thefictionvixens Chapter 156 Aftermath and Distribution
Chapter 156 Aftermath and Distribution
Chapter 147 Aftermath and Distribution
Not long after, Kazehaya returned to Morino Prefecture, bringing with him four family heads who were somewhat renowned in the city.
The two men were around forty and fifty years old, respectively, both appearing pampered and well-dressed, with composed demeanors.
Kazehaya briefly introduced the backgrounds of each family—they all had some connection with the Land of Fire, either through business dealings or through a marriage alliance with a minor noble.
One of the elders, who looked to be about fifty years old and had white hair and beard, was named Kawada Shinji. His second daughter had married into a small ninja family in Konoha, but unfortunately, she died young.
They naturally recognized Xingyuan Qianshuo, this "medical master," and treated him with utmost respect, showering him with praise.
Xingyuan Qianshuo responded gently and greeted each of the four people.
He didn't care about the backgrounds of these families; he just felt it was inconvenient for Konoha to take over the Morino family's businesses and needed to support local forces close to Konoha to manage them.
After getting to know each other, he led everyone to Morino Yan's room, where they saw Morino Yan lying dead in a pool of blood.
The four men immediately tensed up, holding their breath, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.
Making a living in the city where Morino Yan held absolute power, they had dealt with this city lord quite often. Their family businesses not only had to pay taxes, but also had to make frequent "tributes."
Now that Morino Yan is dead and his guards are all wiped out, the dark cloud hanging over their heads has suddenly dissipated, and the group can't help but feel a sense of relief.
The fact that the lord of a city could be so easily killed by ninjas is chilling.
After everyone sat down, Hoshino Senju did not speak himself, but instead asked Nagano, the steward of the Morino Mansion, to explain the cause and effect—this would sound more credible.
After Nagano finished speaking, Hoshino Senju looked around and slowly said, "Konoha obtained the ten-year mining rights for the Zuijiangcao Gold Mine through authorization from the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers, Minamoto no Wataru. This matter had been settled with Morino Iwao, but it is truly regrettable that he met with misfortune tonight."
"Morino Yan raised bandits as henchmen at Rain-Eroded Cliff, and the bandit leader, Kirishima Kirito, was a rogue ninja from Kirigakure. Now that his henchmen have turned against him, he has only himself to blame."
"However, Kirishima is quite powerful. After using the Hidden Mist Technique, he took advantage of the thick fog to rob the Morino Mansion's treasury and has already fled. His whereabouts are unknown."
"We, the ninja of Konoha, will be stationed here for a long time, and many people in the city will continue to work as miners. We will do our best to maintain the peace of this city and prevent bandits from attacking."
"But Konoha is ultimately an outsider. What are your views, four clan heads, on the current state of the Morino clan and the future development of Morino Castle?"
The four exchanged glances and remained silent for a moment. Finally, Kawada Shinji spoke up: "Dr. Chisaku has saved the lives of the people of our city, and we are willing to follow your arrangements."
"Butler, what about you?" Hoshino Senju looked at Nagano.
"No, no, I'll do whatever you say." The steward, Nagano, quickly bowed his head.
Hoshino Senju then looked at Kazehaya, who nodded slightly: "Senju-kun, it's up to you to decide."
Hoshino Senshuo pretended to hesitate for a moment before saying, "Morino Tsukasa, the young head of the Morino family, acted rashly before, hiring bounty hunters to attack Konoha ninjas. We have reached a settlement with Morino Gen and brought Morino Tsukasa to Kikyo Castle to be disciplined for ten years."
"Morino Yan has two other young sons who have gone to the Land of Honey. Without a leader in the Morino family, it will inevitably affect the operation of the entire city and may even delay our mining and alchemy in Konoha."
"Since ancient times, the eldest son has been chosen over the youngest. Although Morino Tsukasa has made mistakes, he should succeed as the head of the Morino family. Konoha follows the rules, and he will be released after ten years to inherit the family business."
"During these ten years, the Morino family's properties in the city have been distributed and managed by your four families. Each month, you shall hand over 30% of the profits to be used for building bridges and roads, supporting the widows and orphans, raising orphans, and establishing schools, clinics, and other charitable causes."
"The Morino family's farmland was distributed to the people for cultivation according to the number of people, and 20% of the harvest was handed over as land rent, which was also used for charity."
"Ten years later, Morino Tsukasa returns, and we'll discuss this again. What do you all think?"
Xingyuan Qianshuo's allocation is simple and direct.
The industrial interests were handed over to these four families, but in name only, they were merely acting as intermediaries.
The rent for farmland was reduced and distributed to the people in the city, but it was still considered Morino family land.
This "land reform" was somewhat incomplete; there was no public trial and no return of the plundered wealth to the Morino family.
As a Konoha ninja, this was the limit of what they could achieve.
"Dr. Chisaku is so kind! These measures have benefited the entire city. You are truly a benefactor of Morino Castle," Kawada Shinji said gratefully.
The other three echoed in agreement. They hadn't expected to be summoned in the middle of the night and end up with such good fortune.
The steward, Nagano, lowered his head and remained silent. When he saw Xingyuan Qianshuo's gaze sweep over him, he quickly said, "Lord Qianshuo is compassionate. This is a very appropriate solution. I completely agree with it."
At this moment, Kawada Shinji pondered again and said, "Dr. Chisaku has been incredibly kind to the people of our small town, and we have no way to repay him. How about we rename Morino Castle to Chisaku Castle to express our gratitude?"
Upon hearing this, everyone unanimously agreed. Some secretly regretted not thinking of this idea.
Xingyuan Qianshuo smiled and nodded, without declining.
In the original story, Team 7 left behind the "Naruto Bridge" in the Land of Waves, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration for them to get "Chisaku Castle".
He pondered for a moment and said, "Changing the name is no small matter. This place is, after all, the territory of the River Country. I suggest you compile a document and report it to the daimyo Minamoto no Watari."
"Yes, yes, Dr. Qian Shuo is very thoughtful. We will definitely report it."
The four clan chiefs readily agreed. In the past, Morino Yan had been a de facto ruler, and they didn't have the guts to do so; they had to obey the daimyo—at least nominally.
Of course, their real reliance is still on the Konoha ninja stationed here.
Without Konoha's support, the Morino family's businesses are likely to be taken over and seized by the daimyo.
As for whether Morino Tsukasa will return in ten years, and how to negotiate after his return, that is all up to Konoha to decide.
"Butler Nagano, please cooperate with the four clan leaders to make the necessary arrangements for the funerals of Morino Yan and the others. Then, send someone to inform your clan leader's wife whether she would like to bring her two young children back to pay their respects?" Hoshino Chisaku said with a smile.
"Yes, yes, I will definitely cooperate fully," Nagano quickly replied.
Xingyuan Qianshuo nodded slightly.
He didn't like the butler. Given the man's past actions of aiding and abetting evil, he deserved to die. But at the moment, no one was more familiar with the Morino family's accounts and personnel than him, so he had no choice but to keep him for the time being.
If they become unusable in the future, it will not be too late to punish them.
As for the clan chief's wife—she is not Morino Tsukasa's biological mother. If she dares to return with two young children, Hoshigen Chisaku would have to admit she's someone to be reckoned with.
He pondered for a moment, then said, "The Morino Mansion is currently vacant. The four clan heads may choose a place here as their office. From now on, you will need to discuss and handle matters within the city."
"Kazehaya-senpai, we Konoha ninjas are also stationed here. I need to continue my free clinic, so please help everyone to ensure that things in the city remain stable and that mining is not affected."
"Okay." Kazehaya smiled and nodded.
With Morino Yan's downfall, Kazehaya was secretly delighted. While the Konoha ninjas couldn't openly seize power, Hoshino Senju's arrangements had already made Konoha the de facto rulers of the area.
"After Nagano and Morino Yan's funeral, if any servants in the manor wish to leave, they can be given severance pay and allowed to choose whether to stay or leave," Hoshigen Chisaku instructed again.
"Yes, sir," Nagano quickly replied.
"Yes, do your job well and make amends. Qian Shuo City needs your hard work to get better." Xingyuan Qian Shuo stood up, patted Nagano's hunched shoulder, and said in front of everyone.
"Yes, sir! I will do my best!" Nagano quickly replied.
After tonight, he will have lost his foothold in this city—either he will have to escape, or he will have to wait to be dealt with.
Xingyuan Qianshuo's words temporarily reassured him: as long as he obeyed Konoha and was useful to Konoha, he could live.
"Alright, you guys go ahead with your work. I have to do a free clinic tomorrow, so I'll go back to the hotel to rest first." After saying that, Xingyuan Qianshuo walked towards the door.
Everyone in the room quickly stood up and respectfully saw them off.
Xingyuan Qianshuo gave a few more instructions to the Iron Blade Squad and returned to the inn alone. Soon after, a large number of gold bars suddenly appeared in his personal storage space.
"Not bad—after all that work, the total income is about 420 million taels." He was in a good mood. "It's truly a business with no capital investment. We've run into a nouveau riche who loves to hoard gold."
He reviewed the events of the night in his mind: at least on the surface, it was all plausible; Konoha had neither been greedy for profit nor damaged its reputation.
"Have Kazehaya-senpai write a report and submit it tomorrow. Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi has some suspicions, without evidence, he'll have to keep quiet."
After finishing his work, it was past 11 p.m. Xingyuan Qianshuo did not return to the Qianshou residence but went straight to sleep.
The next morning.
Xingyuan Qianshuo got up, washed up with water jutsu, and walked out of the room, where he met Fengshang Xinren who was already waiting.
"Good morning, Senshuo-kun." Kazehaya greeted him with a smile.
"Good morning, Kazehaya-senpai," Hoshigen Chisaku replied gently. "Nothing happened after I left last night, right?"
"It's alright, it's just that the four clan leaders are fighting fiercely, all wanting to grab the most profitable assets." Kazehaya shook his head.
They got off too easily.
"Haha, we are ninjas from a ninja village after all, and outsiders, so it's not appropriate to openly rob them," Hoshino Senju laughed. "However, you chose these four families, so you don't have to blindly follow them. You should give them a good talking-to when necessary."
"Hmm." Kazehaya nodded, then paused before asking, "Chisaku-kun, how should we report the situation here?"
Xingyuan Qianshuo pondered for a moment: "Senior, just write it down truthfully. Report it to Kikyo Castle, and Senior Akagi Ken will present it to the Third Hokage after receiving it. We just need to wait for his approval."
"Okay." Kazehaya thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"By the way, please ask Nagano to take stock of the Morino family's assets and grain, and gather the cash flow from each business—it doesn't need to be left to those four families, but can be used as start-up capital for poverty relief and charitable activities."
Hoshino Senju added, "Also, have those four clans donate some money. Although Konoha doesn't benefit from this, our words must carry weight in this city—not just through the power of the ninjas, but also through the reputation of benevolence we've cultivated."
"Hmm, I understand." Kazehaya said thoughtfully.
The two exchanged a few more words, then joined the others for a meal before going their separate ways.
In the small square, Xingyuan Qianshuo and Tie Ren, along with three others, were providing free medical consultations as usual.
The news of Morinofu gradually spread, and patients and their families in line whispered among themselves, discussing the matter.
Seeing this, Hoshino Senju hesitated for a moment before deciding not to intervene. He left the matter entirely to Kazehaya.
All he did in this small town was to see injustice, do his best to punish Morino Yan, improve the lives of the people, and incidentally raise some funds for the Red Cross Society.
This time, it was not without the intention of testing the waters of social reform, but what he did was simply to change the upper structure of Morino Castle from one dominant entity to a system of four co-governance, with Konoha controlling it from behind the scenes.
Even so, if word gets out, it could still offend the daimyo and nobles.
Xingyuan Qianshuo wasn't worried; he was just afraid of trouble. It wasn't the right time to push for a complete social transformation yet.
In the morning, after touring Morino Prefecture, Kaze wrote a report in his private office.
He checked and revised it repeatedly, and finally copied it all over again.
"Ryuichi, go back to Kikyo Castle and give this letter to Lord Akagi Ken," Kazehaya said to one of his subordinates as he left the house.
"Yes, Captain." A Chunin named Ryuichi accepted the order.
"Lord Akagi Ken might reply; bring it back. If he has other plans, then obey. Be careful on your journey."
"Yes."
Ryuichi put the letter away and turned to leave.
Around 10 a.m., Ryuichi arrived at Kikyo Castle. After reading the letter, Akagi Ken pondered for a moment, picked up a pen to add his comments, summoned a Konoha ninja hawk to tie the letter, released the summon, and sent it out.
The letter was quickly delivered to the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, with a pipe in his mouth, finished reading the report and pondered its pros and cons.
"Chishuo is still too kind-hearted—but it's good, at least Konoha has gained a foothold in Morino Castle and Chishuo Castle, and its influence is sufficient, so there's no need to worry about mining and alchemy in the future."
"Now that it's peacetime, even local powers in the Land of Rivers cannot be plundered by Konoha. Chisaku handled this well. However, we should investigate Kirishima Kirito who escaped."
He did not suspect Xingyuan Qianshuo. According to the report, the whole thing made sense: it was simply that the rogue ninja from Kirigakure, seeing that Konoha had moved in, feared a conflict and would be wiped out, so they robbed their employers and fled.
Kirishima Kirito's actions were entirely consistent with his understanding of the rogue ninja of Kirigakure.
In fact, this person probably harbored greed all along, and Konoha's arrival only prompted him to make up his mind to take action.
"Sarutobi, summon Yamanaka Inoichi," Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Third Hokage." Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who was secretly guarding him, vanished in an instant.
"Send Inoichi to the Land of Rivers to use mind-reading on the prisoners to obtain information about Kirishima Kirito's appearance, draw a portrait, and then investigate him throughout the ninja world." Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke, pondering to himself, "Judging from the report, the amount of money Kirishima Kirito absconded with—it's no small sum."
He calmed himself down, picked up his pen and wrote: "I agree with Xingyuan Qianshuo and Fengzao's handling of the matter, and remind them to settle the prisoners properly and wait for Konoha to send someone to investigate."
Hoshigen Chisaku was unaware that Sarutobi Hiruzen was planning to double-cross Kirishima Kirito.
He noticed that many patients from the surrounding villages were arriving at the small square one after another. They were dressed in rags, looked pale and thin, and their expressions were tired but hopeful.
After a moment's thought, he created a shadow clone to notify Kazehaya, asking him to set up a porridge distribution point in the small square. Since it was all Morino family food, there was no harm in using it.
When he learned from these people that some seriously ill patients in other villages were unable to come, he decided to send his shadow clones to each village to provide medical treatment.
His Kagura Mind's Eye perception range exceeds 120 kilometers, more than enough to cover the entire gold mine area.
Although ordinary people do not have a large amount of chakra, they can still be sensed by Kagura's perfect-level Mind's Eye.
By following the direction in which the crowds gather, you can find all the villages.
Having made up his mind, Xingyuan Qianshuo once again created four shadow clones to patrol the surrounding villages. His main body, on the other hand, continued its "binge-eating" mode to replenish its energy.
In the evening, the medical treatment work in the small square came to an end. The shadow clones heading to the village were also gradually dispelled—before disappearing, they all left behind the Flying Thunder God mark to facilitate continuing the work the next day.
After tidying up the medical tents, Xingyuan Qianshuo led Tie Ren and the other three to Senye Prefecture.
Starting tonight, Konoha ninjas will no longer stay in inns, but will move directly into the mansion.
After enjoying the sumptuous dinner arranged by the steward Nagano, Hoshino Chisaku returned to his room.
"This place is really nice—it even has its own power generation equipment, and all kinds of electric lights and appliances are available. It's really luxurious, no wonder it's the lord of a city." He looked at the bright lights and muttered to himself.
Immediately, he formed a hand seal to create a shadow clone, while his main body used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport away.