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

Chapter 160 Relying on Foreign Power? A Comprador of a Foreign Firm!

"Did you found the Maitreya sect?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the Mizukage's office fell into a deathly silence.

As the de facto ruler of the Konoha branch of the Maitreya sect, Shimura Danzo was extremely familiar with its doctrines and characteristics over the past few years.

Under the doctrine of blood revenge, Shimura Danzo successfully spread the Miroku religion among the vast number of Konoha civilian ninjas.

It was precisely because of justification by faith that these believers were able to accept the leadership of Danzo Shimura, a man who remained hidden behind the scenes.

Is there any connection between the Maitreya sect and Hozuki Shingetsu?

As Shimura Danzo carefully recalled the time when the Miroku sect appeared and its doctrines, he increasingly felt that it was inextricably linked to Hozuki Shingetsu.

"How could I possibly have founded the Maitreya sect? I merely provided a tiny, insignificant contribution during its emergence."

Seeing that his plan had been exposed, Hozuki Shingetsu didn't try to hide anything and waved his hand in response with a smile.

"Lord Hozuki, you truly have impressive skills! The Miroku Cult was able to infiltrate the major ninja villages of the ninja world so stealthily; Kirigakure must have played a significant role behind the scenes, right?"

Indeed, when Hozuki Shingetsu founded the Miroku Cult, his original intention was simply to incite conflict between the various ninja villages, and he did not actually intend to bring them under his control.

Therefore, arrangements were made not only in Konoha, but also in the other three major ninja villages in the ninja world.

Thanks to its doctrines, the Miroku sect has developed to a considerable scale in the other ninja villages, though not as much as in Konoha, and has spread widely among the commoners and commoner ninjas in each village.

Danzo Shimura looked at Shinju Hozuki, a barely perceptible hint of jealousy flashing in his eyes.

This jealousy stemmed from both Hozuki Shingetsu's age and his ingenious mind, which was always devising ways to plant landmines in various ninja villages.

"Lord Danzo is joking. The doctrine of justification by faith of the Maitreya sect dictates that they will not listen to me, but only to you. What does it have to do with who founded it?"

Hozuki Shingetsu briefly steered the conversation back to the previously mentioned topic of "nurturing bandits to enhance one's own importance."

"Lord Danzo is surely well aware of the doctrines of the Maitreya sect, so I will not elaborate further here. One of its core tenets is that killing someone allows one to seize their destiny for one's own reincarnation."

Danzo Shimura nodded. Of course he knew that, but what did all this have to do with "raising bandits to enhance one's own importance"?

"During the Second Shinobi World War, quite a few civilian ninjas from Konoha must have perished, right?"

Hozuki Shingetsu abruptly changed the subject, bringing up the issue of casualties in Konoha: "What if Lord Danzo, the mastermind behind this, quietly added a line to the doctrine of the Miroku sect that this killing and stealing of one's luck can be transferred to one's deceased relatives?"

It is known that civilian ninjas suffered heavy casualties in the Second Shinobi World War, that the Miroku Cult has already taken over half of Konoha's civilian ninjas, and that under the leadership of Shimura Danzo, the civilian ninjas harbor deep resentment towards the village and the Bloodstained Ninja Clan.

So, in this case, what would happen if this doctrinal change occurred?

"Even if they were insane, they wouldn't attack the ninja clan!"

Danzo Shimura shook his head, a mixture of disappointment and relief in his eyes, and rejected Shingetsu Hozuki's suggestion.

"Regardless of whether they can defeat the ninja clans, once those ninja clans are attacked on a large scale, Hiruzen Sarutobi will definitely send out the ANBU to investigate. At that time, even with my cover, those civilian ninjas will still be found by them."

Hiruzen Sarutobi is, after all, the Hokage of a village. If he really wanted to investigate, even Danzo Shimura would have to temporarily avoid his advance.

"It doesn't matter whether they can find out or not. The Miroku Cult has already established itself in Konoha. Even if it is exposed now, it will not affect its survival."

Hozuki Shingetsu patted Shimura Danzo on the shoulder, gesturing for him to sit down and discuss the matter further.

"However, this attack by the Miroku sect members—against the ninja clans, merchants, and dignitaries—at this crucial moment just after the Second Shinobi World War, could have one consequence: widespread panic in Konoha, and a severe deterioration in both the village's business environment and its security situation!"

At this crucial moment, right after the Second Shinobi World War, Konoha's most important task was to recuperate and rebuild its strength.

What does one rely on for recuperation and rest?

First, we must vigorously cultivate new talent, ensuring the continuity of the tradition while hoping for successors.

Secondly, we should vigorously develop commerce and use our vast wealth to quickly restore our strength.

Given this situation, with such a large-scale and chaotic investment environment emerging in Konoha, any wealthy businessman with a modicum of sense would choose to pause and observe for a while, waiting for this wave to pass before investing and doing business again.

And Hozuki Shingetsu is all about that time difference.

"What's the point of this temporary chaos?"

Danzo Shimura looked at Shingetsu Hozuki with a puzzled expression, not understanding his intentions.

In his view, such a painless attack and the resulting brief chaos were completely meaningless and would only lead to the exposure of the Maitreya sect, making it a losing proposition.

"This leads to our second plan: leveraging foreign support!"

Hozuki Shingetsu waved his hand, shook his head, and continued speaking.

He estimates that his current image is only missing a white feather fan to resemble Zhuge Liang.

"Konoha had already suffered heavy casualties in this Shinobi World War, and it was a crucial time for people to settle down and recuperate. For this to happen at such a time has caused extreme anxiety and shock among the villagers. After all, even ninja clans and wealthy merchants could be attacked; what chance do ordinary people like them have?"

Furthermore, with the merchants delayed in arriving, Konoha Village experienced a temporary shortage of supplies, inevitably filling the village with anxiety from top to bottom.

As Shimura Danzo listened to Hozuki Shingetsu's narration, images gradually formed in his mind.

"So you mean I should capture those Miroku cult members before Hiruzen Sarutobi?"

From Hozuki Shingetsu's narration, combined with what he had just said, Shimura Danzo naturally deduced this conclusion.

This plan, well... it's not exactly simple, but it's not particularly ingenious either; at best, it's a mediocre plan.

If Hozuki Shingetsu's skill level is only this much, then Shimura Danzo really needs to reconsider whether he should continue to stay here.

"This is only part of the plan."

Seeing the fleeting disdain in Shimura Danzo's eyes, Hozuki Shingetsu chuckled, "Didn't I say this involves our second plan, 'using foreign powers to bolster our own position'?"

"Lord Danzo, having traveled this far, I wonder if the commercial environment of Kirigakure has met your standards?"

Although we don't know what Hozuki Shingetsu is up to, whether it's for commercial hype or genuine goodwill, Kirigakure's business environment is indeed the best in the ninja world today.

"What if I could promise that Kirigakure could provide Konoha with a large amount of supplies and equipment at half the normal market price?"

Seeing the shocked Shimura Danzo, Hozuki Shingetsu added another sentence:

"I could even state in the contract that I will only cooperate with Lord Danzo in this business, and that I will not recognize any other village besides Lord Danzo. So what?"

(End of this chapter)