Chapter 240: My Name is Yotsuki Teru (Kaguya)
"Back again, Dana?"
The Third Raikage let out a sigh of relief when he saw Dana enter the Raikage's office. He had gotten used to having Dana there to share the workload.
However, Dana had been busy shuttling between the Heavenly Transfer Technique Research Base and the Shikkotsu Forest for the past few days, overseeing the field tests for the Coordinate Snail, so he hadn't been around.
Dana took one look at the stack of documents on the Raikage's desk and immediately turned to leave.
"Sorry, I forgot Mom said she was taking me to get fitted for ceremonial robes. Excuse me!"
The Third Raikage shouted urgently, "Wait! Um... there's important intel that needs analyzing!"
Dana hesitated for a moment, sighed, and eventually walked back in.
The Third Raikage exhaled deeply. Of course, it wasn't just that he wanted someone to share the pressure; there truly was important intelligence.
He handed a scroll to Dana. "Take a look at this."
Dana slowly unfurled the scroll. It was an initial investigation report on the Daimyo's estate.
Worried that the chaos in the Land of Lightning might affect the village's development, the Third Raikage had sent people to the capital days ago to investigate secretly.
"Jun'en Furuya's death is suspected to be the work of the Daimyo... The deaths of several retainers and nobles are suspected to be caused by mercenary ninja..."
actually, it wasn't uncommon for powerful figures to hire ninja for espionage or even vendettas against each other. Even the Cloud's mission center listed such requests. However, the rule of the Great Ninja Villages was not to accept assassination missions targeting their own country's nobility. For domestic targets, they usually accepted protection missions to counter other ninja.
Of course, a noble had to issue the mission first. The Cloud had no obligation to protect them automatically. If they didn't hire protection and died, they died.
But this situation in the capital looked suspiciously like someone who didn't understand the rules was purging dissidents.
No wonder everyone in the capital was terrified, suspecting their own Daimyo was the madman behind the scenes. Even Dana, after reading the report, felt these actions bore the signature of the former Prince Yukihiro.
But calling this behavior "self-destructive" wasn't enough. A more accurate description would be "bashing one's own head against the floor repeatedly."
"Has it been confirmed whether he's under Geninshu?" Dana asked.
Although something like this had never happened since the establishment of the ninja village system...
With the Nine Samurai of the Thundercloud expelled and the Daimyo's estate stripped of ninja protection, the possibility of someone controlling him via Genjutsu certainly existed.
The Third Raikage shook his head. "The agents infiltrating the capital observed from a distance and found no traces of Genjutsu. Furthermore, this guy seems to have degenerated into this state step by step. His behavior follows a traceable pattern."
Dana rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Although he was essentially responsible for removing the previous Daimyo, he never expected that after months of deliberation, the Daimyo's court would pick such a piece of trash. He had actually thought highly of Furuya, believing him capable of managing the Land of Lightning without causing chaos. Who knew he would die just like that?
A Cloud ninja lay on the eaves of a tall building, chewing on a piece of grass.
The vantage point here was excellent, offering a clear view of the Yamazaki noble estate. His mission was to watch for any potential attacks on the Yamazaki family. Not because he was hired by them, but because he was one of the ninja sent by the Cloud to investigate the capital's anomalies. The Yamazaki family was a likely target, so he was lying in wait.
Below him was one of the capital's famous brothels, though it hadn't been open for business lately. Not because of the weird political climate, but because most of the girls had been taken into Asuka Castle by the new Daimyo.
Hearing a faint sound behind him, the grass-chewing ninja's expression shifted slightly. A female Cloud ninja landed on the roof nearby.
They seemed to know each other. Before she even approached, he asked:
"Any leads?"
The newcomer shook her head. "None. It's just an ordinary brothel. All the young ones were taken to Asuka Castle, leaving only the madams and older staff."
The grass-chewing ninja sighed.
"This Daimyo is really reckless. By the way, did you manage to contact that person?"
"Dana-sama left a Communication Snail. Contact has been made..."
The ninja nodded, seemingly losing interest, and went back to staring at the Yamazaki estate.
The kunoichi walked out of his blind spot and approached him from behind.
"Kawamura-senpai, it's time for the shift change. Let me take over."
The grass-chewing ninja named Kawamura paused. "I lost track of time. Alright then, I'll..."
In the next instant, a short sword slashed toward Kawamura's neck.
Kawamura used a Body Replacement Technique to dodge, the blade striking only a log.
Reappearing nearby, Kawamura's voice turned cold. "What are you doing?!"
The kunoichi's expression was equally icy. "Do you intend to keep up the act even now? Who are you!"
The "Kawamura" dropped his alarmed expression, spat out the grass, and assumed a poker face. "Where did I slip up?"
The woman didn't answer.
"Kawamura" drew his own short sword. "Cloud ninja are so troublesome."
Crack!
The roof tiles beneath his feet shattered. "Kawamura" charged forward, gliding low to the ground. Three meters from the kunoichi, he began to spin rapidly. The centrifugal force merged perfectly with his blade as he slashed at her.
The kunoichi barely had time to react, bending backward into a bridge to dodge. But in an instant, "Kawamura" appeared directly above her.
So fast!
That was her only thought.
"Kawamura" leaped high and brought his heel down like an axe. The kunoichi was struck squarely, crashing through the brothel roof and plummeting into the building below, triggering screams from inside.
However, before "Kawamura" could go down to check, several figures surrounded him. Among them was the realKawamura.
"You've got some nerve... daring to attack one of our Cloud ninja," Tetsuo Okine growled.
Seeing the real Kawamura present, the fake one stopped pretending. A milky-white, gel-like substance peeled off his face like liquid life.
The transformation dissolved, revealing a figure underneath.
The person wore a bizarre mask made of white bone with wooden patterns.
"I observed for a long time. I thought you Cloud ninja didn't use hand signs for codes. I didn't expect you to use a code I couldn't detect or forge... Is it that 'Communication Snail'? Take this intel back..."
The white liquid obeyed the command, melting into the ground beneath his feet.
The entire capital had long been infiltrated by White Zetsu like a sieve. From the first day these Cloud ninja arrived, White Zetsu had been watching them. After observing for a while, they thought they understood the Cloud ninja's behavioral patterns and tried to extract intelligence. They didn't expect to be exposed in the first encounter.
Tetsuo Okine slammed his fists together, creating the sound of metal on metal. Seven Cloud ninja surrounded the masked figure.
"Who are you? Do you dare announce your name?"
The masked figure chuckled softly. Manipulating her throat bones to change her timbre, a deep, raspy voice emerged.
"Interesting. You ask who I am? Then I shall tell you..."
"My name is: Yotsuki... Teru (Kaguya)."
The Cloud ninja were visibly stunned, followed immediately by furious rage.
Tetsuo Okine roared, "WHAT KIND OF SICK JOKE IS THIS?!!!"