Chapter 345 Rapidly Changing Situation

Under Fuka Kazehana’s guidance, Muzuki went to Fūka Sōsetsu’s study.

Fūka Sōsetsu’s study, in Muzuki’s opinion, looked more like a laboratory, filled with many mechanical devices.

“Koyuki, Father has things to do now and can’t play with you,” Fūka Sōsetsu said with a hint of apology as he put down the book in his hand.

Fūka Sōsetsu thought Fuka Kazehana came to play with him because there was no morning assembly today.

“It’s not me who wants to find Father, it’s Muzuki-elder brother who has something,” Fuka Kazehana stated that she wasn’t a playful child.

At this moment, Muzuki nodded, confirming Fuka Kazehana’s words.

“Thank you for your hard work, Koyuki. This is your reward. Take it and eat it, but you have to eat it outside, otherwise it will leave a smell in the room,” Muzuki magically produced several beautifully wrapped candies and handed them to Fuka Kazehana.

Fūka Dotō was, after all, Fuka Kazehana’s uncle, and it wouldn’t be good to leave bad memories for a child.

“Mm-hmm, thank you, Muzuki-elder brother,” Fuka Kazehana, praised and rewarded, smiled happily and walked out of the room.

Seeing Fuka Kazehana happy, Fūka Sōsetsu also smiled.

“It seems you are very good with children, Muzuki. Koyuki likes you very much,” Fūka Sōsetsu said with a smile, adjusting his black-framed glasses with his right hand.

Although Fuka Kazehana was a relatively sensible child, she had grown up as a princess, pampered since childhood, so it wasn’t easy to gain her favor.

“Perhaps it’s because I often teach students around her age, so I have more experience,” Muzuki replied with a faint smile.

“Lord Sōsetsu, I’ve come to see you this time because I accidentally discovered that someone in Land of Snow intends to rebel,” after a brief exchange, Muzuki directly and frankly stated the matter.

In places where he could simply crush with his strength, Muzuki didn’t want to waste too much effort; rather than waiting for the other party to cause trouble, he preferred to take the initiative.

Due to Fūka Dotō’s special identity, Muzuki chose to be frank with Fūka Sōsetsu first, otherwise, it would be a bit sensitive for him, a Konoha Ninja, to interfere in another country’s politics without permission.

“Rebellion? How could that be?” Fūka Sōsetsu’s first reaction upon hearing Muzuki’s words was doubt.

After all, Muzuki was just a Ninja he hired to protect Fuka Kazehana, and normally, he wouldn’t be exposed to such matters.

“And the leader is none other than your own younger brother, Fūka Dotō, Lord Sōsetsu,” Muzuki took out a scroll and continued to reveal more.

“Impossible! Dotō is devoted to the country; how could he do such a rebellious thing?” Fūka Sōsetsu frowned, disbelieving Muzuki’s words even more.

At this point, all the good impressions Muzuki had previously built with Fūka Sōsetsu vanished. Fūka Sōsetsu even prepared to terminate the mission and send Muzuki back, as these words seemed malicious to him.

Just as Fūka Sōsetsu was about to throw Muzuki out of the study, the things Muzuki subsequently produced made Fūka Sōsetsu fall into deep thought.

“These are all transactions Fūka Dotō made with Snow Ninja Village by abusing his authority. As the Daimyo, do you know how close his relationship is with the Snow Ninja?” Muzuki said calmly after taking out the documents.

The leader of Snow Ninja Village was not foolish. If Fūka Dotō only drew a picture and said he would give them money after successfully usurping the throne, how could the Snow Ninja fully support him? Fūka Dotō had been using his power to help Snow Ninja develop.

Of course, money does not appear or disappear out of thin air; the money Fūka Dotō gave to Snow Ninja Village was all diverted from other places.

For a moment, there was too much information, and Fūka Sōsetsu found it hard to accept. How could his good brother suddenly become a schemer who abused his power for personal gain and harbored ill intentions?

“The mission was only to protect Koyuki, so why did you get this information?” Fūka Sōsetsu asked after calming down.

“Perhaps they mistakenly thought I was hired to investigate him. After I found someone monitoring me, I conducted an investigation and didn’t expect to uncover such a big surprise,” Muzuki replied calmly.

Strictly speaking, most of what Muzuki said was true. Fūka Dotō did send people to monitor him, which gave Muzuki the idea to act. Originally, he just wanted to focus on researching Sealing Technique.

“Normally, I wouldn’t need to get involved in matters outside the mission, but I feel that this country, which has long been in severe cold, shouldn’t endure more turmoil, so I came to you.”

“You are right, Muzuki, this country shouldn’t endure any more. On behalf of Land of Snow, I thank you for your efforts. However, this matter is too significant, so I need to send people to verify it first. If it’s true, I will definitely give you a generous reward. Also, Koyuki’s safety is entrusted to you,” Fūka Sōsetsu said after thinking for a moment.

Actually, when Fūka Sōsetsu first saw those documents, he still didn’t believe them. He even thought that since Fūka Dotō had studied in Snow Ninja Village, it was understandable for him to be a bit lenient towards them.

But after reading through the incredibly detailed documents, Fūka Sōsetsu could no longer find excuses for Fūka Dotō. All the projects he had intended to benefit the people had been twisted by Fūka Dotō, solely to enrich Snow Ninja Village.

In fact, after reading it, Fūka Sōsetsu had already confirmed the authenticity of the information in his heart, because Muzuki, who had only recently arrived in Land of Snow, could not possibly know so many Land of Snow secrets, and forging them would naturally be even more impossible.

However, this matter involved too much, and acting without investigation would be too reckless.

“Please do so as soon as possible,” Muzuki nodded, not disappointed.

Fūka Dotō was, after all, Fūka Sōsetsu’s brother and an important official of Land of Snow, and it also involved Snow Ninja Village, so it was normal for Fūka Sōsetsu to be cautious.

Of course, Muzuki thought the ideal scenario would still be for Fūka Sōsetsu to directly give him the authority, then Muzuki would first deal with Fūka Dotō and then capture Hango Binfu, and the matter would be perfectly resolved.

Looking at Muzuki’s departing back, Fūka Sōsetsu sighed. He hadn’t expected such a fratricidal conflict to happen to him.

“Dotō, why did it come to this…?”

When Muzuki walked out of the study, Fuka Kazehana was still outside, happily eating the candies she had earned.

“Let’s go, Koyuki. What kind of story do you want to hear today?” Muzuki asked with a smile.

“I want to hear the story of Senju and Uchiha during the Warring States Period,” Fuka Kazehana was still thinking about Obito’s unfinished history lesson.

“You can’t stop halfway and then ask those difficult questions,” Fuka Kazehana added, remembering something.

Obito’s inhumane actions had indeed left a bit of psychological trauma on Fuka Kazehana.

“Of course not,” Muzuki said, patting Fuka Kazehana’s little head.

“But the story will have to wait a little while; I need to arrange some things first.”

Obito and the others didn’t know about Fūka Dotō’s plan to usurp the throne; they still thought it was a simple escort mission.

Fuka Kazehana nodded obediently and waited inside the room.

Next, Muzuki succinctly told Kakashi and the others what was about to happen.

“The situation has changed. Fūka Dotō is going to usurp the throne. Get ready for battle.”

“Oh, so he’s going to usurp the throne? I thought someone sent a letter saying they wanted to kidnap the princess. Wait, usurp the throne?” Obito was a bit disappointed at first, but his expression gradually turned surprised when he thought about the meaning of the word.

“Is it the usurpation of the Daimyo’s power?” Obito’s expression was a little excited; this was a big event!

Usually, such plots only appear in Ninja novels in the very late stages, nearing completion, with only saving the Ninja World left afterward.

“Fūka Dotō, the Daimyo’s brother?” Kakashi recalled for a moment and remembered Fūka Dotō’s serious face.

They had met Fūka Dotō by chance when they first entered Fuka Castle.

“Teacher Muzuki, what should we do? Should we send Koyuki to a safe place first?” Rin Nohara asked with some concern.

Because the mission was to protect Fuka Kazehana, Rin Nohara’s first consideration was Fuka Kazehana’s safety, not quelling the rebellion.

“Not necessary for now,” Muzuki shook his head.

With his current strength, there was no safer place in the entire Land of Snow than by his side.

“You don’t need to take any other action now; just protect Koyuki as before, but be more vigilant.”

“Although I have already found evidence that Fūka Dotō wants to usurp the throne, the Daimyo still needs to verify it, so don’t act rashly for now,” Muzuki explained.

“That’s so troublesome. Since we know he’s a bad guy, why not just arrest him?” Obito scratched his head, completely puzzled by this.

“Who do you think that is?” Kakashi looked at Obito with an idiotic gaze. It was no problem to say that Fūka Dotō was the second most important person in Land of Snow.

“I really don’t remember who Fūka Dotō is. He sounds like Koyuki’s relative,” Obito answered honestly.

Obito was so focused on the princess when Asama Santaifu talked about Fūka Dotō that he wasn’t listening at all.

“It doesn’t matter who the opponent is; as long as you protect Koyuki, there will be no problem. Of course, you also need to protect yourselves,” Muzuki stated the core point.

This time, they would very likely face a Ninja Village, and even a small Ninja Village was not something Obito and the others could handle now. Therefore, Muzuki was the main force for this mission, and Obito and the others would mostly just deal with miscellaneous enemies.

…

As a Daimyo, Fūka Sōsetsu might be a bit naive but not foolish.

Before the investigation results were out, Fūka Sōsetsu dispatched Ninja forces loyal only to him to secretly seal off Fūka Dotō’s residence. If Fūka Dotō made any unusual moves, he could be immediately arrested.

Because Fūka Sōsetsu knew that Fūka Dotō was the core of the usurpation; without Fūka Dotō, the Snow Ninja would not dare to act recklessly.

However, Fūka Sōsetsu still underestimated his ambitious younger brother.

When one wants to test the hardness of a piece of glass, the fate of that glass breaking is already sealed. When suspicion arises, people will use every possible means to prove their suspicion until it truly happens.

When Fūka Dotō suspected that his usurpation plan had been exposed and that Fūka Sōsetsu had hired Konoha Ninja to investigate him, Fūka Dotō had already been fully investigating related matters and preparing for exposure.

So when Fūka Sōsetsu truly began investigating Fūka Dotō, Fūka Dotō instantly discovered Fūka Sōsetsu’s investigation. From Fūka Dotō’s perspective, this undoubtedly proved his premonition to be true.

Therefore, Fūka Dotō immediately activated his arrangements: on one hand, he secretly contacted Snow Ninja Village to prepare for a forceful usurpation; on the other hand, he slipped out of the blockade under the cover of a Transformation Technique.

Fūka Sōsetsu didn’t know that his brother would go to such lengths to usurp the throne. When one-third of the evidence was verified, Fūka Sōsetsu used his power to control all the personnel in Fūka Dotō’s mansion, because this was already enough to make an important national official a death row inmate.

“Dotō, why would you do this? Didn’t we say we would make Land of Snow prosperous together?” Fūka Sōsetsu said to Fūka Dotō with a pained expression.

“That was just your wishful thinking,” the Transformation Technique sneered.

Fūka Sōsetsu frowned slightly, sensing something was off. This response wasn’t his brother’s style.

“You’re not Dotō. Who are you?” Fūka Sōsetsu questioned.

“How strange! An ordinary person actually saw through my exquisite Transformation Technique. You know, this is the result of me constantly imitating Lord Dotō while by his side,” seeing through the disguise, the Transformation Technique stopped pretending.

The Ninja on Fūka Sōsetsu’s side instantly changed their expressions, as this meant Fūka Dotō had slipped away right under their noses.

“Apologies, Lord Sōsetsu, we failed to complete the mission,” the leading Ninja knelt down, admitting his mistake.

“I will immediately send people to conduct a large search and strive to find the criminal Fūka Dotō as soon as possible,” the leading Ninja then proposed remedial measures.

“Hahaha, it’s too late! You don’t need to look for Lord Dotō anymore; Lord Dotō will come to find you very soon! Only Lord Dotō can bring strength to Land of Snow!” the Transformation Technique laughed loudly.

Seeing the Transformation Technique so arrogant, the Ninja who had him captured punched him hard in the abdomen, signaling him to be quiet.

As if to respond to the Transformation Technique’s words, in the afternoon, Fūka Dotō led a group of Snow Ninja in a surprise attack on Fuka Castle.

Although Fūka Sōsetsu had strengthened Fuka Castle’s forces due to Muzuki’s warning, the Ninja power he controlled was quite far from that of Snow Ninja Village. He had cut funding not just for the Ninja Village, but for the entire country’s military expenses.

As for the regular army or samurai, they were even less useful. The Snow Ninja could easily use some large-scale Snow Ninjutsu to incapacitate them.

Out of fear of Muzuki, and believing that Fuka Kazehana’s identity might pose a threat, Fūka Dotō led the Snow Ninja towards Fuka Kazehana’s location. Fūka Dotō knew his naive elder brother too well; he wouldn’t run away.

Thus, the main battlefield gradually shifted towards Fuka Kazehana’s direction, with the commotion growing louder and attracting the attention of Obito and the others.

“It’s so noisy! Did something happen?” Fuka Kazehana stood on tiptoes, looking into the distance.

At this moment, Fūka Sōsetsu arrived with a group of guards and said to Muzuki with an apologetic expression:

“I’m sorry, I wasted the intelligence you obtained, Muzuki, and failed to resolve the problem immediately. Please take Koyuki and leave Fuka Castle, leave Land of Snow. This is my request as a father.”

The development of events exceeded Fūka Sōsetsu’s expectations. He hadn’t anticipated Fūka Dotō’s speed would be so swift. Had he not acted to arrest him beforehand, they might not have even finished verifying all the evidence by now.

The power supporting Fūka Dotō also exceeded Fūka Sōsetsu’s expectations; Fuka Castle’s defense forces were no match at all.

Although Muzuki might also be an excellent Ninja, Fūka Dotō had hundreds of Snow Ninja on his side, so Fūka Sōsetsu decided to have Muzuki take his daughter and break through, while he himself would stay behind and perish with Fuka Castle.

“Ah, why do I have to leave Land of Snow? I don’t want to be separated from Father,” Fuka Kazehana asked, puzzled.

Although she longed for the Land of Fire a bit, she felt something was off.

“Because Father made a big mistake, he has to be punished. If you stay with Father, you will also be punished,” Fūka Sōsetsu said with a smile, stroking Fuka Kazehana’s head.

“Then I want to be punished with Father,” Fuka Kazehana grabbed Fūka Sōsetsu’s arm with both hands.

Fūka Sōsetsu showed a helpless expression and picked up Fuka Kazehana, attempting to have Muzuki forcibly take Fuka Kazehana away.

But Muzuki did not take Fuka Kazehana from Fūka Sōsetsu. Muzuki adjusted his black-framed glasses with his right hand and said with a smile:

“Although the mission is to protect the princess, upgrading it to quelling a rebellion isn’t a big problem, but the commission fee will need to be supplemented later.”

Fūka Sōsetsu’s actions could be described as those of a terrible teammate, but for Muzuki, who had absolute overwhelming strength, there was no significant difference between the best and worst-case scenarios. At worst, it was just a small Ninja Village in a remote area.

Perhaps the worst-case scenario might even be more beneficial to Muzuki, as it could train Obito and the others and add more rewards to the mission.

“Muzuki, I need to remind you, Dotō has hundreds of Ninja on his side,” Fūka Sōsetsu reminded him.

Given Muzuki’s intelligence capabilities, he was certainly an excellent Ninja, but no matter how strong Muzuki was, could he really fight hundreds of Ninja alone?

“Daimyo, I need to remind you, Teacher Muzuki is super strong!” Obito stepped forward and said.

A small request for monthly votes. Tomorrow, I’ll challenge the ‘ten thousand characters a day’ goal again. If I fail, I’ll give out fifty in the group. I refuse to believe this ‘ten thousand characters a day’ won’t move. Last time, I was only two thousand characters short of success. This time, there’s definitely no problem.