Chapter 32: The 108 Guardians
Early the next morning, Masahiko followed Tobirama to an "audience" with the Land of Fire Daimyo.
Thankfully, this Daimyo was not the effeminate one from the original story. That must have been a case of descendants failing to live up to their ancestor.
Also attending the audience were Tobirama's old rival, Uchiha Izuna, and Uchiha Zhan, the former Third Elder who was now the Uchiha's First Elder.
Uchiha Zhan glanced at Masahiko and sneered, "Are the Uzumaki really tying themselves to the Senju? Are you even bringing this old fossil along at a time like this?"
"Old fossil?" Masahiko smiled. "Everyone, take a look. Between him and me, who's the real old fossil?" Relying on his perpetually 48-year-old face, he made Uchiha Zhan's expression turn sour.
"First Elder, don't listen to him. He's already got one foot in the grave," Izuna said, rushing to his elder's defense.
However, the way he said it...
In short, Masahiko's smile grew wider, and Uchiha Zhan's face turned beet-red.
"Ahem..." The Daimyo, on his platform, cleared his throat, cutting off their back-and-forth.
Seeing that they had quieted down, the Daimyo spoke. "I have summoned you all here today because, a few days ago, I was the target of an assassination attempt by a ninja."
"My chief guard, Santarou, died protecting me, taking the assassin with him. It grieves me deeply."
"Of course, I did not call you here to accuse you of sending the assassin. I am here because I feel my safety is threatened."
"With Santarou gone, I have no one left among my guards who makes me feel secure."
"I wish for the great ninja clans to dispatch a few elite shinobi to protect me. I want to form an organization... the Guardian Shinobi Twelve."
"Naturally, I will pay a sufficient employment fee. What are your thoughts?"
Below the platform, the shinobi all exchanged glances, but no one spoke.
All the ninja clans acknowledged the Daimyo's authority, for two reasons. One, the Daimyo helped the Land of Fire prosper, which meant more income for the clans. Two—and this was the main reason—the Daimyo had no significant military power of his own.
This request to form the Guardian Shinobi Twelve, even as a "hiring," would still create a military force loyal to the Daimyo.
But he was making the request based on his own personal safety. They couldn't just refuse.
Uchiha Zhan stepped forward. "Lord Daimyo, this is a matter the Uchiha must discuss. Please, excuse us."
Tobirama shot Masahiko a look, signaling him to make a similar excuse. As the ones leading the delegation, it was not appropriate for Tobirama or Izuna to be the ones to make a decision.
Masahiko stepped forward, smiling at the Daimyo. "Lord Daimyo, for the sake of your safety, forming the Guardian Shinobi Twelve is perfectly reasonable. But the assassin may not target only you. Your wife, your children... they could all be in danger."
"Therefore, for the safety of the entire Residence, how could twelve people possibly be enough? I believe... forming the Guardian Shinobi One Hundred and Eight would be far more reasonable!"
Beside him, the Uchiha contingent looked at Masahiko as if he were a complete lunatic. As for Tobirama... Masahiko didn't dare turn his head to look at Tobirama's expression.
Masahiko was desperate for those Witness Points. If he did manage to get 108 Guardians established, it would be a "complete change" to the plot, and he'd surely get a massive reward.
On the platform, the Daimyo's face lit up. "Oh! Thank you for the Senju's support! I will certainly consider forming the Guardian Shinobi One Hundred and Eight!"
After bidding farewell to the Daimyo, the groups returned to their respective quarters.
The entire way back, Masahiko didn't dare look at Tobirama. He had been sent to help Tobirama, and he had just made things worse.
"Tobirama, I..."
"Great-Uncle, that was the perfect solution!" Before Masahiko could apologize, Tobirama interrupted him, his face beaming with excitement.
"Huh...?" Masahiko was completely baffled.
"If the Daimyo had only asked for twelve, it would have been difficult to refuse, especially for the smaller clans who are desperate for a steady paycheck. But one hundred and eight? No clan will ever agree to that! It's so absurd, it will probably poison the well for the original 'Guardian Shinobi Twelve' idea, too!"
"I knew it was the right choice to ask you to come!"
Masahiko's mind was reeling. He couldn't believe his 'brilliant idea' had been interpreted this way by Tobirama.
"Ah... yes. Yes," Masahiko recovered. "That was... exactly my intention. I'm surprised you saw through my deep meaning so quickly..."
(Internally, he was thinking, Well, this is a bust. I'm definitely not getting many points for this.)
As Tobirama predicted, after summoning the Senju and Uchiha, the Daimyo proceeded to summon the other clans, but now he was pitching the "108 Guardians."
Just as expected, even the small clans, who were desperate for that steady paycheck, refused to agree to the proposal.
In another wing of the Daimyo's Residence, the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans were meeting.
The Yamanaka Clan Head looked grim. "What is the Daimyo thinking? 108 Guardians? He'd need Elite Jonin at minimum to protect him. With a force that large, he could attack us!"
He looked at the other two. "Our Daimyo is usually very shrewd. This isn't like him. He met with the Senju and Uchiha before us. The Uchiha must be trying to stir up trouble again..."
The Nara Clan Head shook his head. "Not necessarily the Uchiha. It could be the Senju..." As he said this, he vividly recalled Masahiko's punch-able face.
"Torune," the two said, turning to the Akimichi Clan Head, "what do you think?"
"Er... I was thinking... the dinner at the Residence last night was excellent. I should have my clan's chefs come and learn from them."
The other two exchanged a look, wordlessly turned away from the Akimichi, and continued their discussion.
All the other clans had the same reaction. No one agreed to the proposal. But at the end of the day, the Daimyo's request was (superficially) reasonable, and they still needed to find a tactful way to refuse.
The next day, the Daimyo once again summoned the Senju and Uchiha.
Compared to yesterday, the Daimyo's face was completely black, especially when he looked at Masahiko.
Masahiko felt he was being wronged. He had been sincerely on the Daimyo's side!
Before the Daimyo could speak, Masahiko jumped in. "My proposal of 108 yesterday was... a bit thoughtless. You don't need that many people. But... twelve seems like too few. How about... twenty-four?" He had to try.
The Daimyo's expression softened slightly. "Yes, I was also hasty. The employment fees for 108 would be... difficult to bear. As for the final number, we must consider what is truly needed."
"I will host a banquet tonight. We will gather all the clan leaders and discuss this matter further."
The group nodded and took their leave.
On the way back, Tobirama spoke. "The Daimyo is sharp. He used your own plan against you, and now he's secured his 'Guardian Shinobi' project. Great-Uncle... your scheme actually ended up helping him."
"Heh... heh."
Masahiko... was doubly dumbfounded.
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