Naruto: Yes, Uchiha-sama.

Chapter 137: The culprit is Hashirama Senju, but the pressure is on Tobirama Senju. (Please vote with monthly tickets!!!)

"Your Excellency, what brings you here?"

Upon seeing the newcomer's face, Tobirama Senju immediately stood up and greeted him.

The elder of the Land of Fire personally came to Konoha, and even Tobirama Senju, who was second only to the leader of Konoha, had to be treated with respect.

After all, although ninjas were very skilled fighters, they had low political status.

The Grand Secretary is essentially the pinnacle of secular power in a country, the number one person second only to the Daimyo, truly second only to the emperor and above all others. Moreover, the annual budget of Konoha requires the Grand Secretary's personal signature before the Land of Fire's Ministry of Finance will approve the disbursement.

How can a service provider not try to please the client?

As a seasoned ninja, Tobirama Senju could tell at a glance that the old man was in very poor condition.

The subsequent series of extremely "excessive" actions by Xiaoren Village—purchasing land at low prices, providing disaster relief, and winning people's hearts—have left the Grand Secretary furious.

This is blatant misrule!

But unfortunately, Makoto Uchiha made it impossible for them to find any fault with him.

All the bad things were done by Takigakure and have nothing to do with Akatsuki. Before we can produce irrefutable evidence, anyone who dares to smear Akatsuki will be doomed!
Buying flood-damaged fields at low prices is a normal business practice. Kudos to Hayek's shrewdness!
The reason for providing relief to the disaster victims was that these farmers were all employees of Arasaka Company. It was perfectly normal for the company to provide food and lodging for its employees. Moreover, rescuing disaster victims was an absolute golden brand, and no one could criticize it.

As for winning people's hearts?

Then there's even less to say. You can't blame the Akatsuki Village just because a local farmer said a few nice words of flattery.

proceed if you can!
How can the chaos caused by merchants and the chaos caused by military families be the same thing?
As long as Uchiha Makoto doesn't openly oppose the Land of Fire, and doesn't openly reveal his identity to kill the nobles of the Land of Fire...

This window paper will never be torn open.

It's just a classic salami-slicing tactic now.

So even though the Grand Secretary was furious, he had nowhere to vent his anger. However, he still maintained his dignity and exchanged greetings with Tobirama Senju as usual.

The two actually get along quite well.

Ever since Konoha suffered a setback at the hands of the Fire Country Daimyo and was inexplicably disliked and targeted by him, Tobirama Senju subconsciously wanted to cultivate good relations with the high-ranking officials of the Fire Country. He couldn't afford to offend anyone but the wealthy client!
The elder was also a shrewd man, and he tacitly cooperated with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, to maintain close communication with Konoha.

"Tobirama, you don't look too well."

"Ah, these are all just official matters of Konoha, but they still can't compare to the Elder. The Elder's heart is filled with the entire Land of Fire."

Tobirama Senju silently looked away, barely managing to cope. He was truly suffering inside, but he couldn't air his dirty laundry in public; after all, his elder brother was still his elder brother!
"You're too kind. Everyone has their own difficulties."

"But... what's wrong with you today, Your Excellency? You suddenly came to Konoha without a word. Is there something you want to ask of Konoha?"

The fact that the Grand Secretary arrived in Konoha without saying a word clearly indicates something is amiss.

As the ninja village of Konoha, which protects the Land of Fire, Tobirama Senju immediately stepped forward, wanting to share the burden for the elder and strive to achieve a few more small goals next year!

The old man's expression changed as he looked at Tobirama Senju, his sore spot being touched.

"The entire noble family of Qinghua from the Land of Fire was attacked by ninjas, and every single member of the family perished overnight."

"The Daimyo is furious and demands that Konoha thoroughly investigate this matter, classifying it as an S-rank mission with a bounty of 100 million ryo. These people must be found and made to pay the price, no matter what!!"

The Grand Secretary angrily slammed his fist on the table to show his fury.

Tobirama Senju couldn't help but exclaim inwardly, "A huge order has arrived!"
That's what makes him so wealthy!
Spending a whopping 100 million ryo is definitely the highest commission rate for a mission in Konoha!
Moreover, this mission was personally issued by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, specifically requesting Konoha to complete it. This mission is a true test of Konoha's capabilities.

We must complete this task perfectly, no matter what.

So Tobirama Senju frowned and roughly analyzed the information he already had in his mind.

Logically speaking, the important figures in the Land of Fire are quite capable of protecting themselves; they maintain a group of elites who are ready to die for their country at critical moments.

This is especially true for such wealthy and powerful families.

Overnight.
The brutal murder of the entire family was no ordinary assassination; it must have been committed by one, or even a group of, powerful ninjas.

"Your Excellency, do you have any leads at the moment?"

"The headbands of Takigakure ninjas were left at the scene."

"That's wonderful. Cough cough cough. I mean, the ninjas of Takigakure are absolutely heinous and utterly wicked. Elder, rest assured, Konoha will definitely complete this mission beautifully!"

Upon hearing the name Takigakure, Tobirama Senju's face immediately lit up with excitement and surprise, only to instantly change his expression the next second. It was incredibly rude of him to be so happy when everyone else was supposed to be dying.

Even with a sorrowful expression, Tobirama Senju's excitement was hard to hide; it was like a pillow arriving just when he was sleepy.

He was worried about not having a reason to persuade his elder brother to continue attacking Takigakure Village.

Now, the ninjas of Takigakure have gone even further and slaughtered a noble family from the Land of Fire.

They committed such inhumane acts.

They deserve to be punished by Heaven!

This was a mission specifically assigned by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. With the Daimyo putting pressure on him, even his elder brother had no reason to continue to stop his actions.

"Tobirama, don't jump to conclusions like that. Leaving the headband of Takigakure doesn't necessarily mean it was done by a ninja from Takigakure."

The old man's expression darkened, but he did not pursue the matter of Tobirama Senju's rudeness and continued speaking.

"Oh, I got too excited. It's possible that someone else was impersonating a ninja from Takigakure."

Tobirama Senju nodded, then continued asking questions based on normal reasoning.

"So, has this powerful noble family recently incurred the wrath of the Land of Waterfall?"

"As far as I know, their family has never had any enmity with those savages from Taki no Kami."

"Or perhaps this noble family has recently offended someone?"

"A family that has been passed down for hundreds of years has offended quite a few people. For example, recently, the newly established Arasaka Company in Akatsuki Village has had a significant business dispute with their family."

The elder pretended to think for a while before listing a whole host of forces that had grudges against this great noble family, and finally slowly uttered the name of Akatsuki Village.

His tone unconsciously became more forceful.

"???"

After listening, Tobirama Senju took a deep breath, the old man's words swirling in his mind.

Does the Grand Master mean that Akatsuki Village did this?
If it were Uchiha Makoto, given his personality, he might actually do something like that if a difficult business dispute arose. Using physical means to settle business disputes is unethical, but the cost is incredibly low—Akatsuki has plenty of fearless ninjas!

However, without solid evidence to prove that the Akatsuki was behind this, this mission will be difficult to complete.

No wonder the Grand Secretary personally came to Konoha.
Even the Land of Fire cannot hold that bastard Uchiha Makoto accountable for acting on impulse without any solid evidence. He might actually do something terrible!
Damn, this hot potato has fallen into Konoha's hands?
But even Konoha is the same.

In the absence of conclusive evidence to establish that Xiaoren Village committed crimes
What can Konoha do to Akatsuki?

There's nothing I can do!

Before this matter is thoroughly investigated, there is a risk that if word gets out, the Akatsuki village might come after us.

The most important thing is.

Even if the evidence is indeed solidified, if Uchiha Makoto stubbornly denies it, how could Akatsuki possibly admit to something he's done?
Does Konoha intend to have its own ninjas forcibly punish the Akatsuki ninjas involved in this matter?

To assassinate an ally's ninja?

Makoto Uchiha was definitely involved!
This incident has escalated to a new level.

If it were his elder brother Hashirama who fully supported him, then there would be no problem at all. He wouldn't even need to worry about Uchiha Makoto refusing to admit it; he could simply teach Uchiha Makoto a lesson with his fists.

But even when it comes to punishing Takigakure Village, for which there is solid evidence, he hesitates and is too soft-hearted.

The strength of Akatsuki Village is not on the same level as that of Takigakure Village. When dealing with the much more dangerous Akatsuki Village, the eldest brother's ability to smooth things over is always on point.

In short, the bizarre and distorted system of the ninja world, coupled with the peace-obsessed Hashirama Senju, created the Akatsuki village, an unselectable bug.

Tobirama Senju pondered for a long time without uttering a single word.

He even wants to refuse this job now, but that's impossible.

Konoha has no reason to refuse a legitimate mission from the Land of Fire.

"Tobirama, I know this is difficult for you. But the nature of this matter is extremely serious."

"We must find out the truth, give an explanation to the victim's family, an explanation to the Daimyo, and an explanation to the Land of Fire."

"This is a bit difficult."

Tobirama Senju felt like he was constantly being hit by Makoto Uchiha's Great Fireball Technique, and he was extremely anxious. He couldn't advance or retreat. He had never encountered such a difficult situation when dealing with the Uchiha clan.

"At the very least, the Daimyo's reputation must be preserved. As long as the Daimyo can vent his anger, then Konoha will consider the mission accomplished."

The Grand Secretary eventually understood Tobirama Senju's predicament and slowly began to speak.

His tone was filled with bitterness and helplessness, and the emotions expressed in his eyes were incredibly complex.

Damn it!!!
The culprit behind this terrible situation is none other than Konoha!

in the past.
A high-ranking figure like the Grand Elder of the Land of Fire, a true high-ranking official, would naturally not worry about a ninja clan turning its sword against the nobles of the country.

The day after the incident, many ninja clans would come to help this elder statesman.

The Uchiha clan, the Senju clan, the Uzumaki clan, the Hyuga clan, the Kaguya clan—all sorts of powerful ninja clans are at the Elder's beck and call.

If you dare to make a move, you don't need solid evidence; you can eliminate them with a wave of your hand.

Back then, the Uchiha clan was hired by the Lady of the Land of Lightning to eliminate the Blood Pond clan, who possessed a powerful bloodline limit technique—the Blood Dragon Eye.

The reason why this bloodline ninja clan suffered such a great calamity is also quite abstract.

A woman from the Blood Pond clan married a daimyo of the Land of Lightning as a concubine, but the daimyo suddenly died not long afterward.

Lady Daimyo pushed all of this onto a woman from the Blood Pond clan who was her concubine.

Perhaps there are also some stories about Empress Lü and Consort Qi interspersed in the middle.

But in short
Regardless of the real reason behind it.
The Blood Pond Clan was also affected, and such a powerful bloodline ninja clan was completely defeated.

This also reflects how powerful the daimyo and nobles of the various major powers were during the Warring States period, and how weak the status of ninjas was.

Even the bloodline clans at the top of the ninja world's food chain are powerless against these big shots—the big shots have plenty of money!

No matter how powerful a single ninja clan is, it is no match for a combined attack from multiple ninja clans.

But times have changed.

Monster ninjas like Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju appeared in the ninja world because the world changed because of them!
The organizational structure of ninjas has been updated, transforming from individual, relatively weak ninja clans into individual, absolutely powerful ninja villages.

There is an absolute power gap between the strength of a single ninja village and the strength of a single ninja clan.

Now, Akatsuki has proven its immense strength and destructive power through its war with Kumogakure.

The leaders of the Land of Fire were forced to consider, worry about, and pressure the consequences of this amplified power.

Could the pressure from the Land of Fire force the Akatsuki to rebel?

The only thing that can deal with a ninja village is another ninja village. Before Konoha suppressed Akatsuki, how many people were killed by Akatsuki ninjas who were forced to rebel?

It turns out.

When you have the ability to rebel, and you are constantly pushing the boundaries of rebellion, then you can do whatever you want!
The Empress Dowager once tried to prove herself by conquering the entire world, but what happened in the end was the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact!
The same principle applies here as well.

When faced with a life-or-death crisis, the big shots who truly knew the inside story gritted their teeth and chose to back down—which is why Hakusawa Akira came to Akatsuki Village.

The daimyo knew he couldn't deal with the culprit, Uchiha Makoto, but he still wanted to save face.

This face must not be broken, it absolutely must not be broken, it absolutely must not be broken!

Once it's broken, it's all over.

No matter the cost, we'll buy back this face in Konoha!
One hundred million taels isn't enough? Then add more!
If Konoha can find conclusive evidence that Akatsuki was responsible, and force Uchiha Makoto to admit his mistake in a memorial to the Land of Fire—that it was all done by his subordinates without his knowledge—then Akatsuki can symbolically punish some of the ninjas, and the matter will be considered closed.

Everyone is happy.

Akatsuki Village remains utterly loyal!

The great name remains high above, and the nobles are still untouchable!

(End of this chapter)