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

Chapter 141 Hozuki Shingetsu: Sixteen years have passed, and I've finally grown up.

Tsunade never expected that anyone would willingly throw themselves into this thick smoke that was harmful to the human body.

"Ah, the feeling of money, the smell of industry... this aroma from Kirigakure is truly incomparably sweet!"

Seeing the merchant becoming increasingly engrossed, Tsunade and the others couldn't help but take a few steps back, moving away from the area.

"Judging from its effects, it seems to be a poison gas with some hallucinogenic effects... But what is the purpose of releasing such a large-scale poison gas in this port?"

Tsunade and the others felt a chill run down their spines as they looked at the merchants, who appeared frenzied and demonic, huddled near the gangway of the ironclad ship, shrouded in black smoke.

This was a power never seen or heard of before. For some reason, when she suddenly sensed this power, Tsunade, who was always fearless, suddenly felt a sense of fear in her heart.

This fear had no origin or cause; it felt as if a force from another world, a force completely different from their own, was crushing them.

Under the crushing force of this overwhelming power, she suddenly felt that she and the others had no way to escape. They could only stand there blankly, waiting for the other party to slowly come to their side and crush their bodies little by little.

Tsunade suddenly had a feeling that this trip to Kirigakure would probably bring her an unforgettable experience.

-

After crossing the Land of Whirlpools, Tsunade and the others boarded a merchant ship and continued to sail towards Kirigakure, hiding their identities and following the merchants.

Feeling acutely aware of their lack of information and limited understanding of Kirigakure, Tsunade and her companions began to devise various methods to extract information from the merchants, hoping to gather as much intelligence as possible before entering Kirigakure.

"Sigh, I wonder if I'll be able to win the bid for the position of general distributor of the tea country's fabrics when I go to Kirigakure this time."

A wealthy middle-aged businessman, around forty years old, complained to the person next to him on the deck.

However, although it was ostensibly a complaint, the boastful tone in his words clearly indicated that he didn't really mean it that way.

"The main distributor of fabrics in the Land of Tea? It seems you purchased quite a lot from Kirigakure last year! According to Kirigakure's rules, a distributor for a country, even a small one, must guarantee at least ten million ryo of purchases per year. It looks like Lord Yamano made quite a bit of money last year!"

A knowledgeable businessman nearby immediately chimed in, acting as a straight man, and explained the ins and outs of the matter in detail.

"Well, I didn't make much. It was mainly due to a chance encounter. I had some dealings with Lord Akiha, otherwise, even if I had the money, I probably wouldn't have been able to get the goods. Right now, in the eastern part of the continent, the line of people wanting to buy goods from Kirigakure could stretch all the way from the Mizukage Building to the main gate. You really can't get anywhere without connections!"

The merchant grew increasingly arrogant amidst the envious gazes of those around him, and continued to reveal information.

"Fabric? Daily necessities? Textiles?"

Tsunade and the others became more and more confused as they listened. Why did Kirigakure sound like a prosperous commercial city rather than a military village?

However, when it comes to fabric, Nara Shikahan suddenly remembered something: the price of fabric suddenly plummeted about a year and a half ago.

Thanks to this, Konoha spent significantly less money on supplies such as ninja vests and winter clothing. They were even relieved about it at the time, but they never expected that all of this seemed to be related to Kirigakure.

So, just as this country bumpkin from Konoha was becoming increasingly confused, the ship gradually arrived at the commercial dock specially set up by Kirigakure.

"...Is this Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village)?"

The accompanying ninja looked at the overwhelming number of merchant ships docked at the pier and couldn't help but show a look of shock on his face.

If the prosperity of the Whirlpool Country's docks is close to that of the Fire Country, then the prosperity here far surpasses that of any city in the Fire Country.

As far as the eye could see, there were ships everywhere. Groups of laborers, chanting and pulling ropes, carried goods onto the ships like ants carrying food.

Tsunade was greatly puzzled by this scene, unable to understand why there was such a great difference between Kirigakure and Konoha, even though they were both ninja villages.

Perhaps the only thing that truly reflects the military characteristics of Kirigakure is the few Kirigakure ninja who appear at key transportation routes and maintain order.

"Let's go to Kirigakure first and then talk about it!"

Tsunade shook her head, no longer paying attention to things she didn't understand.

Now that we've arrived at Kirigakure, the key is to persuade Hozuki Shingetsu to send troops to help. Let Nara Shikakan handle these things that we can't figure out!

With this thought in mind, Tsunade found the Mist Ninja who was in charge of maintaining order in the area and revealed her identity and purpose.

Upon hearing that he was a Konoha ninja, the young Kirigakure ninja showed a hint of surprise on his face, but he still informed his superiors while politely welcoming him to Kirigakure.

After a four-day journey, Tsunade and her group finally stepped through the gates of Kirigakure.

-

"Someone from Konoha?"

In the Mizukage's office, Hozuki Shingetsu, sitting in the main seat, looked up in surprise at Akiba Masato standing behind his desk.

"That's right, and it was Tsunade, one of the 'Legendary Sannin,' who personally led the team. It's speculated that Konoha couldn't withstand the continuous war and came to ask for help."

Akiba Masanobu stood quietly in front of the desk, not overstepping any boundaries, and reported the relevant information from a distance of three meters.

"Help... I've waited two years, is this finally my chance?"

Upon hearing this, Hozuki Shingetsu was immediately overjoyed.

For the past two years, under Hozuki Shingetsu's instructions, Kirigakure has ignored the turmoil in the ninja world and focused on honing its internal strength.

In particular, the successful invention of the steam engine a year and a half ago marked Kirigakure's entry into the industrial age. Amidst the roar of industrial machines, goods from Kirigakure, leveraging their price advantage, stormed into markets in various countries with unstoppable momentum.

Taking advantage of the great opportunity presented by the Ninja World War, when other countries were preoccupied with other matters, they seized territory and market share.

Currently, Kirigakure has captured nearly one-third of the entire ninja world.

Of course, those companies on the surface are not Kirigakure's businesses; they are all companies founded by wealthy merchants who have settled in Kirigakure.

Aside from paying taxes to Kirigakure, these companies have absolutely no connection with the village.

With the support of abundant wealth, Kirigakure's strength has grown by leaps and bounds. It has not only recovered to its strength before the "Blood Mist Rebellion," but has even surpassed it.

At this point, Kirigakure undoubtedly possessed sufficient strength to support Hozuki Shingetsu's next plan.

Tsunade's arrival made Hozuki Shingetsu realize that it was time to start the next phase of the plan.

"hiss……"

But just as he was about to stand up to express his joy, his thigh seemed to bump against the corner of the table. Hozuki Shingetsu, who was halfway up, suddenly sat back down, and said to Akiba Masanobu with a strange expression:

"Okay, let's settle them in the embassy district for now. See you tomorrow!"

Akiba Masanobu lowered his head, gave a soft reply, and left the office without hesitation. Before leaving, he made sure to close the door gently, demonstrating the professionalism of a secretary.

"Cough cough..."

A moment later, Yukina quietly crawled out from under the desk, spat lightly at the potted plant by the window a few times, and then turned to look at Hozuki Shingetsu.

"It's truly astonishing that Konoha, which has dominated the ninja world for so many years, would ever have to lower its head and beg for help!"

Now sixteen years old, Yukinagi has fully grown up, tall and with long legs. Except for one unremarkable feature, she exudes the charm of a young girl.

"What's so surprising? To be able to withstand the combined attacks of three countries for nearly three years, Konoha truly deserves its title as the number one ninja in the world. If it were our Hidden Mist Village, we'd be lucky to last even a year."

Hozuki Shingetsu put his arm around Yukinagi and said while stroking her.

At sixteen, Hozuki Shingetsu was already an adult according to the rules of the ninja world.

In addition, since his skills had reached a bottleneck and there was no possibility of rapidly improving his strength in the short term, on a dark and windy night, Hozuki Shingetsu finally seized an opportunity to release the energy he had accumulated over sixteen years with Yukinagi.

As a theoretical master who has written best-selling books in the ninja world such as "Konoha Unofficial History", "The Stockings of the Jonin of the Utatane", "Konoha's Rooted Ninja Chronicle", and "Ninjas Are Not Just Ordinary People", as a master of imagination who has lived more than 30 years in two lifetimes, and as a ninja scientist who loves ninjutsu and invention.

When given a real opportunity to practice, Hozuki Shingetsu naturally did his best to unleash all the techniques he had imagined since his previous life, in order to put his thoughts into practice and overcome some of the biggest problems in the ninja world.

For example, the shape changes of chakra—whether a spherical or rod-shaped form is more powerful, which is more practical: coverage or cohesion? How to balance length and hardness in chakra? These are all research topics that urgently need to be addressed.

For example, there are very serious historical problems such as the nature transformation of chakra, the reaction efficiency of water and fire release in confined spaces, and how much chakra lightning release needs to output to reach the upper limit of human safety.

In the invention and creation of ninjutsu, Hozuki Shingetsu also creatively proposed some new ninjutsu testing standards to test the power of ninjutsu.

For example, the effects of extreme wind speeds in Wind Release: Great Breakthrough on vulnerable parts of the human body, the duration of Water Release: Water Whip, whether the duration of Shadow Clone Jutsu is related to a person's mental state, and the recovery time of medical ninjutsu in cases of extreme dehydration, etc.

Even the limits of physical attack power in Sage Mode were clearly tested by Hozuki Shingetsu.

With this data in hand, Hozuki Shingetsu finally understood his current physical abilities and how many people he could fight without being at a disadvantage.

"After sixteen years of hard work, I can finally enjoy myself!"

Hozuki Shingetsu's gaze was unfocused, as if he saw his miserable past life, and a smile appeared on his lips.

The Ninja World is the Best!

(End of this chapter)