Promoting the Konoha threat theory, and talking about the Hidden Mist Belt!

But now, things are really messed up. With Hozuki Shingetsu's interference, the other four nations are all keeping a close eye on Kirigakure, making it impossible for him to secretly carry out his plan. And to make matters worse, he can't reveal his intentions; in fact, he has to praise Hozuki Shingetsu for doing a good job. After all, the current ninja world situation is indeed more favorable to Kirigakure than ever before, with each nation both hostile to each other and tacitly suppressing Konoha.

As for the other countries, they only pay attention to Kirigakure in terms of intelligence, but in terms of strength... sorry, Kirigakure is not qualified.

If that's the case, then why bother implementing this thing?

Should we praise that kid?

Kaguya Yoshio had obviously thought of this as well, and a gloating smile appeared on his face.

"Speaking of that kid, it seems he rejected your proposed marriage?"

Upon hearing this, Kaguya Yoshio's smile vanished immediately.

Not long ago, Hozuki Zangetsu sent someone to tell him that Hozuki Shingetsu already had someone he loved and had no choice but to refuse Kaguya Yoshio's advances. Although the words were polite, as a long-time rival, Hozuki Shingetsu's interpersonal relationships had long been thoroughly investigated by the others.

What love interest? It's just an excuse to reject the Kaguya clan!

This was a huge disgrace for the Kaguya clan in Kirigakure. They were practically throwing blood at their doorstep, and it's easy to imagine what the other ninja clans would say behind their backs. Kaguya Yoshio was so enraged that he forgot the original purpose of the marriage alliance—to lull the enemy into a false sense of security—and was so desperate that he immediately wanted to lead his clan in a purge.

However, he quickly realized what was happening and forcibly suppressed his anger. But even after so many days, he still couldn't help but feel angry when someone brought it up to his face again.

However, according to the law of conservation of smiles, smiles do not disappear but only transfer, so at this moment, a gloating smile also appeared on Lian's face.

"Could it be that he looks down on you guys because you're all skin and bones?!"

"So what? At least it's better than you trying to steal a chicken and losing the bait instead, right?"

The two looked at each other in silence.

"What has that kid been up to lately?" Kaguya Yoshio broke the silence. He couldn't swallow his anger no matter how much he thought about it; he had to cause Hozuki Shingetsu some trouble to get his revenge.

"He's probably busy preparing for his trip to the capital to meet the daimyo!" Ren recalled the intelligence presented by the Anbu. "Aside from that, he's been training. Lately, people have often seen him leaving the training grounds early in the morning and returning late at night. As for now... today is the day of the Snow Clan's patriarchal handover ceremony, that kid should be attending the ceremony at the Snow Clan right now!"

"Life seems pretty leisurely!"

Kaguya Yoshio narrowed his eyes. Although he knew that Hozuki Shingetsu's prestige would be greatly diminished in two months due to the military budget cuts, he was already impatient. He had to make this kid suffer right now!

He quickly remembered the scheme a guy had offered him last night and a malicious smile crept across his face.

"What do you think about sending him as an envoy to Konoha Village?"

"An envoy to Konoha Village?"

Lian imagined the scene for a moment and immediately laughed.

If Hozuki Shingetsu were sent as an envoy to Konoha, wouldn't he be torn apart by everyone in Konoha?

Putting everything else aside, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, the Uchiha clan, and even Mito Uzumaki all wanted to tear him apart. Don't be fooled by the Uchiha clan's apparent gratitude towards him for following Shingetsu Hozuki's advice; they haven't forgotten who started this whole thing. And this "Thirty Years of Slavery"? Your family was the one who was enslaved for thirty years!

As for Mito Uzumaki, the old lady hasn't forgotten who spread rumors that she was a third party who interfered in the relationship between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

So if Hozuki Shingetsu, the mastermind behind everything, really went to Konoha, he might really be gone.

Forget about the saying "enemies are not killed in times of war"; if they really wanted to kill someone, it would be incredibly easy. Furthermore, Konoha is certainly aware of the conflict between Ren and the Hozuki clan, and they're definitely not afraid of retaliation from either country afterward.

"But he definitely won't go, right?"

If they could figure it out, how could Hozuki Shingetsu not understand? The key is that there isn't a very suitable excuse right now, unlike the matter with the daimyo, which required the Foreign Affairs Officer to go in person. Forcing him to go is unrealistic; after all, now is not the time to break off relations.

“Of course I know he won’t go; it’s just a rhetoric.” Kaguya Yoshio shook his head, a rare glint of wisdom in his eyes. “The first option is to prevent him from going, the second option seems like a relatively safe place, plus a suitable reason—surely he’ll have to go, right?”

"Where?"

"Wochao Village!"

Kaguya Yoshio explained, "Although Uzushiogakure is an ally of Konoha, the two are not in a subordinate relationship. On the surface, Uzushiogakure has no direct conflict with Kirigakure, and the previous public opinion issues are far from enough to make Uzushiogakure disregard its reputation and carry out a brutal attack. As long as we can get Hozuki Shingetsu to go with some legitimate reason, he will definitely go if he is not worried about his safety. At that time, we only need to secretly send a message to Konoha, and Konoha will naturally take action."

"After all, the Senju and Uzumaki clans have intermarried for generations. Although the Senju have now retired, there is still a bond between the Uzumaki and Konoha. Many of the Uzumaki clan elders who survived from the Warring States period wanted to join Konoha. As long as Konoha makes a request, those old guys in Uzushio Village who are proficient in sealing techniques will naturally have a million ways to keep that kid here."

"Moreover, even if those old guys don't make a move, that famous 'Dark Ninja' won't let go of such an opportunity to easily kill a genius from another village, especially at this time when a new round of ninja war is about to break out."

"What's the excuse? The excuse for sending Hozuki Shingetsu to Uzushio Village."

After thinking for a moment, Ren realized that although the plan was not particularly ingenious, it could still achieve its goal simply and directly, given that the Hozuki clan was unaware that they harbored murderous intentions and were acting out of cahoots with the unsuspecting Hozuki clan.

"How about we use the pretext of exchanging for the sealing technique of the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki to send him?" Kaguya Yoshio said confidently. "The Tailed Beast Jinchuriki is a major issue concerning the entire village. From the master to the various ninja clans, no one will stand in the way. Naturally, they will want to obtain the corresponding sealing technology from Uzushio Village. However, it will definitely not be easy to exchange for the technology from Uzushio Village. Considering that this is only the initial contact, we need a high-ranking person who is not too important to go. Therefore, Hozuki Shingetsu, as the foreign affairs officer, is naturally the best choice."

After Kaguya Yoshio finished speaking, he glanced triumphantly at Ren, trying to get his approval, but what he got in return was an incredulous look.

"So the Kaguya clan can possess such exquisite logic? It's unbelievable! The Kaguya clan actually has brains and can scheme against people..."

"roll!"

Kaguya Yoshio's face darkened. What's wrong with the Kaguya clan? Did they eat your rice? Why can't they scheme against you?

A new month has begun, so feel free to use any extra monthly tickets or recommendations! ^O^

Chapter 34 Team

"New Moon, I bet you don't have a fish on your rod!"

"Oh? You are not a fish, how do you know if a fish wants to be caught on my rod?"

"I am not a fish, so of course I don't know if the fish are willing to take your line, but I have faith in your skills."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! A fisherman will never be left empty-handed!"

On this rare sunny day, Hozuki Shingetsu put aside his personal training and the many affairs of the Foreign Affairs Department, and gathered with his friends outside Kirigakure to play and relax together.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Hozuki Shingetsu finally got to show off his fishing skills, only to be ridiculed by his friends as expected.

"You'll never go home empty-handed, but you can catch anything except fish." Yukinagi from the Yuki clan mercilessly exposed Hozuki Shingetsu's secret.

Yukinagi is the daughter of the current head of the Yukino clan. Due to the relationship between her fathers, she has known Hozuki Shingetsu since childhood.

At this moment, this long-legged beauty with silver-white hair that seemed to be aimed at Chinese people was eating grilled fish while trampling on the poor fisherman's dignity, Hozuki Shingetsu.

Hozuki Shingetsu flew into a rage, muttering incoherent phrases such as "Why can't something that swims in the water be called a fish?", "It must be bad feng shui here", and "Fish can't eat fine chaff", filling the area with a joyful atmosphere.

All I can say is that his innate Air Force divine body is terrifyingly powerful.

After some playful banter and teasing, the group gradually turned their attention to Hozuki Shingetsu.

“Speaking of Shingetsu, your reputation in the ninja world is truly legendary. Even in a small place like the Land of Snow, I heard rumors about you when I was on my last mission,” Yagura Karatachi said with a smile, starting the conversation.

The future Fourth Mizukage, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki who truly brought the village to its former glory as the "Village of the Bloody Mist," is also a young boy. Born into the Karatachi clan, who are skilled in the Mizukage technique, he has maintained a close relationship with the group ever since Hozuki Shingetsu came to his door six years ago, despite Shingetsu's relentless harassment.

Yukinagi, Yagura Karatachi, and Ao—these are the most talented ninjas Hozuki Shingetsu was able to recruit from the younger generation of Kirigakure.

The other genius ninjas of Kirigakure are either too young, such as Kisame Hoshigaki and Mei Terumi who will be born next year, or their identities are unsuitable, such as Kaguya Guy, a genius from the Kaguya clan.

Having just transmigrated and determined his ambition to unify the ninja world, Hozuki Shingetsu began to build his own team. In addition to the three core members present, there were also some commoners or ninjas from smaller clans who had been sponsored by the Hozuki clan.

These ninjas were selected from among the genin who possessed at least some exceptional jonin talent, and were personally tested by Hozuki Shingetsu.

Hozuki Shingetsu knew that many people didn't lack talent, but rather the corresponding ninjutsu. In this era where ninjutsu was monopolized by various ninja clans, the number of ninjutsu available for these ninjas to learn was pitifully small. These common ninjutsu were not only ineffective, but also had almost zero versatility.

If a ninja is compatible with these ninjutsu, that's fine. But if the chakra nature doesn't match or the talent tree is misplaced, then this low-level ninja is generally destined to stay at the bottom for life. Gold will always shine, but it also needs a ray of sunshine, and Hozuki Shingetsu is the sun above their heads.

To this end, Hozuki Shingetsu also set up a contribution point system. As long as these ninjas pass the various tests he sets, they can obtain ninja tools, money, and all types of ninjutsu, including B-rank ninjutsu.

In this way, Hozuki Shingetsu cultivated a group of talented low-level ninjas, who could even be called "Lord Mengchang of the Ninja World".

Of course, to avoid arousing the suspicion of the Ren and Kaguya clans, most of these people have now been placed by Hozuki Shingetsu in major transportation cities throughout the ninja world. The reason why those rumors were able to spread so quickly was largely due to these people.

Just kidding! The person who gets the most publicity gets to exchange for a C-rank ninjutsu. How could these low-ranking ninjas miss that? Don't think C-rank ninjutsu is bad; according to the ninja rank system, C-rank ninjutsu corresponds to the learning difficulty of Chunin. Just by doing these things, you can exchange for it—it's a huge win!

"New Moon, you've been so high-profile lately, are you about to launch your plan?" Yukinagi looks like a delicate and beautiful girl, but her carefree nature is revealed as soon as she opens her mouth.

"The time is not yet ripe." Hozuki Shingetsu shook his head, signaling his friend not to rush.

Since he was grooming the three as his core members, they were all aware of his ambitions. Of course, to avoid any unforeseen circumstances, Hozuki Shingetsu only told them that he wanted to become the Mizukage and lead Kirigakure to dominate the ninja world.

They were not informed of the further possibility of combining Kirigakure with the Land of Water, and that military power would be unified by a single force in the ninja world—a possibility that seemed like a pipe dream to them.

"Damn it! It's heartbreaking to see the village decline day by day under that incompetent Ren's leadership." Yagura Karatachi slammed his fist on the ground in anger as he looked at the village in the distance.

The others were already used to this situation. If any of them truly had a deep love for the village, it would be Yagura Karatachi. Ao and Yukinagi were only thinking about fighting the Mizukage and developing the village because of Hozuki Shingetsu, but Yagura Karatachi was different; he genuinely loved Kirigakure.

This can be seen from the fact that he was able to take the initiative to apply to become the Three-Tails Jinchuriki and successfully influence the Three-Tails to become a perfect Jinchuriki.

When they first met, Hozuki Shingetsu's words, "Those who eat meat are base and incapable of long-term planning," stirred his blood, and he almost rushed to the Mizukage Building to kill the Mizukage on the spot. After being dissuaded by Hozuki Shingetsu, he turned to his father, the head of the Karatachi clan, and asked him to step down, implying that he, as a "meat-eater," could not lead the clan to progress and should abdicate and give way to a more worthy person.

Well, it was only because Hozuki Shingetsu was around that time, otherwise Yagura would have become Okura.

"Nagi and Yagura, get ready, we expect to be going on a mission soon."

Before Hozuki Shingetsu was promoted to Jonin, he always formed a three-person team with Yagura Karatachi and Yukinagi. Yagura Karatachi was proficient in the various clans' Water Mirror techniques, while Yukinagi had developed her clan's Bloodline Ice Release to a certain level. Now, the two, who were the same age as Hozuki Shingetsu, had both just reached the threshold of Jonin. If he really had to go on a mission to Uzushio Village in a while, it would be better for him to stay with his well-coordinated partners just in case.

As for Ao, being of commoner origin, despite having Hozuki Shingetsu's help, he was limited by his family and age and was unable to form a team with the three.

Chapter 35 Hozuki Shingetsu has always been a true villain.

"But Crescent Moon, I heard you rejected the marriage proposal from the Kaguya clan? Your standards have gotten so high now, you don't even want the Corpse Bone Pulse?"

Although the Kaguya clan did not actively publicize this matter, there were quite a few Jonin present when the two made the bet. Now that so much time has passed and there has been no follow-up, the others naturally realized what was going on.

Now that Yagura had met the person in question, he naturally had to make a good joke of him.

"It's not that I look down on the Corpse Bone Pulse, it's just that there are better options." Hozuki Shingetsu shook his head, not hiding his true thoughts from his companion.

"Actually, I've always felt that you and Nagi are a good match."

Yagura Karatachi nodded noncommittally. Having grown up together, he naturally knew what Hozuki Shingetsu's dream was. But in his opinion, wouldn't a marriage alliance between the Hozuki and Yuki clans be more helpful in becoming the Mizukage?