Konoha: The Soul King from the Uchiha Clan

Chapter 287 Recruitment (Part 1)

A few minutes later, Suigetsu Hozuki sent out Juzo Biwa and Kisame Hoshigaki under the pretext of carrying out a secret mission.

An hour later, the two arrived at the location of the secret mission, in a canyon near the sea on the border of the Wind Kingdom.

The canyon is surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on the other. There is little vegetation, except for some moss and wild grasses with extremely strong vitality growing between the cliffs. The canyon is full of sand and is submerged by seawater at high tide.

After the two arrived, they stood on the beach and waited. Soon after, two figures leaped down from the cliff and landed on the beach.

The two looked over when they saw the commotion and were slightly taken aback. How did these two people end up together?

Could this secret mission be related to Konoha?

Uchiha Gen had already interacted with the two of them on the battlefield of the Land of Whirlpools, and as Uchiha Gen's fame grew, it was impossible for the two of them not to know each other.

"Pufferfish Demon, what's going on?" Juzo Biwa, carrying a guillotine on his back, was the first to speak.

In terms of strength, Kisame Hoshigaki may be slightly stronger than Juzo Biwa now, but in terms of seniority and status, Kisame Hoshigaki is inferior to Juzo Biwa.

Juzo Biwa is one of the only remaining Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, a veteran among veteran Jonin, and an old acquaintance of Suigetsu Hozuki, whose status is not much different.

Kisame Hoshigaki is Susumu's subordinate.

The three people present looked very different and were not particularly attractive, but they had one thing in common: they all had sharp teeth like sharks.

The Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish Demon, with sharkskin on its back, grinned and said, "I've come to offer you two a fortuitous opportunity."

"Opportunity?"

"Ha, you greedy bastard, you actually have such a kind heart?"

"You always want to keep all the benefits to yourself, isn't that your style?" Juzo Biwa grinned, his face full of sarcasm.

Although Suigetsu Hobutaki is also Biwa Juzo's superior, Biwa Juzo is not afraid, so he speaks rather casually.

Wearing the standard combat uniform of Kirigakure and carrying a ninja sword on his back, Kisame Hoshigaki listened silently, his face expressionless.

"I can't keep this opportunity to myself, nor is there any need for me to keep it to myself, so it's fine to give it to you."

"Alright, stop beating around the bush and just tell me," said Juzo Biwa impatiently, waving his hand.

"I would like to introduce my patrons to you two, so that we can all serve Lord Xuan together from now on."

The Watermelon Pufferfish Demon has a big smile on its face, but because it looks rather bizarre, its smile is also quite scary.

Of course, the smiles of Juzo Biwa and Kisame Hoshigaki weren't much better. Don't laugh at your second brother, eldest brother.

"Pufferfish Demon, how dare you betray Kirigakure?"

Pipa Juzo's expression changed, and his voice involuntarily rose.

"Lord Fuguki, what you're doing isn't right. Many ninja from Kirigakure have died at his hands..."

Kisame Hoshigaki's expression also changed, his face darkened, and his voice, instead of rising, became even lower.

"Hmph, how can this be considered betrayal?"

"As the adults say, a good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and a wise minister chooses a good lord to serve."

"You all know the situation in the village. It will only get worse in the future. This kind of village is not worth my service."

"As for the Hidden Mist ninjas who died at the hands of the adults, what do they amount to?"

"War is a matter of life and death. Aren't there many Konoha ninja who have died at your hands?"

Upon hearing this, Juzo Biwa and Kisame Hoshigaki exchanged a glance, both seeing the hesitation in each other's eyes...

At this point, although the two were quite dissatisfied with the policies of Kirigakure, they had not reached the point of complete despair, meaning they had not yet reached their limit of tolerance.

Therefore, the two were very hesitant about changing their allegiance...

"What are you still hesitating about?"

"To tell you the truth, if you dare to refuse, I will kill you all today!"

The two scoffed at what Suigetsu Hobutsuki said.

One person killed both of them?

In a one-on-one situation, although they are not guaranteed to win, they are quite confident in their ability to protect themselves, let alone in a two-on-one situation.

However, the opponent has powerful backers, so they are no match for him in a two-on-two fight. They couldn't even defeat Uchiha Gen even if the two of them ganged up on him...

"Pufferfish Demon, don't threaten people. This is not the attitude you should have when recruiting talent."

"And in my opinion, they aren't cowards who fear death..."

At this moment, Uchiha Gen, who had been watching from the sidelines, spoke up and immediately lifted one of the two men by the hand.

Actually, it's not an exaggeration; neither Kisame Hoshigaki nor Juzo Biwa are people who are afraid of death.

If they were afraid of death, Juzo Biwa wouldn't have been so brave as to cut the Tailed Beast Ball with his sword, and Kisame Hoshigaki wouldn't have summoned a swarm of sharks to devour him.

Both of them were ruthless to others, but even more ruthless to themselves.

"Yes, sir."

Juzo Biwa and Kisame Hoshigaki felt much better upon hearing the name, because it was a recognition from a strong person.

"Your Excellency Xuan, what is your purpose in recruiting us?"

"If it is detrimental to Kirigakure, I'm afraid I, Juzo Biwa, cannot comply."

"Although I am very dissatisfied with Kirigakure's current policies, it doesn't mean I want to harm the village," said Juzo Biwa with a serious expression.

"Me too," Kisame Hoshigaki said with a serious expression.

Because they haven't been completely disappointed, the two still harbor illusions about Kirigakure and are currently unable to accept turning against Kirigakure.

Gen Uchiha admired both of them, especially Kisame Hoshigaki.

If I had to make a comparison, Uchiha Gen felt that Kisame Hoshigaki was his Dian Wei.

No matter what they were doing, even when they were flirting, he would always be there to protect Prime Minister Cao. This shows how much Prime Minister Cao trusted him.

Therefore, Uchiha Gen was willing to patiently answer their questions and showed them a certain degree of respect.

"There are two reasons for recruiting you."

"My first short-term goal is for the three of you to help me kill two people that I can't easily do myself."

"Secondly, long-term goals."

"This long-term goal is what I strive for, and it is also what you strive for: peace."

"How can we achieve peace?"

"My plan is for there to be only one country and one ninja village in the world!"

Actually, what Uchiha Gen said in his last sentence was somewhat untrue. To be precise, there was only one country, not a ninja village.

Because the ninja village will replace the nobles as the ruling class of the country, those ordinary people will serve the extraordinary class.

These statements are not so sensitive, after all, they challenge the secular concepts formed over thousands of years, and it is easier for the two of them to understand them in this way.

"hiss……"

Upon hearing Uchiha Gen's words, not only the two of them, but also Suigetsu Hobuki gasped in shock.

A country, a ninja village?

Doesn't that mean we should annihilate all other ninja villages and all countries?

Although it sounds like a pipe dream and unrealistic, it is indeed an incredibly grand goal!

If there were truly no country or ninja village in the world, then perhaps peace could really come...

It's just too difficult!

The four major ninja villages each possess formidable resources, and the smaller ninja villages are not entirely pushovers either, in addition to the power wielded by nobles from other countries…

Aside from the Land of Fire, the whole world is our enemy!

No, the nobles of the Land of Fire might not necessarily support Konoha.

Putting aside the fact that the nobles of various countries are related by marriage, how would the nobles of the Land of Fire cope if Konoha were to conquer and destroy other ninja villages and countries?

Could it be that this person, a beneficiary of Konoha's power, is willing to let the world be handed over to the Land of Fire, whose contribution is far less than that of Konoha?

This is neither inhumane nor in the best interests of the people!

After a moment of distraction, the three of them came to their senses, and Pipa Juzo spoke again.

"What is Lord Xuan's plan?"

(End of this chapter)