LRAB Chapter 121 "Sacrificing Oneself to Feed the Tiger"
Chapter 121 "Sacrificing Oneself to Feed the Tiger"
Chapter 121 "Sacrificing Oneself to Feed the Tiger"
At the entrance of the forging shop, Taiyi and his two companions looked at each other in bewilderment, while the other members inside the shop were equally confused.
Master Kritz had just returned and immediately went into the forge, ignoring all worldly affairs. They, however, had been instructed by the shopkeeper to invite him to their residence for a talk upon his return!
Fortunately, this didn't keep people waiting for long.
About 20 minutes later, the shop's owner, who was also the person who commissioned the task, finally sent someone to the foundry.
After learning the whole story, he readily signed the mission confirmation for Taiyi.
What happened next had nothing to do with Taiichi and the others.
"Taiyi, what kind of weapon do you think the master wants to forge?"
Yangping's face was full of gossip, and he kept looking back at the foundry that was getting further and further away.
"What, you also want a master craftsman to forge a weapon for you?" Taiyi stopped and turned to look at Yangping beside him. "But Yangping, your swordsmanship isn't all that great!"
While talking to Yangping, he glanced at the shop behind Yangping out of the corner of his eye, where a waiter-looking person had just flashed by.
If Taiyi remembered correctly, this was the third time this person had appeared around him, and this was the same servant who had secretly greeted him when he went to the Daimyo's residence last time.
As expected, there are capable people in Daming Prefecture. I have only been in the capital for less than half a day, and someone from Daming Prefecture has already come looking for me.
Taiichi's heart skipped a beat. The daimyo really hadn't missed any opportunity to make contact. Fortunately, he knew he was coming to Kyoto and had made preparations in advance.
"If I can't do it, then we still have you!" Yang Ping said excitedly. "With this connection, won't you give us a discount when we find a master swordsmith to forge swords in the future?"
As he spoke, Yangping looked up at the sun. "It's almost noon. Shall we find somewhere to eat?"
Looking at his two companions and thinking that the contact person from Daming Prefecture was not far away, Taiyi felt a strange thrill. Is this the life of a spy? It's not a life for ordinary people. It's better to go to the battlefield and fight.
Taiyi quickly adjusted his expression, revealing a relaxed smile: "Okay, I think that place up ahead looks good, let's go eat there!"
He pointed to a small shop with red lanterns hanging not far away, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of the waiter pretending to be a passerby and slowly moving towards the restaurant.
The three entered the restaurant, the wooden floorboards creaking. Taiyi deliberately chose a seat by the window so he could keep an eye on what was happening outside.
Saori curiously flipped through the menu, while Yohei eagerly ordered several signature dishes.
"I'm going to the restroom first." As soon as all the dishes were served, Taiyi stood up. "You guys eat first, don't wait for me."
"Taiichi, you'd better hurry, or I'll eat all the good food!"
Yangping's laughter came from behind. At this moment, Taiyi had already walked out of the restaurant's back door and quickly turned into a narrow alley.
The waiter was already bowing and waiting there, as if he knew that Taiyi would definitely come out.
"The Daimyo is very concerned about the recent developments in Konoha." The waiter got straight to the point, his voice extremely low. "So much time has passed, and you haven't even reported a single person of value."
Taiichi ignored the waiter's complaints and took out a thumb-sized scroll from a hidden pocket inside his ninja tool bag: "This is what the Daimyo wants."
He cautiously looked around. "Recently, the number of missions in Konoha has increased dramatically, and a large number of ninjas have been transferred back to carry out missions. Is the Daimyo planning anything? I need to know the details in order to gather intelligence in a targeted manner."
The waiter didn't answer, but quietly took the scroll without even checking it, then turned and disappeared into the alley.
Taiichi stared silently at the spot where the waiter had disappeared. It seemed that the daimyo had no trust in him at all, and even the person sent to make contact was such an insignificant tool.
I wonder if the Daimyo will be satisfied with the intelligence this time. Hopefully, he can send someone of higher standing next time!
However, when he thought about the list of Konoha geniuses he had handed over to the Daimyo, Taiichi couldn't help but shudder. The Hokage really dared to dream big!
Let's rewind to the day Taiyi received the mission.
After Yohei and Saori chose Kyoto as the destination for their mission, Taichi remembered that he also had a mission as a spy for his superiors.
Unprofessionalism is unprofessionalism. Almost two months have passed and there's been no movement from our side. I wonder if Daming will become suspicious.
With a "what's the worst that can happen?" attitude, Taichi used the excuse of going back to replenish supplies to leave Yangping and Saori's sight and went to the Hokage's office.
When Taiichi explained his purpose, he clearly saw the Hokage's helpless expression, as if he had "his own son made a mistake, but he was holding back from giving him a good beating."
"This, Grandpa Hokage!" Taiichi knew this was clearly his fault, and at this moment he could only rely on their close relationship and his young age to act shamelessly, "You know, there have been a lot of missions lately, and our captain is often away, so—"
As Taichi continued fabricating his story, he ran out of ideas and stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi with an embarrassed expression. He had already taken all the mission rewards, and now he was just getting paid without doing any work.
Seeing Taichi scratching his head in frustration, Hiruzen Sarutobi decided not to press him any further.
This kind of spy mission requires certain training to be successful, and the fact that Taiyi hasn't been exposed is already quite good.
Thinking it over, he stopped keeping him in suspense and took out a list that he had prepared beforehand from the drawer, handing it to Taiyi.
"The people on this list will be reported to the daimyo in batches, in order. You will have three opportunities to report to him. See if you can get any useful information back from the daimyo during these three meetings."
Taiyi took the list, unfolded it, and his pupils contracted. He picked up the list and looked at it carefully to make sure he hadn't made a mistake. Then he looked up at the calm and collected Hokage.
"Lord Hokage, is this Sarutobi Asuma a misspelling? Or is it not the Asuma I know?"
Goodness, the Hokage is so selfless, putting his own son on the list. Isn't he afraid of messing things up?
"That's right, it's the Asuma you know." Hiruzen Sarutobi took a couple of puffs of his cigarette, his gaze fixed heavily on Taichi. "What, other people's kids can be on this list, but mine can't?"
"No, Lord Sarutobi is a man of great wisdom and understanding; I am merely surprised!"
How can you not be surprised? In the original story, Asuma didn't have this incident, and he later sided with the Daimyo. Now, the Hokage is deliberately pushing him towards that side. I really hope Asuma can hold firm to his position and not waver!
Looking at another name on the list, Kakashi Hatake, Taichi felt another headache coming on.
If Sakumo Hatake were to live a peaceful and stable life, then providing Kakashi's name would be no problem.
The key question is, if the "White Fang suicide incident" were to actually happen in this lifetime, then the future "50/50 Ninja" would be hard to predict.
"Sigh, in the end, all the pressure has fallen on me!" Taiyi sighed inwardly, feeling the pressure on his shoulders grow heavier again.
Taiyi lingered in the alley for a few more minutes to make sure he wasn't discovered before returning to the restaurant, pretending he had just finished using the restroom.
Yangping was wolfing down his tempura, while Saori thoughtfully left an untouched sashimi platter for Taichi.
"Why did you take so long?" Saori asked with concern. "The food was getting cold."
"My stomach's a little upset." Taiichi smiled as he sat down, picking up a piece of sashimi. "I probably ate something bad this morning."
With his mouth full of food, Yangping mumbled, "That's a real shame. You missed out on so much delicious food. If Saori hadn't specially saved some for you, I would have eaten it all!"
"How dare you say that!" Saori berated Yohei from the side, "You look like a starving ghost reincarnated—"
Listening to Yangping and Saori's bickering, Taichi's thoughts drifted far away. He wondered what the Daimyo would do after seeing that list, and how long it would take for him to gain their trust.
He looked up at the window; the sun was shining brightly, and the streets were bustling with pedestrians. But beneath this seemingly calm surface, a power struggle was brewing beneath the surface.
After lunch, the three-person team didn't linger and headed straight for Konoha.
Meanwhile, the list that Taiichi had been longing for had already been handed over to the Daimyo.
"Did Matsushita Taichi ask anything when the intelligence was handed over?" The daimyo asked the returning waiter casually, fiddling with the small scroll in his hand.
"Sir, he only asked about recent operations so he could gather targeted intelligence." I followed his instructions and said nothing more, and he didn't ask anything further.
"Alright, you can go now!"
After the waiter left, only the daimyo and the finance minister remained in the large reception room.
"Tell me, is this Taiyi trustworthy?" The daimyo's face was uncertain, and his voice revealed a hint of gloom.
"Whether it's credible or not, we can find out by looking at the intelligence, right?" The Finance Minister pointed to the scroll in the Daimyo's hand. "The more valuable the intelligence he provides, the more credible it is!"
"Haha, you're right!" The Daimyo laughed, pointing at the Finance Minister, his gloomy expression vanishing. "When he provides enough information, it's no longer a matter of whether he's trustworthy or not!"
Without further hesitation, Daimyo opened the scroll in his hand.
Kakashi Hatake graduated at age 6 and is now 7, already a Chunin.
Sarutobi Asuma, son of the Hokage, is a student at the Ninja Academy, ranked first in his grade, and inherited the Wind, Earth, and Mana techniques of the Third Hokage.
Fire Chakra Nature Transformation —
Ryota Nakamura, a ninja from a minor ninja clan, graduated two years ago and has participated in numerous A-level missions, all with outstanding performance.
Looking at these three names and the descriptions below them, Da Ming couldn't help but frown.
Kakashi Hatake and Ryota Nakamura are indeed very good; they are both promising future Jonin with enormous potential.
But isn't this Sarutobi Asuma a bit too outrageous? He's trying to poach the Hokage's son! Leaving aside whether he'll succeed, the Hokage's future reaction alone will be enough to give the Daimyo a run for his money!
"Lord Daimyo, is there a problem with this list?" Seeing the Daimyo's worried expression, the Finance Minister stepped forward to offer his assistance.
"Take a look too!" The daimyo handed the scroll to the finance minister. "Help me analyze how to win these people over!"
The finance minister took the scroll, and even a quick glance at it made his pupils shrink and his lips twitch involuntarily.
He didn't expect Taiyi to reveal the name of the Hokage's son. Did he think that the battle between the Daimyo and Konoha wasn't intense enough and needed to be intensified?
But as the name lingered in his mind a few more times, a brilliant idea suddenly came to him.
"My lord, this Sarutobi Asuma might actually be worth trying to win over."
"Oh, what good idea do you have, sir? Tell me quickly." The daimyo's face was full of curiosity. Could he possibly win over such a sensitive person to his side?
"Actually, this can't be called winning someone over. After all, if we actively try to win over such a person, it would be a challenge to the Hokage's authority. If things are exposed, Konoha will settle accounts with us for whatever reason."
The finance minister's tone was quite somber, which served as a reminder to the daimyo that his side only held the moral high ground and did not actually possess much military strength.
If the Hokage were to turn against me, even if it wasn't through open warfare to overthrow the Daimyo, but rather through assassination, what would be the point of anything else after my death?
The daimyo naturally understood the unspoken meaning in the finance minister's words, but he was even more interested in the finance minister's plan and urged the minister to continue explaining.
"First of all, Sarutobi Asuma is still a student at school, so we have plenty of time and there's no need to rush."
Secondly, we don't need to specifically try to win him over, much less try to get him to join us. We just need to influence him indirectly, for example, by emphasizing his status as the son of the Hokage and ignoring his own efforts, so that he gradually comes to hate his origins.
Then, we can convey our ideas to him and let him gradually understand us and get closer to us.
Of course, all of this requires a gradual and subtle influence, which is not only time-consuming but also necessitates the use of our spies planted in Konoha. All of this depends on the Daimyo's decision.
After hearing the Finance Minister's plan, the Daimyo was quite tempted. The plan was not only low-risk, but also very rewarding if it succeeded.
Imagine, the Hokage's son is a supporter of the Daimyo. What could be more ironic than that?
The only difficulty is the huge time cost, which is estimated to take several years or even more than ten years, but when he thought about the benefits of this, Daimyo made up his mind to make a decision.
"Qing, I'm entrusting this matter to you. I'll arrange a few suitable spies to follow your orders." The lord displayed his decisiveness. "But remember, this plan isn't about achieving great success, but about avoiding mistakes. Under no circumstances should anyone suspect that someone is doing this on purpose."
"Yes, Lord Daimyo."
"As for the other two, have someone observe them first to determine if their personalities and abilities are worth making contact with."
"yes!"
A plan that had been in the works for several years was decided in this short meeting.
Perhaps even Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't expect that the genius Kakashi Hatake wouldn't attract the daimyo's attention, but his son, who shouldn't have caused any problems, would come in and cause trouble.
However, all of this was meaningless to Taiichi's team as they left Kyoto. Unlike their leisurely journey there, the return trip only took them two days.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Let's rest for a day and then meet up for training again tomorrow."
Yangping and Saori nodded at the same time, and the three of them then went their separate ways to their respective destinations.
The Hokage's office.
"—Lord Hokage, that's how the mission went." Taichi stood obediently at his desk, reporting on the details of his spy mission.
"Oh, I see. So the Daimyo is quite interested in the current personnel movements in Konoha."
Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head in deep thought, but he couldn't figure out what the Daimyo wanted to do. At this critical juncture, did the Daimyo really want to drag Konoha down? Surely the Daimyo wouldn't be foolish enough to do something that would hurt his own people and please his enemies.
It seems we still need to strengthen our intelligence gathering on the Daimyo Prefecture. We can't always wait until the Daimyo makes a move before we belatedly take action.
Hiruzen Sarutobi made up his mind, but when he looked up, he saw Taiichi still standing there, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Taichi, is there something else you need?"
Taiichi had been waiting for Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, and hesitantly asked, "Hokage-sama, is Asuma—really okay?"
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face hardened, and he feigned anger, saying, "How come other people's children are fine, and you yourself became a spy, but Asuma can't? Don't forget, he will also become a formal ninja of Konoha in the future."
"Yes, I understand." Taiichi looked ashamed, as if he were ashamed of having such thoughts. "Hokage-sama, then I'll be leaving."
Only when the office door closed did Taiyi's guilty expression finally fade, and he let out a long sigh.
It's finally over. If Asuma really does pledge allegiance to the Daimyo in the future, then what he said today will be the key to avoiding being held accountable later. Taiichi can't afford to be careless.
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