Ninja Ice House

Chapter 618 A Reprimand

"Assistant? What assistant?"

Upon hearing this, Tianzhi's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of anxiety, which had previously made him feel quite at ease.

There are countless cases of officials using the pretext of appointing deputies to plant spies or even undermine their superiors and seize real power.

As a highly intelligent individual, Tenji's limitation lies in his relatively ordinary abilities. He is unable to conduct or truly perceive the specific details of many advanced applied researches involving chakra and ninjutsu.

Academic research... especially scientific experiments, is very rigorous; even a slight error can completely change the whole situation.

Originally, Tianzhi thought that it wouldn't be difficult to use such an excuse to cover things up, because it was indeed a fact that there was a real need to significantly improve strength. However, it was hard to say which direction to focus on.

It would be bad if someone who's been by your side under the guise of an assistant started to hinder what you were doing.

The reason Tianzhi could speak to Gushan Shaodu with a relatively calm attitude was because he had followed him for a long time and had indeed made great contributions. He knew that Gushan Bushui was a relatively sentimental leader who was relatively tolerant and easy to talk to as long as his bottom line was not crossed.

But once he labels someone as unqualified, disloyal, or careless in his mind, it will be very difficult for them to get by.

The Kosugi clan is so powerful that its manpower and resources are almost inexhaustible, far exceeding those of Orochimaru when he first launched the "Sea Demon Project." This made Tenji realize that the Kosugi clan's overall strength was now extremely terrifying, and its foundation might be much deeper than that of Konoha Village at present.

Tianzhi, who was single-mindedly trying to curry favor with the powerful, naturally didn't want to lose this valuable long-term meal ticket. Although he had some selfish motives, it was only human nature. As long as he could generally complete his job duties, there wouldn't be any major problems. At most, he would step down from his original position as a core researcher in the family and be slightly marginalized. However, with his years of experience, his treatment and status wouldn't be too different.

There are two interpretations of the fact that an assistant could be dispatched. Either it's because the young governor of Gushan is dissatisfied with him but doesn't want to disappoint the "old man," so he keeps him on a pedestal and hands over real power to someone else; or it's because he genuinely wants to rely on his own intellect and intelligence again to make up for his shortcomings and assign him some more difficult tasks.

Regardless of the former or the latter, Tianzhi seemed to be in a bit of a predicament. For him at the moment, within the system operating within the Gushan family, the research laboratory was relatively independent. Apart from a very few trusted confidants who had the right to know and limited access, it was basically under the command of Gushan Bushui alone.

In recent years, the collaboration with the Inuzuka family has greatly expanded the research institute and even developed a way to commercialize operations and recoup funds. This has not only effectively monetized research results and byproducts but also alleviated internal pressure. Everyone's compensation has also improved significantly, and all parties are quite satisfied.

Only Tenchi seemed to have his abilities questioned. In addition, the "Ryugu Castle" force he created, consisting of fishmen and sea creatures, was almost independent. Tatsumi, his most prized "creation," led the fishmen guards to carve out a new territory and established a new base in a castle called "Tsukushi." After he even joined forces with the "Eight Heroes" and a group of rogue and wandering ninjas to establish an independent country and set up a ninja village, the situation clearly spiraled out of Tenchi's control.

Especially Tatsumi, the leader, after seeing more of the world, could no longer show the same respect or even admiration for Tenji, the "creator," as before.

"You don't need to worry too much about your treatment. Heaven knows, and you know what kind of person I am. You've been following me for almost ten years, haven't you?"

"almost!"

"I still adhere to my principles of rewarding the good and punishing the evil, rewarding merit and punishing demerit, and praising the loyal and condemning the treacherous. I remember your loyalty and contributions, so I prefer to let you have a peaceful end. You are a smart person and should know that in any world, when it comes to huge interests, everyone is not in control of their own destiny. I don't want to define who is more loyal between my two subordinates, but I hope that those who are close to me will not force me to use means to deal with old ministers."

"I see!"

As Tianzhi answered, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. It seemed that his actions during this period had made the boss feel the danger brought about by the undercurrents within the organization.

Discord among subordinates is not a problem. What's more troublesome is when they are truly united, impenetrable, each doing their own thing and completely ignoring their superior, Young Master Gushan.

Making the decision to cleanse is a last resort, a last resort.

"The ninja world is vast, with enough room for everyone to stand. The Furusugi clan is also vast, with the capacity to accommodate everyone's ideas. As long as the overall interests are not harmed, you can still do your own thing. But... researching things like targeting the natural enemies of a specific clan, focusing on attacking a certain gene segment or bacteria and viruses with special chakra fluctuations, is too dangerous. You should at least have informed me, and you should have stopped immediately after I clearly expressed my opposition..."

“It was I who overstepped my bounds, Young Commander.”

"I dislike this kind of superficiality the most, especially in private. Whether outsiders are watching or not, there's no need for such pretense."

Gu Shanbu's calm, still voice continued to drift in.

"Remember, some things are explicitly prohibited, and you must not cross the line."

If there's no order to stop, then it's fine to do it or not to do it, but we can't treat the young governor like a fool.

"I understand, thank you for your guidance, Young Commander!"

Tianzhi breathed a long sigh of relief, and the tension in his heart finally subsided.

The young commander still cares about his old subordinates. There are too many who can't keep up with the demand, and most of them are content to guard their own little plot of land, cultivate it well, and wait for the future. Heaven knows that the position they are in really cannot tolerate those who take advantage of the situation, as the interests involved are too great.

"I heard you got married and had children? You didn't tell me. I guess I should go and see you, and have a drink at your wedding."

"That would be wonderful, but Lord Commander is too busy. My little matter is not worth your trouble. Lord Togakushi Hinode has been here, and Miss Karin also sent a gift through someone."

"Alright! The Land of the Sea is a bit remote, but it's a safe place to do things. The conditions on Oki Island are better, but there are more people watching. If there's a real need, you can also set up a laboratory here in Shinjuku Town that's just for you. Oh, by the way..."

As he spoke, Gu Shanbu Shui waved his hand, and a familiar-looking person walked over.

"Huh, Lord Orochimaru... no, he looks a lot like him, but... he's too weak!"