They're promoting the "Konoha threat" theory, and spouting nonsense about the Hidden

Chapter 101: Archbishop Shimura Danzo of Konoha Diocese?

When he saw Akiba Masanobu's proposal for religious infiltration, his first thought was of a heretical cult, his second was Christianity, and his third thought was actually...

The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise!

I, Zhang Jiao, beg you, great man, to die!

Indeed, as a master of conspiracy theories, Hozuki Shingetsu instantly conjured up the scene of war waged by people who banded together for various reasons based on religious beliefs.

Religion is not merely an organization that helps people seek spiritual solace. From the perspective of the ruling class, its role in maintaining stability is far greater than its role in other areas such as theology, education, and exploration.

Because religion inherently possesses a tendency to gather and is inherently inflammatory.

If this type of organization develops to a certain scale and has not yet been co-opted or reformed, it can easily turn into a series of rebellions due to various reasons.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Sun En-Lu Xun Rebellion, the Fang La Rebellion, the Taiping Rebellion, and the Amakusa Rebellion of Xiao Rizi, etc., all used the banner of religion to gather believers and start uprisings.

So, is this method even viable in the ninja world?

Have!

However, the prerequisite is that there must be a large number of frustrated and unfulfilled ninja followers.

Therefore, Hozuki Shingetsu set his sights on the civilian ninjas who were now regarded as cannon fodder by various ninja villages.

After being modified by Hozuki Shingetsu, the evil cult's doctrines are filled with bloodshed, emphasizing struggle, despising internal killings, and encouraging blood revenge. Once such an organization rises, it is foreseeable that its internal cohesion will be at its peak.

So, would this kind of organizational philosophy be attractive to ordinary ninjas who are helpless and treated like cattle by the ninja clan?

Isn't that incredibly appealing?

Such a powerful backer was something these commoner ninjas dreamed of. Their purpose in joining this religion was not the vague and ethereal theory of fortune-telling, but rather the very real need for mutual support and protection.

In this situation, all it takes is a gentle push at a crucial, tense moment...

BOOM!

In the ninja world, which had never witnessed a large-scale religious uprising, this type of riot was something that no ninja village could prevent.

There are two reasons for this: first, no religion has ever had so many ninja followers; second, no ninja has ever been treated differently.

The establishment of ninja schools, the increase in the number of civilian ninjas, and the tragic casualty rate of civilian ninjas precisely fulfilled the above two conditions.

Perhaps the only factor affecting the spread of this religion among ordinary ninjas was that when religious members offended those ninja clans, the lack of anyone standing up for them made people feel that the religion had no ability to protect them, thus causing them to give up joining the religion.

After all, the only ones who could cause conflict with ordinary ninjas were members of ninja clans.

If no one steps forward at this point, the organization's cohesion will inevitably collapse, and the message will only spread among ordinary people, which is completely different from Hozuki Shingetsu's vision.

On the surface, this problem does seem unsolvable, since no matter how powerful Kirigakure is, it's impossible for them to storm into another village and deal with their ninjas.

But what if Hozuki Shingetsu relinquishes control of this religion?

What if the one who leads this religion is not Hozuki Shingetsu, but rather the active, enthusiastic, and energetic individuals within each of the ninja villages?

For example... the "Ninja Pot" of Konoha Village, Danzo Shimura?

What would it be like if he became the archbishop of this cult of evil gods?

As the head of Konoha's intelligence department, will he choose to report to the village and let the village take over this highly cohesive force, or will he choose to keep it to himself and become the behind-the-scenes boss of the Konoha Evil God Cult?

What will he do with this power then?

Is it an uprising, a rebellion, or an act of foreign aggression?

Regardless of the method, as long as it can stir up internal strife, it will be good news for Hozuki Shingetsu.

Thinking of this, Hozuki Shingetsu couldn't help but laugh, even in front of Yukinagi and Akiba Masanobu.

While laughing, he added another word at the end of the report with his pen:

Justification by faith.

"The propaganda slogan of the Evil God Cult can be supplemented with the statement that everyone can communicate directly with the Evil God through blood sacrifices. Therefore, the Evil God Cult does not have a church or a pope, but only divine children who are deeply favored by the Evil God. The divine children are the highest-ranking people within the church, and all believers must unconditionally obey their commands."

Hozuki Shingetsu looked at Akiba Masanobu, a wicked smile creeping across his face: "As for the sole criterion for judging a divine child... well, that's obviously the person who has performed the most bloody rituals!"

It is foreseeable that once such a doctrine emerges, without a unified church, various evil god cults of different sizes will inevitably appear on the Ninja World Continent.

These organizations, with their strong internal cohesion and ruthless external influence, will they be recruited by the various ninja villages once they are noticed?

And what better way to recruit someone than to install someone as the god's son to lead the organization?

"But if that happens... wouldn't we essentially lose all control over this religion?"

Akiba Masanobu quickly realized this and looked at Hozuki Shingetsu with a puzzled expression. After all, it was such a cohesive organization, and it would be a real pity to just hand it over like that.

When he first proposed this plan, he didn't think that far ahead. Besides creating a bloody atmosphere within each ninja village, he also intended to use members of this organization as spies to gather intelligence.

However, once this doctrine was introduced, it became clear that his ideas were completely unusable.

"What is our purpose in carrying out this religious invasion, and even this propaganda?"

Instead of directly answering Akiba Masanobu's question, Hozuki Shingetsu asked him a question in return.

"Of course, it's to disrupt the ninja world's situation, incite conflicts between the various ninja villages, weaken their strength, and buy time for the villages to develop... I see..."

Akiba Masanobu answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but he quickly realized something and immediately reacted.

"That's right. Our goal has never been to control the cult, but to stir up trouble in the ninja world. Never confuse this primary and secondary objective, or you'll easily lose sight of the bigger picture and get caught in the crossfire."

Hozuki Shingetsu turned to look at the ninja world map hanging on the wall and chuckled.

Under the doctrine of justification by faith, it is easy for various evil god cults to emerge in the ninja world, with similar rituals and management systems but completely different internal structures.

So, would these various cults of evil gods, large and small, acknowledge that they share the same origin as each other?

Would you acknowledge the other party's followers as your "brothers"?

Will they end up fighting when they meet, or will they calmly discuss doctrine?

You should know that heretics are even more despicable than heretics!

The doctrine of the evil god cult is that the more chaotic it is, the stronger it becomes. In this case, is it possible that individual will will be hijacked by the collective will?

"I'm really looking forward to it!"

Hozuki Shingetsu looked at the ninja world map hanging on the wall and casually threw the pen in his hand.

boom!

"Wow, right on the bullseye!"

Looking at the Leaf Village nailed firmly to the wall by the pen, Hozuki Shingetsu chuckled.

-

Religious propaganda is different from any previous propaganda; it requires some preparation, at least in terms of theoretical refinement based on the requirements put forward by Hozuki Shingetsu.

Furthermore, certain preparations are needed in the early stages to ensure that when this religious belief is promoted in various places, there are timely occurrences of scenes where "bullies come to humiliate you but your fellow believers seek justice" to accelerate the promotion and implementation.

Therefore, after determining the next step in the propaganda plan, which was to use religion to incite the villagers in various villages, Hozuki Shingetsu delegated power to Akiba Masanobu, allowing him to make all the arrangements.

While serving as his secretary, Akiba Masanobu also temporarily assumed the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Despite being extremely busy every day, Akiba Masanobu did not complain. Instead, he was filled with gratitude for Hozuki Shingetsu.

After all, the previous Minister of Foreign Affairs was Hozuki Shingetsu himself, and this "mainland balancing policy" can be said to be Hozuki Shingetsu's political slogan.

And how could he not be grateful to Hozuki Shingetsu when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, such an important driving force in implementing his strategy, was handed over to him?

After putting aside these worldly matters, Hozuki Shingetsu devoted himself to training every day, except for occasionally checking on the activities of the Ninja Academy and the Foreign Affairs Department, focusing on improving his synergy with the Six-Tails and enhancing his strength.

He never forgot that this was a ninja world where extraordinary powers existed. The half-dead Uchiha Madara in the underground of the Land of Grass, the Black Zetsu hiding in the shadows, and the Otsutsuki Kaguya on the moon all constantly reminded him that strength was his true reliance.

Because the Second Shinobi World War did not break out, Hozuki Shingetsu was unable to approach the Tsuchigumo clan and try to win them over by using the threat of war and Konoha's past betrayals.

Therefore, there is no way to talk about cultivating in Sage Mode.

Therefore, besides regularly training in Water Release Chakra Mode, Hozuki Shingetsu also began researching Hozuki Gengetsu's signature technique, Steam Explosion, hoping to master it before the war began.

Thanks to the Six-Tails' massive chakra, Hozuki Shingetsu now has more than ten times the number of shadow clones as before.

Therefore, with such a large number of shadow clones, his proficiency in both ninjutsu is constantly improving, and his strength is steadily advancing.

"At this rate, it seems we can barely complete the training for the Steam-Explosion-Ripping stage before the war begins."

Hozuki Shingetsu assessed his progress and found the result acceptable.

"However, it seems that the most time-consuming part of the training is actually the regular practice of Water Release Chakra Mode."

However, he thought for a moment that even a genius like Kakarot took almost a year to complete the training to become a Super Saiyan in normal form, so how could he compare to him?

It's already quite remarkable that he was able to complete the course in just two years.

Anyway, he's only thirteen years old now, so there's still plenty of time. Even if he masters this ninjutsu at fifteen, it won't be too late.

With his obsession gone, Hozuki Shingetsu returned to his routine of routine ninjutsu training, office work, and occasionally cultivating his relationship with Uzumaki Kushina and Yukinagi.

Three months later, the cult reappeared in a new guise.

(End of this chapter)