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

Kill them!

Chapter 46 Nara's meticulous planning and cunning, Hozuki's direct assault on the enemy camp.

Hozuki Shingetsu's plan was simple: to emulate Ban Chao, drive straight in, and take down the enemy chief!

Back then, Ban Dingyuan was able to travel to the Western Regions with only 36 men, kill the Xiongnu envoy, and force the King of Shanshan to surrender. How could Hozuki Shingetsu, a dignified fan of Cao Cao and a successor of the Jian'an style, not be able to launch a lightning attack on the Konoha embassy with three men today and intimidate the Uzumaki clan?

After all, they all belonged to the Eastern Han Dynasty, and were roughly the same.

As the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Things have progressed to this point, and we can already see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hozuki Shingetsu cannot allow anything to go wrong.

After all, Hozuki Shingetsu couldn't just tell Uzumaki Takumi directly, "Old Man, don't bother, I've already made arrangements. No one in your Uzumaki clan will save you no matter how much you shout. So those Konoha envoys are definitely lying to you. You should just obediently follow us from Kirigakure!"

Hozuki Shingetsu guarantees that if he really said that, someone would probably try to trade one for one with him on the spot.

As the saying goes, you can't solve the problem, but you can solve the person who raised the problem.

Therefore, his best course of action would be to eliminate the group of Konoha envoys, snatch the wife he had intended to marry, and then wait for the news that Konoha had abandoned Uzumaki Village before Takumi Uzumaki would give up and return to Kirigakure with him.

He had already secretly inquired and found out that the area where the Konoha envoy was staying wasn't far from theirs; both were within the embassy district. The moment night fell and all was quiet would be the time to see what he could do!

-

At two in the morning, under a dark and windy sky with the moon obscured by clouds, it was the perfect time for murder and arson.

After a short period of time, the entire village of Wochao experienced a dramatic shift in emotions: war, setbacks at the front lines leading to preparations for evacuation, and the imminent arrival of reinforcements. Most people were exhausted and fell into a deep sleep.

"Masato, cheer up! Konoha's reinforcements will be here soon. Once they arrive, we won't need to monitor them anymore."

"Damn it, Konoha has finally sent reinforcements! How could they have taken so many days to travel such a short distance? I think they were just deliberately watching us fight with the Lightning and Earth Alliance, so that we would have to rely on them after our strength was greatly reduced!"

Two Uzumaki ninjas, lurking outside the area where the Hidden Mist Envoy was staying, were exchanging words.

"Be careful what you say! Those Konoha people are right here in the village! Besides, they did send troops, so there's nothing we can do."

The ninja from the vortex knew this principle, but he was still indignant and had no choice but to vent his anger on Hozuki Shingetsu and the others.

"Sigh, there's no moon, and it's foggy. How are we supposed to keep an eye on those people from Kirigakure?"

"...Wait, fog?"

The two realized something was wrong at the same time, and without caring about being exposed, they immediately got up to investigate.

Soon, news of the missing Kirigakure envoy reached Uzumaki Takumi. Just as he was wondering if Hozuki Shingetsu knew there was no hope of returning directly to Kirigakure, he suddenly received news that he heard the sounds of battle coming from the Konoha embassy district…

"No way?"

Takumi Uzumaki suddenly realized a possibility, and with a sense of foreboding, he quickly got up and rushed towards the Konoha embassy district.

-

Since Uzushio Village itself is the capital of the Land of Whirlpools, the village also has a diplomatic quarter for visiting envoys. The mansion where Hozuki Shingetsu and his companions are staying is located here, as are the Konoha envoys.

The embassy district was originally arranged together for the convenience of unified management, but the Uzushio Village never thought that such a close proximity would actually make it easier for Hozuki Shingetsu to carry out his activities.

At this moment, in the Konoha embassy district, Konoha's leader, Nara Shikacho, had not yet rested.

As the team's strategist, he needed to have an overall plan for the trip, so he was constantly considering all the possible scenarios that might occur along the way.

Just then, he suddenly felt a blur before his eyes; the room had become foggy.

puff!

A drop of water flew swiftly through Nara Shikagami's body and plunged straight into the tatami mat in front of him, leaving a deep mark.

However, Hozuki Shingetsu showed no joy whatsoever, knowing that it was merely a shadow clone.

As expected, the Nara Shikagami who remained in place turned into a cloud of smoke and dissipated, leaving only a burning explosive tag in place.

If someone had stepped forward directly, they might have been injured by the explosive tag.

"People from Kirigakure? Is Kirigakure going to war with Konoha? Don't you know that Konoha's army is on its way? Once the army arrives, you will all be reduced to dust?"

Nara Shikagami emerged from the shadows, and although he spoke these words, his eyes darted around, clearly searching for an escape route.

BOOM!

An explosion rang out, and the flames from the explosive tag instantly ignited the tatami mats.

Hozuki Shingetsu squinted at Nara Shikacho, thinking to himself, "No wonder everyone says the Nara clan are all highly intelligent people. This trick of using explosive tags to warn others is indeed different from those muscle-bound brutes in Kumogakure."

However, he wasn't here to chat with Nara Shikanobu. Although he had enveloped the area with a mirage, the visuals remained intact, and the sounds could still be transmitted. He believed the Uzumaki clan would soon realize he was missing, and considering the sounds coming from this place, a powerful member of the Uzumaki clan would arrive in no more than two minutes, at which point things would become difficult.

"Two minutes is enough."

Hozuki Shingetsu glanced at the wary Nara Shikacho, then at the raging flames, chuckled, and charged straight at him.

"Secret Technique: Shadow Imitation Technique!"

A black line rose from Nara Shikanobu's feet, its target being Hozuki Shingetsu's shadow illuminated by the flames!

His detonation tag wasn't just for warning purposes! He also intended to ignite the tatami mats to illuminate the space and reveal the shadows—that was part of his plan!

At the same time, Nara Shikanobu, without even restraining Hozuki Shingetsu, shouted, "Muneto, attack!"

"Soft Boxing Technique·Bagua Sixty-Four Palms!"

From the shadows behind him, a middle-aged Hyuga ninja with pure white eyes and bulging veins at the corners of his eyes ambushed Hozuki Shingetsu from behind, using his Byakugan.

With Nara Shikanobu's Shadow Imitation Technique in front and Hyuga's Gentle Fist Technique behind, both paths are blocked, and the outcome is decided!

"I was really underestimated!"

Seeing the situation, Nara Shikagami couldn't help but smile. He thought that just because Shikagami wasn't good at close combat, he should just take him out first. How could Shikagami treat him like a human being?

However, the smile on his lips disappeared very quickly—his shadow could not touch Hozuki Shingetsu, as if it passed straight through a phantom!

"Uh……"

Nara Shikagatsu was about to warn Hyuga Munen to be careful when a sudden, sharp pain shot through his back. He looked down and saw a kunai piercing through his heart!

"No...the situation is clearly very favorable, so why..."

Nara Shikanobu couldn't understand why he had collapsed here, even though he had perfectly completed the Hokage's mission, successfully fooled Uzumaki Takumi, and was just waiting to leave Uzushio Village with the children the next morning to complete his mission and return to the village for a promotion and a raise.

How dare he, Hozuki Shingetsu?

"He's very smart, but it's not very useful."

With a sentence that reached his ears, Nara Shikagatsu closed his eyes, and what echoed in his ears was Hyuga Muneto's scream.

Chapter 47: A show of force

"Is everything resolved?"

Hozuki Shingetsu carefully wiped the bloodstains off the kunai with Hyuga Muneto's clothes, then turned to ask Yukinagi and Yagura.

“Easy peasy! Without the combined Ino-Shika-Cho trio, they're utterly vulnerable,” Yagura Karatachi replied.

If each of the three members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio has a combat power of one, then their combined combat power is enough to reach ten. The three races complement each other's strengths and make up for each other's weaknesses, which is why they are such a troublesome combination on the battlefield.

But being all alone is just like that.

So even though the ninjas from the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans were all Jonin, they were easily defeated by the two of them.

"Two minutes have passed. Let's go and greet Chief Whirlpool!"

Hozuki Shingetsu estimated the time and went out first, followed closely by Yagura Karatachi and Yukinagi, leaving behind only the raging fire and the unseeing eyes of Nara Shikanobu and Hyuga Muneto.

-

When Takumi Uzumaki arrived with a group of Uzumaki experts, he saw a group of Uzumaki ninja helpless against the fog that shrouded the Konoha embassy district.

"Clan leader, this fog is really strange; it must be some kind of large-scale illusion. Everything we see inside is fake, and many people can't find the location of the Konoha envoy at all," a vortex guard reported with a troubled expression.

"This is... a mirage."

Takumi Uzumaki, who was from the same era as Gengetsu Hozuki, naturally recognized this move. Upon seeing it, he had a bad feeling.

With this move, combined with the Hozuki clan's water transformation technique and ice release, how could those few Konoha ninja possibly withstand it?

However, clinging to a sliver of hope, just as Takumi Uzumaki was about to force his way in, the fog suddenly dissipated, and Hozuki Shingetsu and the other two emerged from the lingering mist.

"Could it be that Chieftain, like me, was unable to sleep and was attracted by this beautiful scenery, so he came out to admire the moon?"

Hozuki Shingetsu looked at Uzumaki Takumi and asked with a smile.

Yukinagi and Yagura, who were standing to the side, looked up at the moon, which was obscured by dark clouds, and then looked back at the embassy behind them, which was engulfed in flames. They nodded and remained silent.

"Okay, very good!"

Looking at the burning embassy behind him, Takumi Uzumaki knew that it was too late. If the Konoha envoys were still alive, they would have come out on their own. In the current situation, they were all dead. Otherwise, what would they be doing inside, warming themselves by the fire?

His face immediately turned ashen as he ordered the surrounding Uzumaki clan members to capture Hozuki Shingetsu and the other two.

Hozuki Shingetsu smiled and offered no resistance. He knew that as long as Uzumaki Takumi didn't kill them immediately, it meant that Takumi was also hesitant. Since he was hesitant, there was room for Hozuki Shingetsu to act later...

-

After a brief outburst of rage, Takumi Uzumaki had come to understand the current situation. With Konoha confirmed to be without any support, if the Uzumaki clan did not want to be wiped out, their only option was to seek refuge with Kirigakure to ensure their survival.

But if they just slink away and surrender like this, wouldn't that make them look incompetent? Especially after Hozuki Shingetsu forcefully killed the Konoha envoy, wouldn't it make outsiders think that the Uzumaki clan had submitted to power?

Therefore, even if one wants to join Kirigakure, there are still rules about how to join and in what manner.