"In order to complete the first stage of collecting money and monopolizing war commissions, we must spread the reputation of the Akatsuki organization and let the small countries know that there is a powerful mercenary organization in the ninja world."
"But be careful when spreading your reputation so as not to attract the attention of the five major powers, and at the same time don't be too aggressive."
"In the first stage, it is not advisable to attract the attention of the five major nations. Those who are traitors should try to hide their identities as much as possible."
Thinking back to Pain's request, Biwa Juzo found it troublesome. Isn't it just about taking commissions to make money and then killing people? Why make it so complicated
"It's really troublesome." Biwa Juzang complained.
"I think it's quite normal. Although I don't know much about your ninja world, the ninjas from the five major countries are all very strong. It would be very dangerous if we attract their attention." Musashi said casually.
“Of course the ninjas from the five great nations are strong. There is no comparison between the ninjas from the small village and the ninjas from the five great nations. However, the power of our organization cannot be underestimated.
I don't think the leader of such an organization, who unscrupulously recruited so many S-rank rebels, would be afraid of the so-called Five Great Nations. There may be other reasons." Biwa Juzo speculated.
"Maybe, but it's none of our business. We can just run away." Musashi said he didn't care. He was asked to fight for Akatsuki with his life? What a dream.
We can share the good times, but when we are in trouble, it is better to escape early.
"Are you really a samurai? I heard that samurai attach great importance to loyalty." Biwa Juzo looked at Musashi with suspicion.
He could tell from Musashi's words that he didn't care about Akatsuki and would run away immediately if anything went wrong.
"Of course I am a real samurai. Have you seen me use ninjutsu?" Musashi said as he gripped the hilt of the sword.
"That's true. But are there many warriors like you in the Iron Kingdom?" Biwa Juzo asked curiously.
The Iron Kingdom and the Ninja Kingdom signed a contract not to invade each other, so ninjas will not go to the Iron Kingdom, and at the same time, Iron Kingdom samurai will not go to the Ninja Kingdom.
Biwa Juzo was really curious about what the kingdom of samurai was like.
However, he felt that Musashi should be the strongest among the samurai. Otherwise, if all the samurai were so strong, ninjas would not be able to replace them.
"A samurai like me..." Musashi thought about it and didn't know how to answer for a moment.
"It's hard to say. I've been out for quite a while and haven't challenged those seniors. I don't know the specific situation."
"Our target this time is in the northern part of the Land of Rice, very close to the Land of Iron. Do you want to go back to the Land of Iron to take a look?" asked Biwa Juzang.
After hearing this, Musashi was somewhat tempted, but still shook his head.
He is in a lot of trouble now. Not only is he a wanted criminal in Kirigakure, but he has also joined a dangerous organization like Akatsuki.
If I go to the Iron Kingdom, I might bring trouble to the Iron Kingdom. I'd better wait until things are over and then go back to take a look.
Anyway, only three years have passed, and the teacher should still be in good health.
Apart from his teacher, there was no one else in the Iron Kingdom that he cared about.
"You'd better lead the way quickly. We can have a good fight after we complete the mission." Musashi said with a provocative smile.
Biwa Juzang raised his eyebrows, turned his head, made a few creaking sounds, and said, "I have been trying to crack your swordsmanship recently."
"Then I'll wait and see." Musashi showed a hint of fighting spirit.
Immediately, the two of them sped up their movements and headed towards the northern part of Tianguo.
The Land of Rice is a country without a ninja village and its domestic politics is corrupt, so the Land of Rice is one of the key targets of the Akatsuki organization.
The absence of a ninja village means that the military power is weak, and when war occurs, the only way to resist the invasion is to hire ninjas from other countries.
Political corruption means that the country is easier to deal with.
The two accepted a commission, which was to kill the newly appointed minister of Tianzhi Kingdom.
The person who issued the mission was the general of Tianzhikuni.
It seems that the newly appointed minister was dissatisfied with the customs of Tianguo Country and was preparing for reform, which affected the interests of the general.
Of course, this information was not told to them by the so-called general. In fact, they were not supposed to know the client's name.
But with a convenient intelligence officer like White Zetsu, everything is not a problem.
Akatsuki not only knew the reason for this commission, but also learned a series of information about the client.
Therefore, Payne planned to kill the minister to complete the commission, obtain the bounty, and then use this matter to threaten the general to make the general cooperate with them.
All war commissions in Tianzhi Country must be given to Akatsuki, and Akatsuki must be given priority for other commissions.
But at the same time, Akatsuki will also give Tian Zhi Kuni a discount and only charge two-thirds of the normal commission.
So Pain believed that even if this was a threat, the general would accept it calmly, because the Akatsuki organization was cheap and easy to use, and this way he would make more money.
Payne planned to use this method to nibble away at small countries step by step, and then take action against big countries after completing the layout.
Musashi and Biwa Juzo were both elites among elites, and they were also physically strong. They quickly arrived at their destination.
The capital of the field country in the lower north.
This place is very different from the other towns in the field country that Musashi saw along the way. It is much more prosperous.
Like prosperous cities in other countries, there are tall buildings here, and shops selling various goods on the streets. You can even see specialties from other countries.
"Juzo, you should have more experience than me in assassination. What should we do?"
The two searched for a street hidden deep in the shadows, and Musashi asked Biwa Juzo.
"If it were me, I would probably choose to investigate the other party's behavior habits in advance, then lurk in the path he must pass at night, and then kill him." Biwa Juzang thought for a while and said.
“After all, this is a small country without even a ninja village, and the domestic military is weak.
If the organization had no other needs, we would have just forced our way into the palace and killed the target ourselves."
"Then do as you say. First investigate the other party's habits, and then find an opportunity to kill him." Musashi nodded.
After all, he is just a samurai, and he prefers head-on combat.
The information provided by Zetsu was very comprehensive. Not only did he give them a detailed map of Tian Kingdom, but he also provided the specific location of the minister's home.
This is the importance of intelligence.
If they didn't have the perfect intelligence, it would probably take them a lot of effort just to find the minister.
Knowing the specific location of the minister, the two of them didn't have to spend so much time thinking. They could just go to the minister's house and wait for him.
Because they arrived in the afternoon, Biwa Juzo and Musashi, who were hiding in the minister's house, soon saw the minister returning home for dinner.
The minister was a somewhat thin middle-aged man. When he arrived at the door of his house, his expression was not very good, and there was a deep sense of sadness on his face.
In addition to the minister himself, there were two sword-wielding warriors following the minister.
However, in Musashi's perception, the aura of the two samurai was not strong, about the same as that of a ninja's Chunin. Even before he met his father, he could fight one against two and defeat the two samurai.
"If they continue to mess around like this, Tian Country will be in danger." Thinking of his colleagues who were so corrupt that they could not be more corrupt, the minister sighed.
Because he advocated reform, he gained the support of many people and some like-minded people, and because of some vested interests, he became a minister.
He knew how he got his position as a minister. It was simply because the general was powerful and the daimyo wanted to use him to balance the general's strength.
But the minister didn't care. This was also the result of his planning. His goal had been achieved. Now that he was in this position, he could do more.
However, the minister still underestimated the degree of corruption of those people. Because of the general's coercion and inducement, a group of people who originally supported him directly turned to the general and opposed his reforms.
Fortunately, the minister is no pushover to reach this position. Corrupt officials are wicked, but he is even more wicked than them!
The minister established a new department on the grounds that there were too many bandits in the country and that a stronger force was needed to clean up the domestic atmosphere.
So although on the surface the general's power has not decreased, in fact some of it has been taken away.
Although the goal was finally achieved, the minister felt that the situation was difficult.
This time the general suffered a loss due to his accurate preparation. Next time the enemy will surely be more well prepared, so it is not certain whether he can succeed.
"Sir, those insects are not worth your worry." The shorter warrior guard on the right said indignantly.
Hearing the samurai calling those people insects, the minister smiled and then spoke:
"I wish those people were real insects, so I could deal with them more easily.
Unfortunately, they are very smart, but their smartness is not used to rule the country, but to enjoy themselves and enrich their own pockets. "
"Also, Takasugi, I'm sorry to trouble you to lead the team to eliminate the bandits. The bandits in the country really need to be dealt with, otherwise the caravans will not dare to come to the Land of Rice." The minister said seriously.
"Just a mere bandit, leave it to me." Gao Shan said calmly, his face full of confidence.
"Of course I believe in your ability." The minister smiled and patted Takasugi's shoulder, then walked into the house.
"The warriors guarding outside are of average strength. We can take action now." Biwa Juzang glanced at the warriors and said.
After waiting for two minutes, Biwa Juzo found that Musashi did not respond, so he looked at Musashi, only to find that Musashi was in a daze.
"Musashi." Biwa Juzo frowned slightly and called Musashi's name directly.
Although Musashi is very powerful, he is not a ninja. He was distracted during the mission, which is a big taboo.
Biwa Juzo felt that he should teach Musashi some ninja knowledge after he returned.
"Hmm?" After hearing his own name, Musashi reacted and looked at Biwa Juzo.
"I said that the warriors guarding outside are of average strength. Now is a good time to take action. Do you want to take action?"
Although during this period, people generally believed that the generals were responsible.
However, Biwa Juzo is confident that he will not leave any traces. By then, those people will have no evidence and no way to deal with it, which will not hinder the cooperation between their Akatsuki organization and the general.
"Let's do it now..." A thoughtful look appeared on Musashi's face.
Originally he didn't care, but, if he remembered correctly.
Gao Qiao's family died at the hands of bandits. If it weren't for his father, Gao Qiao might have also died at the hands of bandits.
Although that incident happened in the Land of Grass.
Suppress the bandits, rectify the bandits in the Land of Rice, and get the information on White Zetsu.
Musashi felt that this minister might unexpectedly be a good person.
Then the problem arises, the people that Musashi is most reluctant to kill are good people.
Or, generally speaking, he wouldn't kill anyone.
Back then, he sneaked into the Hidden Mist Village several times to fight with experts, and he didn't kill any of the ninjas he defeated along the way.
The reason is that Musashi felt that it was wrong for him to break into the Hidden Mist Village, and it would be even more wrong to kill the people of the Hidden Mist Village.
Breaking into the Hidden Mist Village was just a helpless act to improve his strength.
Musashi couldn't kill a minister who worked for the people for money.
However, in the current situation, he can choose not to take action, but there is no guarantee that Biwa Juzang will not take action, nor can he guarantee what the general will do next.
"Okay, let's do it now. You use the transformation technique to turn into a minister to confuse the sight, and I will take the minister to a deserted place and kill him." Musashi thought for a while, then said.
"Okay." Biwa Juzang thought about it and felt it was okay so he agreed.
The two men moved out together, and Musashi silently appeared behind the minister and knocked him unconscious.
Then Biwa Juzang quickly formed seals and transformed himself into the appearance of a minister.
Relying on his superior speed, Musashi easily dodged everyone and brought the minister to the more dilapidated outer city area of the capital of Tianguo Kingdom.
Musashi found a hidden street, put the minister on the ground, and then stimulated the minister with chakra.
The minister felt a sharp pain in his body and woke up.
The minister found himself not at home but lying on a dark street with a stranger in front of him. A hint of surprise appeared on his face, but he quickly adjusted himself.
"What do you want to do?" the minister asked calmly.
Since the other party didn't kill him directly, there is still room for negotiation.
Musashi didn't waste any time and told the minister about the Shogun's assassination attempt on him.
However, during this process, Musashi concealed the existence of Akatsuki and only said that he was a member of a ninja organization.
Because the minister seemed to be a man who got things done, he did not have the heart to do it, and instead chose to tell him the truth.
"That guy is really crazy. He actually did such a thing." The minister frowned.
He still overestimated the general's magnanimity and underestimated the guy's madness.
No matter how he said this, he was still a minister and the head of the civil servants in Tianguo.
If there is evidence of his assassination, even a general will not be able to take it easy.
“You’d better find a way to hide your identity. I saved you this time, but the next person may not be like me.
For your own good, you'd better disappear in the Land of Fields." Musashi said.
The minister thought about it and finally nodded.
The general actually hired ninjas to kill him, obviously not wanting to fight him within the rules.
Then he might as well take this opportunity to go from the light to the dark and hide his strength in the dark.
Seeing that the minister agreed, Musashi felt relieved.
All we have to do next is find the general.