Chapter 152 - 47: The Plundered Taxes
"It's already noon, why haven't they arrived yet? Strategist, is there a mistake in the intelligence?"
The head of the Black Wind Fortress, Kawashima Tsunemi, looked at the sun impatiently and asked the person beside him.
"Don't worry, Boss, there's absolutely no mistake. Be patient. Once this job is done, our Black Wind Fortress won't have to worry about food and drink for at least three years."
"Haha, Mr. Kuang is right. If we pull this off, we'll earn at least five suns!"
Kawashima Tsunemi chuckled, scratching the black mole on his face.
Kawashima Tsunemi was tall and burly, with a broad face, a bushy beard, and a black mole under his left eye. He looked like a simple, honest farmer, but if you were fooled by his appearance, you'd never know how you died.
The Kawashima family's Black Wind Fortress had been robbing in the desert for generations. By the time it was passed down to Kawashima Tsunemi, it was already the third generation. Growing up in a bandit den, he developed a cruel and cunning nature, adept at scheming. His father selected many skilled ronin and rogue ninjas to teach him swordsmanship and ninjutsu, making him quite formidable. According to Sunagakure's intelligence department, his swordsmanship rivals that of a second-class samurai, and his ninjutsu can contend with jōnin, particularly his mastery of Earth Release, which is extraordinary, making it difficult for ordinary people to approach him.
Taking advantage of the Second Ninja World War, Kawashima Tsunemi gathered a large number of wandering ninjas and ronin, significantly strengthening his forces. He annexed several sand bandit groups deep in the desert, becoming the most formidable bandit with three thousand followers.
However, with the end of the war and the construction of highways, life for the Black Wind Fortress became increasingly difficult.
After the victory in the Iwa-Suna War, Sunagakure's ninja forces were at their peak, and Kawashima Tsunemi dared not provoke them. Moreover, the establishment of crystal highways greatly increased the difficulty of robbery, leaving the Black Wind Fortress with no income and depleting their resources. Seeing his great enterprise about to collapse, a man came along and offered a suggestion that greatly alleviated the fortress's plight.
This man was later known as the White Paper Fan Strategist of the Black Wind Fortress—Mr. Kuang. He was originally a retainer of a small country's daimyo, with some knowledge of ninjutsu and considerable strategic insight. He proposed a method to break through the crystal tunnels. By having a large number of Fire Release ninjas repeatedly use fire ninjutsu on a section until the crystal turned red-hot, then suddenly cooling it with Water Release, the crystal tunnel would shatter due to thermal expansion and contraction.