Kazuo entered Toshio's office and said loudly, "Everyone, leave! I need to talk with Toshio-sama alone."
All the servants immediately left. Toshio was stressed thinking about ways to live. He looked at Kazuo with a hopeful look on his face while thinking, 'Maybe he can think of something.'
As soon as everyone left and the doors were locked, Toshio said, "It's good you came, Kazuo. I was about to find you as well. I have never been so stressed in my life."
Kazuo nodded and asked, "Worried about the assassination?"
Toshio nodded.
Kazuo replied, "You don't need to be worried. Lord Kazekage has asked me to ensure that you and your family stay safe."
A look of relief appeared on Toshio's face. He asked, "Did you think of a way?"
Kazuo nodded and replied, "Yes. Listen carefully. You and your family will move out of the mansion. All four of you will stay under disguise by using makeup, wearing ordinary clothes and moving to live in an ordinary house in the city. You won't have any servants or guards. No one other than me will be aware of your location.
In the meantime, decoys will have to be arranged to replace you and your family. If the assassin attacks, that decoy will die. As long as the decoy doesn't blow up your cover, you will get to live and the assassin will go away.
If your cover is blown, then you will have to stay hidden for a long time until that Assassin gives up. I'll probably not be alive by then, so your survival will entirely depend on you."
Toshio became excited after hearing the plan. However, he hid his excitement and put up a sad face and asked, "Do you have to risk your life?"
Kazuo easily saw through the fake concern and said, "It's the life of a ninja. Stop wasting time and prepare to move out and arrange for decoys. I am not sure how much time we have."
Toshio replied, "I already have decoys in mind. I'll arrange them for my family. However, I need your help to bring the one for me here. His name is Tetsuo."
Toshio gave him the address of Tetsuo and explained his circumstances to Kazuo. Kazuo nodded and left. Toshio immediately got to work. He made 3 people disguise themselves as his wife and sons and asked them to stay in the basement. They knew the consequences of disobeying him and agreed.
At the same time, Kazuo reached the outskirts of the city. He searched for a bit and saw an old house. Outside, a middle-aged man was sitting. He looked very tired and sick. Kazuo approached him and asked, "Are you Tetsuo?"
Tetsuo was surprised. He looked at Kazuo and immediately recognized him. His eyes widened as he got up in a hurry and bowed down, "Lord Kazuo. It's an honor that you know my name."
Kazuo nodded and said, "Come with me, Toshio-sama has instructions for you."
Without waiting for his approval, Kazuo turned around and began walking. Tetsuo immediately followed. However, he was confused and wondered, 'What would Lord Kazuo and Lord Toshio want from someone like me?"
Tetsuo's current state was horrible. His body was weak and he would frequently fall ill. Due to this, he couldn't work continuously and most of what he earned would be spent in the hospital. So his family's financial condition was very poor. And he was in a lot of debt. He wanted a good life for his family, but no matter how much he tried, it seemed like the entire world was against him.
They walked into the mansion. Tetsuo received a lot of curious gazes, making him feel uncomfortable. He did his best to ignore them. He followed Kazuo into Toshio's office and immediately paid respects to Toshio.
Toshio put up a kind smile and said, "Get up."
Tetsuo got up and asked, "I wonder why you called me here, Lord?"
Toshio got up and walked past Tetsuo. He looked through the window and asked, "Are you aware of the recent wave of assassinations, Tetsuo?"
Tetsuo nodded.
Toshio sighed and said, "I am afraid that I too will be targetted by him. I called you here as I have an important job for you."
He turned around and looked into Tetsuo's eyes and said, "I am willing to die. However, if I die, then our whole city will suffer. My children aren't capable enough to run a city yet. So I want you to disguise as me and take my place in the mansion."
His words shocked Tetsuo. Tetsuo involuntarily stepped back. But he crashed into Kazuo and fell to the ground. He looked at Kazuo who was staring straight into his eyes. Tetsuo became frightened as he felt that if he said no, Kazuo would kill him!
He immediately looked at Toshio and said, "Lord, I have a wife and 2 young children. Without me, they will become fatherless and no one will be able to look after them or feed them. I would have loved to sacrifice myself for our city but I just can't leave my family alone!"
Kazuo frowned. If Tetsuo was reluctant, then he wouldn't work as a decoy. Toshio looked at Kazuo and said, "It's fine Kazuo. Not everyone can give their lives for the city."
He painted Kazuo as the bad guy in Tetsuo's mind while showing himself to be a very just ruler. He looked back at Tetsuo and said, "Tetsuo, I am aware of your family conditions as well as your medical health. If you say no, I won't force you, but hear me out first."
Tetsuo nodded. Toshio said, "If you take my place, Kazuo and the other ninjas will be responsible for your safety. You won't die until they are alive. Irrespective of whether we get attacked or not, as long as you live, I'll reward you abundantly. I will clear all your debt, give you a stable job in the mansion and get the best doctors for you to improve your health."
He let out a sigh and said, "But if our luck is bad and you die, I will take care of your family. I will clear their debt and give them so much money that even your next nine generations won't be able to spend it."
Hearing the offer, Tetsuo went silent. He was well aware that he wasn't capable of providing for his family. But he loved his family and didn't want to leave them. He fell into deep thought. Toshio and Kazuo didn't disturb him.
After 20 minutes of struggling, Tetsuo let out a sigh and thought, 'Even if they protect me, I doubt they could stop the assassin. But irrespective of whether I live or not, my family will be taken care of. Though they will be sad about losing me, their sadness will fade away with time. And they will live a fulfilling life. Besides, my death isn't fixed. If my luck changes for once, I will live and my family will not need to worry about money!'
He got up. Kazuo looked into his eyes and was surprised. He thought, 'What determination!'
At the same time, he looked at Toshio and thought, 'This guy might be a scum, but he understands the human heart very well!'
In order to ensure that his family lived a good life, Tetsuo was determined to risk his life. No matter what, he wouldn't fail this mission.
Tetsuo said, "Lord, I am willing to be your decoy!"
Toshio nodded and said, "Shunkuto City will remember your bravery. Kazuo will instruct you further."
Kazuo nodded and left the room with Tetsuo. As soon as they left, a cruel smile appeared on Toshio's face. He thought, 'It's hilarious how gullible these fools are! Take care of his family? Hehehe. If he lives, I'll kill him so that no one will know that I hid in the face of danger. If he dies, then I'll burn his body and never tell anyone that he died. His family will think that he just abandoned them. As for what happens to them, how is that my concern?'
Unfortunately for Tetsuo, even in his final moments, the world still stood against him. He died without being able to provide his family with what he desired!
[A/N: I was initially planning to summarize this flashback in a single para without much detail, but I wanted to see how it'll be if I decided to show his backstory instead of just telling it in a single para. Would like to hear your feedback on this. In the future, would you prefer I expand certain summaries in this way, or would you prefer if I just summarized it in 1-2 paragraphs and moved on with the story? Lemme know.]
Present :
Fujin put his thoughts about the man behind him and sighed, 'What a mess… Just when I thought that the mission was too easy, its difficulty rises to an insane level.'
Despite complaining, a smile could be seen on his face. He enjoyed fighting intellectually. He thought, 'I don't know who created this plan, but it's time to dismantle it. I'd have just killed the Noble and left. But now, I will make this plan backfire splendidly on Sunagakure. But I need to be careful. I have to prepare an escape route in case Suna sends reinforcements.'
Thoughts ran rapidly through Fujin's brain as he calculated a devious scheme.
[A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week's Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.]
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