Shirou's clones number 30 million

They don't seem to be here to do a mission at all; in fact, they seem more like tourists.

While deep in thought, Minister Yagura had already begun the task handover with the other party.

"Mei Terumi, what are you doing here? What is your mission?"

"Minister Yagura, our mission is to cooperate with the Anbu's operations and, during the turmoil in Kumogakure, to destroy as many of Kumogakure's buildings as possible."

"Destroy buildings?"

Yagura looked bewildered. What kind of strange mission was this?

With just two Jonin and three Genin, what good would it do to destroy some houses?

and--

"This is too dangerous! This is not a mission you should be taking on."

"The captain insists on doing it this way, there's nothing I can do about it."

Mei Terumi sighed softly and smiled as she looked at Kaguya Otsutsuki.

"However, Minister Yagura doesn't need to worry about our safety. With the captain here, we can all get out unscathed."

"this..."

Yagura subconsciously glanced at her so-called captain, and in that instant, the Three-Tails within her sent a surge of extreme terror through her.

'What’s wrong with you?'

[How...how did she get here!]

"Who are you talking about? Captain Kaguya?"

[It's probably just a resemblance, right? It's definitely just a resemblance! What's her name?]

'I've seen her name in the files before, Kaguya Otsutsuki. Is there a problem?'

[It's her! It really is her! She's already escaped. How could someone like her possibly wear your Hidden Mist Village headband and obediently do missions?]

'Could Captain Kaguya be stronger than I thought?'

Yagura unconsciously fell into deep thought. What exactly is she, that makes the Three-Tails so terrified?

'Never mind, there's no point in thinking about it. It's enough to know she's a ninja from Kirigakure.'

[Idiot! Are you an idiot? Run away! Drop everything, turn around and run immediately, don't hesitate...]

Feeling that mix of fear and dread, Yagura unconsciously conjured up an image of the Three-Tails trembling inside him, which made him feel much better.

Of course, as a person who rarely smiles, his facial expression didn't change at all.

"Does Captain Kaguya have any plans?"

"I have no interest in those things. You can handle it as you see fit. Just let me know if you need my help."

[How is this possible! She's actually so easy to talk to? Am I dreaming?]

[Genjutsu! I must be under the influence of those Uchiha genjutsu! Release!!]

Listening to the monologue of the Three-Tails within him, Yagura Karatachi couldn't help but remind himself:

"That's enough! Calm down. Whatever your past with Captain Kaguya, she's now a comrade we can trust, one of our own."

Kaguya Otsutsuki glanced at him, then turned to Mei Terumi and slowly spoke:

"Ming, I'm taking the three little ones shopping. You can handle the task assignments."

"I want to go too... wait! At least listen to what needs to be done!"

"There's no need for that, having you is enough."

Kaguya Otsutsuki greeted her subordinates, and the three girls quickly followed.

"Captain, we can't say we're going shopping at a time like this. At the very least, we should disguise it as scouting enemy positions."

"Rino, don't say things like that in front of so many people, it's too embarrassing."

"What does it matter? Ayane, it's because you care too much about manners and face that you can never beat me."

"I won yesterday."

“I’m talking about the total! I won 7 times, you only won 6 times.”

"I do not acknowledge such a despicable tactic."

I also want to go shopping. I even changed into a pretty outfit to disguise myself.

Mei Terumi watched the group leave with envy. Although she was annoyed by Kaguya's willful behavior, she had to admit that the other party had the power to be so capricious.

To be honest, she was quite skeptical about how her husband had managed to beat the other woman.

Although it was only a glimpse into the whole picture, the strength it revealed was enough to make people tremble.

Shortly afterward, while everyone was discussing the details of the plan, a member of the Kirigakure ANBU suddenly appeared.

"Minister, the Hidden Cloud Village is gathering ninjas, seemingly preparing to attack the Hidden Leaf Village."

"What happened? There wasn't a sound at all this morning!"

"I heard that when Konoha was signing the alliance, they had the Yamanaka clan ninja control the envoy from Kumogakure and make him sign the other party's contract, thus playing a trick on Kumogakure."

"Where did you find this information?"

"This matter has already spread throughout Kumogakure."

"I see. It seems the Raikage is very angry."

Putting ourselves in their shoes, if this happened in Kirigakure, our entire side would absolutely be furious.

But what's the point of Konoha doing this? Is it just to claim the moral high ground for war?

The greater good is important, but it's not really that important.

Even if Kumogakure is in the wrong, Kumogakure will still go to war with Konoha for doing this.

"Huh...?"

Could it be that the Mizukage had foreseen this all along, which is why he sent his men to infiltrate Kumogakure and cause trouble?

With himself and Captain Kaguya there, once the Raikage and his men leave Kumogakure, they will definitely be able to create quite a stir in Kumogakure.

"Minister Yagura, what did Shirou say to you when you came here this time?"

"The Mizukage only told me to hold off the Cloud Village's army as much as possible and prevent the Cloud Village from going to war with Konoha."

"So, you're saying small-scale wars don't matter? The Third Shinobi World War just ended not long ago, so a full-scale war is unlikely to break out, right?"

As she spoke, Mei Terumi suddenly remembered her team's mission and instantly realized what was going on.

"I see! No wonder our mission is to destroy buildings; it means we're going to completely bankrupt the Hidden Cloud Village's finances."

With the Third Shinobi World War having just ended, all the villages are in dire financial straits, and this would ruin Kumogakure.

Imagine if you can't even afford kunai, explosive tags, and trap materials, and you don't even have the money to build a camp, how can you fight a war?

"That's really ruthless, but I like it!"

"Just wait, Raikage, I'm going to destroy all the houses in your village."

Chapter 463 A Bitter Dream

Chapter 463, Section 464: A Bitter Dream

Rumors can sometimes hurt more than a sharp blade.

Since news of a large number of Cloud Ninja approaching the border and war imminent reached Konoha, countless rumors about the Mountain Clan have spread throughout the village.

Initially, the issue of covenant alterations was merely described dramatically.

Later, rumors multiplied, even including claims that the mountain tribe could control other people's minds.

Secret techniques are things that ordinary ninjas cannot understand.

The ignorant villagers had many different opinions on this matter.

Some people say that the reason their father sold the house so frantically was because of the trickery of a tribe in the mountains.

Some people say that they never told anyone where they hid their secret stash of money, but the money disappeared without them noticing, so it must be the fault of the mountain tribe.

The ignorant villagers believed that the mountain tribe could read other people's memories at will and manipulate their hearts and feelings.

As a result, the Yamanaka clan has become known in Konoha as manipulative devils, a synonym for conspiracies and intrigues.

Both adults and children are subjected to a form of emotional abuse known as isolation.

Inside the tavern, Yamanaka Inoichi was completely drunk, yet he kept asking the staff for more drinks.

"Haiyi, stop drinking."

Yamanaka Inoichi raised his head, glanced at Nara Shikaku with bleary eyes, and drank another cup.

"It's Shikaku. Standing so close, aren't you afraid I'll spy on your memories?"

"You're drunk, Haiyi. Let's talk about it when we get back."

"Heh... What does it matter? Who would dare come near me now?"

Yamanaka Inoichi held his sake glass, glancing around at the empty tavern and the trembling clerk in the distance.

"Haha... I never thought that one day I would receive the same treatment as White Teeth."

"What merit do I possess to be compared to the renowned White Fang of Konoha?"

"Konoha, when did it become like this?"

"Inoichi, you're drunk!" Nara Shikaku reminded him. "Let's go back and talk about it. Things will be resolved eventually."

"Ha... Go back? Go back where? How could I possibly have the face to go back now?"

As the person directly involved in the Covenant alteration incident, Yamanaka Inoichi suffered the most damage, and he was the originator of the rumors.

Moreover, this incident is different from the white teeth incident.

The rumors were aimed directly at the Yamanaka clan, and even if Yamanaka Inoichi, the person in question, committed suicide, it would be of no use.

"Shikaku, I can finally understand how Sakuya-senpai felt back then."