Chapter 64: Cleanup

Tekku wished he could have tortured that pig, making his death as painful as somehow possible. But this wasn't his mission; his mission was to make it look as natural as possible so that nobody would suspect foul play. A tasteless, colorless, and odorless poison that causes its target to have a stroke was the best option for this. Under the hot sun with the physical condition of the target, it wouldn't look strange at all. But he still was unhappy with it. Was it a bit uncomfortable to die that way? Yes. Still, it wasn't painful or punitive enough. In the end, the mission was the mission, and it wasn't over yet.

After the death of the mastermind Takeshi Yotsuki, their task was to take out the rest of the criminal network. Making the more criminal customers disappear in different accidents or with poisons. Meanwhile, those with lesser crimes were charged in a normal legal way. They also had to take care of the different criminal employees and organizations that were part of that network. This was far easier than with high-profile targets like nobles. The Fire Daimyo sent a collection of missions to the Hokage so he could send teams to exterminate these small branches of human traffickers all over the Land of Fire. The missions ranged from C-Rank to B-Rank based on their sizes.

Team Ro, meanwhile, took care of the rest of the network all over the Fire Capital, not letting anyone involved in criminal activities escape. Those only involved in the regular part of the business, like logistics, store clerks of stores that served as fronts for money laundering, and so on, were spared but still interrogated by the regular police force of the Fire Country. Since the Daimyo didn't really want to let anyone escape.

But all of that happened under cover, with false pretenses, preventing the fact that high-ranking members of the government and many of the rich and nobles were involved in such shady inhuman business.

Tekku personally took care of the other bodyguards, whom he had to accompany undercover during their tasks over the last few weeks. He told them they should take all the money and escape the Fire Country together before anyone found out about the true nature of the Finance Minister and his wealth.

They never reached even the border of the Land of Fire. In a distant barren forest where not many people passed through, as they tried to travel away from the populated roads, now lay the ashes of all of the 'bodyguards.' None of them died peacefully. Tekku made sure to kill them slowly and painfully before burning their remains with a simple Fire Jutsu. He had learned to take care of bodies during missions, reducing them to ashes.

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Team Ro was kneeling in the private office of the Fire Daimyo. The only other people inside, besides the Daimyo, were his second son, Ikkyū Madoka, who discovered the ploy in the first place through his business-oriented mind, and representatives of the twelve Guardian Ninjas.

Tekku actually recognized Ikkyū Madoka, even though he was many years younger. His features were still quite similar. This would probably be the next Daimyo of the Land of Fire. The chances were high, as he also ended up being the Daimyo during the Boruto Manga. Although Tekku only remembered the details in limited parts, as he had only sporadically read the manga.

But it was a good thing to confirm that the events happening in Boruto were canon. So he had to also be ready for Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and especially Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, besides Kaguya. Was Kara already a thing during this time?

Isshiki was around for a thousand years possessing Jigen after Kaguya betrayed him. So maybe he had already an organization but still kept in the shadows, looking for a fitting vessel that wasn't born yet.

Whether Urashiki Ōtsutsuki was a thing is unclear, as he only appeared in the anime. Tekku had no way right now to determine whether the anime filler was part of this world or not. Not like he even knew the details, as he quickly stopped watching the anime in his past life and only focused on the manga.

The danger that the Ōtsutsuki brought also brought a lot of opportunities. After all, Shibai Ōtsutsuki, who was so powerful that he was considered equal to gods, must also be a thing if the Ōtsutsuki existed.

A being evolved so far by consuming countless Chakra Fruits that he shed his physical body and transcended into a higher plane of existence like the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo. Tekku never completed the Boruto Manga, as he died before it was finished, but Shibai was probably the final boss of that whole story.

Coincidentally, of course, the planet where Shibai transcended into a higher plane was this one. His body was somewhere hidden in the Elemental Nations, and in the next two decades, it would be discovered by Amado, the Chief Scientist of Kara, who used it to enhance the members of Kara.

As if Tekku would let such an opportunity pass. He had the advantage of foreknowledge; he absolutely would keep his eyes open and try to find the body of Shibai. He definitely had to adjust his plans to become powerful. He had originally planned to turn himself into an immortal cyborg. But like Dr. Gero in his past life, he probably would consider himself dead by then.

But the Naruto world had a lot more opportunities. Although Chakra wasn't as destructive as Ki, it had far more flexible uses. So turning himself into a cyborg would be a waste of opportunity if there were clearly possible ways for him to become a god. Why not take it?

"So, what do you think, Owl? Although you are quite young, it doesn't make you any less capable. Would you like to join my twelve Guardian Ninjas?" asked the Daimyo as his eyes fell on the youngest person in the room.

While Tekku was thinking about the meaning of Ikkyu's existence and how he had to adjust his plans, the meeting went on normally, with Tenzo as captain who had collected the information of his team beforehand, giving the final report.

Of course, after a while, they were finished, and the Daimyo, clearly impressed by Tekku, wanted to recruit him. After all, a politician had a shrewd mind and always used every opportunity.

"Sorry, Daimyo-sama. I have to refuse. There are important reasons why I had to join the ANBU. I am sure Hokage-sama can give you the details. But it is imperative for me to remain in the anonymity of the ANBU. Also, I just joined, and it wouldn't feel right to leave them after they barely finished training me," explained Tekku, deflecting the offer of the head of the country he was living in as politely as possible.

"That is too bad. But you clearly have your own reasons," nodded the middle-aged man, slightly disappointed but with understanding. "I hope you will reconsider in the future, as the invitation still stands after you leave the ANBU in a few years."

"Thank you, Daimyo-sama. I will remember that!" nodded Tekku behind his mask, 'Unlikely as there isn't much for me to gain here. The 12 Ninja Guardians are mostly average Jonin, with Asuma being pretty much the peak.'

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