Chapter 197 I want to kill you and wait for my teacher to arrive?
Uchiha Touko truly couldn't understand where these civil officials got the audacity to do such a thing.
The former Fire City, the residence of Left Minister Abe Taiichi, was still a notorious haunted house. How dare these civil officials be so bold?
Uchiha Touko hadn't offended these civil officials in recent years. Aside from some policies preparing for future wars, as the Grand Minister of State, he hadn't interfered too much in court affairs. As for the profits some less-than-clean individuals had made during Konoha's rapid development, as long as they didn't go too far, Uchiha Touko had turned a blind eye.
But now, it seemed these people weren't satisfied with the status quo.
"Inahime," Uchiha Touko called out with a grim face.
"Yes." Uchiha Inahime pushed open the office door and walked in.
"Go and invite our Left Minister, Miura Kazuo, over here," Uchiha Touko said.
"Yes!" Uchiha Inahime nodded, accepted the order, and left.
Not long after, Miura Kazuo, who was just about to spend a pleasant evening with his newlywed ninth concubine, was brought to the Hokage's office by Uchiha Inahime.
However, upon hearing that Uchiha Touko had summoned him, Miura Kazuo immediately put down what he was doing and followed Uchiha Inahime to the Hokage's office without stopping.
Others might not know how terrifying Uchiha Touko was, but Miura Kazuo was well aware of it. Didn't he see that Abe Taiichi, who had almost driven him to the brink of death, couldn't even last one round against him?
As a competent insect, Miura Kazuo was very clear about this. Uchiha Touko possessed power, and he also had the courage and means to use that power at any time. Don't be fooled by his current high position and power in the Land of Fire; in front of Uchiha Touko, he was like an ant that could be crushed at any moment.
"Your Excellency, Minister of State," Miura Kazuo greeted respectfully upon entering the office.
"The Left Minister is here." Uchiha Touko sat in his office chair, glancing up at Miura Kazuo. "I thought you were too busy to come see me lately."
Uchiha Touko's words and tone instantly made Miura Kazuo break out in a cold sweat, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"You flatter me, Grand Minister," Miura Kazuo said, glancing up at Uchiha Touko before forcing a smile. "The entire capital and twelve cities of the Land of Fire rest on your shoulders. Compared to you, I've merely done my duty."
"Is that so?" Uchiha Touko sneered, tossing the intelligence report given to him by the Anbu in front of Miura Kazuo. "Your duty? I remember managing the officials is also part of your responsibilities as the Left Minister."
Miura Kazuo picked up the report, glanced at it, and then knelt before Uchiha Touko with a thud: "I deserve to die! I deserve to die! I have nothing to do with this."
"Of course I know you have nothing to do with this," Uchiha Touko said, glancing up at him with a cold smile. "Otherwise, we'd be meeting in the police station's interrogation room."
"Thank you for your mercy, Grand Minister," Miura Kazuo said, wiping the sweat from his brow, still shaken.
"However, with such a force suddenly appearing in the court, you, as the Left Minister, cannot escape the blame for your negligence," Uchiha Touko said coldly.
"Yes." Miura Kazuo lowered his head, not daring to move. "But I beg Your Excellency, the Grand Minister of State, to give me a chance to redeem myself."
"This is the only chance you'll get. I think Mr. Miura won't disappoint me." Uchiha Touko said. "Tell me, who are these people? What forces are behind them?"
Only then did Miura Kazuo pick up the intelligence report for the second time, carefully looking at every name on it, afraid of missing even the slightest detail.
After a moment, Miura Kazuo carefully considered his words before speaking, "These people are all officials who have entered the court in the last two years. The highest-ranking among them is only a sixth-rank official. They usually have little influence in the court. Who would have thought that they would actually get together and plot such a treasonous act?"
"However, their leader, Tajima Yukio, seems to have close ties with some nobles in the country."
"Nobles?" Uchiha Touko frowned slightly. "You mean, the masterminds behind this are the nobles of our Land of Fire? Are they tired of living too comfortably?"
"That's right." Miura Kazuo nodded. "Although our Land of Fire has prospered under your tireless efforts since the capital was moved to Konoha, some of the industries you have vigorously developed in recent years have encroached on the traditional industries of these nobles."
"For example?" Uchiha Touko raised an eyebrow and asked.
"Take land rent, for example," Miura Kazuo said. "With your policy support over the years, factories have sprung up all over the Land of Fire like mushrooms after rain. Commoners who used to rely on the land they owned have now found another way to make a living, so they have no choice but to lower their rents."
"As for these young officials, I think they were all instigated by these nobles to act this way," Miura Kazuo said.
"So they're all old landlords," Uchiha Touko said with a sneer. His past life had taught him that these landlords were always more trouble than they were worth, and they were also quite destructive to the implementation of national policies. If they were blocked from collecting rent, they would even sell the country, let alone instigate a few young officials to force the emperor to abdicate. However, one thing was completely different from Uchiha Touko's past life. This was a world of extraordinary beings, and Uchiha Touko, who was already close to standing at the pinnacle of combat power in this world, did not need to care much about these stumbling blocks from the old era.
If the other party continued to be obstinate, Uchiha Touko wouldn't mind showing them how to kill according to the clan genealogy.
"I understand. I'll be at tomorrow's court assembly," Uchiha Touko said. "Mr. Miura, tomorrow morning, I need evidence of corruption, bribery, and forming cliques on this list. Do you understand?"
"Yes! I'll investigate immediately," Miura Kazuo nodded hastily. Uchiha Touko's meaning was very clear: before tomorrow's morning court assembly, he and his faction had to fabricate evidence of the crimes committed by the people on this list, even if they had to make it up on the spot.
After Miura Kazuo left, Uchiha Touko had Uchiha Inahi deliver the list to the police force.
Kakashi, upon receiving the list, immediately summoned the two captains of the police force.
At this moment, in a private room of a tavern in northwestern Konoha, a dozen young people gathered together. After drinking a few cups of wine, emboldened by the alcohol, one of them angrily spoke up: "That Grand Minister of State, Uchiha Tokō, was entrusted with such a heavy responsibility by the late emperor, and the young Daimyo even took him as his teacher, but what has he done all these years? He actually allowed the Daimyo to indulge in such a decadent pastime as cricket fighting."
"The Daimyo doesn't concern himself with state affairs, and the country's governance has long been controlled by treacherous villains like him and Miura Kazuo. If this continues, the country will cease to exist!" Another young official slammed his fist on the table, his face filled with bitterness.
"Four years ago, our Left Minister of Fire, Abe Taiichi, was so upright and honest, but simply because he offended these two, he suffered the calamity of having his entire family wiped out!" At this moment, another person said.
"Therefore, we must unite and drive these traitors out of the court, restoring order and justice to the Land of Fire!"
"Yes! We must let these traitors know! Even if he can kill Lord Abe, the loyal and righteous men of the Land of Fire cannot be killed!" another official said indignantly.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, the door to the private room of the tavern where they were gathered was kicked open.
"Who goes there?" Everyone in the room looked towards the door. Sakurai Hideaki, who had been promoted to captain in the security force and had obtained the special Jonin rank under the guidance of his Uchiha clan elders, walked in with a gloomy expression.
He had heard clearly what these people outside were saying. These ungrateful bastards actually dared to call his most respected Hokage a traitor. They were really tired of living. These people should be sent to the Sanqing Education Team to experience the Hokage's kindness.
"Sakurai Hideaki, Captain of the First Company, Second Battalion of the Konoha Security Force." Sakurai Hideaki said with a grim face, "Our security force received a report that there was an illegal assembly here, and it seems that's true. Take them all away!"
"Why are you arresting us! Do you know who we are?" A young official in the private room said, his neck stiff and face red.
"I don't care who you are, you're just a suspect in a conspiracy to commit treason." Sakurai Hideaki said with a sneer.
"You lowly ninjas dare to offend us! We are officials of the Imperial Court!" Just as Sakurai Hideaki's security team stepped forward, a young official in the private room suddenly jumped up and started shoving a genin who had graduated in the same year as Naruto and his classmates and had only recently joined the security force.
"You son of a bitch! How dare you violently resist the law!" Enraged, Sakurai Hideaki drew his baton, kicked the man to the ground, and unleashed six blows in a single second. The first three landed precisely on the man's legs, waist, and mouth, while the last three aimed at his head.
After six blows, the man, his head bleeding profusely, finally managed a scream.
"So the legends are true!" At this moment, some of the new recruits in Sakurai Hideaki's security detail brightened. They had only joined the security force in the last two years and hadn't participated in the battle that made them famous. However, they had all heard the legends of these early recruits—that these men could unleash six blows in an instant, and that any crime could only groan in agony before them.
However, after years of training by the Three Pure Ones Training Corps, the overall quality of the Hidden Leaf Village has significantly improved. The standard six-strike combo of the guards has become legendary. But today, Sakurai Hideaki's baton was unsheathed again, truly opening the eyes of these greenhorns.
However, after unleashing a series of attacks, Sakurai Hideaki, seeing his opponents screaming in pain, couldn't help but frown at his own baton, thinking:
[They can still scream? I've definitely become lax these past few years. No, I must train harder when I get back.]
Sakurai Hideaki withdrew his gaze and ordered his subordinates, "Take them all away."
"Yes!" the guards replied in unison.
"You lowly ninjas, Lord Noda will not let you get away with this!" At this moment, a young officer, restrained by the guards, glared at Sakurai Hideaki through gritted teeth.
"Oh? Noda?" Upon hearing this, Sakurai Hideaki approached the man with interest. "It seems you traitors have someone backing you up."
"Hmph, Lord Noda is the Daimyo's uncle. Your Hokage's abuse of power has made the Land of Fire's people suffer, and you lackeys have been bullying the common people. Lord Noda will not let you off the hook sooner or later." The man who seemed to be the leader of the group said through gritted teeth.
"I see," Sakurai Hideaki nodded. "Is there anything else you need to say?"
"Hmph!" The man snorted coldly and turned his head away.
"Looks like there aren't any left. Take them all!" Sakurai Hideaki said, then turned to one of his new recruits and said, "Koji, go to the Yamanaka clan and ask for a Chunin-level member to come and assist us in investigating these rebels."
"Yes, sir!"
...
Just as Sakurai Hideaki was making arrests, inside the Konoha Imperial Palace, eight-year-old Minamoto no Miyako was playing in the garden with a cricket that a newly formed Genin squad had specially gone to the forests of western Fire Country to find for him.
The cricket looked extremely robust and powerful, and Minamoto no Miyako couldn't stop smiling just looking at it.
"Hehe, I'll call you Tenno Minaka!" After naming his beloved general, Minamoto no Yuuki carefully added water and rations to his food, then said with a smile, "Now Konohamaru's Great Ape Demon won't be a match for me!"
However, just then, a eunuch came to report: "Your Highness, Prince Noda requests an audience."
"Tell him to go to his teacher if he has something to say. If he can't find him, send someone to take him to the Hokage's office," Minamoto no Yuuki said without looking up.
"Your Highness, you should still meet him. According to seniority, he is your uncle," the young eunuch said somewhat awkwardly.
"Alright, then let's meet him," Minamoto no Yuuki nodded.
Not long after, Minamoto no Noda, dressed in princely robes, arrived before Minamoto no Yuuki. After a few brief pleasantries, he began to steer the conversation toward the Grand Minister of State, Uchiha Touko.
Then, this daimyo's uncle began to vehemently argue the pros and cons, attempting to portray Uchiha Touko as a traitor.
After listening, Gen Yuxie said expressionlessly, "Kill him."
Upon hearing this, Harunoda's face lit up with joy, but he still cautiously said, "Although capturing Uchiha Touko is urgent, he is still the powerful Hokage, wielding considerable strength. We should plan carefully and discuss this further."
"Why would I need to discuss killing you with my teacher?"
...
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(End of Chapter)