https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-346-One-Man-Against-a-Ninja-Village/12558462/
Chapter 345: Rapidly Changing Situation
Chapter 345: Rapidly Changing Situation
Led by Fenhua Xiaoxue, Muyu arrived at Fenhua Zaoxue's study.
Muyu saw that Fenhua Zaoxue's study resembled more of a laboratory, filled with various mechanical equipment.
"Xiaoxue, your father is busy and can't play with you right now," Fenhua Zaoxue said, putting down his book with a slight hint of guilt.
He thought that Fenhua Xiaoxue had come to look for him because there was no morning court session today.
"I didn't come to find Father. It's Brother Muyu who has something to discuss," Fenhua Xiaoxue clarified, indicating that she wasn't there just to play.
Muyu nodded in affirmation.
"Thank you for your help, Xiaoxue. Here's a reward for you. But please eat it outside; otherwise, the scent will linger in the room," Muyu said, magically producing several beautifully packaged candies and handing them to Fenhua Xiaoxue.
After all, Fenhua Xiaoxue was Fenhua Nuotao's niece, and it wouldn't do to leave a bad impression on a child.
"Thank you, Brother Muyu!" Fenhua Xiaoxue happily took the candies and left the room with a big smile.
Seeing Fenhua Xiaoxue's joy, Fenhua Zaoxue also smiled.
"It seems you're quite skilled at interacting with children, Xiaoxue seems to like you a lot," Fenhua Zaoxue remarked, adjusting his glasses with his right hand.
Although Fenhua Xiaoxue was a sensible child, she had grown up as a princess, showered with affection and love from everyone around her, and it wasn't easy to earn her favor.
"Perhaps it's because I often teach students around her age, so I have some experience," Muyu replied with a faint smile.
"Lord Zaoxue, the reason I came to find you today is that I accidentally discovered that there are people in the Snow Country who are plotting a rebellion," Muyu said, getting straight to the point after some brief exchanges.
In a place where he could easily overpower others with his strength, Muyu didn't want to waste too much effort. Instead of waiting for the conspirators to make their move, he preferred to take the initiative.
Due to Fenhua Nuotao's unique identity, Muyu chose to be upfront with Fenhua Zaoxue first. It would be rather sensitive for a Konoha ninja like him to meddle in another country's political affairs without authorization.
"Rebellion? How is that possible?" Fenhua Zaoxue's first reaction was one of skepticism upon hearing Muyu's statement.
After all, Muyu was only hired to protect Fenhua Xiaoxue, and ordinarily, he wouldn't have access to such confidential information.
"Moreover, the instigator is none other than your younger brother, Fenhua Nuotao," Muyu added, unfurling a scroll to reveal more details.
"Impossible! Nuotao has always been dedicated to the country. How could he possibly commit such a heinous act of treason?" Fenhua Zaoxue frowned, finding Muyu's claims even harder to believe.
At that moment, the good impression Muyu had previously established with Fenhua Zaoxue vanished, and the latter even considered terminating Muyu's mission and sending him back. Fenhua Zaoxue thought that Muyu's words were malicious and ill-intended.
Just as Fenhua Zaoxue was about to ask Muyu to leave his study, Muyu presented something that made Fenhua Zaoxue fall into deep thought.
"These are the transactions that Fenhua Nuotao conducted with the Snow Ninja Village, abusing his authority. Are you aware of how close he is to the Snow Ninjas?" Muyu asked calmly as he laid out the evidence.
The leader of the Snow Ninja Village wasn't foolish. If Fenhua Nuotao had only promised to pay them upon his successful usurpation of the throne, they wouldn't have committed their full support. Fenhua Nuotao had been using his position to aid the development of the Snow Ninjas all along.
Of course, money didn't appear out of thin air, nor did it disappear without a trace. Fenhua Nuotao had been diverting funds from other sources to finance the Snow Ninjas.
Fenhua Zaoxue was overwhelmed by the influx of information, struggling to accept the notion that his beloved younger brother had suddenly transformed into a self-serving, scheming conspirator.
"Your task was merely to protect Xiaoxue. How did you come across this information?" Fenhua Zaoxue asked after calming himself.
"Perhaps they mistook me for an investigator. When I realized I was being watched, I decided to conduct my own investigation, and I never expected to uncover such a shocking secret," Muyu replied calmly, his words mostly truthful.
Strictly speaking, most of what Muyu said was true. Fenhua Nuotao had indeed sent people to keep an eye on him, which had prompted Muyu to consider taking action. Initially, he had just wanted to focus on his research on sealing techniques.
"Ordinarily, I wouldn't involve myself in matters beyond my assigned task. However, I believe that this country, already enduring harsh winters, shouldn't have to bear any more turmoil. That's why I came to you," Muyu explained.
"You're right, Muyu. This country has already endured enough. On behalf of the Snow Country, I thank you for your dedication. However, this matter is too significant, and I must verify it first. If your claims are true, we will certainly express our gratitude appropriately. Also, I entrust Xiaoxue's safety to you," Fenhua Zaoxue said after some thought.
In truth, when Fenhua Zaoxue first saw the documents, he didn't believe them. He even thought that Fenhua Nuotao, having studied in the Snow Ninja Village, might have had good intentions in helping them.
But as he finished reading the detailed report, Fenhua Zaoxue could no longer make excuses for his brother. All of Fenhua Nuotao's projects aimed at benefiting the people had been twisted to serve the interests of the Snow Ninjas.
In fact, after reading the report, Fenhua Zaoxue was already convinced of its authenticity. It would be impossible for Muyu, who had only recently arrived in the Snow Country, to know so many secrets, let alone fabricate such detailed information.
However, the matter was too significant to act upon without further investigation.
Of course, Muyue thought the ideal situation would be for Feng Hua Zaoxue to give him nominal authority, and then he could use Feng Hua Nuotao's capture of Han Hu Bingfeng to perfectly resolve the matter.
Watching Muyue's departing figure, Feng Hua Zaoxue sighed. He never imagined that a fratricidal conflict would occur within his own family.
"Nuotao, how could it come to this..."
When Muyue exited the study, Feng Hua Xiaoxue was still happily savoring the candies she had earned.
"Let's go, Xiaoxue. What kind of story would you like to hear today?" Muyue asked with a smile.
"I want to hear the story of the Senju and Uchiha during the Warring States period." Feng Hua Xiaoxue was still thinking about the unfinished history lesson from Obito.
"And don't interrupt halfway through to ask those difficult questions." Feng Hua Xiaoxue added, remembering something.
Obito's unconventional behavior had indeed left a bit of a psychological shadow on Feng Hua Xiaoxue.
"Of course not," Muyue said, patting Feng Hua Xiaoxue's little head.
"But we'll have to delay the story for a while. I need to make some arrangements first."
Obito and the others were still unaware of Feng Hua Nuotao's plan to usurp the throne, thinking that this was just a simple escort mission.
Feng Hua Xiaoxue nodded obediently and waited inside the room.
Next, Muyue used concise language to inform Kakashi and the others about the upcoming events.
"The situation has changed. Feng Hua Nuotao is plotting a coup. Get ready for battle."
"So it's a coup, huh? I thought someone was sending letters threatening to kidnap the princess. Wait, a coup?" Obito was initially a little disappointed, but as he realized the meaning of the word, his expression gradually turned astonished.
"You mean usurping the Daimyo's position?" Obito's expression became excited. This was a big event!
Usually, such plots only appeared in the later stages of ninja novels, right before the conclusion, followed by a plot to save the ninja world.
"Feng Hua Nuotao, the Daimyo's younger brother?" Kakashi recalled the stern-faced man he had met briefly when they first entered Feng Hua City.
"Teacher Muyue, what should we do now? Should we send Xiaoxue to a safe place?" Rin Nohara asked worriedly.
Since their mission was to protect Feng Hua Xiaoxue, Rin's first concern was the princess's safety, rather than quelling the rebellion.
"Not necessary for now," Muyue shook his head.
With his current strength, there was no safer place in the entire Snow Country than by his side.
"You don't need to take any other actions for now. Just continue to protect Xiaoxue as before, but be more vigilant."
"I have indeed found evidence of Feng Hua Nuotao's plan to usurp the throne, but the Daimyo needs to verify the information. So, for now, don't make any rash moves," Muyue explained.
"Why is it so troublesome? Since we know the other party is a bad guy, why don't we just catch him?" Obito scratched his head, confused.
"Who do you think he is?" Kakashi gave Obito a look as if he were an idiot. Feng Hua Nuotao was undoubtedly the second most powerful person in the Snow Country.
"I really don't remember who Feng Hua Nuotao is. He sounds like the princess's relative." Obito replied honestly.
When Asama Santayo was talking about Feng Hua Nuotao, Obito wasn't listening at all, his mind focused on the princess.
"It doesn't matter who he is. As long as you protect Xiaoxue, there won't be a problem. Of course, you also need to protect yourselves," Muyue stated the core of the matter.
This time, they would likely be facing an entire ninja village, and even a small one was not something Obito and his team could handle at their current level. So, the main force in this mission would be Muyue, while Obito and his team would be responsible for dealing with the foot soldiers.
......
As the Daimyo, Feng Hua Zaoxue might be a bit naive, but he was not foolish.
Even before the investigation results were out, Feng Hua Zaoxue had dispatched ninja forces loyal only to him to secretly blockade Feng Hua Nuotao's mansion. If Feng Hua Nuotao made any suspicious moves, they could immediately capture him.
Because Feng Hua Zaoxue knew that Feng Hua Nuotao was the key to the coup; without him, the Snow Ninjas would not dare to act rashly.
However, Feng Hua Zaoxue had underestimated his ambitious younger brother.
When one intends to test the hardness of a piece of glass, its shattering outcome is already inevitable. When suspicion arises, people will go to great lengths to prove their doubts, until they ultimately come true.
When Feng Hua Nuotao suspected that his plan had been exposed and that Feng Hua Zaoxue had hired Konoha ninjas to investigate him, he began to make comprehensive preparations, assuming his cover had been blown.
So, when Feng Hua Zaoxue truly began investigating Feng Hua Nuotao, the latter instantly detected it. From Feng Hua Nuotao's perspective, his premonition had come true.
Thus, Feng Hua Nuotao immediately activated his plan. On one hand, he secretly contacted the Snow Ninja Village to prepare for the forceful usurpation, and on the other hand, he used a body double to escape the blockade.
Feng Hua Zaoxue never imagined that his brother would go to such lengths for his ambitious plan. When the evidence was only one-third verified, Feng Hua Zaoxue had already deployed his forces to take control of the people in Feng Hua Nuotao's mansion, as these crimes were enough to make a high-ranking official a dead man.
Fenhua Zaoxue frowned, sensing that something was amiss. The response didn't match his younger brother's usual style.
"You're not Nuotao. Who are you?" Fenhua Zaoxue demanded.
"How strange. An ordinary person saw through my exquisite transformation technique. I perfected this by constantly mimicking Lord Nuotao, who I followed day and night," the body double said, dropping the act.
The ninjas with Fenhua Zaoxue paled as they realized that Fenhua Nuotao had slipped through their watch.
"I apologize, Lord Zaoxue. We failed in our mission," the lead ninja said, kneeling on the ground to acknowledge their mistake.
"I will dispatch a search party immediately to find the criminal, Fenhua Nuotao, and bring him to justice," the lead ninja continued, proposing a solution.
"Hahaha! It's too late! You don't need to look for Lord Nuotao. He will come to you, and only he can bring strength to the Land of Snow!" the body double laughed arrogantly.
Seeing the body double's arrogance, one of the ninjas grabbed him by the abdomen, signaling for him to be quiet.
As if in response to the body double's words, Fenhua Nuotao led a group of Snow Ninjas in a surprise attack on Fenhua City that afternoon.
Although Fenhua Zaoxue had strengthened the city's defenses with Mu Yue's warning, his ninja forces paled in comparison to the Snow Ninja Village, as he had cut funding not just for the ninja village but for the entire country's military.
The regular army and samurai were no match for the Snow Ninjas, who could easily incapacitate them with wide-range snow ninja techniques.
Fearing Mu Yue and viewing Fenhua Xiaoxue as a potential threat, Fenhua Nuotao led the Snow Ninjas toward Fenhua Xiaoxue's location. He knew his older brother too well; he wouldn't run away.
As a result, the main battlefield gradually shifted toward Fenhua Xiaoxue's position, and the commotion grew louder, attracting the attention of Obito, Fenhua Xueyue, and their companions.
"What's all this noise? Is something happening?" Fenhua Xiaoxue asked, tiptoeing to get a better view of the distance.
Fenhua Zaoxue arrived with a group of guards and apologized to Mu Yue, "I'm sorry, Mu Yue. I wasted the intelligence you provided and failed to address the issue promptly. As her father, I ask you to take Xiaoxue away from Fenhua City and the Land of Snow."
The turn of events had exceeded Fenhua Zaoxue's expectations. He hadn't anticipated Fenhua Nuotao's swift action, and if they hadn't taken proactive measures to capture him, they might not have gathered all the evidence by now.
The support Fenhua Nuotao had also surpassed Fenhua Zaoxue's imagination. The defenses of Fenhua City were no match for the Snow Ninjas.
Although Mu Yue was likely an exceptional ninja, Fenhua Nuotao had hundreds of Snow Ninjas at his command. Thus, Fenhua Zaoxue decided to send Mu Yue away with his daughter while he stayed to face the consequences in Fenhua City.
"Why do I have to leave the Land of Snow? I don't want to be separated from Father," Fenhua Xiaoxue asked, confused.
While she was a little fascinated by the Land of Fire, something about the situation felt off.
"Because your father has made a grave mistake and must be punished. If you stay with him, you will be punished too," Fenhua Zaoxue explained, smiling sadly as he stroked Fenhua Xiaoxue's head.
"Then I want to be punished with Father," Fenhua Xiaoxue insisted, grabbing Fenhua Zaoxue's arms with both hands.
Fenhua Zaoxue showed a helpless expression as he picked up Fenhua Xiaoxue, trying to hand her over to Mu Yue.
However, Mu Yue didn't take Fenhua Xiaoxue from him. Instead, he adjusted his black-rimmed glasses with his right hand and said, "While my mission is to protect the princess, quelling the rebellion is not a significant upgrade. However, there will be additional charges for the extended services."
Fenhua Zaoxue's actions could be described as those of a "pig teammate." Still, for Mu Yue, who possessed overwhelming strength, the best and worst scenarios didn't make much difference; it was just a remote small ninja village, after all.
Perhaps the worst-case scenario would even benefit Mu Yue more, as it would provide an opportunity to train Obito and his team and earn additional rewards for the mission.
"Mu Yue, I need to remind you that Nuotao has hundreds of ninjas at his disposal," Fenhua Zaoxue cautioned.
With Mu Yue's intelligence-gathering abilities, he was undoubtedly an exceptional ninja, but even he might struggle against hundreds of opponents.
"Lord Zaoxue, I need to remind you that Teacher Mu Yue is super strong," Obito spoke up, stepping forward.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
