, has any ninja village tried to explore more of it, spread their influence in the medical sectors? They could easily earn just as much money through that business. But they don't. Let's not even go that far. A simple change like a medic per team could drastically reduce the number of deaths and yet… none of the villages will ever accept it… because they have, at their cores, accepted that their way of living is by causing destruction."
"Things might change. One day, someone will change everything."
"Hahahaha yeah… we always hope for that… that someday, someone, a chosen one will come and solve all our problems… and yet we refuse to change ourselves. What we need to do is change ourselves because if we don't do that, even if the chosen one comes and brings peace by some magic… it would only be temporary… just like Hashirama Senju… once they are gone. The world will be drowned in wars again."
"Then how do you think we can change it?" He asked. There was no sarcasm in his voice. He was actually asking me the question.
"It cannot happen in one day. It would take time. Moreover, both the people and the rulers would have to cooperate to get the result. Education is the key. Children, the future of the world, need to be educated, shown the good they can do. The rulers have to look beyond personal profit and think more about the public. I mean if they kept an army under them, or just paid salaries to ninjas, they wouldn't have to do the dangerous and unsavoury work. In return, ninjas can use their talents to help the land in different ways than just being a tool for killing. They could help pave paths through mountains, change the course of rivers and water dry lands, anything is possible if we work together."
In fact, this part was actually suggested by Saitō and I completely agree with him.
Even the students we taught were ingrained with the principles of Bushido. We would have loved to make the number of subjects diverse and give them a chance to study different things but right now we don't have the privilege.
We needed a decent amount of strength before we could even think of anything else.
"Do you think we can achieve true peace like that?" He asked.
I shrugged. "Who knows? True peace, a perfect world is impossible to achieve. Whenever there are interests involved, there will be conflicts so there will always be wars… no matter what we do…" Well, unless one person conquers the whole world and stops every war with an iron fist.
I mean Kaguya kinda did it before. I shook my head before continuing. "What we can try to do is reduce these conflicts… relative peace of sorts, I guess. We are in a better position than the Sengoku Era, aren't we? We might be able to get better."
The kids were done eating and I think Kasumi must have completed the talks too. It was time to leave.
"Shirone, let's go." I called out to the girl who was currently competing with other kids.
The girl left the group reluctantly and I paid for their expenses and then a bit more for the kids to take some home for themselves.
I will have to ask someone to build a school here. Maybe send the first batch of samurai to protect this town as well as teach the new generation of kids.
The kids here have potential.
"It was nice talking to you… I hope we meet again." The guy said when we were leaving, offering me a hand.
"Yes. I hope the same." I smiled and shook hands with him.
"I just realised that I didn't get your name."
"My name is… Yoriichi… Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
x_
A little distance outside the town, I spread my senses and didn't feel anyone nearby in a kilometre radius.
"Were those guys ninjas? That man was weird. Satoru said he was a pervert. Is that what perverts look like?" Shirone said, suddenly making me smile.
"Hahahaha. No dear. He wasn't a pervert… he was a… super pervert. A good man, unfortunately just a frog in the well or rather… a toad in the well."
Yes.
The guy was Jiraiya.
While I didn't recognise him at first sight, the eyes on the red haired kid were unmistakable.
The Rinnegan.
He was Nagato Uzumaki.
Moreover, when he had lied about the names of the kids, the expressions of the kids faltered.
It was understandable that he would lie. The Land of Flowers was allied with Kumo and near the Land of Earth. Konoha ninja's presence will almost never be taken well here.
I guess some things never change. He still got to meet Nagato and even without Konan, those two kids got together.
Shirone looked confused by everything.
"Come on, get on my back. I'll give you a ride." I offered Shirone who looked like she was tired after playing around for the whole day.
She gladly got on my back.
"Hold tight, alright."
"Okay~"
Once sure that she was properly holding on to me, I used my chakra to keep her attached on my back and sprinted full speed ahead.
- Shiroyasha Uzumaki -
"Are you sure about the information, Shiroyasha?" The first elder asked her, his face completely serious, a stark difference from his usual countenance.
"Unfortunately we have no way to verify the news. The only way is to…"
"Contact a tailed beast. Could it be that the boy is just misguiding us?"
"And what would he gain from all that?" She asked. "I cannot think of a single thing he could obtain by telling us." Even she was confused by all this.
"The conviction in his voice didn't seem like he was lying. Moreover, nothing he has told us till now has been a lie. He even knew about the conversation only Shiroyasha and I had in private. There is no way anyone else could have known about that. Whether this information is true or not, I don't know but one thing I am sure of is that Kazuya Katsuyoshi's ability is indeed true…"
"But if that's the case then… are we really descended from the Sage of Six Paths?"
The information had made many of them question the reality of the world. Just what kind of place were they living in?
The Tailed Beasts and the Ten Tails…
That damn brat gave her something to worry about later on.
"We cannot do anything if we just worry. Either way, if the vision of the Prince is indeed true, then what we had originally planned is indeed the best course of action. We will go through with it as planned."
"Agreed." She nodded.
These old coots had really gone and done it. She hadn't even imagined they would pull something like this to one up Konoha. Those bastards will be in for a nasty surprise when this is all over.
Then again, it was those bastards who had turned their backs on the Uzumaki even after all the help they had gotten. Anything they get will be well deserved.
"In fact, we can make a few adjustments in the final plan too, now that we know all this. Prince Kazuya has offered to buy everything we have in gold as our currency will not be useful in the other continent." Her husband said.
"Does he even possess that kind of capital?" One of the elders asked.
"We are talking about a guy who can see the secrets of thousands of years in the past. Who is to say that he didn't find some hidden treasure forgotten through the ages? If nothing then we can consider leaving it to the people who remain behind in the Land of Flowers." Genzo replied.
"About that. Is it really true that Tobirama that bastard had his clan members dispersed throughout the world in advance and one of them was Kenshiro's daughter?"
"It does sound like something Tobirama would pull. He was always too cautious. At least now Genshiro can have a family member once more. That guy had just given up on life after losing his wife and child."
"Do we even know who they are?"
"No. Not yet. The Prince said that he would need their permission before he can tell us their identity."
Right at that moment, there was a knock on the door.
"Yes." She questioned.
"Okaa-sama, there is a letter from Genshiro ji-sama. His summoning beast is here." It was her daughter on the other side of the door.
She looked at the rest of the people in the room and answered. "Bring it in."
Tamami entered the room and handed her the letter.
"Leave us alone, Tama-chan and close the door behind you." She instructed as she opened the letter.
"Hai."
She read the letter quickly, pausing in between and then rereading everything again.
"Shiroyasha… what is it?" Her husband asked and she just passed the letter to him.
"What is it? Is everything alright there?" One of the elders asked.
"Yes. Genshiro says that he found his grandniece." She answered, still trying to wrap her head around the whole thing.
"Oh, who is she?"
"The Princess of the Land of Stairs."
"Huh?"
She then explained the entire situation to everyone, from Yuka Senju's mission as a sleeper agent to keep an eye on the Land of Stairs, to her falling in love with the Prince and him rejecting to accept their child and how she had exchanged the children. There was even information about what the Stairs Daimyo and the Medicine Daimyo were planning to do in future.
"The Land of Stairs doesn't have any ninja villages does it? I think I can take them out by myself." One of the old ones spoke first and it was as if the entire dam broke.
"Hah, the Howling Wolf Village is nothing special either. I bet I could take them all out by myself. That fat piece of lard Daimyo thinks they can kill our blood. I still have some torture seals which need testing…"
"We are leaving either way. What does it matter if we take off one or two royal families?"
"Alright alright… hold your horses. We don't need to do anything right now. Her future husband is more than capable of finishing both countries by himself. If anything with his means, he will make it worse."
"So we do nothing? That bastard is planning to poison them and make their child a puppet." One of the elders asked, angrily.
"And they will never be able to do anything. Did you forget how we got this news? That guy can find information about people that not even they know. Do you think it's easy to catch him off guard?" She stopped them before they went ahead and did something dumb. Seriously, people were supposed to become wiser with age… not this…
"We are already sending people there. We can ask them if they need any help in taking care of the problem. Who knows what plans they have? Us acting without any communication might disrupt their plans." Her husband reasoned too, finally calming them down. He then looked at her. "They are getting married in two weeks, aren't they?"
She nodded. "No wonder the guy was so confident and friendly with us from the start. He knew everything from the start and was trying to help us out for her…" She sighed. A kid led them around by the nose and somehow she found herself unable to even get angry at him.
A part of her pitied whatever fate was coming to the Stairs and Medicine Daimyo and then the rest of her mind mourned that she wasn't the one delivering the said fate on them. Those backstabbing bastards…
The Uzumaki Clan could be a bit savage when it came to their blood.
- Kazuya -
"And that's the last item on the list. Was that all?" Kuroka asked as she put down the scrolls in front of me.
"For now. There are a few more things I need but it will take some time to get the entire detail about the security surrounding them as those things are dangerous to get. I will tell you when I have the full data." I replied, taking a look at the scrolls and unsealing them one by one. The first one was a jar of water.
Hero's Water.
The second one was also a jar of water, however this one was different. It's from a special place called 'The Hole'. The water of that place is very special as it's overflowing with life and accelerates cell division.
The third and the last one was a piece of stone, or rather a meteorite. It was taken from the Hoshigakure village and had the effect of making the chakra denser.
I needed two more things but one is extremely hard to get while the other is completely unknown. I still haven't been able to find the information about where the item is.
Hashirama Senju's necklace and something called the Gelel Stone.
The first one is with Tsunade Senju and stealing it from her will be extremely hard and I have started a Grimoire search for the Gelel Stone to know what it is and where I can find it.
All these items were for the next ritual to increase my overall power.
"By the way, there is something special under 'The Hole' boss. It had a lot of energy." Kuroka suddenly said, attracting my attention.
"Oh? Was it alive?" I asked.
"No. Probably some kind of energy source but the power I felt inside was incredible. It was even beyond the Seven Tails which I had sensed in the Village Hidden in the Waterfall."
"That much?!"
"Yup."
"Okay, I will try to investigate more about it then." Gelel Stone is the first in line.
When I tried to find the location of the stone, it showed a time in years. I tried changing the question and the time changed. Which means there is a reserve of this stone somewhere. Finally, I decided to change the question to the nearest location of the stone and got a time of one month for it.
"You need to stay in the Capital this month. People have started coming in. We need you to keep an eye on them. Stay in the Warehouse and watch over it." I commanded.
"Alright boss."
I checked the information about the water and found that it could be used to grow and increase the quality of medicinal plants as well. In fact, I could use it to boost the growth as well as quality of the Blood Tulips.
I might have to investigate more about it.
"Have there been any troubles in the capital recently, Saitō?" I asked, turning towards the elderly man.
"Nothing yet. The main guests are all accommodated in the palace and they don't usually leave. The ones who do only go to the high class places in the city and there haven't been any trouble there."
"Kanae."
"Some people have been keeping an eye on the training of the students from a distance. We have changed the things we teach to basic exercises, meditation and swordsmanship until all this is over."
"I see. Keep that up. In fact, add lessons about Bushido for people to see. Don't ever let the information about the Eight Gates or Breathing Styles get out before we are ready."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Toji."
"Some shady people are roaming the city. Above average chakra. They keep an eye on things and talk to people about the recent development of the Land of Flowers. They have also been seen taking a look around the warehouse and checking the security measures and the entire place."
I narrowed my eyes.
"If any one of them tries to sneak into the warehouse… make them disappear." The warehouse is empty, except for some basic research stuff with wrong data, some fertilisers and low grade stuff. Everything important was in my Grimoire but we had to send a message to prevent any people from trying the same in the future.
"Yes Boss."
"Sera."
"That dung beetle was leering at me again. Can I make him slip and fall… on a knife or something?" She said, making me want to facepalm.
"No Sera. Trust me, as much as I want to say yes, that would cause a lot of problems right now. Just avoid him or use henge to go around for a while. That guy will get what is coming to him."
Did that bastard not give up even after I blatantly told him that she was my lover?
Sigh…
I was getting tired too.
Everyday, guests were coming and I had to greet them all. Not only that, everyday there were multiple meetings I had to accompany Grandpa to. Trade with different nations, possible alliances.
The news of the increased production of crops was spreading and more people wanted to establish trade with us.
"Kuina. How is Kasumi doing?"
"Fine. She has been visited by people from the Land of Stairs a few times but other than that no one."
"I see. Just keep her company. I don't want anyone to try to pull something on her."
"Got it."
x_
"Those damn bastards!" I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth in anger. "They are practically blackmailing us."
The Kumo bastards want to increase the tribute we pay by 20%, citing the war being taxing on them. Those bastards…
"Calm down, Kazuya. Anger will only affect your judgement. This kind of situation is very normal when you are sitting on that throne. You will have to face this kind of situation everyday. What's important is to remove your personal feelings and pride aside and look at the situation from a ruler's perspective. You have to put the needs and safety of the people above everything. That's what a true leader should do. I know how you're feeling right now. Believe me, I have been in that situation more often than you can think of. Calm your mind and think calmly, what do you need to do for the sake of the people."
I closed my eyes and took deep breaths… need to calm down.
After almost five minutes, I felt calmer.
"Good. Now analyse the situation and tell me, what do you think of the situation?" Grandpa asked.
I took a deep breath and replied. "They must have heard of the increased production of our crops and decided to increase the tribute. First, they used this occasion because they know that us being under their protection of Kumo is one of the reasons people think the Land of Stairs is proposing this marriage. Even the alliance we have recently made with the Land of Medicine and Land of Stairs is partly reliant on this protection. They think that by threatening this alliance, they can make us pay more. Second, with the war going on and Iwa on the back foot, there is a chance they might try invading us to cut off their losses. Kumo knows this too and wants to extort us."
"Good. What else?" He asked.
"Although they don't know what the Land of Stairs and Land of Medicine is truly planning, we can't reveal that either. Not to mention, the Land of Earth would no doubt attack us the moment Kumo removes their protection. We cannot afford that right now. We cannot take the protection of other nations. Suna will extort us even more. Konoha will just make this a battlefield. Mizu cannot help us…"
As much power as I have accumulated, it wasn't even close to what we needed.
Iwa had the largest army among the five great ninja villages.
There were at least three Kage level threats in the village, the Tsuchikage and the two jinchuriki. Even if we could hold off two of them with all our strength, we would be unable to do anything about the rest of the army. We just didn't have the power…
The only time our nation can be truly safe is when the enemy knows that the losses of invading our country would not be worth their gains and we were nowhere near that level.
In the next three years however… If everything goes well, we can achieve that kind of strength. I will surely get to that kind of level in that time. Until then however…
"Very good. Then what do you think we should do right now?" Grandpa asked again.
I sighed. "We have to accept their demands."
"Well, almost."
"Huh?"
"We have to accept their demands either way but if you just hand it over to them, then they will do it all the time. We fight with diplomacy, Kazu-kun. Haven't several of our villages been destroyed recently? Kumo hasn't done anything on that side."
I nodded.
"Use this and negotiate the price. After all, it wouldn't do for their reputation if the word got out that they only blackmail and extort their allies without providing any real protection to them. It will even make them work harder to protect our borders to avoid that situation." He said. "The key is to balance the demands…"
"Okay."
"Good. Then we can arrange another meeting tomorrow." He replied as he picked up his cup of tea and took a sip from it.
"How can you be so calm, grandpa? Don't you feel angry?" I couldn't help but ask about his nonchalant attitude.
"And how would getting angry serve me?" He replied in the same calm tone before looking at me. "You are going to be the Daimyo of this country, Kazu-kun. As a Daimyo, you will have to make difficult decisions, kill people, not only your enemies but your own too, send people close to you to their deaths despite knowing everything… for the sake of the people. That guilt, that pain… you have to bear it. This is the sacrifice we make for the position we sit in. Remember how you speak to people outside using 'We' instead of 'I'. The Daimyo represents their people. Your decisions are not yours alone. It's the decision of the entire populace of the Land of Flowers. You will never find a ruler without blood on their hands… Do you know why?"
"I…"
"Because they don't exist. Even if someone like that becomes a ruler by some miracle, they are killed or overthrown soon after. The latter is bad not only for them but for the people too. People will blame you, curse you and even try to kill you. Not only your enemies but sometimes even the ones you work for… you have to endure it all. That's the fate of a ruler."
x_
The talk with grandpa had left me in a sombre mood.
It's not that I didn't know that… but I guess I had just been avoiding thinking about that.
We were able to negotiate the deal and get Kumo to agree on fifteen percent. In return they will have to take down the Kodon Clan, who had actually settled down in the Land of Stairs. That bastard Medicine Daimyo had ordered them to lay low and my new in-laws were more than happy to accommodate them.
This move will send a warning to them.
As for Kumo… I will be sure to take repayment of this instance… with interest.
If they think they can come in and walk all over us, without facing any consequences, then they will find that they are sorely mistaken.
"Come on, no need to look so glum. You are getting married today. Smile boss." Toji laughed, making me roll my eyes.
"Are you here just to make fun of me, Toji?"
"Eh, while I would love that, no. I was here to tell you that Kumo ninjas have been sniffing around the warehouse."
I gritted my teeth.
"Show an opening. Let them enter."
"You are just going to let them do that?" Toji asked.
"Not here. Not today. I will make them pay. Just let them have all the fun they can have as long as they don't harm anyone directly."
"Well, you are the boss." He shrugged. "Anyways, get ready. It's time."
"Thanks."
It was indeed time.
The entire capital city was decorated and guests from many countries had visited.
Grandpa was sitting among the guests.
I looked on the other side of the stage and saw Kasumi, dressed in a bridal dress.
She looked amazing.
Perhaps Toji had a point.
I shouldn't let Kumo or anyone else destroy my mood and ruin the day for us.
The ceremony went through without any hitch.
Everyone presented us with their gifts and gave us their well wishes. Everything was over by night and we were free to go to our room.
I was officially a married man.
We put off our wedding night for when the guests were gone and we did the ritual. Who knows what kind of changes would happen after I gain her bloodline? I'd rather not do it with so many people around.
- Toji -
"Are we just going to let them go nyaa!" The black cat asked as she looked at the ninjas from Kumo sneak out of the Warehouse.
"Can't do anything. The boss' orders."
"That's not like him at all." Kuroka protested.
"Well that's life, kid. We have to swallow some bitter pills. But don't worry. The Boss is not going to let them go so easily. We will get our chance. You didn't see his eyes when he gave the orders. I have seen him order people to be killed, even seen him kill enemies in anger during that trip… but this time it was different."
"I don't understand what you mean nyaa."
"Hmm, how should I say this… last time it felt like a guy trying to get revenge, vent out his anger, a normal reaction for any sane person who has been through something like that. It was all within expectation. This time however… it felt far colder, one promising to ruin their enemy rather than just a burst of violence. These bastards are not going to have a good time."
It was a scary thought.
Toji knew how much of an asshole Boss could be if he wanted to if he used his powers right… It was only his nature pulling him back all this time.
Unfortunately these bastards had opened the Pandora's box.
"Let's forget about them. There are some idiots snooping around near the chakra beast breeding facility. You can vent on them. Man, I want to stretch my muscles too. Just observing for so long is boring. I want some action too."
"Didn't you take down fifteen spies already?" Kuroka asked, confused.
"Them? Nah, they were too weak. I couldn't even warm up. Just some third grade thieves."
"All of them were chunin level, you know?"
"My point exactly. Not enough to warm up. Now come on. Boss got married today. Let's wring some necks and party."
x_x_
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Author's Note:
I am back with another chapter of 'Ruling by the Book'
A few things happened in this chapter.
Kasumi got to meet another family member and the Uzumaki are now more tightly bound to Kazuya.
Jiraiya got a slap. Hopefully it will help awaken Yahiko and Nagato before they go completely insane.
Kumogakure is being a bastard as always and Kazuya had to face the finer things of politics.
They will get what is coming to them… in time.
Lastly, things are coming to the events of the Uzumaki Clan's attack.
It's only after that that butterflies start flapping their wings as if their lives depend on it and the real story will start to unfold.
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.