Chapter 26: 26.Pressure
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Kazuki's sold intelligence included one piece specifically aimed at the Daimyo.
After all, Danzo had threatened the Daimyo of the Land of Fire before.
Releasing this kind of information would undoubtedly cause significant misunderstandings.
The Land of Fire was not like the Land of Earth or the Land of Lightning.
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning could be as close as family with their Kage, but not so for the Land of Fire.
No one would allow the Daimyo to interfere in Konoha.
Among the five great nations, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had the most awkward position.
The relationship with Konoha was neither too good nor too bad, but the Daimyo was always trying to undermine Konoha and was constantly guarded against by the village's high officials.
Given that Danzo had once threatened the Daimyo, it was something Kazuki could exploit.
So, Kazuki decisively created a piece of false intelligence and threw it out there.
The results would depend on how much the Daimyo disliked Danzo and how much he valued his own life.
"Daimyo, we can't question them outright."
The aide panicked and quickly advised:
"Whether the intelligence is true or false, we can't question them directly. What if we corner them and they retaliate desperately?"
"Then what do you suggest I do!!!"
The Daimyo angrily flung his sleeve and sat down in a huff.
Every time he recalled Danzo's gaze, he felt uneasy, fearing that Danzo might someday decide to eliminate him.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, the aide offered his suggestion:
"Daimyo, we can't question them directly. If Shimura Danzo dares to threaten you and harbor such thoughts, it means he might act on them. We shouldn't question directly but rather exert pressure.
I remember the Daimyo's funding allocation to Konoha is due soon."
The village's development required a lot of money.
Even though Konoha could operate on its own, ninja were expensive to maintain and train.
The money Konoha earned independently was not enough to support so many people.
The funding from the Daimyo's mansion was crucial.
Look at the Village Hidden in the Sand. Because the Daimyo was unhappy with their continuous defeats, he reduced the funding, forcing them to tighten their belts, lay off excess ninja, and adopt an elite route.
"We should delay the funding and then summon Hiruzen to the Daimyo's mansion to put pressure on him to deal with Danzo."
Direct questioning might provoke Danzo, but pressuring the Third Hokage was different.
If you don't handle this, I won't give you money!
After all, you wouldn't dare kill me.
If necessary, we'll expose the information and let the whole ninja world see Konoha's ugly face.
The higher the position, the more one cherished life, and the more suspicious one became.
So, just based on an unverified piece of intelligence from an unknown source, the Daimyo was already suspicious of Danzo.
After all, Danzo had once threatened him and genuinely intended to harm him.
"Alright, let's do this. If Hiruzen Sarutobi doesn't give me a reasonable explanation, I'll reveal everything!"
The Third Ninja War had severely damaged Konoha, and the Nine-Tails incident further strained their finances.
Even after a few years, Konoha hadn't fully recovered.
Every day, the Third Hokage worried about the village's financial deficits.
Konoha was short of money, severely short.
"Knock, knock!"
"Come in."
Hearing the knock, the Third Hokage put down the documents and rubbed his tired eyes.
When the door opened, and he saw who entered, he smiled and asked:
"Koharu, what brings you here?"
"I'm here to ask why the funding from the Daimyo's mansion hasn't arrived yet, even though it's past the due date."
As old friends and colleagues, their conversation was straightforward and relaxed, like asking if someone had eaten yet.
"The money hasn't arrived?"
The Third Hokage frowned. The Daimyo was usually very punctual.
"Perhaps something came up to delay it. If it doesn't arrive in a few days, I'll send someone to inquire."
"Make sure to remind them. The village has many expenses."
Koharu also reminded the Third Hokage not to forget before leaving. As an elder advisor, she had plenty of her own work, unlike the relatively idle Danzo.
The Third Hokage didn't expect that the funding delay from the Daimyo would drag on for half a month without any update.
After several reminders from Koharu, the Third Hokage realized the situation was not simple.
If it was merely delayed, the Daimyo's mansion would have informed them.
But after half a month with no communication, something was definitely wrong.
The Daimyo was making its move.
On the Uchiha side, after resting for half a month, Kazuki couldn't stand it anymore and eventually returned to his post.
"They said half a month ago that they would discuss restructuring the police force, but there's been no progress."
Unreliable as expected.
Kazuki could already imagine the scene of the clan head Fugaku and several elders bickering and getting off-topic, unable to get any actual work done.
Having several overly self-interested elders was Fugaku's misfortune.
Being a clan head was not easy.
"Captain, do we need to go out on patrol?"
It wasn't just Kazuki who felt stifled; even Izumi wanted to get out and about.
But for the past half month, she could only stay obediently by Kazuki's side, being pulled into study sessions daily.
"Let's wait for the clan leader's notice."
Although he didn't need to stay at home, Fugaku still asked Kazuki to stay at the police force office as much as possible, rather than going out on patrol or handling various security issues.
Kazuki knew Fugaku did this for his own good, fearing Danzo might attack him.
"Bring out all the files from the cabinet."
Rest was rest, but necessary files still needed handling.
He rested at home, but the Third Squad's patrols and duties continued.
As for handling various cases, that had to wait until his return.
In the Hokage's office building, the Third Hokage couldn't sit still.
The village needed money everywhere, but there was no response from the Daimyo's mansion. The people he sent hadn't even seen the Daimyo.
Something was definitely wrong.
The Third Hokage decided to go there himself.
"Kakashi, it'll be tough on you for the next few days."
When the Hokage traveled, there had to be protection. This time, the Third Hokage decided to take Kakashi and his Anbu squad.
Kakashi, wearing an Anbu mask, nodded slightly without speaking.
"Oh, and notify Uchiha Fugaku to come see me."
Finally, recalling the report from the Anbu monitoring the Uchiha that morning, the Third Hokage decided to see Fugaku. He felt the need to verify some information.
Upon receiving the notification, Fugaku immediately put down his work and headed to the Hokage's office.
But Fugaku didn't expect that after some casual conversation, the Third Hokage would steer the topic towards Kazuki.