Everyone moved quickly, soon arriving at the target territory. The territory had already been secured, and the lord's authority fully taken over. He couldn't raise an army to rebel, nor could he order others to destroy any evidence. He himself was confined to his mansion, unable to move freely.
Even before the representatives from the Daimyo's estate and the Konoha Ninja Village gathered, troops from both had already gone to the territory, swiftly and stealthily apprehending the lord. Under the Daimyo's orders and the threat of military force, the lord could only surrender obediently.
Rebellion is a very serious crime. Once evidence is conclusive, according to the laws of the Land of Fire, those involved in the rebellion, along with their relatives, can all be executed. Exterminating the entire clan is a consistent policy, meant to prevent their relatives from harboring resentment and potentially posing a threat in the future.
In the original work, the Konoha Ninja Village's handling of the Uchiha clan was legally justified. In Kazamori Masaki's previous life, such cruel acts of collective punishment would no longer occur, but in the ninja world, it was still commonplace.
After much consideration, the lord chose not to resist. Firstly, he knew that resistance would not lead to victory and would only confirm the charge of rebellion. He didn't feel much security from the Daimyo's estate; instead, he trusted the Konoha Ninja Village more, believing they could prove his innocence.
Arriving at the lord's town, the guards at the gate had been replaced by people from the Daimyo's estate and Konoha Ninja Village. Seeing everyone arrive, they immediately stepped forward to greet them, and after checking their documents, let them in.
The wide streets were empty. What was once a bustling street had become a place where everyone felt insecure due to the sudden changes, not daring to show themselves. The residents were all waiting for the outcome, not knowing the specific situation, only that their lord had gotten into big trouble.
As everyone passed, the residents peeked out from their houses. Seeing that the group was protected, they knew they were of no ordinary status and secretly speculated.
Asuna and the others naturally noticed their gazes and understood what they might be worried about. They said nothing and simply headed towards the lord's mansion.
"I wonder if they've considered that their lord might be connected to the cultists of the Evil God?" Tobi suddenly interjected, out of nowhere.
"Mr. Tobi, there's no proof yet that the lord is a cultist of the Evil God. You're making unwarranted assumptions and being prejudiced, which could greatly affect the investigation," Hatake Sakumo turned his head and said.
"I heard that your Konoha Ninja Village is very strict with judicial investigations. When Uchiha Setsuna betrayed the village and attacked your higher-ups back then, his accomplices were still executed only after interrogation," Tobi glanced lightly at Hatake Sakumo and said.
"Yes, our Hokage-sama believes that justice must maintain an impartial stance, and arrested criminals must be tried through proper legal procedures, not by individual arbitrary decisions," Hatake Sakumo stated.
"Heh heh, that sounds good," Tobi chuckled. Such a statement would not be understood by the monarch of the Land of Fire, who insisted on autocracy. In the monarch's perception, he was the ruler of the country and should be absolute, free to make arbitrary decisions regardless of whether they were reasonable.
Kazamori Masaki's insistence on this point was actually to prevent the abuse of power. The Uchiha clan massacre in the original work was a microcosm of power abuse, leading to the darkness within the Konoha Ninja Village.
If the Konoha Ninja Village had clearly presented evidence of the Uchiha clan's rebellion and put them on trial, many people would have understood. Instead, the secretive approach in the original work, even if the Uchiha clan had indeed rebelled, didn't make people feel that the Konoha Ninja Village was entirely in the right, because secrecy inherently suggests a guilty conscience.
That operation was a very successful judicial practice. Later, after entering a period of peace, Kazamori Masaki continued to push for judicial reform and internal democracy within the Konoha Ninja Village, preparing for the future. However, for now, these reforms were confined to Konoha and had not yet gained external recognition.
"Anyway, we'll know once we investigate." At this moment, everyone had arrived in front of the lord's mansion. Tobi pointed to the mansion and said to the others.
The guards at the gate checked everyone's identities and let them in. First, Hatake Sakumo requested to see the lord. Tobi, representing the Daimyo's estate, did not object. So, the lord, who had been confined to his room, was released and brought before the representatives of both parties.
The lord looked somewhat haggard these past few days, which was quite normal. Although he was still afforded the basic treatment of a noble, how could he eat well or sleep soundly when facing such a situation?
Hatake Sakumo noticed the lord's bandaged hand and asked with some surprise, "Lord, what happened to your hand?"
"Ah, I accidentally broke a vase and cut my hand," the lord smiled. He trusted the Konoha Ninja Village greatly, but he didn't have much affection for Tobi, the representative of the Daimyo's estate.
The lord had cooperated with Konoha Ninja Village many times. He felt that while Konoha Ninja Village might not be entirely docile, they certainly weren't betraying the country. To some extent, these local nobles also disliked a strong monarchical system, because the stronger the monarch, the harder it was for them as local nobles.
Especially since the current Daimyo was not a particularly magnanimous person, and in the process of centralizing power, he was unwilling to offer these local nobles much benefit, or perhaps the Daimyo simply didn't understand. In contrast, the Konoha Ninja Village's commercial policies had allowed the nobles to make a good profit.
Therefore, in the lord's view, Konoha Ninja Village was not guilty of any major crime and did not deserve such treatment. However, the Daimyo did not think so, and all of this was due to Tobi's sudden appearance, which is why the lord had no goodwill towards Tobi.
Moreover, according to the lord's rumors, his involvement in this matter was also suggested by Tobi. Although he had indeed asked those samurai to look at the secret medicine for him, it wasn't a reason for Tobi to casually target a noble.
"Sakumo-kun, I absolutely have nothing to do with the Evil God cultists! I've cooperated with your village for so many years; you should know what kind of person I am, shouldn't you?" the lord said anxiously. His only lifeline now was the people from Konoha Ninja Village; only they might be able to mediate for him.
"We will investigate thoroughly. As long as there is no evidence pointing to you, we will not deem you a criminal," Hatake Sakumo said seriously.
Hatake Sakumo knew this local lord well; he had interacted with him over the years. This local lord provided a certain degree of military assistance and was quite capable. However, the lord was not a strong-willed general; his personality was somewhat soft, and he cared more about the economic benefits brought by commercial prosperity than military matters.
Therefore, from a personality perspective, Hatake Sakumo felt that this local lord was unlikely to have the guts to be deeply involved with Evil God cultists. Of course, it wasn't just that; Konoha Ninja Village placed great importance on its overseas commercial ventures and thoroughly investigated every collaborator to prevent errors. With its Intelligence Division and Anbu members, Konoha Ninja Village had the capability to make such judgments.
Hatake Sakumo didn't believe this local lord had the ability to deceive the elites of the Intelligence Division and Anbu, feigning an innocent appearance. Moreover, this matter was brought up by Tobi, and given Tobi's hostility towards Konoha Ninja Village, the village basically concluded that the local lord was innocent.
Therefore, Hatake Sakumo acted very gently here, doing his best to appease the local lord. As long as the local lord's innocence was proven, he would certainly thank Konoha Ninja Village in the future and harbor no goodwill towards the Daimyo's estate that had framed him. This was a force that could gain support.
"Don't speak so hastily. Maybe he really is one?" Tobi once again spoke in a sarcastic tone.
The local lord glared fiercely at Tobi. This was the guy who framed him. He immediately said loudly, "What reason do you have to say I'm connected to the Evil God cultists?"
"Haven't I already given a reason? My suspicion is reasonable and logical. Why are you so emotional? Could it be a guilty conscience?" Tobi said, teasing the other party with a flippant tone.
"You!" The local lord was furious. If it weren't for the fact that the other party was a chakra-wielding ninja, a favored retainer of the Daimyo, and he himself was in such a predicament, he would have long since rushed up and punched this scoundrel.
"Alright, Mr. Tobi, I just said that there's no evidence yet, and nothing is conclusive. You are, at most, speculating," Hatake Sakumo said.
"He's right, Captain Tobi. You can't be prejudiced just because of speculation. For example, it's possible that a skilled ninja secretly swapped the secret medicine along the way. If you hold onto such an idea, you might just let the real culprit escape," Mizuki chuckled from the side, her tone a bit subtle when she said "Captain," as if hinting at sarcasm.
Tobi glanced at Mizuki and nodded, "That's true, but as people of the Daimyo's estate, we must certainly act in the Daimyo's best interest, little Mizuki, don't forget that."
Mizuki's cheek twitched slightly. Honestly, she was very uncomfortable with the Daimyo calling her "little Mizuki." It was as if there was some kind of familiarity, but everyone knew the Daimyo's intentions, and just thinking about it made her feel disgusted.
Now Tobi was also using that address and talking about acting in the Daimyo's best interest. Mizuki immediately understood that he was being sarcastic towards her. She let out a small sigh, telling herself that she couldn't fall out with him yet and shouldn't argue with him now. When their conflict truly erupted in the future, that would be her time to strike back.
At that time, Mizuki would make sure the other party truly understood what the "Blazing Witch" was all about. Unless she burned that guy, body and soul, like the Iwagakure ninja she encountered in the Second Shinobi World War, she wouldn't feel satisfied!
"Please, Sakumo-kun, I trust you." The local lord couldn't be bothered to say anything to Tobi. He believed Konoha Ninja Village would definitely help him, and two of the representatives from the Daimyo's estate were also from Konoha Ninja Village. It seemed they didn't get along with Tobi either, so he now felt confident.
Even if he couldn't prove his innocence immediately, Konoha Ninja Village would surely find a way to temporarily delay things, and he could always wait.
"Don't worry, we will investigate thoroughly. We will not wrongly accuse a good person, nor will we let a bad person go," Hatake Sakumo reassured the other party again. If it were anyone else, the local lord might have thought it was a perfunctory remark, but having cooperated with Konoha Ninja Village for many years, he understood their reputation in this regard.
"I beg you!" the local lord said once again, bowing deeply to Hatake Sakumo. In the past, he would never have done that to a ninja, but now Konoha Ninja Village was different, and its people were different. He felt they deserved respect.
"Then let's go investigate. The lord's close associates have all been secured, and some important areas in his mansion were also secured immediately to ensure no one else entered. If there's evidence, it will certainly be preserved intact," Tobi said. "I assume Mr. Sakumo has no objections?"
"Of course." Hatake Sakumo nodded slightly. Securing the lord was a joint operation between the Daimyo's estate and Konoha Ninja Village. Because neither trusted the other, they supervised each other during the process of securing the area. Neither the people from the Daimyo's estate nor Konoha Ninja Village had entered the scene, which maximized the prevention of anyone secretly helping.
After some discussion, Tobi, Hatake Sakumo, and Inuzuka Shigeru went to search important areas in the lord's mansion, while Asuna, Mizuki, and Yamanaka Takuma questioned the lord's close associates. To prevent anyone from controlling the associates with genjutsu, Mizuki kept her Sharingan activated, constantly observing the chakra within their bodies.
Although the Sharingan's observation wasn't as precise as the Byakugan's, it could still initially detect whether someone was under genjutsu. After all, the Sharingan, once it reached its complete form, was a dōjutsu that could freely release genjutsu, making it perfectly suitable to be called the strongest genjutsu eye.
Even if there were any problems, Yamanaka Takuma, who used mental secret techniques, was there to conduct a detailed examination, essentially guaranteeing that no close associate would be controlled by genjutsu. If something truly came out of the questioning, then that person genuinely had an issue.
The reason Tobi arranged it this way was indeed considering Mizuki's abilities, but Mizuki also suspected whether this guy was afraid that her Sharingan would detect something, which was why he had run off. Hatake Sakumo and Inuzuka Shigeru didn't have any special sensory abilities.
Regardless, since it was arranged this way, Mizuki could only comply. She, Asuna, and Yamanaka Takuma questioned the close associates together. If it weren't for fear of gossip, Mizuki and Yamanaka Takuma would have considered using genjutsu or mental control, as that would be the fastest and most convenient method.
But due to various considerations, they couldn't do that, so everyone had to proceed with normal methods.