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

Chapter 42 Hozuki Shingetsu's Backup Plan

"Wait a moment!"

Suddenly remembering something, Takumi Uzumaki solemnly called out to the man tasked with going to Konoha, instructing him, "Speed ​​up! You must reach Konoha before the common people, and then stop him!"

Uzumaki Furuto was the one who was previously sent to Konoha to warn them against making any trouble in the Land of Whirlpools, and then to discuss how to eliminate Hozuki Shingetsu.

Hundreds of elite troops may seem formidable, but with the Uzumaki clan's long-term management, delaying them for three to five days is not difficult. As long as they can wait for Konoha's reinforcements, Uzumaki Village can successfully turn the tide.

Therefore, in this situation, we must not afford to have a falling out with Konoha, let alone turn against Kirigakure. So we must stop Uzumaki Furuto before he arrives in Konoha!

"yes!"

Clearly, this member of the Whirlpool Clan had also considered this point, and immediately pushed open the door and left in a hurry.

"Hopefully, everything will be alright in time!"

Takumi Uzumaki turned around and looked out the window.

At this moment, the sky was overcast, covered with dark clouds, yet there was not a breath of wind, and the entire Wochao Village was as oppressively still as the air.

-

The unusual activity in Uzushio Village was quickly noticed by Hozuki Shingetsu and the others. After all, such a big commotion had led to the entire village being sealed off, and all unrelated personnel were cleared out. The streets were filled with Uzumaki ninjas maintaining order, and the shouts of children and livestock filled the air.

"Has someone called?"

Soon, a ninja from Uzushio Village came over. After briefly explaining the situation, he warned Hozuki Shingetsu and his two companions not to wander off, and then stood at the doorway in front of them.

This is clearly blatant surveillance.

Firstly, they were worried that the other party might take advantage of the situation to cause trouble in the village. Secondly, they wanted to protect the other party and prevent any ill-intentioned people from taking advantage of the chaos to harm Hozuki Shingetsu and his companions.

"Judging from the reaction of Uzumaki Village, quite a few people have come. In that case, their forces must be at least on par with the Five Great Shinobi Villages to be able to mobilize... Could this be Ren's scheme? To have the Uzumaki clan kill us while they're at it?"

Yukinagi muttered to herself, suddenly startled by her own fleeting thought. But she quickly realized that the Hozuki and Yuki clans couldn't possibly be unaware of such a large-scale troop deployment, so it definitely wasn't from Kirigakure.

"So, the key to this battle lies in whether that group can break through the Uzumaki clan's defenses and storm into Uzushio Village before Konoha reinforcements arrive," Yagura Karatachi continued his analysis.

"Don't worry! Konoha won't send anyone."

Hozuki Shingetsu smiled calmly.

Having orchestrated this whole affair, they naturally have to consider all the follow-up aspects. Regardless of the reasons why Konoha didn't rescue Uzushio Village in the original story, in this world, Konoha definitely won't rescue Uzushio Village.

As for why... those letters he sent to the Land of Fire before arriving at Whirlpool Village weren't just random writings!

"After all... only the ship of the nation is leaking from the top!"

Hozuki Shingetsu looked towards the Land of Fire and muttered to himself.

-

One day later.

In the Land of Fire, in the capital city of the daimyo's castle tower, a private banquet is being held.

The current Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Hijimi Saki, is about forty years old, in the prime of his life. His long-standing life of comfort and ease has long since dulled his ambitions. Apart from the period of fear and anxiety he experienced during the First Shinobi World War when he first took power more than a decade ago, the peaceful years of the past ten years have made him completely immune to the word "war".

This day was, as usual, a day of revelry. The daimyo and his most favored close advisors enjoyed singing and dancing together in the banquet hall, taking pleasure in gossiping about the private information of important ministers from various countries.

"My lord, if we're talking about who's been making the biggest splash in the ninja world lately, it has to be the newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs from Kirigakure in the Land of Water!"

When discussing recent news in the ninja world, one cannot ignore the mastermind behind it all. Although Hozuki Shingetsu is well hidden, someone of the caliber of the Fire Country's daimyo can certainly find out about him.

"Yeah, that guy is really something! The rumors he makes up are really eye-catching." Himi Saki nodded. He was very familiar with the "Konoha Threat Theory" and the "Uchiha Human Rights Report" that had caused such a stir recently.

The ninja world had been peaceful for over a decade, and this was a rare moment of excitement. During that time, he was able to enjoy a major juicy story. As for whether he would harbor resentment towards Hozuki Shingetsu because of the "Konoha threat theory," he wasn't the Hokage. His job was simply to allocate funds to Konoha so that Konoha could go to war—it was that simple.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi isn't up to par, then we can just find someone else to take his place.

Although he generally does not interfere in Konoha's internal affairs, no one can ignore the influence of the Daimyo on Konoha—regardless of financial support, the Hokage's choice ultimately needs the Daimyo's approval.

"Speaking of this Hozuki Shingetsu, he recently arrived at Uzushio Village, and then Uzushio Village was attacked by the Tu and Rai kingdoms. Isn't that a coincidence?" The close advisor subtly brought up the topic of Uzushio Village.

"Hmm... I reckon it's because Iwagakure and Kumogakure coveted the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques and wanted to eliminate Konoha's influence that they attacked Uzushio Village. It shouldn't have anything to do with that kid." Although the Fire Country Daimyo doesn't usually handle domestic affairs, as long as he's not brain-dead, after serving as Daimyo for twenty years, he should understand these basic political situations.

"Your Excellency is wise!" A close advisor quickly offered a crude compliment.

"Haha, what's so special about that! I'm guessing the messenger from Uzushio Village who's been asking for help is probably already on his way to Konoha!" Although the flattery was crude, the person loved to hear it. Seeing this, Himi Saki once again showed off her intelligence, speculating as she did.

"My lord, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should."

"speak!"

The close retainer became interested upon seeing the daimyo, and after mentally rehearsing his remarks, he began to speak.

"My lord, if I may be so bold, this Uzushio Village is truly beyond saving!"

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Himi Saki turned her head and glanced at the close retainer, wondering what he was going to say.

"This Uzumaki Village, bordering the Fire, Lightning, and Water regions, is inherently a place of intense conflict. Add to that the Uzumaki clan's possession of the unique sealing technology in the ninja world, and it's easy to imagine how frequently such incidents will occur in this era of powerful ninja villages. Konoha was able to provide aid this time, but does that mean they'll have to go to aid them every time? And every time they do, Uzumaki Village will only be grateful to Konoha, but all of this is being spent on your money, Daimyo! Taking your money to play the good guy for Hiruzen Sarutobi—it's outrageous!"

"What you say makes sense, but this is ultimately Konoha's internal affair, and it's not worth making things difficult for Hiruzen over such a small matter."

Himi Saki nodded with interest, signaling him to continue.

The close advisor sighed inwardly, knowing that it was indeed difficult to get money from Hozuki Shingetsu, but he still continued to deceive him with a high degree of professional ethics.

"Lord Daimyo, you have seen the recent situation in the ninja world. Because of those rumors, apart from the Land of Water, the Lands of Wind, Earth, and Lightning all regard us as a thorn in their side. I believe that war will break out soon."

Upon hearing the word "war," Hijimi Saki's spirits lifted, and he immediately became serious. He had experienced the First Shinobi World War at the beginning of his reign, when the situation in the Land of Fire was extremely dangerous. Even though the situation eventually turned around, he could not forget the circumstances of that time.

"Although Konoha's strength is immense under your wise leadership, it is still possible for it to be defeated if war breaks out and it is attacked by three shameless nations." The close retainer seized on Himi Saki's fear of war and tried to intimidate him.

"But ultimately, it's because Konoha's strength is too great that they're afraid of it. If both countries can successfully destroy Uzushio Village and obtain the sealing technology for the tailed beast's Jinchuriki, their strength will greatly increase, and they naturally won't be afraid of Konoha. At that time, even if a real battle breaks out, there won't be a situation where three people fight one due to fear of Konoha's strength."

After thinking about it carefully, Himi Saki realized that it made sense. His brain, which had been emptied by wine and women for a long time, couldn't understand the intricacies behind it at all—this classic argument that made the little mustache famous was incredibly effective against the doves.

"Furthermore, Lord Daimyo, there is another reason why you have no choice but to intervene in Konoha's operation this time."

Noticing the daimyo's wavering, a close advisor quickly added another strong dose of remedy: "Previous rumors included claims that Konoha, with its ample military funds and formidable strength, was disregarding royal authority and manipulating the daimyo's position. Although we all know these are rumors, Konoha has consistently refused to send anyone to apologize to Your Majesty. This... is something we truly must be wary of!"

"And this opportunity is precisely a chance to test Konoha. If Konoha obeys, it proves that they still have a sense of awe towards you; if they don't..." The close advisor's words trailed off, without going into details.

For those in power, the most unacceptable thing is not being valued, so as long as the topic is steered slightly in that direction, there's no need to worry that Himi Saki won't do things his way.

Himi Saki's gaze suddenly sharpened. If he was only wavering before, he had now made up his mind—no matter what kind of personality they had, once they sat in this position, they were destined to be wary of anyone who threatened their position.

Thinking of the generous sum of money Hozuki Shingetsu had given him, the close advisor, following Hozuki Shingetsu's instructions, added insult to injury.

"Furthermore, we cannot allow the Uzumaki clan to be incorporated into Konoha... at least not most of them. After all, the Uzumaki clan is the royal family of the Land of Whirlpools. It's against the rules for a member of another country's royal family to be a ninja in our Land of Fire, Daimyo."

After all, in the eyes of the nobles, ninjas were nothing more than lowly tools. How could a daimyo of a country become a ninja? Where would that leave Himi Saki? Would he even have any dignity left?

"Tell Hiruzen that we cannot send troops to rescue Uzushio Village, and we also cannot allow the Uzumaki clan to enter Konoha!" Himi Saki said fiercely. "Remember to tell him that this is the Daimyo's order!"

"Yes, Lord Daimyo!"

(End of this chapter)