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

Chapter 55 Whirlpool Enters the Water

Hozuki Shingetsu never expected that while Sage Mode was still unresolved, Water Release Chakra Mode would have the opportunity to be completed first.

He originally planned to wait until the news of the whirlpool entering the water spread, and then use it as an opportunity to undermine Konoha's credibility, so as to take advantage of the Second Shinobi World War to undermine the Tsuchigumo clan and use his cheat ability to obtain the Sage Mode entry ticket.

But now it seems that we can postpone it a little.

Judging from the incident in Uzushio Village, simply damaging Konoha's credibility, although it may shake their trust in Konoha, will not make them interested in joining Kirigakure unless it is a matter of life and death.

Just as they instigated the Thunder and Earth Kingdoms to attack the Uzumaki clan, it's impossible to find a fool to attack the Earth Spider clan. After all, nobody's stupid enough to fall for it again, and besides, the Earth Spider clan doesn't have any worthwhile targets.

Therefore, they can only wait until the Second Shinobi World War begins before they can make any further plans.

The primary goals now are how to deal with Ren, help Modibi practice Water Release Chakra Mode, and the upcoming trip to the capital of the Land of Water next month.

So after giving Modibi a simple bandage to prevent him from dying, the group, without taking a break, rushed back overnight to rejoin the main force in Wochao Village.

Upon arriving at Uzushio Village, Hozuki Shingetsu also learned of Uzumaki Takumi's death while sealing the Five-Tails.

"What a pity!"

Hozuki Shingetsu shook his head regretfully. Objectively speaking, he still admired the old man Uzumaki Takumi quite a bit. Despite the many changes that occurred in the middle, he was the one who ultimately finalized the plan for the Uzumaki clan to join Kirigakure.

So even though the crisis in Uzushio Village has been resolved, the Uzumaki clan has no intention of backing down. They plan to pack their things and then head to Kirigakure with the Kirigakure ninja.

After all, taking stock of casualties, transferring supplies, and providing medical treatment and bandaging will take some time.

In this battle, one-third of the Uzumaki clan's ninjas were killed in action, and the remaining ninjas were almost all wounded. However, the Hozuki and Yuki clan ninjas who came to their aid suffered relatively few casualties because they were in an ambush.

However, compared to the losses, the victory in this battle was far more fruitful.

First, the Uzumaki clan successfully joined Kirigakure, enriching the village's foundation with Jinchuriki and providing new strength for the Hozuki and Yuki Alliance. Second, the Raito-Tsuchikage alliance thwarted their plot to seal the Jinchuriki, wiping out a wave of elite forces and restoring balance between Konoha and the three kingdoms. Finally, there was the prestige brought by this victory.

After this battle, Hozuki Shingetsu could be said to have truly earned his name among the various ninja villages.

Previously, his various actions in the ninja world were generally viewed as a joke by the major ninja villages. They were the kind of people who thought, "You are indeed very powerful, but the reason you succeeded is simply because I didn't do it. I could do it too."

After all, the leaders of each ninja village have always believed in strength, and they disdain things like public opinion. A twelve-year-old child might be praised with a word that he has a promising future, and then eliminated if given the chance; no one would deliberately remember it.

However, it is foreseeable that with the leak of various things during this whirlpool incident, especially the death of the Konoha envoy, the annihilation of the Lightning-Earth Alliance, and the capture of Modibi, Hozuki Shingetsu will inevitably be regarded as a thorn in the side by all the ninja villages, especially Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure.

This is also one of the reasons why Hozuki Shingetsu felt that time was of the essence and was eager to improve his strength.

-

"Is this the Grim Reaper mask?" Hozuki Shingetsu played with the grotesque mask in his hand, seemingly lost in thought.

Since the relocation was necessary, the Uzumaki clan's shrine would naturally have to move as well. As the son-in-law of the entire Uzumaki clan, Hozuki Shingetsu took this opportunity to reveal many of the clan's secrets to him, including the Death God Mask.

"That's right, this is the mask connected to the Grim Reaper. Wearing it allows you to summon the phantom of the Grim Reaper," explained Yoshio Uzumaki, the former Second Elder of the Uzumaki Clan and now the clan leader.

With Takumi Uzumaki's passing and the advanced age of the First Elder Uzumaki, the relatively young Second Elder Uzumaki naturally became the new head of the Uzumaki clan.

"So, the Five-Tails is currently inside the Shinigami's stomach?"

Hozuki Shingetsu thought about it more and more and felt that Onoki would be furious after learning this news. The Five-Tails was in the stomach of the Shinigami and could not be resurrected, which meant that Iwagakure had lost the Five-Tails as a tailed beast forever.

How could Onoki, who had originally hoped for the best, not be furious?

"But it doesn't matter. In a few decades, it'll be the same whether the Jinchuriki of Iwagakure are here or not. A few more years won't make a difference," Hozuki Shingetsu thought with a wicked sense of humor.

"But that gives us another reason to be targeted by Black Zetsu and Madara Uchiha!" Hozuki Shingetsu quickly realized this, and his expression became somewhat serious.

Whether it's the fake "Eye of the Moon" plan or saving Kaguya Otsutsuki, both require gathering the nine tailed beasts to summon the Ten-Tails. However, the Five-Tails is currently inside the Shinigami's stomach, and there is no remaining chakra from the Five-Tails in the ninja world. This means that Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu will inevitably set their sights on the mask in his possession.

"Hmm... but it's not a big problem, since we'll have to face them anyway." Hozuki Shingetsu thought for a moment and quickly realized that he was making trouble for himself.

As long as he fights against Ren, he will remain Madara Uchiha's enemy for another day, so this one thing won't make a difference.

"So now we need to figure out how to deal with our Mizukage."

Hozuki Shingetsu turned to look eastward; the other side of the sea was where he should be focusing his attention now.

-

"Rebellion! Rebellion!"

"If the Hozuki and Yuki clans dare to launch an attack without warning today, will they dare to kill me under cover of night and seize the position of Mizukage tomorrow?"

In the Water Shadow's office, Lian unleashed her fury on several advisors and elders. This time, even Yuan Shi felt that the Hozuki clan had gone too far, and he didn't know how to handle the situation.

After all, sending troops without permission is a blatant disrespect to Lian, and if he doesn't teach him a lesson, the authority of the Water Shadow will be completely destroyed.

"Ahem... I think the two races might have some difficulties, such as time constraints preventing them from reporting in time?"

After much thought, Master Yuan felt he should say something, but once he said it, even he himself didn't believe it, so how could he persuade the enraged Lian?

"A predicament? Too late?" As expected, Ren became even more furious upon hearing this reason. "I'm right here in this village! My house is only ten minutes away from the Hozuki Mansion! They can receive news from the Land of Whirlpools, but they can't report to me?"

After the two clans' personnel disappeared, Ren immediately ordered an investigation into where they had gone, and he soon found out—the Land of Whirlpools.

Now that he knew their destination, he naturally knew what they were going to do—the news that the Lightning Earth Alliance had launched a swift and undisguised attack since they were discovered had long been known to the other ninja villages, and the genius of the Hozuki clan was currently in Uzushio Village!

"What else could they possibly be doing in Uzushio Village? Isn't it just to rescue that brat? For a mere Minister of Foreign Affairs, they disobeyed my orders and recklessly led troops into battle against the Thunder-Earth Alliance. Do they even respect me as the Mizukage?"

Taking advantage of the situation, Lian vented her dissatisfaction.

He may have been furious when he first heard the news, but as time went by, he had long since controlled his emotions. This act now is just for show.

He had already planned to use this opportunity to severely weaken the strength of both races. The first step was to remove that wretched brat from his damned position as Minister of Foreign Affairs! Then, he would take away all the intelligence resources controlled by Hozuki!

"No need to say anything more!" Lian glanced at Yuan Shi, who was still thinking of saying something, and waved her hand dismissively.

"For the sake of their own clansmen, they went to fight against ninjas from other countries. Do these two clans even care about this village? Could it be that they went there not for personal reasons but for official business? And they even managed to bring the entire Uzumaki clan back from Uzushio Village?" Ren sneered.

Master Yuan remained silent. Bring the Uzumaki clan back? Even if they were facing a life-or-death crisis right now, wouldn't they be seeking refuge in Konoha? Why should they come to your Kirigakure?

"Fine! It's simple if you want me to drop the blame. Just bring the entire Uzumaki clan back, and I'll pretend this never happened!"

"If they can prove they acted with the public good, I'll personally vouch for them! Otherwise... hmph!"

Lian became more and more enthusiastic as she spoke, and began to discuss how to punish the two clans right in front of Master Yuan.

"Lord Mizukage! The Hozuki and Yuki clans have returned!" Just then, an ANBU appeared, kneeling on one knee to report to Ren.

"They're back? That's perfect, let's go out and greet these great heroes!" Lian was taken aback, then deliberately made a gesture to greet them in front of Yuan Shi.

"By the way, isn't our Minister of Foreign Affairs in the group too?" Ren walked halfway, then seemed to remember something and turned to ask the ANBU member.

"The Minister of Foreign Affairs is also here, along with Yukinagi, Kaguya, and Yagura, the three who were sent to Uzushio Village," the Anbu replied, bowing his head.

"I knew it!" Lian shook her head, her face filled with sorrow.

"These are the pillars of my Hidden Mist Village! Which one of them hasn't made great contributions to the village? Which one of them hasn't served the village since its founding? They've fallen apart, and my heart is breaking! The previous Mizukage entrusted the village to me, and now it's turned into this. I am heartbroken. I have sinned against the village, and I have failed all the martyrs of the past. I wish I could dismiss myself!"

"I'm becoming increasingly clear that the real threat to Kirigakure isn't outside, it's inside the village! If things continue like this inside, we'll all be doomed sooner or later! Think about it! The Second Raikage has only been dead for a few years, right? Forgot? He's right here in the Pure Land, watching you all every day!"

"...Only four words, ripped from my heart and dug from a sea of ​​blood, are given to them. Remember, from this day forward, this place will be renamed 'Upright and Honorable,' and when they return, let them see it for themselves!"

Lian became more and more excited as he spoke, and it seemed he was about to launch into a long, eloquent speech, quoting scriptures and talking for half an hour. However, the report from the ANBU ninja interrupted his spellcasting.

"...In addition to the aforementioned individuals, there is another group of ninjas who call themselves the Uzumaki clan and claim that they decided to join Kirigakure at the urging of the Minister of Foreign Affairs."

"What?!"

(End of this chapter)