As the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, he couldn't have remained in this position for so long if he were just an incompetent figurehead.
Look at the Twelve Guardian Ninja—each one of them is at least at the jōnin level.
Asuma may have returned to Konoha, but that didn't mean everyone had left. Serving as the Daimyo's guards provided excellent benefits, and not every shinobi would be willing to give that up so easily.
Not all shinobi were like Asuma, who had the Sarutobi clan to inherit, or like Chiriku, a monk from the Fire Temple with a wealthy background and no need to worry about money.
Most shinobi in this world were poor.
Take Zabuza as an example. A man capable of going toe-to-toe with Kakashi, yet he still had to work as a hired blade for Gato because of money.
With that in mind, it was only natural that the Daimyo had jōnin-level guards at his side.
"You can send a message to Danzo, tell him to come up with his terms quickly. Otherwise, I have no interest in entertaining his nonsense."
"Dismissed!"
The Root shinobi hesitated as if he wanted to say more, but upon seeing the Daimyo reclining sideways while a maid eagerly fed him grapes, he swallowed his words. This scene left the Root shinobi speechless, not knowing whether to curse out loud or stay silent.
"Yes, I shall take my leave."
Sensing the Daimyo's disinterest in further conversation, the Root shinobi had no choice but to leave obediently.
As one person left, another arrived.
A shinobi, completely covered in black cloth except for his eyes, appeared and knelt on one knee.
"Master, Konoha jōnin Yūhi Kurenai has appeared in the city. Though she attempted to remain hidden, I still managed to detect her."
"Oh? Yūhi Kurenai... I remember she was quite close with Asuma. She must be a beautiful woman, right?" The Daimyo chuckled as he swallowed a grape, his tone playful.
Though his words carried humor, his eyes grew colder.
"Yes, Master."
"I shouldn't have let Asuma become one of my guardian shinobi in the first place. After spending over a decade training him, he ended up causing internal division. Mu, don't you think that's laughable?"
The black-clad man, Mu, remained silent, kneeling and listening quietly.
Addressing the Daimyo as 'Master' meant he was no mere bodyguard but a devoted retainer. Unlike the Twelve Guardian Ninja, his life belonged entirely to the Daimyo. If the Daimyo so willed, his life could be taken at any moment.
Of course, unless the Daimyo had lost all sense, he wouldn't do something so foolish.
Thinking about Asuma, the Daimyo was filled with unvented frustration.
The Twelve Guardian Ninja had been carefully nurtured into true jōnin-level warriors, strong enough to rival those of Konoha, a major shinobi village. They were not the inferior kind seen in minor shinobi villages.
Over ten years of effort, only for internal strife to tear them apart last year.
Such a ridiculous reason.
Yet, despite knowing how absurd it was, there was nothing the Daimyo could do about Asuma.
From the Daimyo's perspective, Asuma wasn't the mastermind behind the division. At most, he was just a pawn. The true schemers were the old foxes of Konoha—Sarutobi Hiruzen was certainly capable, and he counted as one.
Shimura Danzo accounted for half.
As for Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, together, they made up another half.
Among the four, the biggest suspect was undoubtedly Hiruzen.
Back when the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, died in battle, the Third Hokage had shamelessly come to the Daimyo's residence, seeking to reclaim the title of Hokage and control over Konoha. The Daimyo had been completely unwilling.
But there was nothing he could do—Hiruzen had presented conditions the Daimyo simply couldn't refuse.
With Sarutobi Hiruzen's backing, the Daimyo had been able to rapidly develop the Twelve Guardian Ninja.
Yet, just as they had finally reached completion, this crisis emerged.
This painful lesson had only made the Daimyo more ruthless. He had come to understand why things had turned out this way.
The Daimyo controlled finances and official authority, but Konoha held the true military power—shinobi.
On paper, his twelve shinobi didn't seem like much compared to Konoha's hundred-plus jōnin. The Daimyo himself had once believed Sarutobi wouldn't take such a small force seriously. But precisely because of that underestimation, over ten years of effort had been wiped out overnight.
Ten years—how many decades does a person have in their life?
The Daimyo was a few years younger than Hiruzen, but in the shinobi world, that was still considered old age.
Originally, he had planned to pave the way for his son, but now even the foundation of that road had been torn apart.
Even if he felt unwilling to accept it, what could he do?
"Focus on surveillance. Konoha is still my pillar of support. If we push them too hard, it won't end well for me either." After saying this, the Daimyo waved his hand dismissively, signaling Mu to leave.
Mu instantly vanished.
The Daimyo continued to savor grapes, his half-closed eyes gleaming with a cunning light as he schemed in silence.
---
Fire Capital.
Yūhi Kurenai made a deliberately half-hearted attempt to hide her presence upon entering. As expected, she was quickly detected.
Upon realizing this, she let out a quiet sigh of relief and began casually strolling through the streets.
Compared to Konoha, the prosperity here was on a whole different level. The streets were filled with vendors, shops lined the roads, and pedestrians walked around with expressions of contentment and wealth.
Thanks to Konoha, the great ninja wars were mostly fought between shinobi villages.
Unless absolutely necessary, shinobi rarely looted the civilians of major nations. It was an unspoken rule of sorts.
This was the Daimyo's territory, and because of the presence of a shinobi village, it had been free from war for many years. With peace came prosperity, and the standard of living here far exceeded that of Konoha.
Kurenai wandered around like a tourist, occasionally buying various goods.
Food, drinks, trinkets, and curiosities—anything that caught her interest, she purchased.
Before long, her arms were loaded with over a dozen shopping bags.
The shinobi tailing her couldn't help but widen their eyes in disbelief.
What was going on?
Had their tracking skills really deteriorated so much that she noticed them?
Or... was she actually just here to shop?
Despite their confusion, without orders from their superiors, the shinobi could only follow silently.
Before long, Mu appeared among them, giving a quick hand signal before leading two of them away.
---
In a Small Alley.
Mu gazed at the two subordinates before him and asked in a low voice, "Any unusual behavior from Yūhi Kurenai?"
The two exchanged glances before shaking their heads.
"Boss, she's acting exactly like a tourist. Ever since she entered the city, she hasn't even tried to stay hidden. Just look at her—carrying all those bags like some extravagant noblewoman."
Mu, however, thought further than his subordinates.
In his eyes, this could very well be a deception.
She was making herself obvious, drawing attention, allowing her companions to sneak in unnoticed and gather intelligence.
But there was a problem—Yūhi Kurenai was a jōnin, and his men were only chūnin. If he didn't assign enough people, they wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her.
In a way, it was a clever and straightforward tactic.
Even if he saw through it, there was no easy way to counter it.
"Keep watching her. Find out where she stays and who she interacts with."
"Yes!"
-----
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