Chapter 200: The Mayor Who Can’t Stand the Suffering

Muzuki had his disciples investigate whether the giant eagle was harassing the people and gather their opinions on the Mayor, while he himself went straight to the Mayor’s house to begin his investigation.

However, to prevent any mishaps, Muzuki sent a Shadow Clone to secretly protect his disciples.

Although Muzuki hadn’t asked where the Mayor’s house was, he didn’t need to, as he knew heading straight for the most luxurious courtyard would be the right move.

Muzuki quickly found a large courtyard that was noticeably much more luxurious than the other houses, even containing flowerbeds and a pond, and he quietly snuck inside.

“Haha, I’m smart, aren’t I? As long as we spread the word, someone will surely help us deal with that strange bird.”

A smug middle-aged voice entered Muzuki’s ears.

“Yes, Mayor, you are truly resourceful,” someone beside him flattered.

“Of course, otherwise why would I be the Mayor?” The Mayor laughed triumphantly.

“Could it be that we truly expected those commoners to invite a Ninja to deal with this strange bird? I think that person has already left with the money, or died on the road. The world is very chaotic these days.”

“Mayor, you are brilliant, but since you know that commoner might not return, why didn’t you just take the thirty thousand taels to compensate for your losses, or send someone to follow?” The person beside him asked, confused.

“Foolish! The resistance I’d face by telling them to spend money to get things done versus directly robbing them is of two different magnitudes. Besides, it’s so dangerous now. The subordinates I pay to protect are not for those commoners.

Thirty thousand taels isn’t important to me; what’s important is for those commoners to have no money. There are still a few plots of land in the Town that aren’t mine, and I don’t like seeing that. And the little daughter of the Bao family isn’t bad either.”

Muzuki silently memorized the Mayor’s fat, lewd face. After listening to the Mayor and his subordinate’s conversation, he basically understood the general situation.

Hamajiro had indeed not told the whole truth. In fact, the two strong men might have been hired actors or even people from Kawakita Town, all for the purpose of stirring up their sense of justice to deal with the Mayor.

Although Hamajiro didn’t tell the whole truth, his accusations against the Mayor were largely true. In the short time Muzuki had been listening, this Mayor had already exposed himself for forcibly annexing land and even trying to force people to sell their daughters.

“Have the intelligence on that strange bird’s whereabouts been collected? Those Ninjas were pressing for it this morning. They’re a strange bunch, so diligent helping people for free.” The Mayor didn’t understand those Ninjas.

Muzuki could only say that different professions are like different mountains. Perhaps the Mayor was skilled at land annexation, but he couldn’t imagine the value of a bird Nin-Beast to Ninjas, because he had no idea that Summoning Technique and Nin-Beasts even existed.

The Mayor’s subordinate nodded, and so the two, along with a few guards, prepared to head to where the Ninjas were temporarily staying.

“How dare you beg here? Don’t you know our Mayor is famously kind-hearted and cannot bear to see suffering? Get out of here!” The subordinate saw someone begging in the grand courtyard and scolded him.

The beggar, seeing so many fierce-looking guards, quickly bowed, apologized, and then walked to another place.

Muzuki flashed and followed him.

“Ninja sirs, we have brought the intelligence on that strange bird’s whereabouts. Its nest is on the mountaintop.” Speaking to the Ninjas, the Mayor changed his tone, speaking with a kind smile.

“Then it’s no problem. We’ll go deal with that strange bird shortly,” the black-clad Ninja with a sword on his back said indifferently.

“I wish you all success in eliminating this menace for the people,” the Mayor said, putting on a righteous facade.

“Heh heh, since it’s for the people’s benefit, Mayor, you must show some appreciation, right?” A muscular, black-clad Ninja said with a smile.

“Didn’t we agree earlier that there would be no reward?” The subordinate asked, confused.

“How dare you speak to the Ninja sirs like that? The reward is negotiable. As long as the strange bird can be dealt with, I am willing to pay fifty thousand taels as a hardship fee,” the Mayor said with a chuckle.

In truth, he was already cursing inwardly. If he hadn’t witnessed the terrifying scene of the Ninjas fighting the strange bird, he would have already turned hostile. They said they didn’t want money, but now they’re going back on their word.

Those Ninjas were practically human monsters; they could even unleash lightning. His hired thugs were no match at all.

“Haha, then it’s a deal!” The muscular, black-clad Ninja nodded in satisfaction.

A bird Nin-Beast large enough to carry people, plus a side income—this trip was simply too profitable.

Perhaps due to the painful loss of fifty thousand taels, the Mayor quickly left without much further small talk.

“Bairoka, isn’t this bad for the Village’s reputation?” A tall, thin, black-clad Ninja said after the Mayor and his group left.

“Haiiro, you’re too rigid. What kind of impact could this have? They didn’t post a request in the Village, so they’re not our clients at all. Besides, this isn’t the Land of Lightning, and we didn’t bring our headbands,” Bairoka said with an indifferent expression.

“Even if we had them, it probably wouldn’t matter. The people here probably don’t even recognize our Kumogakure headbands.”

“Iraka, wouldn’t you agree?” Bairoka asked, looking at the black-clad Ninja with the sword on his back.

“Haiiro’s concerns are not unfounded. If this war goes smoothly, our Kumogakure will become famous throughout the Ninja World. At that time, there will be many more foreign requests, and if this matter gets out, it will be troublesome. After we capture the Nin-Beast, let’s kill those people. They were able to build such a large courtyard, so they should have a lot of money at home,” Iraka said calmly.

“You’re truly ruthless,” Bairoka said, giving Iraka a thumbs up.

He just wanted to scam more money, but Iraka was planning to directly confiscate their property.

“We can also leave a Sand Ninja headband there afterward,” Iraka continued.

This was to mislead the local people; the commoners wouldn’t understand so much. He wasn’t so idle as to kill everyone; his target was only the wealthy Mayor.

During wartime, the death of such a minor character wouldn’t attract attention.

Iraka had the two organize their equipment, then headed up the mountain.

“This panel and skin color, it must be Kumogakure,” Muzuki confirmed the identities of the three.

He used Appraisal Technique to take a look. Only Iraka’s data was decent, with over four thousand Chakra and two thousand points of proficient Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation. The other two Kumogakure Ninjas had just over three thousand Chakra and no powerful skills.

“This kind of panel is very suitable for Kakashi and the others to fight against,” Muzuki thought to himself.

He had no intention of personally intervening against Kumogakure Ninjas of this strength, feeling they could be used to train his disciples’ combat abilities.

Apart from Kakashi, Obito and Might Guy severely lacked true combat experience.

Last time, because the opponents were two Jonin, one of whom was an elite Jonin, Muzuki acted relatively quickly. This time, he decided to let his disciples handle it.

Muzuki split off another Shadow Clone to follow Kumogakure, while his main body, with Byakugan activated, scouted the area again to prevent any powerful Kumogakure Ninjas from hiding in the shadows.

There’s one more chapter coming.