Naruto: The Caged Bird Cannot Confine Me - Feng Hou Qi Men

“It will be extremely difficult to achieve true unification of the ninja world and completely sever the chains formed by various killings and hatred,” Tsunade said in a deep voice.

Even a player like her, who was determined to give up, felt a fleeting greed when she witnessed the special power of Feng Qi's eyes, let alone those dangerous individuals who craved power!

In Tsunade's view, the potential of the special Byakugan is no less than that of the Mangekyou Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, and it has great strategic value.

"Absolute peace does not exist, so be quiet. To be honest, I'm quite envious of that brat, being able to be so carefree and unrestrained in this kind of environment."

"Perhaps, this is the fundamental reason why he was able to awaken his special Byakugan..."

Tsunade shook the wine glass in her hand, her expression turning somewhat somber.

She suddenly remembered her younger brother, Nawaki, who had died many years ago, and her lover, Kato Dan.

"Tsunade-sama..."

Shizune stood to the side, watching Tsunade, who couldn't even manage to lean on the table, pouring wine with a sorrowful expression, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

All she could do was stay by his side steadfastly, just as she had always done...

On the other side, Feng Qi hadn't walked far from the tavern when he encountered a group of Bird Country samurai wielding torches and weapons.

There are no ninja villages in this country; its defense forces are mainly composed of samurai.

As for the ninjas living here, they are all the same kind of wandering ninjas that Feng Qi had encountered before. They have no fixed abode and their identities cannot be recognized here.

"That samurai ghost drifted away down the left side of the street! Quick! Hurry! We must catch it today!"

"But how can we catch it? It's flying in the sky!"

The samurai walked past Feng Qi with great fanfare, putting on quite a show, but it was all for naught; they didn't even manage to touch a hair on the samurai's spirit.

Feng Qi slightly raised his eyes.

At the edge of the horizon, a "monster" wearing a ghost mask, samurai armor, and wielding a halberd floated in the air, vanishing in an instant into the long, dark night.

"I never expected to run into this by chance, the legendary samurai spirit..."

Feng Qi sighed softly, watching the other person leave with a calm expression, without even rolling his eyes.

Some time ago, the former daimyo of the Bird Kingdom, Lord Ōsagata, suddenly died, and his son, Prince Ōsagata, and his advisor, Akira, were nominated as candidates for successor.

The strategist Hongming opposed Hebi's appointment as daimyo because he was too young, but with the support of the highly respected monk Mengzong from the Bird Kingdom, Hebi successfully took the position of daimyo.

—The previous daimyo and young master Saga were secretly killed by wandering ninjas led by Moso. The current young master Saga is replaced by his twin sister, Sugi.

In order to exact a mad revenge on the damned wandering ninja leader, Moso, Zhulu begins to create the illusion of samurai ghosts in the city, secretly looking for an opportunity.

At this point, it would still be some time before the Bird Country, having exhausted all other options, sought help from Konoha.

Watching the warriors pass by dejectedly, Feng Qi, dressed in a gray robe, crossed his arms and leaned calmly against the inconspicuous wall.

A quick calculation tells me that my fortune will be very strong tomorrow.

Thinking about how he had spent almost all of the money he earned on his journey westward in the past few days to compensate for the damage to some streets caused by Tsunade and to pay for drinks, Feng Qi sighed softly.

It seems I'll have to stay here another day after all...

The next day.

Just as Feng Qi had expected, a man dressed as a servant of a daimyo came to him as soon as his fortune-telling stall was set up.

The current daimyo of the Thousand Islands, the land of birds, is a childhood sweetheart of Heron and Ibis.

"Excuse me, sir, do you know how to exorcise spirits? I have an important request and would like to ask for your help," Chishima asked tentatively.

Yesterday, many people witnessed Feng Qi and Tsunade fighting in the street. With this solid record, Feng Qi's reputation as a fortune teller has become even more renowned.

Meng Zong, a high-ranking monk in the Bird Country whose status was second only to the daimyo, then noticed the existence of Feng Qi.

He wanted to use Feng Qi to eliminate the "Warrior Undead" that had only emerged a few days ago, thereby completely realizing his conspiracy to take control of the Bird Kingdom!

"If I'm not mistaken, you're talking about the samurai ghost that's been making headlines lately, right?" Feng Qi asked without looking up.

Upon hearing this, the honest and simple-minded Chishima was immediately startled:

He even knows about this kind of thing? No wonder he's known as a demigod, this guy is really something!

Little did he know that Feng Qi hadn't even used the Feng Hou Qi Men technique.

It's purely the time traveler's precognitive advantage.

"That's right! Is there a way to solve this?" Chishima asked excitedly.

If this young man in dark sunglasses really has a solution, then they won't need to agonize over whether to travel to a distant, powerful country for help!

Thinking of this, Qiandao took out a stack of coins and placed them on the fortune-telling stall, pushing it in front of Feng Qi.

"From a professional perspective, your request is a perfect match for my profession."

Feng Qi nodded, his face showing difficulty, and he murmured, "But..."

"But what? Don't worry, as long as it can restore peace to this country, I will do my best to cooperate!"

Qiandao patted his chest and solemnly made a promise.

“Your matter is not as simple as it seems on the surface, just a samurai ghost. Even for me, it would be very troublesome to deal with.”

"Huh? So even you're not confident?"

"No, you misunderstood, what I meant was..."

Feng Qi held up one finger with a serious expression. "It costs more."

He wasn't trying to raise the price; rather, the matter of the samurai's undead was indeed quite complicated, and it would take some effort to handle it perfectly.

At least, it wouldn't be as easy as sitting at a stall and calculating your financial fortune as it is now!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 38 The Gambler Gambles Until He Loses Everything

"Ah? Well, to be honest, the Bird Kingdom's treasury is currently severely depleted, and the economy is facing some difficulties..."

Chishima stood there, looking distressed and quite embarrassed.

It is indeed somewhat unreasonable for a country to be unable to pay the normal fees for a commission.

The main reason for this phenomenon is the current turbulent situation in the Bird Country.

The young daimyo has just taken office. On the surface, the strategist Hongming is trying to seize back the daimyo's position, while in secret, the high monk Mengzong, who manipulates wandering ninjas, is waiting for an opportunity to make his move.

In order to establish a good image in front of officials, Meng Zong even became known for his "diligence and frugality," which earned him a very good reputation in the Bird Kingdom and many staunch supporters!

Seeing that the fortune teller across from her remained unmoved and didn't seem to be willing to compromise, Chishima lowered her head with a dim gaze.

After a few seconds of contemplation, for the sake of the Bird Kingdom and for the young heron he had grown up with, he gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind.

"Since, since that's the case, then I have no choice but to commit seppuku!"

With an extremely serious expression, Chishima drew a sharp longsword from his waist, opened his shirt, and thrust the tip of the sword forward without hesitation!

Feng Qi knew perfectly well what he really meant by doing this. He crossed his legs and sat there leisurely, showing no intention of stopping him whatsoever.

And so, Chishima successfully cut open his abdomen...the white bandage wrapped around it.

A pile of coins tumbled down and scattered across the fortune-telling stall.

"Um, this is all the money I have saved up. Please accept it."

Chishima's tone sounded quite sorrowful and resolute, with two lines of hot tears on her face.

“I have felt your faith and devotion.”

"No problem, I'll take your request."

As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Qi simply waved his sleeve and swept all the coins on the table away, leaving no trace.

Such a marvelous technique left Chishima, who was not a ninja, in awe. He bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle and said, "I am extremely grateful!"

"Before we begin the commission, there's something very important I need to confirm with you."

Feng Qi pushed a chair made of sandalwood merit in front of Qian Dao, indicating that he should not rush to sit down and talk properly.

The moment she sat down in the chair, Chishima's pupils contracted slightly.

A cool and comfortable feeling flowed through my whole body, and the anxiety and worry of the past few days seemed to be swept away, and my mood suddenly became very relaxed!

"Please, please speak." His tone became even more respectful.

"What is the purpose of your request? Is it to exorcise the spirits of the samurai, or to restore peace to the Bird Kingdom?" Feng Qi asked in a deep voice.

Although, judging from the final events in the original work, it seems that the so-called ghost of the former daimyo samurai did indeed appear.

But even if this thing really exists, Feng Qi is not afraid at all.

Forget about undead or anything like that, just unleash a bolt of lightning and see if he'll just fly to the heavens on the spot!

This was not difficult for him, who possessed the power of Qimen Yin and Yang.

Of course, the Thousand Islands' request should lean more towards the latter, which is to restore peace to the Bird Country.

This kind of thing is much more complicated, as it involves the most esteemed daimyo of a country, as well as advisors and high-ranking monks whose status and reputation are second only to the daimyo!

Since he had accepted the money, Feng Qi had to be responsible for it; this was one of the principles he followed when charging for fortune telling at his stall.

"That samurai's spirit is said to be the soul of a former daimyo..."

Thinking of the always serious-looking deceased "uncle," Chishima looked at Feng Qi with unwavering determination. "Please restore peace to the Bird Country. This is not only my wish, but also what the kind and simple Lord Mengzong hopes for!"

"So, the very act of commissioning you're making is a contradictory and troublesome matter..."

Feng Qi scratched his head helplessly, then looked up at Qian Dao with extremely serious eyes. "Listen carefully, I'm about to tell you the whole truth that I've calculated."

Finding a slow explanation too troublesome, he decided to simply and bluntly state the whole truth.

Upon hearing this, Chishima swallowed hard, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Your country's current daimyo is actually his sister, Tobi, who is impersonating him, and the so-called samurai spirit is also an imposter."

"The former daimyo was killed by the high monk Mengzong you mentioned. He was the leader of the wandering ninjas in the city and tried to seize the country for himself."

The sheer amount of information contained in Feng Qi's two short sentences stunned Qian Dao, leaving him speechless as if struck by lightning.

"What did you say?! Zhu Lu is impersonating Young Master Lu? Lord Meng Zong murdered Lord Da Lu? This, how is this possible!"

Chishima, overcome with emotion, slammed his hands on the table. "Shouldn't the guilty one be the strategist, Kurenai, who's vying for the daimyo position with the rightful heir?!"