Chapter 346: The Warm-Hearted Konoha Village, The Merciful New Hokage
Satisfaction.
Taniguchi Ken'ichi turned his head slightly, and beyond the hatred burning in his eyes, something else emerged—desperate resolve.
"HAHAHAHA..."
He suddenly threw his head back in maniacal laughter, screaming at Nomura Yūji:
"You want to know the truth? The one who stole your goods is standing right there—your precious Hokage!"
"He captured me to be his scapegoat! Tortured me into lying to you!"
"But he miscalculated one thing—I'd rather die than let him get away with this!"
"I'm dead either way, so what do I have to fear?!"
Taniguchi's laughter turned hoarse and deranged, filled with the desperate excitement of a broken man dragging his tormentor down with him. When he looked at Yasushi now, the fear and obedience had vanished completely—replaced by bone-deep hatred.
His voice trembled with manic energy, his face contorting into something almost triumphant. This was the weak man's final, most helpless revenge against the powerful—bought with his own life as payment.
"Come on!"
"Kill me!"
"Even dead, I'll make sure you suffer for this!"
"AHAHAHAHAHA..."
Taniguchi's crazed laughter echoed through the great hall, reverberating endlessly.
He stared at Uchiha Yasushi with pure malice, desperate to see fury on that lofty Hokage's face. But all he found was cold, indifferent amusement.
Confused, he turned to Nomura Yūji instead, expecting to see the deceived merchant explode with rage, hoping to witness these two powerful figures clash violently over his revelation.
But nothing he'd hoped for materialized. Instead, he saw only pity and sympathy in Nomura Yūji's eyes.
Then the merchant formed a hand seal. White smoke erupted, and "Nomura Yūji" transformed into a Konoha-headband-wearing ninja who bowed respectfully to Yasushi before vanishing in a blur.
"What?"
"A fake?"
"That's impossible..."
Taniguchi's panic erupted instantly. The courage hatred had given him evaporated completely, and the agony of Tsukuyomi's torture flooded back into his consciousness.
"Ahh..."
He screamed and hurled himself toward a nearby pillar, trying to smash his own skull and escape further suffering through death.
But Mizuki snorted coldly and kicked his legs out from under him. One foot pressed down on Taniguchi's back like a mountain, crushing him immobile against the floor.
"Lord Hokage's foresight proves impeccable once again," Mizuki said darkly. "If we'd let him meet the real President Nomura so easily, he truly might have ruined everything."
Mizuki's face remained grim, his heart still racing from the close call.
"A pity about Shisui's eyes being destroyed," Yasushi sighed with genuine regret. "Direct genjutsu control would have been so much simpler."
"The Nomura Merchant Association is a major trading house—their family definitely employs countermeasures against genjutsu. Not just President Nomura himself, but even ordinary managers probably undergo regular security screenings."
"Standard Sharingan genjutsu is too easily detected. Only Shisui's specialized ocular techniques would have been truly effective."
"Plus the merchant association undoubtedly crawls with spies from every nation. If Nomura suddenly showed favoritism toward Konoha, other countries would immediately suspect manipulation and send investigators."
"This conventional method is our only viable option."
Yasushi's voice lightened again, almost cheerful with pedagogical patience.
"Come now, Taniguchi. Let's walk through the process a few more times. Make sure it really sticks in your memory."
"No, please, I was wrong! I swear I won't try anything again..."
Taniguchi wailed like a terrified child, desperately trying to crawl backward.
But Yasushi ignored his pleas completely. He simply walked forward, opened his left palm, and held it before Taniguchi's eyes. The Mangekyou Sharingan in his palm suddenly opened, radiating crimson bloodlight.
"Did you think making me angry would cause me to kill you in rage, Taniguchi?"
"How mistaken. The angrier I become, the less likely I am to grant you death's mercy."
"If you want release, you'll need to learn obedience."
Taniguchi's body went rigid, then collapsed into violent, prolonged convulsions and agonized screaming.
"AHHHHH..."
His screams echoed through the hall once more, continuing without end.
Yasushi lost count of how many "rehearsals" he subjected Taniguchi to. Only when he sensed the man teetering on the edge of complete, irreversible insanity did he finally stop, waving for Mizuki to drag away the vacant-eyed, drooling shell that could only tremble on instinct.
After several more practice sessions mixing truth and deception, Taniguchi finally learned his lesson completely. Everything proceeded exactly according to Yasushi's script without a single deviation.
Only then did Yasushi nod with satisfaction.
"Good enough. Invite President Nomura to discuss business matters."
"And check with our ninja on guard duty—how's the intelligence gathering on the Nomura estate progressing?"
What followed proved anticlimactic. Everything unfolded exactly as anticipated.
After personally interrogating Taniguchi Ken'ichi, Nomura Yūji accepted Konoha's investigation results as truth.
Or rather—he'd already harbored suspicions about the bandits. What normal bandits would dare target a merchant association of his stature? Konoha had simply provided him with an explanation he could accept.
Burning with hatred toward Kirigakure, Nomura Yūji departed with his entourage.
He'd already decided to file formal complaints with his noble friends in Water Country, ensuring those Kirigakure bandits paid an appropriate price for their crimes.
But before he could act on those plans, he'd barely dispatched messengers to Water Country when new reports arrived.
Two more of his branch offices had been raided.
And this time, Nomura wasn't the only victim—several other merchant associations, large and small, had suffered attacks as well.
This news provided his wounded heart some small comfort. At least I'm not the only one suffering!
Merchant associations maintained certain information-sharing networks, so intelligence about Kirigakure backing the bandits spread rapidly throughout the entire commercial sector.
Soon, Konoha Village bustled with arriving carriages. Numerous merchant associations converged on the village, all seeking to commission missions to recover their stolen goods.
Konoha accepted every single commission. Unfortunately, those Kirigakure thieves moved with remarkable speed—only a tiny fraction of stolen merchandise was recovered. The vast majority of plundered supplies vanished without trace.
Konoha's official assessment: These bandits likely served multiple enemy nations working in concert, their goal being to slow Konoha's reconstruction.
The massive quantities of stolen goods were probably hidden in concealed mountain caves nearby, or perhaps burned outright. Otherwise such enormous volumes couldn't possibly have been transported away so quickly.
The merchant associations naturally accepted this conclusion, though it provided little consolation.
What did comfort them, however, was Konoha's response. To support reconstruction efforts, the village placed enormous orders with every victimized merchant association. The prices offered proved extremely generous, and Konoha showed absolutely no concern about their dramatically inflated rates.
When questioned, the answer was simple: Free trade!
This warm-hearted gesture eliminated any suspicion the merchants might have harbored toward Konoha Village.
In the process, Uchiha Yasushi—the new Hokage—earned a reputation for "mercy" and compassion.
***
70+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces