Naruto Online: Hyuga Branch Family? Let's go all out!

Chapter 228 Returning Home to the Hidden Mist Village

(The previous chapter established the country name and regional divisions; I wonder if it will be unblocked.)

Meeting room in Wuyin Village.

The Third Mizukage, the Fourth Mizukage in preparation, the elders, as well as Hozuki, Kaguya, Yuki, Terumi, and other elders, and all the candidates for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist gathered together.

The book has been printed in several copies and distributed to everyone, and everyone has read it once.

The entire conference room was now completely silent, even the usually most radical Kaguya clan leader remained silent.

After a long while, the aged Third Mizukage sighed, "The thing I feared most has finally happened!"

Since the founding of Kirigakure, insightful people have realized that whether Kirigakure can exist peacefully depends entirely on whether the ninja world is in chaos.

When the ninja world is in chaos, Kirigakure is safe; when the ninja world is at peace, Kirigakure is not safe.

Therefore, many insightful individuals in Kirigakure made considerable efforts to maintain the balance of the ninja world.

For example, launching a long-distance attack on Iwagakure.

Because the Second Tsuchikage died young, and because those involved were often blinded by their own circumstances, many people underestimated the power of the Second Tsuchikage, Mu.

However, the villagers of Kirigakure, being bystanders, clearly recognized the threat posed by the Second Tsuchikage.

This person not only invented bloodline elimination, but also taught it to others. How terrifying is that?

If he takes in a hundred or two hundred disciples and then trains a hundred or two hundred bloodline limit breakers, who in the entire ninja world can subdue Iwagakure?!

Even if not many people can learn the Bloodline Elimination, it's still possible to learn the Bloodline Limit!

That's right, this person also managed to popularize bloodline limits!

Being able to develop your own bloodline limit is nothing special; anyone can do it if they're lucky.

But he not only knows what happened, but also why it happened, which is a bit scary.

So much so that Kirigakure acted decisively, killing Mu before he could pass on all his knowledge.

Although Kirigakure lost a Kage, it disrupted Iwagakure's path to rise, making it all worthwhile.

But who knew what would happen now...?

"Only two days! Just two days!" Elder Yuan Shi of Kirigakure looked bewildered. "In all my years, I've never encountered anything like this. Our troops weren't even fully deployed, and Iwagakure and Kumogakure are already gone!"

Having said that, everyone else felt the same way.

Actually, Kirigakure didn't start mobilizing ninjas after being attacked and forced to retreat to Yugakure; it started after Konoha invaded Sunagakure.

But how long did it take from when Konoha attacked Sunagakure to when Iwagakure and Kumogakure were destroyed?

Only two days!

After Sunagakure surrendered, the next day they formed an allied army and marched on Iwagakure. They broke through Iwagakure's defenses in a day, arrived at Iwagakure at noon, and Iwagakure surrendered the following day.

The same thing happened in Kumogakure. The Guining Army destroyed Takigakure, the Land of Frost, and the Land of Iron in one day. Then, the three armies surrounded Kumogakure, and the Kumogakure coalition surrendered in less than a day.

Even if Kirigakure reacts quickly, it takes time to gather ninjas, prepare supplies, and arrange ships.

Normally, they need about ten days to prepare before they can set off.

The current situation is that everything has only just begun, and the other hidden villages are already gone.

The ninja world has been unified!

Everyone knows that peace in the ninja world is detrimental to Kirigakure, but no one has considered what the impact of unification of the ninja world would be on Kirigakure.

Now, they feel it.

First, various supplies cannot be transported out.

The land of water is located at a low latitude and is very humid, so food does not keep well. No household has the habit of storing food; at most, they store enough for one or two days.

Trade routes to the ninja world have been cut off, preventing food from being transported in, and some families in border cities are already running out of food.

Secondly, there was a disruption in the supply of various ironware and minerals.

The development of the Land of Water heavily relies on shipbuilding and fishing. Now that the iron transport has stopped, the shipbuilding industry has come to a standstill.

If it were a few years earlier, it would have been fine, back when the ships in Kirigakure were all wooden boats and didn't rely on iron tools at all.

However, in recent years, the mainland has exported more iron to Kirigakure, and iron nails and rivets have been used, to the point that Kirigakure craftsmen have become heavily dependent on iron materials.

Some people say that at worst we can just go back to the old ways; it's only a few years.

But you have to understand that the ninja world now is not the more developed ninja world it will be a dozen years from now.

The modern ninja world is still a relatively primitive one. There aren't many jobs available for ordinary people. Those craftsmen who specialize in mortise and tenon joints have difficulty finding work after being laid off, and some of them starve to death.

Those who survived either went to the Ninja World or changed jobs.

It's not impossible to bring them back, but these days there's no contract law or labor protection. Anyone who's been fired knows what the boss's attitude is when they fire someone.

Those who already have jobs are generally unwilling to come back. Even if you pay them extra to come back, they will most likely just dawdle and do nothing.

Even shipyard owners have one more thing to worry about.

What if the Ninja World resumes supplying iron ore after we've promised these people the terms and invited them back?

Should we fire them again?

Besides food and iron, the mainland also lost clothing, cloth, snacks, and every other necessities that people could think of.

However, because it does not involve fundamental aspects of people's livelihoods, its impact has not yet been apparent.

But if it goes on for another ten days or two weeks, the impact of the supply disruption will become apparent.

The supply disruption also had a significant impact on Wuyin Village.

The food shortage and resulting price increases made it very difficult for Kirigakure to prepare its war supplies.

Killing those merchants who temporarily raise prices won't help. This isn't an individual act; it's a market-driven phenomenon. Prices are rising everywhere, and you can't possibly kill them all.

In addition, explosive tags are also unavailable.

Ning's large-scale, low-cost explosive tag industry had long ago destroyed Kirigakure's local explosive tag industry, to the point that all the explosive tags used by Kirigakure ninjas now come from the Guining Immortal Dynasty.

Now that they can no longer buy explosive tags, they hurriedly contact the explosive tag craftsmen they used to work with, only to find that these craftsmen had already moved to the Ninja World Continent.

The Land of Water and the Hidden Mist Village are still bound by traditional ideas and have no idea what industrial hollowing out means.

They felt it immediately.

"We are isolated overseas, which should give us an advantage over the Guining Immortal Dynasty, right?" Chief Zhaomei asked. "After all, we have the advantage of terrain!"

The Hidden Mist Village has the most people who know Water Release techniques, which greatly increases their abilities in an environment where water is abundant.

"What advantage do we have!" the Snow Clan chief said irritably. "Do you think we're still dealing with the Four Hidden Villages? Now we have the Land of Rain too, and there are quite a few Water Release ninjas from the Land of Rain!"

"That's not all!" Master Yuan pointed out another predicament facing Kirigakure: "Once the war begins, our supplies of shuriken, kunai, ships, and even explosive tags will be strained. If the war cannot be ended quickly, we'll have to resort to weapons made of ironwood!"

The Third Mizukage remained silent for a long time, then sighed.

I thought that peace in the ninja world was the most difficult situation for Kirigakure, but I never expected that there would be something even worse: the unification of the ninja world!

The result of unifying the ninja world is that the Land of Water can no longer even maintain its isolated existence. If the person who unified the ninja world harbors any ill will towards the Land of Water, then the Land of Water will only face two possible outcomes.

Either surrender without resistance, or fight a battle and then surrender without resistance.

"Perhaps, Iwagakure and Kumogakure are facing the same situation?" the Third Mizukage asked.

The others nodded: "That should be it!"

Although both Iwagakure and Kumogakure live on the mainland, they are extremely dependent on the Land of Fire for supplies.

If the Land of Fire cuts off supplies, these two ninja villages won't last long.

"Hyuga Neono, such a clever person, why wasn't he born in Kirigakure?" someone lamented. "Or perhaps he would have been born into the Hozuki clan, how wonderful that would have been!"

"Heh, if she had been born into the Hozuki clan, such a clever child would have been targeted by a group of students long before graduating from the Ninja Academy and died under the Blood Mist Policy!" said Kaguya, the clan head who had always been at odds with the Hozuki clan.

The Hozuki clan chief said irritably, "How come I didn't know any Hozuki clan children died under the Blood Mist Policy? Our Hozuki clan children don't even need to attend the Ninja Academy!"

The Kaguya clan leader hesitated, unsure how to respond.

After all, Kaguya's family is the same; they don't go to school at all.

The Third Mizukage looked at the group of people still arguing below, feeling utterly helpless.

The situation in Kirigakure is more complex than in any other ninja village. Factionalism is rampant within the village. Due to various reasons, such as the Snow Clan's ability to counter Hozuki and Hozuki's ability to counter Kaguya, these factions cannot cooperate and are constantly fighting each other.

Because without that kind of super-powerful bloodline, it is impossible to produce a strong person capable of suppressing all ninja clans.

The Second Mizukage created the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and implemented the Blood Mist Policy to cultivate a group of civilian ninjas capable of fighting against the ninja clans. If these ninja clans obeyed, that would be fine; if they didn't, they would have to be killed.

Unfortunately, despite the excellent plan, a major change occurred in the Ninja World.

He turned his head and asked, "What's the reaction from Daming?"

A tall, fat man with pigtails emerged from the shadows and whispered, "The Daimyo family is already packing their valuables, preparing to flee!"

The reflection in the water is clear.

The book clearly explains the Ning organization's modus operandi: ninjas are merely tools in the hands of the daimyo, so unless they kill someone intentionally, most of their crimes can be overlooked.

They only need to study in the war criminal detention center for a few years before they can be released.

However, the Ning organization would never pardon nobles, especially those who had committed numerous evils.

They knew very well what kind of person their family was; they were sure to hang themselves on the city wall.

Therefore, the hasty act of packing up belongings is understandable.

But here's the problem: now that the Ninja World continent is unified, where else can they go?

The Third Mizukage frowned and asked, "Daimyo, do you intend to go to the Divine Continent?"

This planet has more than just the Ninja World continent.

There's another continent on the other side, called the Divine Continent.

However, not many people know about it; only people in coastal areas occasionally see trade ships from the Chinese mainland.

However, the Water Kingdom was very aware of the existence of this country. They not only knew the location of the Divine Continent, but also its approximate area, population, and other information.

The reason for this is that the Shenzhou Continent and the Land of Water are closer together, which means that trade between the Ninja World and the Shenzhou Continent is basically monopolized by the Land of Water. Only a very few lost Shenzhou ships will reach the Ninja World Continent, which has led to something similar to an urban legend in the Ninja World.

"Judging from the direction of their supplies, that should be it!" the man with pigtails replied.

The Third Mizukage thought for a moment, then tapped the table to signal everyone to quiet down, before announcing loudly, "Now, we of Kirigakure have three choices!"

"First, abandon illusions and prepare for confrontation, but we are destined to be no match for the Guining Immortal Dynasty!"

"Secondly, lay down your weapons and surrender to the Guining Immortal Dynasty. In four or five years, we will not only regain our freedom but also become citizens of a great nation. With your abilities and talents, returning to our former glory should not be difficult!"

"Thirdly, our daimyo is currently preparing his wealth to relocate to the Divine Continent. We can move there with him. However, the Divine Continent is not a peaceful place. It is inhabited by powerful warriors called martial artists. Although these martial artists are not as explosive as ninjas, they are far more enduring in battle, and their numbers are enormous, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. We ninjas do not speak their language, and our cultures are different. To survive on that continent, we will have to endure a great battle!"

"The path is now laid out before you; the choice is yours!"

The clan leaders' eyes darted around as they considered the most advantageous situation for themselves.

The option of moving to the Divine Continent was immediately ruled out, as the people there are extremely xenophobic, and there was a period when the Land of Water was in great chaos, with a large number of ninja warriors sailing to the Divine Continent, causing great damage.

As a result, anyone who speaks their ninja language is treated as a bandit and attacked when they pass by.

Even if their ninja skills are not weak, they have little chakra, and they can't hold on after using a few ninjutsu.

Although they might not encounter martial artists, they would still have a tough time against ordinary troops. These ordinary troops had even developed special formations to counter ninjas, and a few of them working together could take on a single ninja.

To confront the Guining Immortal Dynasty?

This is not a good option either. The Guining Immortal Dynasty can now form an allied force that includes not only Konoha, Sunagakure, and Amegakure, but also Iwagakure and Kumogakure!

Previously, it was difficult to defeat even one Hidden Mist Village, but now it's five?

That's suicidal!

If you can't fight back, then you can only surrender.

Although surrendering doesn't have a good reputation, since Iwagakure and Kumogakure have already surrendered, no one will laugh at them if they surrender as well.

Furthermore, the Guining Immortal Dynasty probably also felt that the name "surrender" sounded bad, so they incorporated these into the Ning organization's ninja villages and called them Guining.

This word was even included in the country's name.

This way, it won't hurt their self-esteem even more.

This is not surrender, it is returning home, it is abandoning darkness and turning to the light!

Chief Zhaomei, in particular, was extremely excited.

He discovered after reading the book that the leader of the Ning organization was only 10 years old!

What a coincidence, my daughter is also 10 years old today. She is incredibly beautiful and very talented.

If we have the opportunity to marry the chief, wouldn't our Zhaomei clan enjoy decades, or even hundreds of years, of wealth and glory?

Thinking of this, the Terumi clan chief was the first to raise his hand: "Third Mizukage, our Terumi clan wishes to return to our ancestral home!"

He noticed a problem while reading the book: the words of the Tsuchikage, Raikage, and their subordinates were written down very clearly.

Some people might think that the Earth Shadow and Raikage have already fallen into the hands of the Ning organization, and that they might have written it down from their own memories.

However, although the Terumi family is considered a cultured family, the patriarch of the Terumi clan did not think so.

These words are too objective, devoid of any emotion.

Imagine if this were truly the memoirs of the Tsuchikage and Raikage. Since they had already joined the Ning organization, wouldn't they embellish their attitudes and words at the time, becoming more aligned with the Ning organization?

Even if you don't favor one side, you can still dislike the Ning organization to prove your integrity!

However, the content presented in the book is neither biased nor disliked; it is absolutely objective.

This doesn't feel like a memoir; it feels more like someone was observing and recording it!

How advanced must a country's intelligence system be to have an organization so large that it could swallow up five major powers and more than a dozen smaller countries before it emerged?

Their infiltration was so subtle that even the Tsuchikage and Raikage couldn't detect it, so how could the Mizukage possibly find out?

Is it possible that someone from Ning's organization is in this meeting room, secretly taking notes of their meeting?

So Chief Zhaomei said, "Since we're going to vote, I'll be the first one."

In this way, once the records fall into the hands of the Ning organization leader, our Zhaomei clan might be able to get a few years less imprisoned because of our positive attitude!

"Does Chief Terumi mean to return to his parents' home?" The Third Mizukage didn't understand Chief Terumi's thoughts. He was already quite old, and his mind wasn't as sharp as it used to be, so he hadn't thought that far ahead.

As for the other ninja clans, they were all the type that only valued ninjutsu and not culture, and not one of them could tell.

Only Yuan Shi looked at Chief Zhao Mei with a playful expression, perhaps having guessed something.

However, he did not speak.

Since Master Yuan never married and had no children, he didn't need to worry about his treatment after returning to Ning, and therefore didn't need to express his loyalty to the Ning organization in advance.

Moreover, the Ning organization claims to respect the elderly and care for the young. The Tsuchikage was not sent to a war criminal detention center, but was given a separate courtyard to live in. I am so old, I should not be sent to a war criminal detention center either. Maybe I can even be neighbors with Onoki.

Chief Zhaomei nodded: "Regardless of the village's decision, our Zhaomei clan has made its decision!"

This is a high-stakes gamble, a gamble on the fate of the Terumi clan.

Because if other ninja clans refuse to return to their ancestral home, and there is no surveillance, then the Terumi clan might be wiped out tonight!

If there were surveillance cameras, the Terumi clan could survive, and even thrive.

The Third Mizukage listened to the clan chief Terumi's firm stance, then looked at the others.

Chief Zhaomei prayed silently in his heart: "Oppose, oppose, refuse, refuse!"

Only when everyone refuses can the loyalty of our Zhaomei clan be truly demonstrated!

However, those who can become clan leaders are rarely unintelligent.

Even if Kaguya, the clan leader, didn't know how to choose, she would just follow others.

The Snow Clan spoke first: "Our Snow Clan also agrees to the return to our ancestral home!"

"The Hozuki clan, return to your home!"

"The earth spider clan, Guining!"

Seeing everyone else raise their hands, the Kaguya clan chief quickly raised hers as well: "The Kaguya clan returns to its ancestral home!"

"Sigh!" Chief Terumi sighed inwardly, but there was still a chance!

The Third Mizukage then said, "Since everyone agrees to the Guining Immortal Dynasty, let's settle this matter. Suigetsu Hozuki, you lead the Anbu to take control of the Daimyo. How can we allow him to take the property of our Guining Immortal Dynasty to a foreign land!"

"Yes!" The man with pigtails nodded excitedly, then asked, "Is it okay to kill someone?"

"Kill those who resist!" the Water Shadow said. "Don't kill innocent people indiscriminately. You know the rules of the Ning Organization. I don't want you to be executed for indiscriminately killing civilians!"

"Yes!" Watermelon Pufferfish felt a chill in his heart and immediately nodded.

Seeing this, the Terumi clan chief quickly spoke up: "Since the situation is already decided, why don't we let the Terumi clan represent us and accompany Lord Mizukage to Zhongjing for his return home!"

Having come this far, the other clan leaders, not being fools, naturally understood Chief Zhao Mei's intentions, and so they all raised their hands: "We'll go too!"

"Stop arguing!" The Third Mizukage was speechless. They weren't even this enthusiastic when he asked them to carry out orders!

"Zhongjing is quite large; it shouldn't be impossible to accommodate just a few people!" He sighed. "Take one of the most outstanding members of your family with you!"

"Yes!" Several clan leaders nodded excitedly. Our clan's most outstanding descendant will surely catch the leader's eye.

(End of this chapter)