Naruto: With the Right Pay, Kick Out the Five Kage

The fat man sitting at the head of the room narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Mr. Tokumitsu from the Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce."

As he spoke, the sound of string instruments and flutes stopped abruptly, and the room fell into complete silence.

Hyuga Tokumitsu bowed obsequiously.

"Yes, my lord. What orders do you have for me?"

The fat lord swirled the small wine glass in his hand, the fat on his face folding over itself.

"I hear your Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce has been selling medicine at low prices in the city?"

Lu Jiu understood immediately.

So it was about that.

After all, before the Aster Flower Chamber arrived in Suimi City, there had been only one pharmacy in the entire town, under the control of the former city lord, Sentoshi.

Anyone seeking treatment had to buy overpriced medicine from him.

Now that the Aster Flower Chamber had arrived, his pharmacy was completely out of business.

A look of panic appeared on Hyuga Tokumitsu's face—though even Lu Jiu had to admire his brilliant acting.

"My lord, that was all done without my approval. I'll immediately order them to raise the prices again," Tokumitsu said with feigned urgency.

Lord Fat Pig smiled faintly.

"That's better. Everyone should get a share of the profits. If someone tries to take it all for themselves..."

"Heh."

He sneered.

Though to Hyuga Tokumitsu, the sneer sounded no different from a pig squealing.

Still, he bowed and said with trembling respect:

"Thank you, my lord, for your generosity."

"If that's all, you may leave," the fat lord waved lazily.

Back at the pharmacy, Hyuga Tokumitsu immediately ordered the prices of medicine to be raised.

The abrupt move left the townspeople stunned.

And since the lord had sent people over in broad daylight to summon Tokumitsu, rumors quickly spread throughout the city:

"I heard the lord forced the Aster Flower Chamber to stop selling us affordable medicine!"

"Yeah, that guy's not even human."

"My old man just got hurt this morning carrying stones. What are we supposed to do now?"

"Stop talking, we have to pay taxes soon."

"Suimi City is surrounded by mountains. Where are we going to get 1.5 million taels?"

"I'd have to sell everything I own, and it still wouldn't be enough!"

"Didn't the wandering poet say it last time? These nobles jack up taxes so we can't afford them, then force us to take out loans and steal our land!"

"Exactly! I've heard that too. They're shameless."

"But what can we do..."

The complaints trailed off.

Yeah... what could they do?

Suddenly, a child's voice broke the silence.

"Resist."

"Resist? How can we resist?"

In the dim light, the child's eyes gleamed.

"With our fists! With our lives!"

In the backyard of the Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce, Lu Jiu couldn't help asking Hyuga Tokumitsu:

"Mr. Tokumitsu... is this how it is across the ninja world?"

Hyuga Tokumitsu glanced at him and replied with a faint smile:

"More or less. Ordinary people have no power to fight back. All they can do is suffer under the nobility's heel."

Lu Jiu fell silent, his mind drifting toward his own family.

Tokumitsu patted his shoulder and said,

"That's why the matter in Suimi is now entirely up to you."

Lu Jiu nodded without hesitation. His expression hardened.

"I understand."

Soon, the wandering poets and wandering priestesses of Suimi City began to move.

The poets roamed every corner of the city, telling tales of heroes—ordinary men who rose against tyranny.

Some secretly handed out weapons to the listeners.

The priestesses treated the wounded freely in alleyways and marketplaces, all while gently asking about their lives and hardships over the years.

They constantly drew out memories of pain and suffering.

Naturally, the former lord Sentoshi couldn't allow these activities to continue undermining his rule.

But every time he sent samurai to hunt them down, the wandering poets and priestesses would vanish like smoke.

For a time, Suimi City simmered like a volcano suppressed for centuries.

When it finally erupted, the blazing magma of rage would consume everything in its path.

At the Lord's Mansion, the Fat Pig Lord lay sprawled on his bed, listening to the samurai's report.

"Still haven't caught anyone?"

His tone was irritated.

But beside him, a soft and alluring voice whispered,

"My lord... hurry up..."

The displeasure vanished from his face immediately.

"This stuff doesn't matter. Just keep arresting people."

"Bring more men tomorrow. I want every coin of tax collected!"

The samurai leader of Suimi City let out a quiet breath of relief.

If the lord had pressed further, it would've been hard to explain.

He hurriedly said:

"Rest assured, my lord. As long as we're here, no rebels will cause trouble."

"Good. You may leave."

Clearly, the lord's mind was no longer on political matters.

As the samurai leader turned to leave, the fat lord let out a hungry growl and lunged toward the woman beside him.

The samurai leader kept his head down. He was used to scenes like this.

He walked out of the room.

And once this round of tax collection was over—

The lord would feast on meat, while the rest drank the broth.

After earning a lot of money, he was already thinking of buying a few more women for his own pleasure...

As he walked down the road, he had already made up his mind.

If those farmers couldn't pay the tax, he would make them hand over their daughters to pay off the debt.

Tax day was fast approaching.

Lu Jiu stood on the roof of the Aster Flower Chamber of Commerce, hands in his pockets.

Down on the street, a large group of samurai were going door to door collecting taxes.

Some families had no choice but to hand over all the savings they'd accumulated over the past ten years.

Those who couldn't afford to pay were forced to sell their farmland under the threat of violence.

Some didn't even own land...

"I think your daughter looks quite lovely."

The samurai chief stood in a farmer's home, one hand resting on the hilt of his katana.

"No land? Then use your daughter to pay off the debt!"

A wretched smile spread across his face.

The old farmer in front of him dropped to his knees and pleaded.

"Lord Samurai, please—just give us ten more days!"

"No, five days! I swear I'll gather enough silver to pay the tax!"

The old farmer begged desperately. His daughter was his only remaining family. No matter what, he couldn't let her fall into their hands.

"Old fool, shut up!"

The samurai kicked him hard, sending him flying across the room.

"Father!"

The girl rushed to her father, crying.

The samurai chief grinned.

"So filial, are you? Then come quietly with me!"

He reached out and easily grabbed the girl's wrist.

How could a normal girl possibly resist the strength of a trained samurai?

In just seconds, she was pinned to the ground.

The samurai sneered as he looked down at her struggling figure.

"The more you fight back, the more excited I get."

Hearing the commotion, nearby residents gathered outside the yard.

But years of fear and oppression kept them frozen. None dared to intervene.

The samurai chief glanced at them coldly.

"What are you looking at? Planning to rebel against the lord?"

As he tightened his grip on the girl, he remained unaware that the old farmer had silently picked up his hoe from behind.

The old man's wrinkled face flushed red with rage.

Summoning all his strength, he swung the hoe at the samurai.

"Courting death."

The samurai chief's eyes gleamed coldly as his blade flashed.

With one swift motion, he sliced the hoe cleanly in half.

Then, without slowing down, he slashed at the old farmer.

Blood sprayed through the air.

"Kill! Kill!"

Panicked cries filled the street, and chaos erupted.

The samurai chief narrowed his eyes and was about to shout in fury—

—but a shadow suddenly leapt from the crowd.

In a blink, the figure landed in front of him.

It was a teenage boy.

"Courting death!"

The red katana in his hand swung toward the boy.

"Iron Body."

The boy didn't move to dodge or block.

The samurai's face twisted with disdain.

This brat thinks he can be a hero?

His blade tore through the boy's clothes—only to stop dead against his skin.

Unfazed, the boy raised a finger and pointed at the samurai.

"Your time is up."

"Finger Pistol."

Like a bullet, compressed force shot from his fingertip.

The samurai's eyes widened in shock as the blast pierced straight through his heart.

"Impossible..."

He collapsed to the ground.

The boy raised his arms and shouted:

"All of you who refuse to be slaves—stand with me! Kill these samurai and overthrow the nobles!"

The other samurai's expressions changed instantly.

They drew their swords, ready to kill the boy—

—but before they could act, a roar rose from the crowd.

The people that Lu Jiu had secretly placed in advance grabbed their weapons and echoed the boy's cry.

"Down with slavery! Overthrow the nobles!"

The air crackled with rebellion.

Ordinary townsfolk, emboldened by the moment, picked up the scattered weapons lying nearby and charged at the warriors.

"What the hell is this?!"

The dozen samurai were stunned and terrified.

"You rebellious trash—!"

Before they could finish shouting, a hoe smashed one of them in the head.

Moments later, hundreds of feet trampled them into bloody pulp.

The volcano that had been suppressed for so long finally erupted.

Molten fury surged, consuming all that was rotten and decayed.

From a rooftop in the distance, Lu Jiu shifted his gaze toward the Lord's Mansion.

"It's begun."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to [Thor ] for joining my Patreon page!🎉Your support means the world to me. 🙏

You can visit my Patreon page:

Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel

There are 90+ advanced chapters available for you to read.

Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Check out my new Marvel fanfic!

[Marvel: Starting as a Time Criminal, Stealing Powers]