https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-133-Killing-and-Pillaging-for-a-Golden-Sash-/12832190/
Chapter 132: The Incident and the Investigation Team!
Chapter 132: The Incident and the Investigation Team!
After evading Orochimaru, Tang Ping approached Nara Shikaku to inquire.
"Shikaku, how bad are the losses this time?"
He didn't truly care about the casualties; he was just enjoying the spectacle and wanted to see how things would unfold. Of course, on the surface, he maintained a concerned expression for the village.
"Significant..."
Nara Shikaku was genuinely heartbroken.
These were the private forces of the Konoha-affiliated clans! In other words, the clans themselves would have to foot the bill for this loss, and it was impossible not to feel the pain.
It was heart-wrenching!
There was no other way to describe it.
To support the ascension of Sarutobi Asuma as the Second Hokage, the clans had dispatched their elite ninjas. The losses were predictable.
If they had achieved enough military merit, they could have endured the losses. However, not only did they fail to defeat the Sand shinobi, but they were also crushed, and even their commanding officer, Sarutobi Asuma, was captured.
They had lost both their leader and their forces.
After hearing the extent of the losses, Tang Ping put on a mournful (yet secretly elated) face and offered some consolation.
"Don't worry, at least half of them survived, right?"
Nara Shikaku was unsure whether to be grateful or furious at his words. In the end, he could only remain silent.
Next, they had to escort the remaining forces back to safety.
Tang Ping had his own plans for these ninjas.
Who wouldn't want a stronger force at their disposal? Even if this force ultimately belonged to the village, it could still be used by him.
Not to annex them, but to have them continue their mission.
Driving away the Sand shinobi!
However, from now on, the Southwest Army would take the lead.
Since this force no longer had a commanding officer and had suffered heavy casualties, this arrangement was feasible.
Most importantly, the reasoning was entirely justified.
If the village didn't reinforce the Southwest Army, which had only a few hundred members, how could they possibly withstand an attack by thousands of Sand shinobi?
Were they all "Ip Man," capable of taking on ten at once?
Yes, Tang Ping was using the threat of the Sand shinobi to his advantage.
He had these clan ninjas right where he wanted them!
Nara Shikaku, being a smart man, could see through Tang Ping's intentions but couldn't refuse. He simply reported everything back to the village and followed orders.
Until he received explicit instructions, he wouldn't do anything unnecessary.
By the way, as Tang Ping protected the remaining forces back to Mount Kikyo, a significant event began to spread.
The entire clan of the Kamakura Castle lord in Higashikakue was wiped out by the Sand shinobi. Not a single person, not even a mouse, survived.
All their wealth and possessions were also taken.
This was the first time a noble family had been annihilated by shinobi.
The news spread, and not only did the nobles of the Fire Country become enraged, but even the nobles of the Wind Country demanded that the Sand shinobi hand over the culprits.
Yes, you heard that right.
Even the Wind Country, where the Sand Hidden Village is located, was pressuring the Sand shinobi to hand over the responsible parties.
This situation was not surprising.
Nobles feared such occurrences the most.
Rebellion from below!
If shinobi could defy the nobles without consequences, the nobles would never feel safe again.
The power was in the hands of the shinobi.
Nobles could sit high and watch shinobi fight, using war and bloodshed to entertain themselves, only because the shinobi revered them and nobles strictly guarded against such incidents.
Once a shinobi dared to defy the nobles, all the noble classes would unite, regardless of their country.
Now you understand why the death of just one noble had all the nobles reacting as if they had been personally violated, right?
Tang Ping had considered this, which was why he only dealt with the butler before leaving and had Hyuga Aozuki disguise herself as a thief when she acted.
It seemed she not only disguised herself as a thief but also left clues pointing to the Sand shinobi.
Well done!
Since the invasion, the Sand shinobi had already been blamed for countless misdeeds. One more wouldn't make a difference.
Under the pressure of numerous nobles, an "Investigation Team" was formed, with two major shinobi villages responsible for cooperation.
There was no choice; when the financial backers of the shinobi villages spoke, they had to be respected.
If they didn't respect the backers, the backers wouldn't respect them during funding, and then it would be too late to cry.
Soon, the investigation team arrived at Mount Kikyo.
They were here to look into the Honda Chamber of Commerce.
Given the previous conflict between the two parties, it wasn't surprising that they were being investigated.
However, the investigators noticed that the ninjas they encountered were looking at them with odd expressions.
"What's going on?"
A guard ninja from the investigation team whispered to the Konoha ninja leading the way.
The Konoha ninja was a specially assigned administrative ninja, there to guide and assist with the investigation. The Sand Village had also sent one of their own.
This was a strange situation indeed.
Despite the two major ninja villages being at each other's throats, they were now working together to investigate the death of a noble.
"It's nothing!"
The administrative ninja replied dismissively.
No one had a good impression of the investigation team, which was formed by nobles. If it weren't for the funding, the village wouldn't have bothered with them. The level of cooperation they were showing was questionable at best.
The Southwest Ninja Army!
It had become a one-man show under Dohei.
Don't be fooled by his laid-back demeanor. His battlefield prowess ensured that as long as he didn't betray the village, no one would dare defy his orders.
Knowing that the investigation team was here to look into the incident in Saikocho, their reaction wasn't surprising.
After all, they had offended their own commander, and now that the person was dead, someone had come to find the truth. It was no wonder they weren't being cooperative.
"Wait, we're here to investigate the Honda Chamber of Commerce, right? Is this...?"
The minister leading the investigation team, dressed in a lavish robe, looked at the building with the commander's emblem and voiced his confusion.
"The person you're looking for is in Commander Dohei's office. You can ask your questions here."
The administrative ninja showed his credentials to the two guards and made a gesture inviting them in.
The investigation minister stepped into the temporary office building. However, the other guard ninjas, except for the one from the Sand Village, were stopped by the guards.
"You—"
One of the guard ninjas was about to protest but was held back by the lead guard ninja, who signaled for him to remain calm.
Ninja villages and guard ninjas were two entirely different groups.
Guard ninjas were a special ninja force created to protect the daimyo, while ninja villages were hired mercenaries, at most bound to the country they were in, and had a transactional relationship with the nobles.
Ninja villages saw guard ninjas as pampered hunting dogs, lacking the dignity of true ninjas.
Guard ninjas, on the other hand, viewed ninjas as parasites and ingrates, living off the country's funds without loyalty to the daimyo.
Their conflicting stances often led to mutual disdain, and sometimes even violence.
Now it was clear why the guards were so unfriendly to the guard ninjas.
The internal tensions outside didn't affect the commander's office, where the atmosphere was calm and controlled.
The small office was surprisingly spacious.
Apart from a map and a sand table on the wall, there were only two desks, one larger and one smaller. Nothing else was in the room.
At the moment, both desks were occupied, and a middle-aged man was standing nearby.
When the three members of the investigation team entered, all eyes turned to them.
"Commander Dohei, this is Minister Seigen, who is responsible for investigating the Saikocho incident. He has some questions for President Honda Sho."
The administrative ninja explained the purpose of their visit.
Since they had communicated in advance, Dohei was well aware of the situation.
"Is that so? Go ahead and ask your questions here."
Dohei, seated at the main desk, gestured for them to proceed.
He knew about the incident, which was why he had kept Honda Sho at Mount Kikyo for the past few days to help with the investigation.
He was concerned that the truth might not be found, and the blame might be unfairly placed on the Honda Chamber of Commerce.
Such things had happened before.
But with him here, that wouldn't be possible.
"Um..."
Minister Seigen looked hesitant.
Asking questions in this setting limited the methods he could use.
"What's the matter? Are you having trouble, or do you think I might favor the Honda Chamber of Commerce?"
Dohei asked in a 'displeased' tone.
Was this an invitation for him to lose his temper?
He was, after all, a Kage-level ninja and the commander of the ninja army. If he found an opportunity to lash out, no one would be foolish enough to come to the other party's defense.
Power allowed him to do as he pleased.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
