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

Chapter 48 Hozuki Shingetsu's Verbal Battle with the Heroes

"...Actually, I quite like spicy food too."

Upstairs, perhaps feeling the atmosphere was too dull, one of the elders tried to lighten the mood with a joke. However, he didn't expect that his words would only make the already awkward atmosphere even more uncomfortable.

"Oh? Should we put you in first to test the waters?"

Takumi Uzumaki glared at him with a dark expression and said with dissatisfaction.

A day was enough time for Takumi Uzumaki to get accurate information: Konoha had indeed not sent any reinforcements except for that Konoha squad.

In other words, what that Nara ninja said back then was just a lie—he wanted to take a few Nine-Tails Jinchuriki containers from Uzumaki Village. Furthermore, with the front lines now lost, the Uzumaki clan is truly on the verge of extinction. Konoha is unreliable, they can't run away, and the other major ninja villages wouldn't readily accept the Uzumaki clan's surrender.

Therefore, the only choice now is to either watch the Uzumaki clan disappear from the ninja world or join Kirigakure.

However, he felt a strange sense of resentment about joining Kirigakure, especially after Uzushio Village faced its current predicament and Hozuki Shingetsu's powerful killing of the Konoha envoy.

This would make it seem like the Uzumaki clan couldn't do without Kirigakure. Simply put, he didn't want to enter Kirigakure in a disheveled state.

After all, the worst thing you can do in negotiations is to give someone a hold on your lifeline. So, Uzumaki Takumi wanted to use Hozuki Shingetsu's killing of the Konoha envoy as a preemptive strike to humiliate Hozuki Shingetsu and lay the groundwork for future negotiations.

The Uzumaki clan was a renowned force in the ninja world, and to establish a nation as a clan was an immense honor! Even if they were forced to join Kirigakure due to circumstances, they still needed to maintain a certain level of decorum.

It's like a fallen noblewoman forced to marry a nouveau riche for the sake of survival. She can only use cumbersome aristocratic etiquette to cover up her inner unease and forcibly maintain her noble status, but little does she know that this will only make people more excited.

"Clan leader, the envoy from Kirigakure has been brought here."

Just as Takumi Uzumaki was deep in thought, Shingetsu Hozuki and his two companions finally arrived at the third floor of the castle tower and stood before the group of Uzumaki's high-ranking officials.

When introducing the identities of Hozuki Shingetsu and the other two, the ninja leading the way emphasized the title of "Sin Envoy," intending to put pressure on Hozuki Shingetsu once again.

However, Hozuki Shingetsu, who had long seen through the Uzumaki clan's outward strength but inner weakness, was not intimidated by such a petty trick. He maintained his proper demeanor and responded to the expectations of everyone present.

"Hozuki Shingetsu, do you know your crime!"

One of the elders stepped forward and shouted at Hozuki Crescent.

"Oh? I wonder what crime I have committed?" Hozuki Shingetsu straightened his clothes and smiled in response.

"You killed a Konoha envoy in my village, Uzushio, plunging my clan into a position of injustice and cruelty, and you still have the nerve to say you don't know what crime you've committed?"

"Konoha envoys? Oh, you mean those wandering ninjas who impersonated Konoha before?" Hozuki Shingetsu blurted out, causing Elder Uzumaki to pause in surprise.

"That's right! If they weren't imposters from Konoha, why would they lie to you and say that Konoha reinforcements were on their way? I think they just wanted to deceive you and take away those talented children! Or rather, their target from the beginning was those children with the potential to become Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beasts, but they saw through the current predicament of Uzushio Village and just went along with it!"

Hozuki Shingetsu shook his head, analyzed the situation for a while, and then looked at the Uzumaki elder with a sudden look of suspicion: "But judging from what this elder said, those people don't seem to be wandering ninjas? They seem to be genuine Konoha ninjas? But if that's the case, why would the Konoha envoy lie to you? Could it be...?"

Hozuki Crescent Moon's words were pointed, causing Elder Uzumaki to break out in a cold sweat.

How else could he explain it? Was he supposed to expose the conflict between the Uzumaki clan and Konoha to Kirigakure? Wouldn't that make their current situation even more awkward?

Without any external support, wouldn't we be completely at their mercy?

Before he could speak, another elder from the vortex immediately declared Nara Shikanobu and the others' identities.

"Ahem... That's right, they are just wandering ninjas! They have absolutely no connection with Konoha. Konoha's envoy is still on his way and hasn't even arrived at Uzushio Village yet!"

And so, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, along with a Hyuga ninja with the Byakugan, were forcibly designated as wandering ninjas in full view of everyone.

"Very well, then let's return to our previous topic. Elder, what crime have I committed?"

Hozuki Shingetsu was satisfied with the elder's reaction, and changed the subject, directly firing at the elder who had stepped forward earlier.

"Um...this..."

Elder Whirlpool stammered, unable to respond.

"Alright!" Takumi Uzumaki stepped in with a dark expression and stopped the farce.

What a bunch of good-for-nothings! They've lived to a ripe old age and yet they let a child get away with it. They've probably gone stupid from staying in the village all this time!

"Regardless of whether those people were Konoha envoys or not, your unauthorized killing of others in my Uzushio Village is a blatant disregard for our dignity. Even if those people were guilty, you should have informed us first so we could apprehend them. Kirigakure does not have the right to kill in Uzushio Village!"

Takumi Uzumaki looked at Shinju Hozuki and spoke.

"That's true." Hozuki Shingetsu readily accepted the blame.

Objectively speaking, he really couldn't defend himself against this charge. Besides, you have to let the Uzumaki clan gain the upper hand, right? You can't let him suppress you from beginning to end. If the atmosphere gets tense like this, how can you talk about the merger later?

As expected, after hearing Hozuki Shingetsu confess his guilt, all the high-ranking members of Uzumaki, including Uzumaki Takumi, were radiant and stood up straight, as if they had won a great victory.

"So, what will the clan leader do with me?" Hozuki Shingetsu asked with a smile.

"..."

Silence fell again. Given that those people were classified as wandering ninjas, what responsibility would be incurred for killing them?

Deportation?

But can we expel them at this point? If we do, who will they negotiate with?

"Ahem, actually, I called you over because I have something important to discuss." Takumi Uzumaki coughed, changing the subject.

Hozuki Shingetsu, being very cooperative, adopted a listening-only attitude and did not dwell on the issue of guilt.

"You once said that Kirigakure was eager to recruit talent, and since you couldn't control the Tailed Beasts, you hoped that our Uzumaki clan could join Kirigakure?" Uzumaki Takumi skillfully organized his words, transforming his forced submission to Kirigakure into a plea for Kirigakure to join him.

Hozuki Shingetsu nodded, not foolishly breaking through this barrier. He was willing to give the Uzumaki clan any face they wanted!

Seeing that Hozuki Shingetsu didn't argue with Uzumaki Takumi, he couldn't help but feel a little goodwill towards him—if he really exposed this facade, then the Uzumaki clan would truly have no face left.

"Because this matter is of great importance, even in the current critical situation of our Wochao Village, I still summoned most of the clansmen and elders to discuss this matter here."

He transformed the fact that the front line had been lost and everyone had to retreat to Uzushio Village into the fact that the Uzumaki clan was giving Kirigakure a lot of face, so even though the war was still going on, they still called everyone back for a meeting.

Hozuki Shingetsu remained silent in response, simply nodding and smiling, giving him ample face.

"Ahem, so, you guys should discuss the specifics of this matter first!" After saying that, Takumi Uzumaki shut up and didn't say anything more.

Considering he is the dignified patriarch of the Uzumaki clan and the daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools, it's one thing for him to use his status to forcibly change the subject, but to actually get involved in discussing the specific details of the exchange of benefits with Hozuki Shingetsu would be far too beneath him.

As soon as he finished speaking, an elder from the vortex stepped forward, looking at Hozuki Shingetsu with an arrogant expression.

"I am the Third Elder of the Uzumaki Clan, specializing in assisting the Clan Chief in handling internal affairs. May I ask what position you hold in Kirigakure?"

As soon as Hozuki Shingetsu heard this, he knew what Old Deng was up to. After spending so much time together, how could they not know Hozuki Shingetsu's position? Asking this was a way of starting with the unequal power dynamic between them!

However, this was an open scheme, and he couldn't circumvent it.

"I am the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kirigakure."

Upon hearing this reply, the Third Elder of the Uzumaki Clan's eyes lit up, and he immediately pressed his advantage, saying, "The Hidden Mist Village has sent such a lowly Minister of Foreign Affairs as you to Uzushio Village to discuss the matter of my Uzumaki Clan joining the Hidden Mist Village. Could it be that the Hidden Mist Village is intentionally looking down on us?"

Upon hearing this, all the other elders present silently gave the Third Elder a thumbs up.

Let's see how he handles this well-reasoned and logical question and answer session!

Even Takumi Uzumaki nodded in approval, which would allow them to gain the upper hand in a logical way.

However, Hozuki Shingetsu remained completely unfazed and immediately responded, "Let me introduce myself. Standing before you now is the mastermind behind the turmoil in the ninja world, the instigator of the internal conflict in Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi's lifelong enemy, Danzo Shimura's idol whom he could never reach, the young head of the Hozuki clan, the 'Timely Rain' of Kirigakure, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kirigakure, and the future Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure. I acted first and reported later, with the special privileges of the Kage, Hozuki Shingetsu."

As he spoke, he pulled out a document from his pocket with the words "Act as you see fit" written on it and stamped by the Mizukage. This was originally a prop for Ren to use to complete the whole look, but unexpectedly, Hozuki Shingetsu used it here.

After hearing such a long list of titles, everyone present looked at Hozuki Shingetsu with indescribable eyes—this guy is too good at patting himself on the back!

However, judging from his series of introductions just now, setting aside the fluff such as "timely rain" and "future fourth Mizukage," the mere fact that he is the young clan leader of the Hozuki clan, combined with his identity as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, plus that document, is actually enough to stand at the negotiating table with them.

After all, it's best not to completely sever ties. As long as the explanation is reasonable, everyone will have no choice but to accept it.

Seeing that the Third Elder was blocked, another Vortex Elder stepped forward and joined the battle.

"Your village keeps saying you want us to join Kirigakure, but what benefit would joining bring? If joining is the only option, wouldn't joining Konoha be more advantageous? After all, we have a long-standing foundation of trust with Konoha, and Konoha's strength, in every respect, far surpasses Kirigakure's. Compared to Kirigakure, choosing Konoha is more worthwhile for us, both emotionally and practically."

Since those Konoha ninjas were previously classified as wandering ninjas, it means that the statement "Konoha abandoned the rescue of Uzumaki Village and simply sent people to pick up a few Uzumaki clan children" cannot be considered as something that has already happened, because that was said by wandering ninjas "disguised" as Konoha ninjas, and Konoha reinforcements may still be on their way.

Although everyone knew this was Schrödinger's reinforcements, neither side could expose this false reality.

"Brilliant! Using one's own spear against another's shield—Fourth Elder's skills have truly improved!"

Facing the admiring gazes of the many clansmen present, the Fourth Elder looked smugly at Hozuki Shingetsu, wanting to see how he would respond.

However, Hozuki Shingetsu scoffed and retorted, "Allies? Where are the Uzumaki clan's allies now? Are you referring to Konoha? Or the Senju?"

The Fourth Elder was about to answer, but then suddenly realized something was wrong.

When it comes to the Uzumaki clan's staunchest ally, it has to be the Senju clan. But the key question is, is the Senju still in charge of Konoha now?

"Konoha is a village that has inherited the will of Lord Hashirama, and with the current Hokage being a disciple of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, our ally is naturally Konoha!" Another person stepped forward to confront Hozuki Shingetsu.

Hozuki Shingetsu glanced at him and continued asking questions.

"The will of Hashirama Senju? Where exactly is that will manifested? How does Konoha put it into practice? Please provide detailed examples."

Once again, everyone was speechless. After the first Five Kage Summit, who didn't know that Hashirama Senju's will was to end the war and bring peace to the ninja world?

Did Konoha put this will into practice?

"In any case, Kirigakure's strength is far inferior to Konoha's, that's an undeniable fact, isn't it?" Another person stood up, ignoring the topic and getting straight to the heart of the matter.

"That's right, Kirigakure's strength is no match for Konoha." This is indeed a fact, and no amount of sweet talk from Hozuki Shingetsu can change that reality.

However, before the others could rejoice, Hozuki Shingetsu continued, "However, if the Uzumaki clan isn't afraid of being gossiped about and labeled as cowards who reap without sowing, then choosing Konoha is fine."

Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Hozuki Shingetsu continued, "Those who join Konoha from the Uzumaki clan can't start from scratch; they must receive certain treatment, right? Judging by their ranks, they should at least receive the same treatment as the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, shouldn't they?"

Everyone present nodded in agreement. It was only natural. Surely the Uzumaki clan, a powerful clan that had established its own country, wouldn't be treated the same as small clans like Hatake and Gekko after arriving in Konoha.

"Then here's the problem: when Konoha was first founded, there were many critics and numerous external enemies. It was a time of pioneering and transformation, a time when everyone's efforts were needed. The Uzumaki clan didn't join then, but now they've sacrificed their lives and worked together to build Konoha into what it is today. And you're just going to go and try to reap the benefits?"

The people present remained silent. This was indeed the truth. To enjoy such treatment without having made any contribution inevitably raised suspicions of taking credit for something that wasn't theirs.

However, Hozuki Shingetsu wasn't entirely defiant. Seeing the current silent atmosphere, he gave the Uzumaki clan face and offered them a way out.

"However, Kirigakure is different. Right now, Kirigakure is in dire need of rebuilding and is desperately seeking talent. The Three-Tails and Six-Tails are causing us endless trouble! Therefore, Kirigakure is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Uzumaki clan!"

Hozuki Shingetsu's self-disclosure of his weaknesses and his humble attitude eased the atmosphere again. However, as the saying goes, it's not the formidable opponent you should fear, but the incompetent teammate. Just as Uzumaki Takumi was thinking of taking the opportunity to back down, something unexpected happened.

Perhaps the scene of being suppressed by Hozuki Shingetsu alone was too humiliating, causing some members of the Uzumaki clan who were slumbering in the past glory to be eager to get revenge.

An elder stood up and concluded smugly, "So, in the end, it was Kirigakure who begged us to join! In that case, we should have a proper discussion about this matter."

"broken!"

Takumi Uzumaki sensed something was wrong. He turned around and, sure enough, saw Shingetsu Hozuki staring at the elder with a dark expression and displeasure.

"Damn it, are you asking for it?"

Seeing that the Uzumaki clan was so unreasonable, Hozuki Shingetsu was also furious. He had repeatedly offered them a way out, but the Uzumaki clan insisted on clinging to their reputation and refusing to back down.

Okay, then let's not download it!

"Speak? Speak of what? Are you talking about the impending arrival of the Thunder and Earth Alliance, or the ever-present Konoha reinforcements? Or perhaps about the impending annihilation of your clan?"

Ignoring the embarrassment and anger of everyone present who felt their thoughts had been exposed, Hozuki Shingetsu continued to unleash his ultimate attack at point-blank range.

"It's lamentable that the Uzumaki clan, with its thousand-year history of ninja, suffered such a tragic end—death and annihilation—due to a single misstep. It's truly heartbreaking! Years later, future generations will only be able to gaze upon the ruins of Uzumaki Village and reminisce about the Uzumaki clan's past glory. Perhaps that will soothe the heart of the Daimyo?"

"But Lord Daimyo, rest assured, I will make a movie to commemorate the past glory of the Uzumaki clan. How about calling it 'The Lost Uzumaki Clan'?"

The Vortex Clan members present were red-faced and began to get angry after being repeatedly attacked with powerful attacks.

"You brat, do you think you can fool the Uzumaki clan's swords?" Upon hearing this, the white-haired and bearded Uzumaki elder slammed the teacup in his hand to the ground and pointed his finger directly at Hozuki Shingetsu.

Upon hearing the sound of the cup being smashed, numerous Uzumaki ninjas appeared downstairs, drawing their ninja swords and surrounding Hozuki Shingetsu and his companions. They were ready to rush forward and hack the three to pieces at the Grand Elder's command.

"My sword has never been ineffective!"

Hozuki Shingetsu wore a disdainful expression, his ninja sword pointed diagonally at Elder Uzumaki.

The atmosphere inside the castle tower was extremely tense, and a battle was about to break out.

Celebrating my successful master's thesis defense!

(End of this chapter)