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

In that case, Hozuki Shingetsu's various methods can be put to use.

However, just as Hozuki Shingetsu had finalized the list of ministers and was preparing to make public relations efforts, he suddenly received a request for a visit from Kusaka Masato.

"Did they discover your whereabouts last night?" Yukinagi joked with Hozuki Shingetsu.

Of course she knew this was impossible. With Hozuki Shingetsu's strength, combined with the concealment ability of the Shanghai Mirage, she would have to be at least an elite Jonin to detect that something was wrong.

To say that a minister's household has ninjas of this caliber would be to underestimate the importance of elite Jonin.

Hozuki Shingetsu was equally baffled by Kusaka Masato's purpose, but from all perspectives, it was impossible to keep a high-ranking official outside for long, so they quickly opened the door and welcomed him in.

However, to their surprise, Masato Kusaka didn't mince words. Seeing that no one was around, he went straight to the point and asked, "Last night, you were the ones who came to my room, weren't you?"

Hozuki Shingetsu wanted to deny it outright, since such a thing could not be brought up in public under any circumstances. However, just as he was about to deny it, he heard Kusaka Masato repeat his words in an affirmative tone.

"...As expected, it was you guys last night."

Suspicious, Hozuki Shingetsu turned to look at Yukinagi and suddenly realized—having not experienced much, she couldn't hide anything, and the strange expression on her face practically told the whole story.

"Then, Lord Kusaka has come not to interrogate me, but to demand an explanation, right?" Hozuki Shingetsu glanced at Kusaka Masato, who seemed unremarkable, and pondered his intentions.

"Of course, it's not to interrogate anyone. Rather, it's to cooperate with Minister Hozuki." Kusaka Masato smiled slightly, not denying his ulterior motives.

"Oh? What kind of cooperation could possibly catch Lord Kusaka's eye?" Hozuki Shingetsu asked tentatively, somewhat surprised by the question.

"Cooperation means...killing the daimyo, how about it?"

Inside the room, Kusaka Masato uttered these words with a smile.

Chapter 69 Zhao Gao of the Ninja World?

Killed the daimyo?

Hozuki Shingetsu stared in shock at Kusaka Masato in front of him, thinking he had misheard.

"That's right, just as you thought, the one who killed the castle tower, now the daimyo of the Land of Water, Mizu Keita." Kusaka Masato repeated his words once again.

"Killed the daimyo... I wonder why you killed the daimyo, sir?" While feigning politeness with Kusaka Masato, Hozuki Shingetsu gave a wink to Karatachi Yagura, who immediately understood and quietly blocked Kusaka Masato's escape route.

Whether Kusaka Masato is fishing for information or genuinely intends to do so, it's absolutely not the right time for Hozuki Shingetsu to get involved. His main objective is to resolve the conflicts between the daimyo, swindle some funds, and then return to dealing with Ren. It's not wise to create unnecessary complications at this time.

So Hozuki Shingetsu decides to use illusion magic to erase Kusaka Masato's memory and make him forget what happened last night.

Kusaka Masato, however, seemed oblivious, still gazing at Hozuki Shingetsu.

After receiving confirmation from Yagura that no one was outside, Hozuki Shingetsu was about to make his move when Kusaka Masato spoke up: "If you think you can control me with illusions, you are underestimating me."

"Now that I know you have such methods, wouldn't it be too naive of me to come here without taking any precautions?"

Kusaka Masato looked at Hozuki Shingetsu and smiled slightly. "Before this, I had already written down all my speculations in a secret letter and left it in the castle tower. Anyone who wants to enter the castle tower must undergo a mental test by the Yanagisawa clan to prove that they are not under mental control before they can enter."

Kusaka Masato looked at Hozuki Shingetsu, took out his pocket watch from his pocket, and showed it to him. "Unless you can get past the Yanagisawa clan's defenses and retrieve that secret letter from the castle tower within forty minutes, it will fall into the hands of the daimyo in forty minutes."

Kusaka Masato spread his hands, looked at Hozuki Shinju, and smiled confidently. "Considering the time it takes to get to the castle tower from here and for me to retrieve the secret report, we have about ten minutes to talk. So, can we have a proper chat now, Minister Hozuki?"

Upon hearing this, Hozuki Shingetsu paused for a moment, but then continued to form hand seals and cast illusions without hesitation.

Now that things have come to this point, we can no longer rely solely on Kusaka Masato's side of the story. Whether what he says is true or false can be determined simply by using illusion magic to interrogate him.

As Kusaka Masato watched Hozuki Shingetsu's movements, there was no sign of panic on his face. It seemed that he had expected this all along, and he quietly waited for the illusion to descend.

Soon, as the illusion was cast, the smile on Kusaka Masato's face vanished, and his eyes gradually became dull.

"Is the arrangement you just mentioned true?" Yukinagi quickly asked.

She was ashamed of her earlier panic, and seeing that they had been manipulated only fueled her anger. At this moment, she desperately hoped that Masato Kusaka's words were false.

However, her hopes were dashed.

"It's true." The calm words from Kusaka Masato shattered Yukinagi's illusions.

"You said you wanted to cooperate with us to kill the daimyo, is that true?" Hozuki Shingetsu grabbed Yukinagi and continued to ask.

"it is true."

"What's the reason?"

More than whether Kusaka Masato's plan was true, Hozuki Shingetsu was curious about his reasons for wanting to kill the daimyo.

According to the information Hozuki Shingetsu gathered, Kusaka Masato's current position, which was promoted from a mere courtier, can be said to be entirely due to the daimyo's promotion. The daimyo never hides his extraordinary favor towards him in any situation.

It was precisely for this reason that Hozuki Shingetsu and Ren sought his help, and he proved with facts that he did indeed have the ability to influence the daimyo's judgment.

Therefore, he was very curious about what could have caused such a favored minister to disregard the bond forged in the battle and harbor such deep resentment towards the daimyo, to the point that he would seek out an unrelated outsider to kill the daimyo.

Masato Kusaka opened his mouth and slowly stated his reason.

A down-on-his-luck noble boy, through a family connection, gets the opportunity to enter the palace to serve a daimyo, and his outstanding appearance earns him the daimyo's appreciation.

The young man, in turn, received the daimyo's favor and enjoyed all kinds of riches and honors. Excited, he thought that the time was right to revive his family and began to prepare for marriage and having children.

Hozuki Shingetsu nodded. From this perspective, it's still a story of a fallen nobleman revitalizing his family, but if nothing unexpected happens, something unexpected is about to happen.

Sure enough, on the night of the young man's wedding, the daimyo went in.

At this point, Kusaka Masato, who was being controlled by the illusion, trembled all over, as if he had returned to that shameful night.

The daimyo did this for a simple reason: he felt that his plaything was starting to think it was getting out of his control. So, he quietly ended Kusaka Masato's hopes.

After suffering such humiliation, the bride immediately chose to commit suicide, while the surviving Kusaka Masato harbored thoughts of revenge.

He never married, fawning over and carefully serving the daimyo, constantly seeking an opportunity until today.

Yeah, a really melodramatic story.

Hozuki Shingetsu commented on this.

"So, you're avenging your wife?" Yukinagi asked, feeling quite moved. This kind of soap opera-style love and revenge story really resonated with her.

"Wife? No, I've long forgotten what she looks like." To everyone's surprise, Kusaka Masato denied it outright.

"Perhaps I was indeed doing it for that woman at first! But things changed later. I realized how ridiculous I had been, because that guy acted as if nothing had happened, still taking whatever he wanted from me, without any change whatsoever! Someone so important to me, someone I hated so deeply, and he was indifferent to it all?"

At this point, Kusaka Masato's face twisted, and his eyes revealed extreme resentment towards the daimyo.

Upon hearing this, Hozuki Shingetsu understood that Kusaka Masato's resentment towards the daimyo was not due to his wife's death, but rather because he could not bear the thought that his deep-seated hatred was insignificant to the daimyo, and he could not bear the humiliation of enduring it like a clown.

“From that moment on, I decided that I would work hard, step by step, and keep climbing up the ladder. I would take control of my own destiny! For this reason, I can pretend that incident never happened, forget everything that happened, and still remain extremely respectful to Shui Jingtai!”

Masato Kusaka expressed his thoughts, a deep ambition flashing in his empty eyes, though the light in his eyes quickly faded.

"But I soon discovered that no matter how high I climbed, no matter how noble I was in the eyes of others, there was always someone above me. As long as he existed, his figure would constantly remind me of the shame of the past. This shame constantly reminded me of my past, constantly reminded me that everything I have now is nothing but the favor of others, something I gained at the cost of my wife's death!"

Kusaka Masato's face twisted once again. "So I want him to die. I want him to experience the ultimate humiliation in this world and die in agony. Only in this way can I wash away my shame."

Chapter 70 The Opportunity of Hozuki Shiromizu?

Simply put, he's a very low-budget version of Zhao Gao, who, having suffered countless humiliations, seeks revenge on those who humiliated him.

Having said all that, Hozuki Shingetsu already understood why Kusaka Masato had approached them.

It's very simple, it's because of their identity as ninjas.

If Kusaka Masato wanted Mizu Keita to suffer torture before dying, then he had to consider one factor: the Yanagisawa clan, the guardian clan of the daimyo.

As guardians of the daimyo, the Yanagisawa clan, though not widely known, boasts several Jonin (high-ranking ninja). Furthermore, the nature of their duties gives them extensive experience in sensory perception and protection. Therefore, if one truly wants to deal with the daimyo, the involvement of ninjas is necessary. And since the Land of Water is not located within the capital and has a grudge against the daimyo, the only ninjas besides the Hozuki clan are truly capable.

Although the relationship between Ren and the Daimyo is strained, there is no particular conflict. The only conflict is between the Daimyo and the Hozuki clan. Due to Hozuki Gengetsu's overstepping of his bounds, the Daimyo harbors deep hatred towards him. Given Hozuki Shingetsu's growing reputation, it is not surprising that he has come looking for trouble.

Otherwise, if Kusaka Masato had wanted to harm Mizu Keita on his own, he probably wouldn't have been able to get within three meters before the guards discovered and stopped him.

Of course, exceptions exist for certain situations involving close-range contact.

Curious Hozuki Shingetsu, disregarding Yukinagi's presence, asked the question and then understood the reason.

As a daimyo, there have been too many assassinations in history that occurred in the bedroom. So whenever a daimyo wanted to engage in hand-to-hand combat, a Jonin from the Yanagisawa clan would keep a close eye on the daimyo's opponent, fearing that he/she/it might do something outrageous.

Shocked, Hozuki Shingetsu wanted to continue the conversation, but was quickly interrupted by Yukinagi, whose face was flushed. Reluctantly, he could only change the subject.

"Are you so sure we'll cooperate with you? Although we have conflicts with the daimyo, it shouldn't be to the point of life and death, right?" Yagura Karatachi interjected to Masato Kusaka.

“It’s very simple. Because if they don’t cooperate with me, I will use all my skills to increase the Daimyo’s hatred for Kirigakure. This military budget cut is just the beginning.” Kusaka Masato’s calm words surprised the people present.

Hozuki Shingetsu was relieved. He had been wondering why the daimyo was so bothered by something that happened more than ten years ago. It turned out that someone was behind it all!

Kusaka Masato has been continuously worsening the relationship between the daimyo and Kirigakure for over a decade, probably in an attempt to find Kirigakure ninjas to be his collaborators—perhaps even Zabuza's assassination of the daimyo a decade later was orchestrated by Kusaka Masato.

Of course, under Kusaka Masato's arrangement, in order to prevent Hozuki Shingetsu and others from resorting to desperate measures, in addition to coercion, there was also bribery.

Kusaka Masato's revenge plan was simple: make Mizu Keita watch his sons kill each other, let him experience the pain of fratricide, and then send him on his final journey.

Speaking of this, we must mention the issue of who will succeed the current ruler of the Land of Water.

Mizuki had two sons and two daughters, leaving the daughters aside for now. According to the order of seniority, the eldest prince should have inherited the title of daimyo, but because the youngest prince looked very much like Mizuki in his youth, and because the eldest prince's mother had died early, the title of daimyo heir fell to the youngest prince.

"Who in this world doesn't know that Prince Shui Dufu is vengeful? Once the young prince truly ascends to the throne, will he tolerate his elder brother, who was once the crown prince, living on in the world? So as long as you assist the eldest prince Shui Yayan in killing Shui Dufu, he will naturally reward you handsomely once he ascends to the throne."

Kusaka Masato spoke calmly, clearly having considered the plan for a long time, taking into account almost every aspect, and did not believe that Hozuki Shingetsu would reject it.

Objectively speaking, the plan was indeed perfect and in line with the interests of all parties. Hozuki Shingetsu seemed to have no reason to refuse, so after thinking it over, he dispelled Kusaka Masato's illusion.

"It seems you already know everything from the interrogation just now?"

Having regained his senses, Kusaka Masato was not angry about what had just happened, clearly having made the necessary preparations.