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

In Ren's view, since the Uzumaki clan has formed a marriage alliance with Hozuki Shingetsu, it undoubtedly reveals that the Uzumaki clan is on the side of the Hozuki clan.

Judging from the current situation, the alliance between Ren and Kaguya is undoubtedly weaker than the alliance of Hozuki, Yuki, and Uzumaki clans in terms of power. Ren can only rely on his status as the Mizukage.

Therefore, after Ren removes this fig leaf and exposes the conflict with the Hozuki clan, he will force the previously neutral ninja clans to choose their own positions.

Previously, they could pretend to be confused and blur their stance, but when Lian completely turned the issue into a binary choice, most neutral forces would still choose Lian's side, including even Yuan Shi.

There's no other reason than that I have a sense of righteousness in my hands.

As long as Ren had not committed any obvious wrongdoing, he remained the Mizukage of Kirigakure, the highest-ranking leader of Kirigakure in name only.

To deny the Mizukage is to deny the Hidden Mist Village as a whole, and to deny the various ninja clans that previously recognized him.

Although he had conflicts with the Hozuki clan and others, he had done nothing wrong to the village, and the methods he used against Hozuki did not cross any lines; his suppression was carried out within the rules.

Therefore, before a complete bloodshed occurs, most neutral forces still lean towards Ren—these small and medium-sized families are unaware of the cause of the Uzushio Village incident.

This led to an awkward situation: when Ren took the initiative to remove this fig leaf, Hozuki Shingetsu found himself now the villain.

The prestige he had painstakingly cultivated actually became a limitation. After all, how could a "timely rain" from Kirigakure attack someone who had done nothing wrong?

"So, the only option is to find an opportunity to provoke Ren into making the first move?" Hozuki Shingetsu pondered the changes that had occurred since the Uzumaki clan joined Kirigakure.

With the help of the Uzumaki clan, Hozuki Shingetsu now has the confidence to challenge Ren.

After all, in the current ninja world, there is nothing that the Uzumaki clan's "Reaper Death Seal" cannot solve.

If one doesn't work, then try another.

Even Madara Uchiha in his current form probably couldn't withstand two "Reaper Death Seal" attacks, let alone White Zetsu.

Therefore, Hozuki Shingetsu is now qualified to change dynasties.

However, what he's thinking about now is how to make this matter look good; to put it bluntly, he's thinking about how to maintain a virtuous image.

"New Moon, important news has arrived!"

Just then, Qing rushed in from outside, holding a letter of intelligence, and excitedly handed it to Hozuki Shingetsu.

"This message was sent back by a spy planted within the Kaguya clan. He said it contains the reason why the Kaguya clan and Ren formed an alliance!"

Hozuki Shingetsu opened the intelligence report with great interest. It concisely recorded that the Kaguya clan had acquired a method to cure the Shikotsumyaku blood disease, and that this secret technique required the blood of other blood-stained ninja clans to be used.

"...Why does this method feel so familiar?"

The moment Hozuki Shingetsu saw this method, he sensed something was wrong.

Regardless of whether this method has any chance of success, this kind of secret information is something that his Hozuki clan's spies could find out.

"Where is that spy? Bring him to me immediately!"

Realizing something was wrong, Qing hurriedly went to search for it, and after a while, she returned to her room with a look of shame on her face.

“That person has already run away... Damn it, I thought I had found out the reason why the Kaguya clan and Ren formed an alliance, but it turned out to be false information... Luckily, Shingetsu found out.”

"No, this information may not be false. On the contrary, if it really is the person I suspect, this information is very likely to be true."

Hozuki Shingetsu looked down at the intelligence report in his hand, and a possibility suddenly occurred to him.

This intelligence may have been sent by someone from Black Zetsu.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this possibility was true.

For Black Zetsu, a chaotic ninja world is actually in his best interest.

Furthermore, Hozuki Shingetsu is a well-known troublemaker in the ninja world, and he also proposed the diplomatic strategy of "balance of the continent." Under these circumstances, Hozuki Shingetsu becoming the Mizukage is surprisingly in line with Black Zetsu's interests.

As for Madara Uchiha manipulating the lotus, it was merely a backup base to make the "Rinne Rebirth" plan more secure. Even if Kirigakure was abandoned, there were still Takigakure or other ninja villages; there was no need to put all one's eggs in one basket.

As long as Black Zetsu wanted to, as Madara Uchiha's eyes and ears, it would definitely have its own way of fooling Madara Uchiha.

At this moment, Hozuki Shingetsu recalled the incident after the Uchiha human rights incident subsided, when the Uchiha approached Root and asked Danzo why he had sent Root ninjas to humiliate the Uchiha clan. Danzo denied it, which caused a great uproar.

If that was White Zetsu in disguise, then everything makes sense; Black Zetsu had already noticed him!

However, if that's the case, Black Zetsu should know that the Five-Tails is currently inside the Shinigami's stomach! How could he possibly show kindness to the son-in-law of the Uzumaki clan at this time?

"Heh, although it's a bit unpleasant to be used as a pawn to disrupt the ninja world, it's actually good news for the moment."

Hozuki Shingetsu held the intelligence report in his hand, pondering it carefully.

With this intelligence in hand, he was able to devise a plan to make the Kaguya clan make the first move.

As long as one has the moral high ground and designates the Kaguya clan and Ren as the enemies, the purge can be launched in a logical and justifiable manner.

Moreover... it's still unknown who the pawns are!

Chapter 61 How to break the situation

"Wouldn't you be exposing your existence by directly sending him a message like this?" On a large tree a hundred meters away from Hozuki's mansion, a strange creature resembling a pitcher plant was emitting two completely different sounds.

"So what if I'm exposed? He doesn't know who I am anyway. At most, he'll just think I'm some unknown force hoping to escalate the infighting in Kirigakure." Black Zetsu shook his head, completely unconcerned.

Throughout the millennia of the ninja world, in countless schemes, it was impossible for Black Zetsu to have been perfect every time, nor was there anyone unaware of his existence.

But it's only a matter of being aware of it; you can't even see what it looks like, so what can you do?

His ability, derived from Kaguya Otsutsuki, makes him fearless of any danger.

"Compared to Ren, it would be more in our interest to make him the Mizukage and let him continue to wreak havoc on the ninja world."

Black Zetsu was certainly aware of the ambition hidden beneath Hozuki Shingetsu's gentle exterior, but it didn't care. As long as Hozuki Shingetsu didn't possess the strength of Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara, he could only dominate temporarily and wouldn't disrupt its plans.

As for whether Hozuki Shingetsu could become a figure like Senju Hashirama and end the war... in the ninja world where ancestors matter, Otsutsuki Black Zetsu could disdainfully ask such a question:

Who are your ancestors to dare claim to pacify the chaotic world?

As for the Five-Tails, although Black Zetsu was initially furious upon learning of it, he quickly came to terms with it. Since he couldn't collect them anyway, what difference did it make where they were?

Moreover, it might be safer inside the Grim Reaper's belly. Apart from it and some of the Vortex Clan elders, no one else even knows how to break the Grim Reaper's seal, so how could they possibly find it?

Most importantly, it has seen too many such things over the past thousand years, so this is not even a setback for it, and there is no need to worry about it at all.

"So, shall we follow the plan, exaggerate the strength of Kirigakure, and make Madara give up on his own?"

As Madara Uchiha's eyes and ears, Zetsu certainly had the ability to accomplish this task.

"Yes, just tell him that the Uzumaki clan has joined the Hozuki clan's side. I believe he should understand." Black Zetsu nodded. As Senju's old rival, Uchiha Madara naturally had a deep understanding of the Uzumaki clan. He knew that the forbidden technique "Reaper Death Seal" was something Ren couldn't withstand.

"It's a pity about the layout of Kirigakure... It would take a lot of time to replicate it in other places."

White Zetsu sighed as he looked at the bustling Kirigakure village.

"What we have in abundance is time, isn't it? Now that the Rinnegan has appeared, we are one step closer to liberating Motherland... As for other places, Takigakure is a good choice. Not only is its location more secluded and it never communicates with the outside world, but it also has a tailed beast. Compared to Kirigakure, it is more suitable as a backup base."

-

Over the next few days, Hozuki Shingetsu focused on organizing matters related to the three rankings of the Ninja World: Heaven, Earth, and Man.

First, there's the publication schedule for the rankings, which are released once a month or when a major event occurs. Newly listed ninjas are highlighted in bold red lettering on the homepage of the corresponding section, with the reason for their inclusion clearly stated. The goal is to make those on the list feel proud and to make those not on the list envious.

Secondly, it is necessary to ensure that the number of Konoha ninjas on the list is at a certain level, and that the land and human lists should ideally place Konoha ninjas at the bottom while maintaining a generally fair ranking.

In this case, when challengers are ranked according to their strength, they will generally prioritize challenging Konoha ninjas.

Finally, the goal is to continuously increase publicity efforts to ensure that the control of public opinion in this area remains in the hands of the Hidden Mist Village.

However, while doing this step, Qing reported another piece of bad news.

"You mean we're short of funds?" Hozuki Shingetsu stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Ao.

"Yes, mainly because the village suddenly cut off its financial support to us. They said that the village has just taken in the Uzumaki clan and is currently in the eye of the storm in the ninja world. Moreover, the situation in the ninja world is so chaotic right now, so we should take advantage of this great opportunity to calm down and focus on development. We should solve the problem of the tailed beast Jinchuriki first. Anyway, we can't keep standing out like this."

Qing continued, somewhat frustrated, "The Ministry of the Interior said that if we continue to insist, we will have to find our own funding."

Hozuki Shingetsu put down the documents in his hand. He knew this was Ren's first attempt to test him after they had officially broken off relations. Choosing to start with the familiar issue of funding was a low-profile move, but it would still cause him some trouble.

Moreover, his reasons were very reasonable, and given the sensitive issue of the tailed beasts, neutral forces would certainly support him.

But he absolutely cannot stop his strategy.

Regardless of how much effort it would take to regain the high ground of public opinion after retreating, he could not accept it even if the high ground of public opinion was not manipulated by others after abandoning this strategy.

Nothing more than the "mainland balance strategy," which is the political banner he has raised and the political policy of his Ghost Light Crescent Moon. All his supporters will be firmly gathered under this political banner. If he compromises at this time, what will those who are watching from the sidelines think?

His retreat meant that Lian took a step forward, and it meant that he had lost some of the people's hearts.

However, there was still some time before he could go to the capital of the Land of Water to meet the daimyo and carry out his plan to curry favor. The daimyo's funds could not appear out of thin air, so this gap was indeed quite awkward.

How long can our funds last?

"If it's just a simple maintenance, half a month should be enough. But if we go all out with the publicity as planned, it will only take five days at most," Qing calculated and gave her answer.

"Five days... that's a bit tight, but it's worth a try." Hozuki Shingetsu kept scribbling on the paper, seemingly deep in thought.

While it's possible to use the Hozuki clan's funds to cover the shortfall at this point, it would still create a host of problems. Using family funds to maintain the village's strategy—not to mention the example of Shen Wansan—Hozuki Shingetsu would never do something so self-destructive for the greater good.

The Hozuki clan is his core strength, and he cannot allow their power to be diminished under any circumstances.

"In that case, let's move this plan forward!"

Hozuki Shingetsu pulled out a stack of paper and began writing on it with lightning speed.

"Alright!" Hozuki Shingetsu quickly finished and handed the stack of papers to Ao, instructing him to find a few novelists and have them quickly produce a batch of articles based on the outline he had written.

"Will writing articles under these circumstances help our predicament?" Qing asked, somewhat puzzled.