Naruto: With Favorabiltity System

Chapter 252: The Long Night of Blades

Haneda lounged on a luxurious hotel sofa, his gaze fixed on the fawning Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, who knelt before him.

"So, you're the Daimyo's 'brilliant strategist'?" Haneda asked with a smirk.

Yanagisawa immediately prostrated himself and flattered, "What brilliant strategist? I am merely your loyal dog, Lord Hokage."

Haneda froze for a moment, taken aback by the shamelessness of the man groveling before him.

Was this "strategist" so desperate to survive?

Yanagisawa continued, "Lord Hokage, from the moment I saw your noble and virtuous demeanor in the Daimyo's court—so wise, so just, so admirable—I couldn't help but pledge my loyalty to you!"

"I've already uncovered all of the ungrateful Daimyo's schemes against you, and I was just preparing to inform you!"

"Well, well, your loyalty is commendable," Haneda said, somewhat satisfied with the man's eagerness.

But his satisfaction hinged on one condition: that this man still had some use.

Haneda tossed a list onto the floor before Yanagisawa.

"Do you recognize anyone on this list? Do you know where they're planning to flee?"

Recognizing the opportunity to prove his worth and save his own neck, Yanagisawa beat his chest and swore, "Without a doubt! I know exactly where the left and right prime ministers are hiding!"

"All the secret tunnels in and out of the capital—I know them by heart!"

Haneda summoned several ROOT shinobi and ordered, "Take this informant with you. Capture all the ministers who fled the capital—except for the General of the Northern Frontier."

Hearing this, Yanagisawa immediately objected. "Lord Hokage, you must not let him return to the north!"

"That man is planning to supply weapons and provisions to our enemies to launch a counterattack against Konoha!"

"I know," Haneda said calmly. "I heard everything you discussed in the Daimyo's underground chamber."

Yanagisawa's fawning smile froze instantly.

He scrambled to explain, "Lord Hokage, every word I spoke in the Daimyo's court was to maintain my cover! I only wanted to bring you the information!"

"You must see the truth of my loyalty!"

Haneda cast a cold glance at him. "Whether you were maintaining your cover will depend on your performance."

Understanding the implicit threat, Yanagisawa knew he had no choice but to betray his former allies.

With trembling hands, he led the ROOT shinobi through the city's secret routes.

...…

As the night deepened, the homes of all the ministers listed were raided under the pretext of "investigating the arson case."

Those who pledged allegiance to Haneda were spared; those who resisted were forced to confess or were executed.

By dawn, all of Haneda's political enemies had been arrested or eliminated.

Thanks to Yanagisawa's guidance, not a single minister who had gathered in the Daimyo's underground chamber escaped—except for the intentionally spared General of the Northern Frontier.

Among the captured were the left and right prime ministers, Kawashimo Hikozaemon and Matsunaga Hisahide.

Both were furious as they were dragged before Haneda. Their anger shifted from Yanagisawa to Haneda as soon as they saw him.

"Traitor! I will never yield to you, no matter what!" Kawashimo shouted.

"Then drag him out and execute him," Haneda said, not even looking up from his seat.

He had never intended to spare those loyal to the Daimyo.

Kawashimo hesitated, panicked. "Wait! Aren't you supposed to interrogate me first? How can you just execute me like that, Fifth Hokage?!"

Matsunaga chimed in, "I refuse to accept this! This doesn't follow the proper legal procedure!"

Having endured their insults all night, Yanagisawa couldn't resist snapping back.

"What do you want, then? To be thrown in jail and executed tomorrow instead? Dead is dead, sooner or later!"

Hearing this, Kawashimo and Matsunaga suddenly dropped to their knees.

"Lord Hokage, if we don't suffer a little, how can we prove we're worthy to serve you?"

"???"

Haneda was stunned for the second time that night.

What kind of people had the Daimyo appointed as his top ministers?

Were all his appointees this "loyal"?

Watching the scene, Yanagisawa couldn't hold back his disdain. If Haneda weren't present, he would've cursed his colleagues outright.

These two—no better than him—had berated him all the way here for betraying the Daimyo, only to turn around and throw themselves at Haneda's feet for the same reason.

At that moment, a ROOT shinobi handed Haneda a report detailing the arrests and the confessions extracted during the night.

Haneda skimmed the list and was genuinely surprised by how easily most of the Daimyo's officials had surrendered.

Nearly half of them had capitulated after minimal interrogation or threats.

He had expected more resistance given the grandstanding earlier in the day.

But it seemed that years of inherited privilege had dulled their resolve.

Comfort and wealth had long eroded their backbone.

After a moment's thought, Haneda decided it was too dangerous to leave so many corrupt officials in power.

His gaze swept over Kawashimo, Matsunaga, and Yanagisawa, all trembling before him.

Haneda made shadow clones to duplicate the list, tossing copies to the three of them.

"Mark each name on this list with a rating from one to five stars based on their level of corruption."

Haneda gestured for the ROOT shinobi to take the prisoners away.

It didn't take much thought to conclude that the three before him were likely among the most corrupt.

However, Haneda only planned to execute a portion of them, confiscate their wealth to fund Konoha, and leave a few slightly less corrupt ones in power to stabilize his control over the Land of Fire.

As for these three…

Haneda decided they were useful for now. Their cowardice and willingness to adapt made them ideal figureheads to reassure those who had pledged loyalty to him.

...…

The Next Morning, at the Daimyo's Residence

By now, the Daimyo should have been holding his daily court with his officials.

Instead, barely half of the usual attendees showed up.

The Daimyo surveyed the nearly empty chamber and understood exactly what had happened.

The missing officials were his most loyal followers—those who had disappeared overnight.

When Haneda entered with a group of newly loyal ministers, the Daimyo froze in disbelief.

"Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, Kawashimo Hikozaemon, Matsunaga Hisahide—you…"

Yanagisawa stepped forward righteously.

"Lord Hokage worked tirelessly to uncover the culprits behind the arson, yet you, Daimyo, repaid him with betrayal!"

"I, Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, am abandoning darkness for light in the name of justice!"

The two prime ministers quickly echoed his sentiment.

"That's right! Lord Hokage stayed up all night to investigate for your sake!"

"And yet it turns out the real traitor to the Hokage is none other than you, shameless Daimyo!"

Even Haneda, who had orchestrated this farce, couldn't help but interject.

"You three, show some respect to the Daimyo."

Turning to the Daimyo, Haneda continued, "As the Hokage of Konoha, I've identified those responsible for last night's arson attack."

"It turns out many of your own officials were conspiring behind your back. It's no wonder your palace was nearly burned to the ground."

Haneda handed the list to Yanagisawa, who read it aloud.

The Daimyo's heart sank with every name.

These were his most loyal followers—his staunchest allies—now eliminated by Haneda.

What the Daimyo didn't realize was that nearly half the names on the list were corrupt officials who had tried to align with Haneda, only to be executed for their greed.

The only solace he found was in the absence of one name: the General of the Northern Frontier.

The Daimyo clung to this hope. Perhaps this general could someday free him from Haneda's grip.

...…