Restoration of Imperial Rule

T/N: Restoration of Imperial Rule refers to Meiji Restoration, also known as the Honorable Restoration at the time, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji

Upon hearing that someone wanted to whore out half of her family's insurance company, Yugito immediately exploded.

The flames of hatred burned in Yugito's eyes, making her look like a ferocious beast that chose to devour others.

Ten cat claws popped out from her fingertips, and what flashed on the cold cat claws was the determination to kill.

But... Yugito finally endured.

The big cat that had been bullied by Makoto for so long but never gave up now had a bit of Kage's pattern.

Even though she was almost pissed off, she maintained the last of her composure.

She wasn't worried that Makoto was lying to her - there was no reason or need. Even if it was a diversionary tactic, this was too low-end.

It wasn't like Kumo was a fool.

If it had been any other minor noble, Kumo would have killed it.

Although it wasn't as famous as Kiri's Silent Killing, it was still relatively easy for Kumo to kill a few people if he wanted to and not leave any clues.

Instead, it was the Daimyo's retainer... It's still the master's job to beat the dog!

Now, if they moved the Daimyo's retainer before the cabinet minister's corpse was cold...

Yugito actually knew in her heart that since Makoto wanted to be the man of the world, she had to make some choices. With Makoto's character, the noble class must all be sacrificed to the heavens.

The noble families' eggs will be shaken to give you loose egg yolk.

T/N: 'loose egg yolk' refers to the bacteria and mold invading the egg due to violent vibrations during transportation broke the egg yolk membrane

He wouldn't leave any room for the nobles to return.

Going up against the daimyo was really just a matter of time.

This was the big picture, and Yugito could do nothing to change it, but there was a lot of care needed to be taken as to when to strike... Especially if the Kumo ninja were bound to be collectively furious after this news got out...

"So, what are you going to do, Yugito?"

"A meeting! All ninjas above the cadre of the Reform Faction, gather for a meeting!" Yugito squeezed his hatred into his teeth, not forgetting to personally attack Makoto, "Makoto you son of a bitch!"

"Thanks for the compliment."

... ...

Makoto sat in the small rating room, holding the budding Nibi chakra clone in his arms. Around him sat the large and small cadres of the Kumo Reformers.

It was said to be a small evaluation room, but in fact, the space was not small, at least there was no problem in accommodating these cadres.

However, even Makoto could feel a chill on his body when he was in it.

Not that it was fear, but... Pure killing intent.

The direction these killing intent were aimed at was not Makoto, but a certain group of people that everyone knew about... Just as Makoto had thought before, all the ninjas were furious when they heard that the daimyo retainer wanted to take the dry shares of a large insurance company.

It would have been just as well if there hadn't been any.

But now that it's finally here, and everyone's wives and families are protected, it's going to be taken away from them... I can't stand you even if I have to put up with shit and piss!

The ninjas really had a cow!

"Yugito-sama, kill them!"

Makoto took a decorative orange from the table, he hadn't even peeled it yet when the Nibi clone ahoyed and ate it right off the table.

Makoto patted the greedy and lazy kitten with his hand, and a young ninja who had been summoned to the table with scarlet cheeks and ragged breathing said with extreme seriousness.

"Please be sure to give this task to me, I'll handle it beautifully and definitely won't miss a beat!"

"Even if I am unfortunate... That would still be my personal endeavor, and has nothing to do with you all!"

"Such a disorganized person must be executed by heaven!"

Wow, seeing the cherished image.

How can you be so fierce and come up with a heavenly execution?

But I like it.

Makoto picked up another gold flat candy from the table and stuffed it into his mouth.

The ninja's line of work, itself, was youthful - wanting to live beyond the age of sixty was really an incomparable luxury for a ninja.

On the other hand, on Kumo's side, it was extraordinarily youthful.

This was because the conflict between the Reform and Conservative factions in Kumo was extremely fierce. Young people always preferred the Reform Faction, and because of this purification, the average age amongst the Reform Faction was now quite worrisome, with not many even above thirty-five years old.

To put it nicely, the organization is youthful, full of passion, and possesses endless vitality.

To put it bluntly, it's... Impulsive and brainless.

Now that they heard that their family was bullied by a few small surnames, the anger in the hearts of the young ninjas could be imagined.

Because of the environment and the development strategy of the ninja village and other factors, the Kumo side of the most lack of is to practice block of big muscle. Now someone started, many young ninja immediately echoed.

This was of course also very much in line with Yugito's wishes, but as a big sister who had already begun to mature as a leader, Yugito still looked towards the few ninjas who had not opened their mouths.

These ninja were equally young, but relatively older and more stable.

One ninja with a scarred face was filled with hesitation.

"Let's not talk about that for now, what I want to ask is..."

Before the scar-faced ninja could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by one person.

"Killing won't solve the problem! Maybe it's just an obedience test for His Highness? He doesn't really want that much money, and he doesn't want to be unfavorable to us Kumo, he just... Wanting to test it?"

"With all that has happened lately, and the Courtier's case is even more suspicious, His Highness is in a different position than us, and naturally thinks differently, but he's bound to be very worried about our Kumo's loyalty - taking a step back, even if His Highness really doesn't know anything about it, and it's just those ass-selling assholes own behavior, they could also be raising the price on purpose."

"Half? Can't hold them up! They should know themselves... Let's send a few articulate men over there, and maybe we'll solve the problem with just 10%?"

That was indeed a solid statement.

A few ass-selling little surnames really weren't anything to care about, what really mattered was actually the Daimyo's attitude.

Something like a Daimyo must be very suspicious, especially since the Land of Lightning Daimyo and the Land of Fire Daimyo still had different temperaments.

In this situation now, it was hard to tell whether it was the Daimyo's scheming or the behavior of those little brats themselves.

If it was the Daimyo's authorization, then it was definitely necessary to be cautious. And if it was those few retainers... Let's try to use money if we can. Anyway, don't be thought of.

Ten percent is a lot, but it's not unacceptable. With everyone's efforts, we can always fill this big hole.

Don't look at them as just attendants... Even if it is impossible to write a few imperial edicts like the eunuchs in the late Tang Dynasty, but if they can give people eye drops at critical moments...

In the witchcraft case, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty may have noticed his son's unspeakable secret at first and asked his younger brother to ask. However, his younger brother hindered him and eventually forced him to kill his prince... Even if he finally understood it, he would kill all those bastards. So what if the clan is exterminated? The son he had cultivated for many years and the wife he had been with for many years were all gone.

T/N: Emperor Wu of Han was the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty from 141 to 87 BC

Emperor Wu was at least a capable ruler, while a ruler of the Land of Lightning's Daimyo's caliber...

...In a village, there are always a few cool-headed people who can analyze the pros and cons of a situation, rather than acting on blood and guts.

This is the difference between a great and a small ninja village.

It's not that these coolies don't get angry, after all, they really do have a cow too. But anger was anger, and it didn't stop them from analyzing rationally.

If these rationalists eventually prevailed, then this matter might actually be able to be dealt with coldly...

Makoto wasn't worried though, because his information was very detailed.

They really just wanted fifty percent.

As daimyo retainers, the money these guys usually handled was all in billions. Even though these assets essentially had nothing to do with them, it still fed their appetites.

The obedience of the ninjas over the years has long made them like the Heavenly Celestial Dragon, with true eyes higher than the top...

T/N: 'Heavenly Celestial Dragon' is a One Piece reference

They always thought that the ninjas would eventually back down.

However... Times have changed.

The ninja were slowly breaking free of the inexplicable shackles on their bodies.

Makoto picked up another sakura cake from the table and stuffed it into his mouth.

...Mmm, this sakura cake is delicious! I don't know how it's made, I'll have Minatsuki make a few more in the future.

Makoto kept to himself and snacked with Nibi while the ninjas continued to bicker.

From Makoto's perspective as an outsider, the calm faction's comments made sense if you put aside the facts.

But the ninjas who were truly enraged didn't care about that much, they weren't prepared to be reasonable at all.

There were some impulsive ones who even said some disobedient words.

The scar-faced ninja was just about to open his mouth when he was again overshadowed by the tidal wave of emotional output.

"They might only want 10%? How do you guys know that? You think? And I said I thought!"

"I'm trying to reason with you guys now! Can you guys solve the problem by just exporting your emotions? Not really!"

"Solve problems? Isn't that easy? Wouldn't it be better to kill those guys and even Daimyo? I can kill ten trash like that with a single shuriken throw!"

"You... you guys... do you know what you're saying?"

"The Daimyo wants us to be born and die, but doesn't give us any shelter. If that's the case, then what's the point of us wanting the Daimyo? It's better for us to go out on our own and go solo!"

"You... You guys can't be like this! Since the beginning of time, since the establishment of the Ninja Village, this is how everyone has lived..."

"Has it been right since the beginning of time? It used to be that samurai ruled the world! Now it's not even a Kage!"

Makoto had said something similar before, but basically no one was listening.

Now the situation is different, involving their own personal interests, coupled with the past grudges, do not need to be sincere encouragement, everyone is more than one extreme.

If this momentum continues, I'm afraid the new Land of Lightning will be born.

Ah, of course, it's all good, all good.

Rationally speaking, the Calm Faction was indeed a bit more rational - after all, they didn't have the advantage of intelligence like Makoto. But there were more radicals, and the voice of the Calm Faction couldn't make any waves at all, and was simply silenced.

Logic was great.

But people didn't like logic.

Just as Makoto was happily watching everyone break free from their shackles, the Nibi clone suddenly jumped onto his head and started licking his hair.

How could Makoto stand this, he hurriedly removed the Nibi clone from his head and started petting it.

In the world of cats and kittens, it was the big guy who could only lick the hair of his little brother.

When had Nibi ever been bullied like this, and immediately meowed in excitement.

Makoto didn't flinch either.

So while the crowd argued endlessly, Makoto fought with the Nibi clone in full view of the crowd.

The crowd was bickering so fiercely that no one cared about this man and cat at all. Until... that scar-faced ninja spoke for the third time.

"Why is the Godaime Hokage here?"

"Still beating up the Nibi clone?"

It was only at this time that everyone seemed to wake up as if from a dream, noticing Makoto, who was constantly going around stealing things to eat with the Nibi.

It was indeed quite strange, but... Around the time of the wedding, people only noticed the disrespectful guests who came to the wedding in their big pants, but not the Exterminator who was sitting right next to the guests?

It's true that at certain moments, people can become so focused that they lose sight of other things around them.

...It looked like these ninjas were really pissed off.

"What, this turned out not to be a henge? I said that today's meeting was so strange that they would put a Godaime Hokage here, and thought that the next thing to do was to beat him up."

"So, it's not fake, but real? ...Guards! Where are the guards? Hurry up and sound the alarm!"

"Godaime Hokage is killing his way in, those above Jonin are forming a formation with me, and all those below Jonin are taking the safe passage out immediately! Leave us alone!"

To the Good Soul, the previous battle was just a warm-up. But for the Kumo ninjas, the Good Soul's power and brutality had become their eternal nightmare.

Before the battle had even begun, they were already prepared for all of them to die on the spot.

...But what was Makoto doing killing them.

Makoto, who had tossed and turned twice and finally taken down Nibi once again, scratched his head in embarrassment as he faced a group of Kumo ninjas who were like enemies.

"Ah, that... I'll slip away, you guys continue, you guys continue haha."

Boom!

... ...

The Akatsuki Organization had successfully infiltrated its main force into the Land of Lightning.

Before establishing the main headquarters of the Paradise Island, Pain and Konan had prepared the whole thing. After they ate up the Paradise Island, they would use it as a springboard to press the Land of Water on the right and invade the Land of Lightning on the left.

Although they were hindered for a while, the general strategic goal was accomplished.

Now the Land of Water is in the midst of a civil war and is powerless to intervene in the Akatsuki Organization... Although the civil war seems to be almost over.

On the other hand, on the Land of Lightning's side, due to Makoto's constant interference, Kumo was unable to oversee the entire spy force within the Land of Lightning, and was invaded by the Akatsuki Organization taking advantage of the situation.

Although there were also a lot of problems during that time, the situation had opened up regardless.

But...

"It's not enough."

Pain said to Konan as he sat on a large pile of propaganda books.

"Konan, your jutsu is just right... The two of us will take a trip and spread these all over the Land of Lightning. -

"I'll have to kill a few more people by then. After you distribute these propaganda books, go ahead and leave, otherwise it might be a bit troublesome."

Ever since establishing the Paradise Island, Konan had noticed that Nagato had changed - he tried not to take her with him on occasions where he needed to kill someone.

Konan didn't really know why Nagato did this, but she respected her companion's thoughts.

"Kill someone? Who? Daimyo?"

"No, not the daimyo this time, but a couple of daimyo's sidekicks with small last names... Ha, I don't know what that guy was thinking, but since he asked for it by name, I'll kill it, it's not an important character anyway... That guy had the cheek to stay in Kumo for a few months and created such a good opportunity for us, if we don't help him, he'll be chanting like a granny."

Of course Konan knew who that he was in the long doorway.

It wasn't like the Akatsuki Organization and Konoha had been using each other for a day or two.

Anyway... Let's take what we need.

Now was not the time for the two organizations to fight to the death.

No matter who ended up losing, the other side would take the other's dreams with them and move on.

She knew that only one of the two could remain in the end, but... Dying for a dream was probably one of the most wonderful things in the world...

She didn't have a dream, but she wanted to fulfill Yahiko's and Nagato's dreams.

"I see."

Konan picked up one of the promotional books and quickly read it.

"But what are these... Hmm?"

"Rabbit Goddess, the Ancestor of Chakra, the mother of Sage of Six Paths, Otsutsuki Kaguya?"

"What does that mean?"

Pain tapped the promotional book under his butt, his tone odd.

"It's the Restoration of Imperial Rule. -

"The source of all ninjas, Otsutsuki Kaguya, is the ruler of this world, and there's some asshole who wants to get the most out of it by doing this. -

"Of course, in that guy's words, it's robbing the claim... How can a daimyo's claim that has been carried over from the Warring States Era compare to a true goddess' inheritance?"

Konan about guessed what someone was trying to do.

"He's really out of his element as usual... But is this really a good idea?"

Nagato just shook his head.

"In any case, it's better than now... Both despair and hope don't want to stagnate anymore."