Chapter 254: Framing Sunagakure
His words snapped Isamu out of his shock. He looked down at his body and thought, \'I thought I was dead for sure. The enemy was much stronger than me. I was no match. Did he assume that I was dead and left in a hurry?\'
He turned his eyes towards the medical ninja and became scared once again. He thought, \'First a Suna Anbu almost kills me and then a Suna medical ninja saves me? What the heck are these guys playing at?\'
The medical ninja saw the fear in Isamu\'s eyes and frowned. It felt as if Isamu was afraid of him. He asked, "Who injured you?"
Having just gotten another chance to live, Isamu didn\'t wish to risk it again. He replied, "I can\'t say as I didn\'t see his face. I need to make a report to Lord Daimyo. After all, he killed the noble I was assigned to protect!"
At the same time, a doubt appeared in his mind, \'The ninja who attacked me was very well-versed in Wind jutsus. He was a natural at it. But, could it be that someone from another village was impersonating to frame Suna? I was certain that he was from Suna. The only flaw is that he left me alive. After all, it wouldn\'t make much sense for him to not ensure that I am dead. The only way he would profit is if he is an enemy of Suna and the blame falls on Sunagakure entirely.\'
He thought a lot but couldn\'t come up with a definite answer. He decided, \'Leave it. I will report the event as it is to the Daimyo. I will let Daimyo make the decision.\'
He was about to get up when the doctor softly said, "Lord, we need your help."
Isamu squinted his eyes and looked at him. The doctor informed the actions of the young master. Anger appeared in Isamu\'s eyes. However, he couldn\'t take action directly. He said loudly, "Anyone who wants to leave this mansion, can do so along with me. I will ask Lord Daimyo to ensure that you don\'t suffer injustice."
Smiles and relief appeared on everyone\'s faces. They were about to leave the Mansion when another Samurai appeared in front of them.
Isamu noticed him and quickly bowed down, "Lord Hajime."
Hajime was in charge of all Samurais in the Wind Capital. He was also the strongest Samurai in the Wind Capital.
Hajime nodded and said, "I received a report that Noble Atsushi was assassinated. Is it true, Isamu?"
Isamu nodded, "Yes. I am ashamed."
Hajime said, "I trust that you gave your all, Isamu. So give me the exact details of what happened."
Isamu didn\'t want to speak in front of everyone. He said, "This… Lord Hajime, can we speak in private?"
Hajime nodded. Both walked into one of the many rooms in the mansion. Hajime said, "Speak."
Isamu quickly reported the details of his clash along with his analysis. He ended by saying, "All evidence points towards Sunagakure. However, I still have a nagging suspicion that something else might be happening."
Hajime nodded and said, "Good analysis. I might have sided with you if not for other events that have happened the same time you fought."
Isamu furrowed his eyebrows.
Hajime continued, "Atsushi wasn\'t the only Noble who was targeted. Nine others were killed at the same time. In three cases, the culprits were able to escape undetected. Including you, seven Samurais fought them. Unfortunately, five are already dead. Apart from you, only one is alive. But his condition is critical."
Isamu\'s eyes widened. His back became covered in sweat. He muttered, "I was lucky that he didn\'t check whether I was alive or dead."
Hajime nodded. He added, "Everyone was injured with blades made of wind. This is a rather commonly used technique among the Jounins of Sunagakure. Though other villages could replicate it, sending 10 expert Wind users on the same mission is quite unlikely. Regardless, Daimyo is pissed at Sunagakure. Our country might also take some actions to avenge the death of our 5 comrades."
Isamu had a bitter expression. He said, "Everyone can see that the Daimyo has been upset with them since the time they lost in the Third Great Ninja War. We were unfortunately the ones to be caught in between them."
Hajime agreed and said, "Yes. But, we can\'t take any decision regarding this. I have to meet with Daimyo. You take care of your health."
He was about to leave when Isamu stopped him and informed him about the actions of Atsushi\'s son. Hajime frowned and said, "Leave the mansion and take everyone with you. I\'ll ask Daimyo to take appropriate actions for them. A family that treats people like this will fall no matter how rich or influential they are."
He left the mansion. Following him, Isamu and every commoner employed in the mansion left, only leaving Atsushi\'s stunned family in the mansion.
Back in the hotel, Fujin received the memories of his ten clones. He analyzed, \'Everything went as planned. Now it\'s time to be patient.\'
Throughout the night, Samurais kept moving around the city. The security had become very tight. Many sudden inspections were being carried out. However, Fujin wasn\'t affected. It wasn\'t surprising as the number of civilians far exceeded the number of samurais and ninjas working under the Wind Daimyo. He did sense numerous chakra fields covering him. However, no one detected anything strange about him.
These acts made the city quite tense. The next morning, two pieces of information spread through the city. The first one caused panic and restlessness among the civilian population. After all, ten Nobles were murdered in broad daylight! If Nobles who were protected by Samurais weren\'t safe, then how could common people feel safe?
However, the second news made everyone feel peculiar and amused them. Rumors floated in the city that a Noble\'s family threatened to execute all servants. So everyone serving that family quit and left the mansion. The Daimyo himself had given assurances that these people wouldn\'t be harmed. In addition, no new worker signed up to serve that family due to the bad reputation it gained, making them a joke in the Wind Capital.
As the culprit behind the assassinations, Fujin was sitting relaxed in his room. He analyzed, \'These ten were all very close to Sunagakure according to the scrolls. Now that they are dead and Suna is the first suspect, their families will stop relying on Suna. Since the Land of Wind and Fire are allied, Konoha will become their new reliance soon.
Even if they don\'t ally with Konoha and continue the same level of interaction with Suna, it isn\'t actually our loss as just the status quo is maintained.
In addition, the Daimyo and remaining Nobles will now be very alert against Sunagakure. Though they can\'t pin the blame on Suna, seeds of doubt will take root in their minds. Of course, just this isn\'t enough. I\'ll have to keep providing water to these seeds to create the required effect.\'
Numerous plans and schemes kept running through Fujin\'s mind. For quite some time, the Wind Capital was fated to remain restless.