Chapter 246: The Fish Can See the Net
When Dana left Asuka Castle, it was already dusk. The main gate of Asuka Castle was now guarded by Special Strategy Division ninja, who nodded respectfully when they saw Dana leading his men out.
As soon as he stepped out, he encountered Isao Yamazaki. This head of the Yamazaki family had been asking around since early morning when he heard the Cloud had arrived. After getting the news, he had personally stood waiting at the Asuka Castle gate. According to the guards, he had been standing there for nearly four hours.
But he was happy to do it! Standing right under the nose of Cloud ninja gave him an incredible sense of security.
Seeing someone come out, Yamazaki squinted to identify them, then immediately trotted over obsequiously, his old face wrinkled into a smile like a blooming chrysanthemum.
"Yotsuki-sama! Yotsuki-sama! We met last time!"
Dana signaled for his men to let him approach, but he had zero impression of this man. "Is something the matter?"
Yamazaki's smile distorted his features as he said nervously, "Yotsuki-sama, we met once at the previous Daimyo's banquet. I... I saw you arrive in the capital and worried that you and your subordinates might not have a place to stay. I specifically came to invite you and the heroes of the Cloud to stay at my humble estate. I have prepared enough rooms for everyone and guarantee you will be well entertained."
Dana glanced at the man in surprise. Internally, he was already using the Communication Snail to confirm intel on the Yamazaki family with his subordinates.
While Yamazaki waited nervously, Dana quickly got the gist of the Yamazaki family's situation.
One of the prominent families in the capital. In recent years, they were considered top-tier in the noble circle, at least until the previous Daimyo died.
Their family originally had a member holding real power as a retainer in the Daimyo's court, and they had sided with Jun'en Furuya early on. However, over the next six months, the capital's plot became increasingly magical. Furuya died, their clan uncle died, and several nobles of similar rank disappeared—some purged, some assassinated. This guy was probably terrified of dying, which was why he sought them out.
Dana didn't dislike this approach. Such high-ranking nobles were usually well-informed and could serve as a supplementary information channel. Even if the man had ulterior motives, Dana didn't mind. He actually wanted to draw out some leads to facilitate his investigation.
Understanding the man's purpose, Dana didn't stand on ceremony. He nodded. "Lead the way."
Yamazaki froze for a second, then hurried to lead the way.
What he didn't know was that through the Communication Snail, Dana had already issued a new order for the capital:
"All mercenary ninja in the city, and any ninja not affiliated with the Cloud, are to be detained and gathered in one place. lethal force is authorized against those who resist."
"Cloud Big Brother, I just came into the city to turn in a mission. I really haven't done anything. Just let me leave the city, okay?"
A mercenary ninja with a katana strapped to his waist was pleading with a Special Strategy Division ninja at the South Gate.
Early on, when they entered the city, all gates had been secured. Entry and exit were strictly controlled, and sensory ninja were deployed. No one with a chakra signature was allowed to leave.
The Cloud ninja being pleaded with didn't even glance at him.
There were quite a few people at the gate. The capital had been chaotic recently—assassinations, looting, and framing were daily occurrences. Business was booming for mercenary ninja, so naturally, many had gathered in the city.
Their skill levels varied. Some couldn't even jump over the city wall. But whether skilled or not, none dared to force their way through. These guys who scraped a living in the ninja world knew best how powerful the Cloud was. For small fry like them, forcing a breakthrough was no different from suicide.
Seeing that persuasion was useless, a woman with a charming face suddenly sidled up from somewhere. Her clothes were worn strangely, with the neckline pulled down almost horizontally. She swayed her hips as she leaned in.
"Cloud-sama, I'm in a hurry to see my husband. Could you... make an exception? Or... we could find a place to chat privately?"
She didn't dare touch the Cloud ninja, but she twisted her body eight times a second. Even a blind man could see what she meant.
Unexpectedly, the Cloud ninja remained expressionless. He took out a Communication Snail, seemingly receiving an order, then suddenly looked at her and said, "All mercenary ninja, come over and register your names. You will be arranged in a unified isolation area for routine investigation."
As he spoke, other Cloud ninja nearby closed in, subtly surrounding the group.
The mercenaries' faces changed, filled with uncertainty.
"It is best not to do anything stupid. Also, everyone, release your Transformation Jutsu."
The mercenaries' faces turned green and white, but in the end, they chose to surrender.
They were just mercenaries, not wanted criminals. leaving aside whether they had the guts to defy the Cloud Village, they certainly didn't have the strength... Many of them had maintained Transformation Jutsu even when approaching the gate. The Cloud ninja could see it but hadn't bothered to address it until they received orders.
Several mercenaries released their transformations. Burly men turned into old men; middle-aged men turned into teenagers. These were their disguises.
The Cloud ninja stared at the flirtatious kunoichi. "Release the transformation."
The kunoichi with the impressive figure hissed indignantly, "Tch!"
After a puff of white smoke, she turned into a flat-chested, chubby middle-aged woman.
Even the stoic Cloud ninja was stunned.
Someone behind her couldn't hold back and roared, "You bastard! There should be a limit to Transformation Jutsu! How could you do this?!"
The chubby woman sneered, "Naive brat. Didn't you call me 'Little Sweetie' yesterday?"
Everyone looked at the man who had shouted with sympathy.
Like looking at a fish out of water.
"Everyone stand where you are! Cloud business! Behave yourselves!"
"Hey, big brother over there... are you thirsty? Let me get you a glass of water!"
"Go over there and squat down! Hands on your head!"
"Sir, I can't breathe... cough cough cough..."
The only two underground mission exchanges in the capital were also raided without resistance. Both the managers and the mercenaries hiding inside were taken.
The mercenaries in the city were detained in one place, identified one by one, and registered.
The Cloud's move this time was frighteningly big.
It was a net. Everyone could feel it.
However, fish can see the net; many just don't know which direction the net is closing from.
After all the mercenaries in the city were detained and screened, Black Zetsu and Yotsuki Teru (Kaguya) were forced to change their plans.
They thought the identity of mercenary ninja would be enough for them to walk easily in the capital and calmly lay out their next steps. But the Cloud's action was like pulling the firewood from under the cauldron. The Special Strategy Division was screening every mercenary—accurately speaking, everyone with chakra—block by block.
Even if they hid today, they wouldn't be able to walk freely in the capital tomorrow.
Unless Black Zetsu used Mayfly to leave underground, but he couldn't take Teru with him.
"I'm afraid once I go underground, Yotsuki Dana will quickly detect my anomaly and distinguish me from the hundreds of thousands of people... Can't risk it..."
Teru asked calmly, "Then what do we do?"
Black Zetsu thought for a moment. "Disguise as samurai. Samurai also possess chakra, and there are more samurai in the city than mercenaries. Especially since the capital has been chaotic for so long, no one can say for sure who is alive and who is dead. It will be convenient for our next moves."
Teru nodded noncommittally.
A moment later, in a secluded corner, the two transformed again. Their appearances changed into a tall and a short destitute samurai.
They walked out of the alley just in time to see several Cloud ninja fly across the rooftops.
Black Zetsu whispered, "Don't worry. Wood Release: Transformation and my Spore Clone Disguise aren't that easy to see through... No, they are absolutely impossible to see through..."
Black Zetsu was extremely confident in his transformation techniques.