Adopted by Tsunade [79-80] (Patreon)

Chapter 79: The Hokage Betrayed the Will of Fire

After Shisui woke up, he attempted suicide.

It wasn't because he thought there was something wrong with the Will of Fire, but because he didn't want to be forced to do anything that would harm Konoha.

When dealing with people who have been brainwashed like this, Natsume actually has some experience.

Changing the premise.

He asked two questions right away.

"Do you follow Hiruzen Sarutobi's Will of Fire, or the Will of Fire of the Hidden Leaf Village?"

"If you believe in Hiruzen Sarutobi, is his Will of Fire really correct? Don't you want to see the answer with your own eyes?"

Shisui was stunned on the spot.

As high-level members of Konoha, why did Orochimaru and Shimura Danzo ambush him? Where did the problem lie?

He didn't believe there was anything wrong with the Will of Fire.

But Natsume gave him another perspective.

The problem wasn't with the Will of Fire, but with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

What happened next was rather simple.

There were so many things Hiruzen Sarutobi had done; Natsume just let Shisui investigate for himself.

It nearly pushed him into depression, and he took a long time to recover.

To be honest, Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't betrayed Konoha, but his decisions were often reckless, and he used the Will of Fire to consolidate his own power.

Shisui had placed too much trust in him before.

Now, after seeing all kinds of dark secrets, his reverence for Hiruzen Sarutobi had lessened a lot.

Of course, this didn't mean he would trust Natsume.

Shisui, now alive, just wanted to know what Natsume was planning and how Konoha would handle the Uchiha clan.

"Are you used to your eyes yet?"

Natsume's original intention for saving him was to experiment with a new Mangekyo Sharingan.

If Shisui was sensible, he could recruit him as a subordinate and use him as a tool.

If he remained stubborn, then there was nothing to be done.

Natsume wasn't a good person; he defined himself now as someone who followed his own desires and let things be.

He was already living his second life.

Being a little selfish was no big deal.

Of course, not without limits.

Maybe one day, he really would bring peace to the ninja world.

At least, following the path he was familiar with from his previous life, he could make improvements.

The current ninja world was truly a hell for ordinary people.

"I've gotten used to them,"

Shisui said expressionlessly. "Perhaps, as you said, these are my ancestor's eyes."

The Sharingan he had transplanted was obtained from Shimura Danzo.

If they really were Uchiha Kagami's eyes, it was obvious that the events of that year were far from simple.

Second Hokage Senju Tobirama's seven guards and students—

Only Uchiha Kagami died unexpectedly.

Senju Tobirama wouldn't have done it, but that didn't mean others wouldn't.

This Konoha was already rotten to the core.

They had betrayed the Will of Fire.

"How is the Uchiha clan doing now?"

What Shisui cared about most was still the conflict between the Uchiha clan and Konoha.

"Pretty bad. I estimate that the radical Uchiha will soon rebel."

Being able to suppress them for over three years was already the limit, and besides, Natsume hadn't appeared for a long time.

"When the time comes, I hope you'll allow me to leave,"

Shisui said with burning eyes, "No matter how strong the Uchiha are, they can't match the whole of Konoha; most likely, they'll fail. I want to preserve some living strength."

He was already disappointed in Konoha's leadership.

If the Uchiha rebelled, he had lost his Mangekyo Sharingan and couldn't stop it.

All he could think of now was to make sure the Uchiha didn't go extinct.

In fact, this was exactly what Natsume wanted.

Those radicals were useless anyway, only making trouble.

In the original work, Itachi killed everyone, including civilians and women and children.

But now, some people could be saved.

Natsume had already figured out a place for them, and they could be used by him in the future.

After all, developing a power base required manpower.

"No problem."

Natsume smiled and replied.

But this rebellion will be nothing like you imagine.

You'll see the Itachi you placed so much hope in go on a killing spree.

"Thank you."

Shisui hadn't expected him to agree so readily.

Natsume turned and left.

In these three years, Shisui got used to his new eyes, and Natsume also got used to his new abilities.

It's just that Kotoamatsukami had never been used.

Because once a plot character is controlled, they won't generate any more Fate Points—it would be a waste.

Besides, there was no suitable target in Konoha.

To control old guys like Hiruzen Sarutobi or Shimura Danzo?

Pfft, no way.

If anything, it had to be a beautiful woman.

For example, Konan, codenamed White Tiger of Akatsuki.

Such an evil villainess, as a so-called righteous person, he would definitely bring her to justice.

But it would be difficult.

He'd have to wait for Nagato to be away before marking Konan.

The Byakugan could see the traces of Kotoamatsukami, and the Rinnegan certainly could as well.

Natsume went to the mission hall.

Their team leader, Tsunade, wasn't there, but the team's overall strength was enough to go out on missions alone.

The mission from Gunma Company was an escort mission—

To escort the employer to a port in the southeast of the Land of Fire.

And the port just happened to lead to the Land of Water.

Now, Kirigakure was in the Village of Bloody Mist period, just like the Land of Rain—outsiders were not allowed to approach.

Natsume could only sneak in quietly.

After leaving Konoha smoothly, he arrived at Tanzaku Quarters.

It wasn't really about an employer; he just wanted to say goodbye to Hinae.

She took his departure calmly and only said one thing:

 "When you come back, my Yin Seal should be completely finished."

Natsume, on the other hand, felt a little uneasy.

He'd become a bad influence.

He walked up to her, cupping her face. Without warning, he crashed his lips against hers, prying her mouth open with his tongue and plunging deep, tasting her fully. Their tongues tangled, slippery and hungry, until she went limp in his arms, her eyes rolling back in a daze as he finally let her go, breathless and flushed.

Natsume's first stop wasn't the Land of Water, but the Land of Waves.

In the original story, this was the site of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura's first C-rank mission—

The bridge-building master Tazuna's commission.

He hid the real content of the mission; what seemed a simple escort turned into an encounter with Zabuza Momochi and Haku.

Zabuza was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure, who defected because he was dissatisfied with Fourth Mizukage Yagura's bloody rule.

Haku was an Ice Release ninja he had saved by chance.

Both were hired by the wealthy merchant Gato to assassinate Tazuna.

The outcome was obvious.

With the protagonist's halo, both of them died.

Although Zabuza had brilliant achievements—he punched the reincarnation of Asura, kicked the reincarnation of Indra, and even beat the Sixth Hokage until he couldn't get out of bed.

Natsume's target was Gato.

This was a must-deal-with character for many transmigrators.

He was weak but filthy rich.

In the original, he was described as one of the richest men in the world.

Naruto and the others risked their lives and ended up with just an S-rank mission.

Little did they know, Konoha was the one making a killing.

After Gato died, who ended up with his wealth? No need to ask.

Natsume refused to believe that, when it came to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Hiruzen would assign him a C-rank mission so carelessly.

He would definitely investigate thoroughly in advance.

Right now, the events in the Land of Waves hadn't spread; Natsume could seize control early.

Moreover, this was also the place he prepared for the surviving Uchiha.

A life-saving favor—at the very least, they'd have to work for him for decades, right?

Chapter 80: How Many Floors Can a Bag of Rice Carry?

The Land of Waves is surrounded by sea on all sides, but not far from the Land of Fire, Land of Hot Water, and Land of Water, so maritime transport is very developed.

It's a country that depends on the sea for a living.

Its once peaceful life was shattered by Gato.

He ran a shipping company and, with money and violence, took control of all the sea routes, effectively controlling the Land of Waves.

Bridge-building master Tazuna planned to break his monopoly by building a bridge to the outside world.

So Gato hired Zabuza and Haku to assassinate him and maintain his rule.

Natsume didn't know the current situation in the Land of Waves, so he sent Gunma Company's employees ahead to investigate.

Sure enough, Gato had appeared. Though he hadn't been there long, he'd already provoked public anger.

His methods—what could you say—they were too brutal, squeezing the people dry.

In fact, the Land of Waves had always been quite poor.

Natsume planned to make money in a more sustainable way.

After getting off the boat, he headed straight for the Land of Waves' metropolis.

Gunma Company's employees were already waiting for him.

There were twenty in total.

Their leader was a ninja named Shin Mitsuhashi.

Though only a Genin, that was enough.

"Lord Natsume, we've already found Gato's location."

"What about his guards? Is there a ninja with a giant Executioner's Blade, as I mentioned?"

Natsume was referring to Zabuza.

Since he had come early, Zabuza probably wasn't in the Land of Waves yet.

But he had to check.

"No."

Shin Mitsuhashi shook his head. "His guards are mostly samurai, with very few ninjas. Maybe because the Land of Waves has no ninjas of its own, he feels confident."

In the original, if Gato hadn't hired Zabuza and Haku, the rookie Team 7 could have solved things easily.

The root of it is that ninjas in this world have a certain code.

They only do missions; they don't meddle in affairs outside their assignments, nor do they attack nobles or tycoons.

Even Akatsuki is like that.

When they need money, they just do missions or accept black market bounties.

If it were Natsume, he'd have probably already cleaned out the daimyo and aristocrats of various countries.

"Let's go."

Natsume smiled and said, "No need to waste time."

"Yes."

Shin Mitsuhashi turned to lead the way and brought him to a large mansion.

"You all wait here."

Natsume put on his cat mask.

"Who are you?"

As soon as he got close, the guards noticed him.

Katanas were drawn one after another.

Because of the prevalence of ninjas, samurai had fallen out of favor.

Only the Land of Iron still had strong samurai.

But even their strength came from swordsmanship and chakra, not pure sword skill.

Natsume casually threw two shuriken, piercing their throats.

If you followed Gato, you were as good as a criminal.

No need for mercy.

Natsume opened the gate—more guards inside.

There were even a few ninjas.

Several water attacks came at him.

On both sides, two samurai charged, swinging long blades at him.

Natsume threw two shuriken, then used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear, reappearing among the crowd.

Water Style: Water Bullet Barrage!

Chakra gathered in his hands, transforming into countless water bullets, spraying in all directions.

Blood splattered.

The guards fell one after another.

In no time, only Natsume was left standing.

He turned and saw Gato, who had come to check the commotion inside.

Besides him, there were two ninjas wearing Kirigakure forehead protectors.

"Take him down!"

Seeing the corpses, Gato panicked and shouted.

Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!

The ninja on the left pointed to the sky, spreading thick mist from himself.

Water Style: Water Fang Blade!

The ninja on the right formed hand signs; his right hand was covered in chakra, forming a sharp water blade.

He charged at Natsume, aiming to kill him in the mist.

Kirigakure ninjas excel at silent killing.

Simply put, they create mist and silently hunt their enemies.

Most ninjas can't handle this situation and die.

But Kirigakure's ninjas are used to it—they thrive in this environment.

Natsume casually drew the Thunder God Sword and stabbed it backward.

The sharp blade severed the Water Fang Blade and beheaded him.

The ninja coming from the front, hiding in the mist and circling behind, thought he had a sure kill.

But now, his face was full of disbelief—until he saw Natsume's spinning three-tomoe Sharingan.

Damn it!

Of all people, it had to be a Uchiha!

The ninja fell dead.

Natsume's body suddenly disappeared from the spot and appeared behind the other ninja, stabbing him through.

As he died, the mist gradually cleared.

"H-h-how…?"

Gato's eyes widened, his teeth chattering in fear.

Natsume quickly dodged the splattering blood—if he got the sword tassel Tsunade gave him dirty, he'd be furious.

He sheathed the Thunder God Sword, turned, and looked at Gato.

A short, middle-aged man.

His bald head reflected the sunlight.

"Sp-spare me! However much money you want, I can give you!"

Facing death, Gato suddenly spoke fluently.

Natsume didn't kill him immediately, because he needed Gato to explain his business network.

His method was simple—use the Sharingan to hypnotize and control him.

"Shin Mitsuhashi, can you use the Transformation Jutsu?"

"I can."

Shin Mitsuhashi nodded.

"From now on, you will temporarily transform into Gato."

Natsume instructed, "I've hypnotized Gato. He'll give you all the details of his company. Once you know everything, kill him."

"Yes!"

Shin Mitsuhashi replied excitedly.

"Clean up the battlefield. Try not to let outsiders know what happened here."

Natsume waved his hand.

Shin Mitsuhashi and the others immediately began cleaning the mansion.

[Because of your actions, Zabuza Momochi's fate has changed. You have gained 79 Fate Points.]

[Because of your actions, Haku's fate has changed. You have gained 60 Fate Points.]

[Because of your actions, Gato's fate has changed. You have gained 27 Fate Points.]

A rather easy harvest.

Natsume was quite satisfied.

He also had Gato sort out his assets.

This guy really deserved to be strung up on a streetlamp.

Aside from fixed assets, his cash flow alone was over a billion ryo—truly terrifying.

But on second thought, it made sense. Gato didn't just control the Land of Waves; he also controlled several small island nations.

Plus, shipping was extremely profitable.

And the billion ryo was just his available cash.

If he sold all his real estate, antiques, and jewelry, it could multiply several times, maybe even dozens of times.

Natsume had a question now: how many floors would Nagato have to carry bags of rice up to earn that much money?

Main hall.

Shin Mitsuhashi and the others stood around.

Natsume was writing a development plan for the Land of Waves.

It's easy and hard at the same time.

Anyone who has been to school can write a few suggestions.

But the details are hard to grasp.

Half an hour later, Natsume finished, handed the scroll to Shin Mitsuhashi, and said, "Just follow this."

Shin Mitsuhashi instinctively opened it—it was divided into four sections.

First, take down the daimyo of the Land of Waves, execute Gato publicly, gain the goodwill of the people, and develop the fishing industry.

Second, sponsor Tazuna to build the bridge, but seize control over it.

Third, deepen trade relations with the nearby Land of Fire, Land of Water, and Land of Hot Water.

Fourth, establish a shipping company to control the routes and the bridge, and charge transport and toll fees.

Shin Mitsuhashi understood only half but was greatly shocked.

[Because of your actions, Tazuna's fate has changed. You have gained 4 Fate Points.]