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

Chapter 113 The Dilemma of the Earth Spider Clan

In Hozuki Shingetsu's vision, the period from the Second Shinobi World War to the Third Shinobi World War was a time for Kirigakure to lie low and lie dormant.

Once the Third Great War begins, we can gradually occupy some key locations on the Ninja World Continent and use them as forward bases.

At that time, the Land of Whirlpools, which is separated from the Land of Water by the sea, will undoubtedly be Hozuki Shingetsu's main target.

Uzumaki Muneto was naturally unaware of these things, so he simply took Hozuki Shingetsu's words as words of comfort, smiled, and said nothing more.

After all, given Kirigakure's current strength, it's really wishful thinking for them to occupy such a strategic location on the border of the Land of Fire.

Seeing this, Hozuki Shingetsu guessed what he was thinking. However, he didn't explain his meaning. After all, talking about future plans now would feel like making empty promises. When the facts were presented, the Uzumaki sect member would naturally understand that Hozuki Shingetsu always meant what he said.

And so, in this somber atmosphere, the group crossed the Land of Whirlpools and arrived at the Land of Tea, a small country where the Tsuchigumo clan lived in seclusion.

"It seems the Second Shinobi World War had a truly enormous impact on the entire shinobi world!"

As Hozuki Shingetsu traveled, he discovered that the towns and trading posts in the Land of Tea were mostly deserted, with only a few merchants making purchases here and there.

He was accompanied by a large number of guards, a stark contrast to the bustling scene he had been in earlier.

This is only because the Land of Tea is located in the northeast of the Ninja World Continent, adjacent to the Land of Fire, and not near the main battlefield. If it were near the Land of Rain, merchants would probably have disappeared long ago.

"But this does make things easier for us."

Ao chuckled as he watched this scene, after all, Kirigakure was making a fortune because of this battlefield!

Normal merchants would naturally be unable to find sources of goods or sellers due to war and blocked roads, but for a ninja village, none of these problems exist.

Since the start of the Second Shinobi World War, Kirigakure has been frantically producing various supplies and then contacting the major participating forces to ask them if they need these strategic resources.

This undoubtedly delighted all the major powers—after all, in the midst of war, money sometimes cannot buy everything, and the Hidden Mist Village's proactive offer was a timely solution to their urgent needs.

Especially after Hanzo the Salamander's blitzkrieg in the Land of Iron, monopolizing all of the Land of Iron's weapon and equipment production, some key strategic materials became extremely difficult to buy even with money.

As for the price... time is money, my friend.

So it's not unreasonable to exchange a little money for that crucial time, right?

"It's a pity that industrialization hasn't started yet, and the village's production capacity still needs to be improved. Otherwise, we could have earned even more this time... What a pity, we missed this Ninja World War. There won't be many more opportunities to take advantage of such good deals in the future."

Hozuki Shingetsu thought of wanting more after getting what he wanted.

The talent sought out for steam technology from the Eastern Continent has returned, and the relevant personnel are working diligently to prepare items according to Hozuki Shingetsu's requirements. It is believed that Kirigakure will be able to successfully usher in the industrial age in a short period of time.

However, due to the lack of military strength to match its industrial production capacity, and the inability to secure a market share that could be guaranteed by military strength, the progress of industrialization has been repeatedly delayed by Hozuki Shingetsu.

However, when the Second Shinobi World War ended and all the villages suffered heavy losses and returned to their villages to silently lick their wounds, that was when Kirigakure truly began the era of large-scale industrialization in the shinobi world.

"The Earth Spider Clan's seclusion is truly thorough... I've searched for ages in the Land of Tea but still can't find its exact location."

Yukinagi wasn't concerned with the village's economic production, and after failing to find the Tsuchigumo clan's village for a long time, she couldn't help but complain.

Just then, a rustling sound suddenly came from the side of the road, and a man and a woman suddenly leaped out of the woods and collided head-on with Hozuki Shingetsu and the others.

The two men were young, and their physiques clearly showed that they had undergone ninja training. They were carrying two or three packages on their backs, indicating that they were out shopping.

The two people in front of them were clearly surprised that people would still walk this path during wartime, but they were immediately drawn to the outfits of Hozuki Shingetsu and the others.

At this time, Hozuki Shingetsu and the others were still in a disguised state using the Transformation Technique, and at Yukinagi's request, they disguised themselves as small traveling merchants.

"Merchants? What goods do you carry with you?"

Upon seeing Hozuki Shingetsu and his companions, the man and woman's eyes lit up, and they stepped forward to buy items.

However, Hozuki Shingetsu and his companions' identities as itinerant merchants were merely a pretext, and the goods in the cart were mainly used to deceive people. Therefore, they were dismissed on the grounds that the goods had been sold out.

"The tattoos on those two people's arms look vaguely familiar..."

Hozuki Shingetsu glanced at the "fuck" tattoo on the arms of the two departing figures, a thought struck him, and after exchanging a glance with the others, he followed closely behind them.

Among the people present, even the weakest, Ao, now possesses the strength of an elite Chunin. The two in front of him, despite having undergone ninja training, are clearly not strong enough and have not noticed the four people closely following behind them.

"Sigh... Life in the village has become increasingly difficult since the war started. Don't they know why the leader insists on keeping the agreement with Konoha? Wouldn't it have been better to just fight as a mercenary for his employer like before...?"

"Don't say anymore, the leader had no choice. Although that forbidden technique was extremely powerful, it was precisely because of it that we were constantly on the move and being targeted for revenge... Although life is a bit harder now, at least it's much more stable."

"But……"

The conversation ahead carried faintly on the wind to Hozuki Shingetsu and the others, confirming Hozuki Shingetsu's suspicions once again: the two people in front of him were indeed members of the Tsuchigumo clan.

"Judging from this conversation, the Earth Spider clan's situation doesn't seem as good as we thought..."

Hozuki Shingetsu pondered the information revealed in their conversation, constantly considering his next course of action.

After traveling for an hour, the group finally arrived at the secluded dwelling of the Earth Spider clan, a small village located deep in a valley.

Upon seeing the village, the two visibly breathed a sigh of relief, skillfully navigating the numerous traps outside the village and returning inside.

It was midday, and the village was not very populated. Only a few elderly people and young children were scattered around the village, greeting the two of them warmly.

"My lord, we're back."

Carrying these items, the two arrived at an unremarkable-looking house in the village and reported back to the leader of the Tsuchigumo clan, Etsu no Kakeru.

However, the Traveler ignored the two and turned warily towards the door, shouting, "Now that you've followed me here and found me, why don't you show yourself?"

Upon hearing this, Hozuki Shingetsu and the others immediately realized that their whereabouts had been discovered.

However, now that they had found the place, they stopped trying to hide and walked in through the doorway, much to the disbelief of the two people who had just seen them.

"You bunch of bastards, what are you doing sneaking into our Earth Spider clan's territory?"

Combining what the wandering monk had just said, how could the two not understand that Hozuki Shingetsu and his companions had followed them all the way to this place? So they immediately glared at them and cursed.

"Don't put it so harshly... Lord Enju no Kagura, won't you first listen to why I've come here?"

Hozuki Shingetsu completely ignored the two immature kids and their insults, turning to Ekuno Gyosha and speaking.

"In that case, please come in."

The Enno Gyoja gave Hozuki Shingetsu a deep look, and seeing that he was not hostile, he opened the door and gestured for him to come in.

Hozuki Shingetsu and his companions were completely unafraid of any traps inside, and followed En no Gyosha's footsteps into the room.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're not from Konoha, are you?"

After taking his seat, the Enno Gyosha asked Hozuki Shingetsu a question.

Judging from their positions, the Traveler of the Righteousness believed that Hozuki Shingetsu was the leader, so he directly asked Hozuki Shingetsu a question.

"To be honest, I am Hozuki Shingetsu, from Kirigakure."

Hozuki Shingetsu and the others deactivated their transformation jutsu and introduced themselves.

However, to his surprise, right after he finished his self-introduction, the two people who had been standing behind Yizhi Xingzhe glaring at him suddenly showed a look of fear and retreated.

"So you're the mastermind behind the Fourth Shinobi World War, the one who secretly instigated conflicts between nations, causing this war, and the 'Ninja Fox' who betrayed his own clan and killed his own Kage?"

Clearly, despite Hozuki Shingetsu's consistent public narrative, which portrays himself as sacrificing himself to save the village during the internal strife, Hozuki Shingetsu is not immune to the dangers of the conflict.

However, these explanations can only fool the ignorant masses and those nobles who don't understand. Those in the know obviously know what the real situation is.

Being pointed out like that to one's face, even someone with a thick skin like Hozuki Shinjuku couldn't help but show a hint of embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Yukina and the others behind her stood up and glared angrily, clearly displeased with such words that exposed someone's secrets to their face.

"So it's the young clan leader Hozuki. I've long admired your name. Please forgive my ignorance, I was just a child... May I ask what brings you here, young clan leader?"

The Traveler was also frightened by the words of the two, and worried that Hozuki Shingetsu might act rashly in anger, so he quickly chased the two away.

The story of Hozuki Shingetsu becoming the Six-Tails' Jinchūriki and killing the Mizukage has spread throughout the entire continent. En no Gyōja knows that Hozuki Shingetsu now has the ability to single-handedly slaughter a village, so he naturally won't be reckless.

"My purpose in coming here is very simple... it is to save the lives of more than a hundred members of the Earth Spider clan."

Hozuki Shingetsu chuckled and uttered the classic rhetoric of a persuader.

As a powerful individual who possesses the forbidden technique "Raging Heaven Technique," Yi Zhi Xing Zhe has not heard anyone speak to him in such a tone for many years.

If anyone else dares to act this way, regardless of whether the Tsuchigumo clan is truly in danger, the En no Kyouza will make them understand why this "Raging Heaven Technique" is listed as a forbidden technique, and why the Tsuchigumo clan is feared by the ninja world.

However, when these words came from Hozuki Shingetsu's mouth, the situation was quite different.

As the undisputed number one war criminal in the ninja world in recent years, if he comes here and says that the Tsuchigumo clan is in danger, then the Tsuchigumo clan must be in danger.

The appearance of Hozuki Shingetsu here represents an unprecedented crisis for the Tsuchigumo clan, as seen by the Enmusubi.

"Oh? So, Lord Crescent Moon went through all this trouble to come here out of humanitarian spirit to help us through this difficult time?"

The Journeyman suppressed his anger and deliberately made sarcastic remarks to provoke Hozuki Shingetsu.

"It's true that we can offer humanitarian assistance without expecting anything in return, but as a great nation, Kirigakure has always adhered to the principle of teaching people how to fish rather than giving them fish. Our habit is either not to help at all, or to help people to the very end."

Hozuki Shingetsu seemed unfazed by En no Gyoza's teasing, her words carrying a hidden meaning: "I'm sure En no Gyoza-sama agrees with that, doesn't he?"

"So you came here to...?"

The Traveler couldn't understand why Hozuki Shingetsu had come here. As far as he was concerned, he was willing to pay any price to get Hozuki Shingetsu, this ticking time bomb, out of the place, so he directly brought up the issue.

"Life isn't so easy for nobles these days, is it?"

Upon receiving a signal from Hozuki Shingetsu, Ao immediately stepped forward and mercilessly exposed Hozuki Shingetsu's secrets.

"The nobles' reputation for the 'Raging Heaven Technique' resounds throughout the ninja world. In these times of war, they could easily live a comfortable life on high bounties simply by accepting employment from a certain country. However, the nobles' current living conditions are far from satisfactory!"

"I wonder if they've lost their resolve as ninjas, or if they've lost the inheritance of the 'Raging Heaven Technique'?"

Facing the silent warrior, Qing's words grew increasingly sharp.

The Traveler clearly couldn't accept the rumor that the Earth Spider clan had lost the "Raging Heaven Technique," and immediately slammed his fist on the table, saying, "So, you're saying you want to see the 'Raging Heaven Technique'?"

Seeing that the time was almost right, Hozuki Shingetsu quickly stepped forward to control En no Gyoza's temperature: "Haha, my subordinates are ignorant, please forgive them... but the current state of the Tsuchigumo clan really intrigues me!"

"If the Tsuchigumo clan is currently facing any difficulties, please tell me! After all, you must have heard of my Hidden Mist Village's reputation as the 'Timely Rain,' right?"

Seeing that Hozuki Shingetsu was saying this, it was clear that he didn't know the truth and wouldn't leave. Given Hozuki Shingetsu's powerful strength, he could only tell him the general situation in a piecemeal fashion.

Based on the explanation from the Enjouji and the information Hozuki Shingetsu himself learned from his past life, he also came to the conclusion that the Tsuchigumo clan had fallen to such a state.

Because of graduation and job transfer, I estimate I'll be spending most of the next week on the road, so I probably won't have much time to write.

In addition, I feel that the recent plot is very strange and has deviated from my expectations, so I need time to rethink the next part of the plot.

For the next week, I'll start with 4K updates per day, and then switch back to 6K after a week. Please forgive me.

(End of this chapter)