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

Chapter 74 I have wandered for half my life, never encountering a wise ruler; if you will not abandon me...

"Ahem... Actually, I'm also hesitant about this matter, but when I think about how, if it weren't for the legendary Sage of Six Paths opening up the ninja world and establishing the Ninja Clan, where would we get this harmonious and happy life today? And now his reputation is declining day by day, which is truly heartbreaking!"

"Therefore, in order to express my respect for him, all expenses for this biographical film specially made for the Sage of Six Paths will be borne by the Daimyo Prefecture!"

Seeing that Hozuki Shingetsu was clearly "startled", Mizuki Keita noticed his lapse in composure and quickly tried to cover it up.

However, at this moment, Hozuki Shingetsu was still immersed in the surprise of being showered with wealth. Considering that Kirigakure's annual military budget is only five billion yen, could his movie, which hadn't even started filming yet, really earn him one-fifth of Kirigakure's annual military budget?

Is this the legendary PPT investment?

On stage, Shui Jingtai continued to express his opinions, with the main point being: "I have no interest in playing the Sage of Six Paths," "I never care about these empty titles," and "Huh? Is the Sage of Six Paths famous? I didn't know."

The audience members nodded and smiled in response, praising the daimyo's noble character and disregard for fame, and expressing their intention to learn from him.

"However, this film must meet the same requirements as my biographical film: respect history, adhere to the principles of objectivity, fairness, and rigor in its production, and absolutely avoid any adaptations or fabrications, understand?" Shui Jingtai was afraid that Hozuki Shingetsu wouldn't understand his meaning, so he "emphasized" it again.

Hozuki Shingetsu nodded, indicating that he fully understood the daimyo's request.

Adaptation isn't random rewriting, and fiction isn't nonsense! He's an expert at this; as the saying goes, even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run. He's seen far too much of this kind of thing in his past life.

"Very good." Shui Keita looked at Hozuki Shingetsu's obedient appearance and became increasingly satisfied.

If it weren't for the fact that it was really inappropriate, Shui Keita even considered having him stay and stay by his side all the time—there was no way around it, Hozuki Shingetsu's various actions were so cunning that they all hit his weak spot, making him feel unbearably itchy all over.

If everyone in the world were like this young man, knowing how to share the burdens of their ruler and father and taking the initiative to solve their problems, how wonderful that would be!

"Well, the wish I just made is an extra one I'm granting you. You can make another request, and as long as it's reasonable, I'll grant it!"

Overjoyed, Shui Jingtai no longer cared about these small things. He wanted to set an example for everyone: as long as you take the initiative to solve my problems and find things that make me happy, I will not hesitate to reward you!

"Serving one's sovereign is my duty, so how dare I presume to ask for rewards? However, I have always had a wish that the daimyo may grant."

When Shui Jingtai first heard the first half of the sentence, he thought the young man was too shy to ask for a reward and was worried about how to play the role of Qianjin Magu. However, when he heard the second half of the sentence, he immediately became happy.

I'm not afraid of you having demands, I'm afraid of you not having any!

"Say!"

Then Hozuki Shingetsu rose from his seat, bowed, and respectfully said in the direction of Mizu Keita, "Since birth, I have been training as a ninja since I was three years old and in actual combat since I was six. Through such rigorous training in the coldest winter and hottest summer, I have achieved the results of becoming a Chunin at the age of eight and a Jonin at the age of twelve."

Hozuki Shingetsu begins by sharing his own growth experience, subtly revealing his strength while also slowly accumulating power.

"But precisely because of this, from a young age, I spent my days with kunai shuriken and never experienced the warmth of a family. I didn't know what family was, what kinship was, or what a loving father was. The word 'father' in my heart has gradually become less concrete and has gradually become a symbol."

Hozuki Zangetsu: Alright, alright, is this how you play it?

Hozuki Shingetsu, completely disregarding what his father, far away in Kirigakure, might think upon hearing this, continued his chanting: "But by chance, I came across records about the Daimyo in Lord Gengetsu's notes at home, filled with reverence for the Daimyo; from my father's casual remarks, I heard about the Daimyo's virtuous policies. From these fragments of conversation, I sensed a loving, kind, and magnanimous Daimyo. And that is exactly the kind father I had imagined."

Upon hearing this, Shui Jingtai unconsciously puffed out his chest.

Although this adjective sounds a bit unfamiliar, who cares! As long as it sounds nice!

After all, among all the civil and military officials in the court, who else but him could be described in such a way?

"But there are so few records about the daimyo in the village, so few that I even suspect that someone is secretly erasing the daimyo's image in Kirigakure..." Hozuki Shingetsu subtly sowed some discord among Ren.

As expected, the smug daimyo once again expressed his dissatisfaction with the Mizukage—"How come there's no record of my good deeds in Kirigakure? Do you, the Mizukage, have a problem with me?"

He conveniently forgot that, up to today, there was actually no record of his positive image anywhere in the Land of Water.

He slightly touched the new moon of the lotus and continued, "For this, I had to climb mountains and wade through rivers to search for the lost history of the daimyo, and organize these materials with a pilgrimage mentality, which is how this movie came to be."

At that moment, although Hozuki Shingetsu was still kneeling on the ground, he stood up forever in the hearts of many ministers.

If the heavens do not give birth to a new moon, the Dao will remain shrouded in eternal darkness!

These ministers finally understood what it meant to be exceptionally gifted, and what it meant to be born with knowledge.

How can they catch up with this kind of flattery?

Listen to what they're saying!

This kind of reverence for the daimyo that spans three generations, this kind of reason for making movies that doesn't come from external rewards but from pursuing one's own inner spiritual reliance, you could never imagine it even if you racked your brains!

This is called professionalism!

After this, anyone who does things for the daimyo and claims they're doing it for money, for wealth and status will be ridiculed to death.

what?

You didn't do it out of deep respect for the daimyo?

Do you have a problem with the name?

Drag him out and chop off his dog's head!

Of course, all the ministers in the audience had the same reaction after hearing this. As for Shui Keita, the person in question, after hearing these words, it was as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on his head in the middle of summer. Why did this refreshing and exhilarating feeling keep appearing today?

So, after laying the emotional foundation completely, Hozuki Shingetsu, seeing that the atmosphere had been sufficiently built, finally began to summarize, condensing all his words into a final sentence:

"I have wandered for half my life, never encountering a wise ruler. If you do not abandon me, I am willing to become your godfather!"

Chapter 75: With a great name forever in one's heart, where in the world can one not find a way?

"Congratulations, Daimyo! Congratulations, Daimyo! You are a man of high moral character and great prestige, and you win people over with your virtue. Not only have you gained a valiant general, but now there will be no more animosity between the Daimyo's residence and Kirigakure! With the Daimyo's son in charge, Kirigakure will surely follow the Daimyo's lead from now on!"

If we're talking about who reacted the fastest at the scene, it would have to be Kusaka Masato, who already knew about it.

Immediately, Masato Kusaka broke the silence in the hall, rising first to kneel and congratulate Keita Mizu.

Despite the groundwork laid by Hozuki Shingetsu, which made it nearly 99% likely that the daimyo would agree, he was still afraid that the daimyo might have a mental breakdown and refuse, so he listed as many reasons as possible to prevent the daimyo from acting foolishly.

The other ministers were jolted awake by Kusaka Masato's words, and recalling Hozuki Shingetsu's almost miraculous flattery earlier, they all suddenly became aware of the situation and knelt down behind Kusaka Masato to congratulate Mizuki Keita.

"well!"

Originally in shock, Mizuki Keita was also awakened by the many congratulatory voices. In particular, Kusaka Masato's words reminded him that just by virtue of his personal prestige, he could make the high-ranking officials of Kirigakure bow down. How inspiring this must be when it got out.

If Hozuki Shingetsu had the chance to become the Fourth Mizukage, wouldn't the fact that he, Sui Keita, could adopt the Mizukage as his godson make the other daimyo so envious they'd shed tears of envy?

Looking at Hozuki Shingetsu's hopeful eyes and hesitant tone in the audience, and considering the movies he had made and his future plans, and most importantly, his age of twelve, he almost immediately believed Hozuki Shingetsu's words—yes! What bad intentions could a twelve-year-old child have?

He must have truly believed from the bottom of his heart that I was a benevolent ruler and a loving father!

With this thought in mind, Mizuki Keita laughed and stood up, ready to accept Hozuki Shingetsu as his adopted son.

"I've heard that Hozuki Gengetsu is arrogant and disrespectful, presumptuously becoming the Mizukage without permission. Such a disrespectful person would record my father's glorious image in his notebook? Are you perhaps deceiving the emperor?"

But at that moment, a sharp voice rang out, shattering the harmonious scene between the emperor and his ministers.

The one who spoke was Shui Jingtai's youngest son, Shui Du Fu, the rightful heir to the Land of Water.

Shui Du Fu, only twelve years old this year, has been spoiled since childhood, which has naturally fostered an arrogant and narrow-minded personality. Now, seeing so many ministers who used to fawn over him turning their attention to a ninja his own age, and his own father even preparing to adopt this lowly person as his godson, how could he not feel jealous?

Besides, this ninja is nothing more than a dog they keep. What kind of person is he to be worthy of being on the same level as him?

However, although Shui Dufu was arrogant and unruly, he was not a fool. He knew that he could not rashly stop his father at this moment when his father was extremely excited.

After all, he knew all too well how much his father valued his reputation, and if he displeased Shui Jing too much, he would be in trouble. So, he had a sudden inspiration and, recalling the previous discussions, decided to use the loophole in Hozuki Shingetsu's previous words to achieve his goal.

Once the accusation of deceiving the emperor is confirmed, Shui Jingtai, who values ​​his reputation above all else, will undoubtedly be furious. Even if he doesn't dwell on the fact that this brat contributed to the film, everything else will certainly come to an end.

With this thought in mind, Shui Dufu looked at Gui Deng Xin Yue triumphantly, imagining his trembling figure out of fear.

At this moment, the others were also awakened by Shui Du Fu's words and remembered the loophole in Hozuki Shingetsu's words.

Yes!

As the origin of the Daimyo's hostility towards Kirigakure, everyone is familiar with Hozuki Gengetsu. Would he really write good things about the Daimyo in his notebook?

It looks like someone is swearing!

Seeing the suspicious look in Sui Keita's eyes, Hozuki Shingetsu smiled inwardly. This was exactly the question he had been waiting for! How could he not know such an obvious flaw?

"Sigh... I thought so too at first, but after reading through Lord Huan Yue's notes, I finally understood why."

Hozuki Shingetsu looked hesitant, as if he didn't want to speak but had to for the sake of his ancestors' reputation. However, Yagura Karatachi and Yukinagi, who knew his true nature, knew from his appearance that he was about to lie again.

"May I ask everyone present, what does the position of Mizukage truly mean to you? What are his/her responsibilities?"

When Hozuki Shingetsu opened his mouth, he did not explain the specific reason. Instead, he started by asking questions of everyone present. The first person he asked was Mizuto Tomio, who had stood up earlier to question him.

"...Does the position of Mizukage mean that he is the strongest person in Kirigakure? As for his duties...protecting the Land of Water?" Mizuto thought for a moment and then answered.

Although he wanted to say that the Mizukage was nothing more than their dog, only needing to carry out the Daimyo's orders, he knew that such words were fine to say in private, but could not be said in such a formal setting.

After all, everyone has a sense of shame.

However, he valued his reputation, while some others did not.

“Indeed, the prince’s words are very apt; these can indeed be used to describe the Water Shadow… However, in my opinion, these words are not comprehensive.”

Ignoring Mizuki's annoyed expression, Hozuki Shingetsu continued to use him as a stepping stone: "In my opinion, the Mizukage may not be the strongest person in Kirigakure, but he is definitely the most loyal person in Kirigakure to the Daimyo; the Mizukage's duty is not to protect the Land of Water, but to protect the Daimyo, with the highest standard being to complete the Daimyo's mission."

"Therefore, the Mizukage is not the Mizukage of Kirigakure, nor the Mizukage of the Land of Water, but the Mizukage of the Daimyo!"

"Only the most loyal person is qualified to become the Mizukage of a daimyo!"

Faced with these almost obsequious words, the ministers present cried out: "Master, please stop your supernatural powers! We can't learn them, we really can't learn them!"

Young Shui Dufu was stunned and speechless, unable to understand why this guy, who was the same age as him, could say such shameless things so easily.

"So, Hozuki Gengetsu's unauthorized usurpation of power is an act of loyalty to the daimyo?" However, Mizuto Tomio still held on to a core issue, pointing directly to the loopholes in Hozuki Shingetsu's words.

"That's because Lord Gengetsu believes he is more loyal to the Daimyo than Ren! He can't accept someone whose purity is inferior to his becoming the Mizukage!"