The Land of Fire, the Mansion of the Daimyo.

In a secluded courtyard, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire is sitting idly in the hallway, sipping tea and enjoying the scenery in the courtyard.

After a while, footsteps sounded next to him, and the Daimyo of the Fire Nation knew who was coming.

He turned his head to look at the visitor and smiled, "You're here, Tuan Zang." ”

The person who came looked indifferent, but there was a dark and cold aura around him, which gave people a very uncomfortable feeling. It is none other than the leader of the Konoha roots, Shimura Danzo.

Danzou nodded.

"Sit down, there are no outsiders here, you and I don't have to be so polite."

Said the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

When Danzo heard this, he had no choice but to sit next to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, and then he spoke, "I'm sorry, but the old man of the Land of Rain messed up. ”

The end of the War in the Land of Rain greatly reduced the prestige of the Land of Fire and Konoha in the world, but the Land of Thunder and Yunyin, who did nothing, won the final victory.

Even the country of ghosts also got all kinds of benefits from it, but it was also a big price to pay a lot of money to make the country of fire and Konoha back down.

Even after more than a month of this incident, Tuan Zang still had a fish in his throat, full of unwillingness, and vowed to take revenge on the country of ghosts.

In the past, the country of ghosts has always maintained the status of a neutral country, so it is inconvenient to make a move.

But now that the country of ghosts has taken the initiative to jump into the big dye vat of the ninja world, and no longer enjoys the protection system of a neutral country with the country of iron, then some means can naturally be put on the surface.

"This matter has nothing to do with you, it's you and me, and the sun slash, who underestimated the power of the country of ghosts. It is the first time that the Fire Nation has suffered such heavy losses since His Excellency Pillar established the system of one country and one village. This is not only a dereliction of duty on the part of your Konoha , but as a daimyo, it seems that I also have the consciousness of being prepared for danger in times of peace. ”

After the Daimyo of the Fire Nation finished speaking, the old man's face also showed a look of shame.

He is of the same generation as Hizashi and Danzo, and he took over the position of Hokage in Hizai, and he almost became the daimyo of the Fire Country, and for decades they have been holding each other together to keep warm and jointly develop the power of the Fire Country.

There are occasional gaps, but on major matters, they are also able to put aside their preconceptions and be unanimous to the outside world.

But this kind of unification in major matters was a difficult time of war for the Fire Nation.

In the period of peaceful development, the relationship between the Daimyo Mansion and Konoha was not as ambiguous as it was during the war, but more fearful.

He once wanted to marry his descendant daughter to the fourth generation Hokage of Konoha in order to better control Konoha, at least not to let Konoha get out of the control of the Fire Country, but unfortunately this choice was vetoed by the third generation Hokage.

also completely broke off his idea of interfering with Konoha.

As a daimyo, he knew very well that once an irreconcilable contradiction broke out between the daimyo's mansion and the ninja village, it would be the moment when the land of fire and Konoha perished.

Therefore, in this matter, as a daimyo, he and the Hokage are both making concessions and compromises with each other.

Tuan Zang nodded solemnly.

However, it is only the Daimyo of the Land of Fire who has lost his sense of danger in times of peace, as well as his friend Hizai, who has always advocated the power of martial arts to enhance the international influence of Konoha and the Land of Fire.

It's just that his idea has been rejected before the War of the Wind Country.

It wasn't until the danger of the Oni Country became apparent that the panicked Daimyo and Hokage gradually realized that the ninja world was no longer the ninja world they had known in the past.

There is the country of ghosts in the front and the country of thunder in the back, and the two powerful countries that are keen on military development are eyeing the country of fire. If the idea of peaceful development is reciprocated, then the Land of Fire and Konoha will only decline sooner or later.

The relationship between people and countries is fundamentally different.

Personal matters, once escalated to the national level, become insignificant.

Just like his friend Ri Cho, he has a personal hatred with the top management of the Ghost Country, but in the talks, he must also focus on the overall situation, and he can't sway his emotions because of his personal feelings.

This is the Hokage's duty.

The Hokage is not the Hokage of the Sarutobi clan.

Without the support of the rest of the ninjas, the Hokage was just an ornament.

Because of this, the loss of Uchiha's Konoha and the support of the Hyuga clan are particularly crucial.

Compared to Kakashi, the head of the dark department, Danzo attaches more importance to the Hyuga family.

This is the essence of the ninja clan, and their voice is the most powerful in Konoha.

"One thing I want the daimyo to know, Hinata wants Tsunade to succeed him as the fifth Hokage."

Danzang said suddenly.

"Tsunade?" The Daimyo of the Land of Fire chewed on the name carefully.

Tsunade is naturally no stranger to him, speaking of which, Tsunade is still named as a princess here in the Daimyo Mansion, although she is a princess who listens to the tone and does not listen to the announcement, but her influence in the country of fire is indeed real. He is also the one with the strongest foundation among the three ninjas.

Even if the Thousand Hands Clan declines, the will of the Thousand Hands has been inherited, in other words, as long as Konoha does not change his core ideas, Tsunade's 'princess' identity will always be valid, and as long as he has an idea, he can quickly pull up a descendant force of his own in Konoha.

Fame and connections are things that sometimes can't be seen or touched, but they are always there.

It's like Uchiha can thrive in the country of ghosts, and it's also by virtue of his own accumulated connections.

As long as the reputation and connections continue, as long as the clan is not devastated, it will have a chance to make a comeback.

"Tsunade's words are really good. If she were to become the fifth Hokage, I would feel much more at ease on my side. ”

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire didn't seem to see through Danzo's thoughts, and said to himself.

"He inherited the conservative ideas of Hichisha, which may not be conducive to the development of Konoha in the future."

Tuan Zang said indifferently, unable to see his expression.

But now his mind has begun to change, and he is no longer as conservative as he used to be. I believe that Tsunade can take over the work of Hichigi very well. ”

Said the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

"Daimyo, do you really think so?"

Tuan Zang's eyes flickered.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire sighed in his heart.

Sure enough, Danzou didn't give up on the idea of becoming Hokage.

It's just that how can the roots in the darkness be exposed to the sun?

If that's the case, the root is no longer the root.

He also didn't think Danzou was up to the Hokage's job.

Ability is secondary, and style is the key.

Tuan Zang's sometimes practices are too shady, and at most he is in charge of the dark department, which is the limit, and he can't become the leader of Konoha on the bright side.

"He won't let you succeed."

"But the Fire Nation and Konoha can't afford to wait now. Moreover, I came today just to inform the daimyo that I am already preparing for the action, and there will be results in a few years at most. ”

“……”

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire wanted to slap Danzo in the face.

It's all on their own that I've discussed it, and what are you doing with him?

However, he also knew what Danzou wanted from the Daimyo's Mansion.

The Daimyo of the Fire Nation finally sighed and said, "Okay, I won't help the two of you then, if you can bring down the Sun Slash, it's also your ability." But I don't want Konoha to evolve into a fog and fight, and in the end, my vitality will be greatly damaged. ”

In his opinion, in the War of the Land of Wind, Sand Yin was indeed greatly humiliated.

But because of the infighting, thousands of ninjas were killed and injured in Wuyin Village, which was the most aggrieved.

At least the ninjas of the sand are killed in the hands of the enemy, not by their own people.

Being slaughtered by one's own people is the most ridiculous.

He couldn't help but think of the Uchiha clan of Konoha again, and the Daimyo of the Fire Country suddenly found that he couldn't laugh in his heart.

If the Uchiha clan of Konoha were still there, the country of demons would not be so presumptuous towards the country of fire.

It was a wealthy family with many elites, the most powerful ninja clan in Konoha, and the Uchiha clan had a more deterrent effect on external enemies than the Hokage.

The strength of the Blood Inheritance Limit Ninja Clan is not the individual, but the collective.

"I'll take care of this."

Danzang nodded earnestly.

Without being reminded by the Daimyo of the Fire Nation, he knew what he had to do.

The Uchiha clan is because of serious political disagreements, and he is not so harsh on the rest of the ninja clan.

"That's good. But speaking of Tsunade, the other one of the three ninja is called Jiraiya, and you Konoha should strengthen the discipline of him. ”

Speaking of Jiraiya, the face of the Daimyo of the Fire Nation is difficult to look at.

Because the mention of this name reminded him of something very bad.

The reason is that when the Fire Country intervened in the Rain Civil War the previous year, this Sannin did not think about the Fire Country and Konoha in his thoughts, but went to the Daimyo's Mansion alone to stop him from using troops against the Rain Country.

If it weren't for the fact that the other party was a disciple of his friend, he would have wanted to point to the other party's head and ask him which side he was from?

Policies related to the development of the country have been unanimously decided by the daimyo and the Hokage, so there is no room for other opposing voices, and at this time, the whole country should be united on the same front and abandon all previous prejudices.

But instead of thinking about his own people, this three ninja spoke up for his enemies and blamed the Fire Nation for its inappropriate behavior.

It made him wonder if this Sannin was a spy sent by the Land of Rain.

It is said that the other party also accepted orphans from the Land of Rain as disciples in the past, which made him even more angry as the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

What is this?

Train enemies to fight against your own country and ninja village?

And Konoha pretended to be deaf and dumb about it, and didn't care.

Will you wait for the other party to turn his head to help Yuyin and enter the country of fire before he comes over to explain?

“……”

Tuan Zang's old face couldn't help but show a little embarrassment.

He also heard a little about it.

He also felt that Zilai was also handling this matter very wrongly.

Fortunately, this matter was suppressed by the Hokage and him, otherwise the rumors within Konoha would not know how to evolve.

It is estimated that all the Konoha ninjas will look at this three ninjas, and their eyes will become strange.

"Regarding this matter, Chiba Shiraishi of the Oni Country also said. On the eve of participating in the rain country talks, Jiraiya also went to the other party on purpose, hoping that the ghost country would give up the talks. ”

After Tuan Zang was embarrassed, he replied quietly.

“……”

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire did not speak, and very calmly picked up the teacup next to him and drank tea.

But his face was extremely pale.

Let the country of ghosts give up talks?

What does he want to do?

What was the result of getting the Oni no Kuni to abandon the talks?

Do you want the country of ghosts and the country of thunder to send a large army directly over and enter the territory of the country of fire, and then renegotiate with the country of fire with the domineering one?

"Could he be...... A spy sent to Konoha by the Land of Demons? ”

Eventually, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire stared at Danzo and asked this question.

Tuan Zang paused, and quickly shook his head, denying the possibility that he was also a spy in the country of ghosts.

Judging from the performance of the talks, it is obvious that the country of ghosts is not willing to go to war, and only the country of fire compromises and supports the country of ghosts to become the sixth power, and the matter of the country of rain is written off, and no one will mention it again. I would like to say that it is a happy ending for all.

Jiraiya's approach is clearly in conflict with the purpose of the Oni Country.

"In short, I don't want him to come to the Daimyo's Mansion again to say some gossip to confuse the public, and some of his actions must be restrained."

Hearing Danzang's words before, the Daimyo of the Fire Country was very glad that the high-level officials of the Oni Country were still sober-minded and did not listen to Jiraiya's unreasonable trouble.

If you listen to Jiraiya's words, the land of fire and Konoha are the real catastrophes.

Originally, the Rain Country talks were a formality between the various forces, and all parties made compromises and balances to stabilize the peace of the ninja world.

Even if it is the country of fire that has lost the most in the talks, that is, the loss of reputation, but at the level of a great power, a slight loss of reputation is not a problem.

As long as the foundation is still there, there will be a day when the first place of the five major powers will be regained.

And Jiraiya's obstruction could brew the outbreak of the Fourth Ninja War.

Even if the starting point is good, as a Sannin, his political perception is so shallow, which is something that the Daimyo of the Fire Country did not expect.

The Land of Oni paid such a big price to facilitate the Rain Country talks.

If the Oni Country abandons the talks, it will definitely ask the Fire Country to compensate from other sources.

At that point, the Fire Nation will lose not just painless fame, but something even more humiliating.

For example, a land cession clause similar to that of the Land of the Wind.

"I'll explain this to Hizaki."

A gleam flashed in Tuan Zang's eyes.

The daimyo hated Jiraiya, which was an unexpected surprise that Danzo had just discovered.

Maybe you can do it, and it's not impossible to get the daimyo to support him to become the Hokage.

If you want to blame it, you can only blame the sun for your own incompetence, and you can't even restrain your disciples, and let the other party almost cause a war between the country of fire and the country of ghosts.

This kind of behavior, in Danzo's opinion, will sooner or later become one of the banes that endanger Konoha.

"That's good. There is one more thing to entrust to the roots. ”

Said the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

"What's the matter?"

"You must have heard of the peasants and workers of the country of waves."

The Daimyo of the Fire Nation asked.

"Yes, it is said that it was formed by the convergence of workers and peasants who had been rebelled against by the Oni Country, in order to overthrow the tyrannical rule of the nobility of the Wave Country."

In the matter of the country of waves, he also hoped to let the root intervene at first, but at that time, he was vetoed by the daimyo of the country of fire, and let the Hokage take over the dark department instead.

But I didn't expect that in the shadow department of the Hokage, there was a spy from the country of ghosts, and the delay in sending the information led to the outbreak of the rebellion, and the Daimyo Mansion of the Land of Fire and Konoha only got the information for a long time, but by then it was already too late, and the power of the nobles of the country of waves was gone.

In addition, the Rain Country talks were imminent at that time, which also made the Fire Country clone weak.

Now that it's settled, it's really time to deal with the affairs of the country of waves.

It's the maritime gateway to the Fire Nation, and there's no room for error.

On the side of the couch, it allows others to sleep soundly, and this truth is still understood.

"This organization is not as good as it seems, and most of them are illiterate civilians who are easily lured by money. After plundering the wealth of the Daimyo of the country of waves, they began to degenerate and enjoy, resulting in the peasants and workers having no spare power to exterminate the remaining aristocratic forces of the country of waves. ”

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire looked at the pond in front of him, as if to say something very small.

Tuan Zang nodded slightly.

After reaping the astonishing wealth of the aristocracy, ordinary people are indeed difficult to maintain, lose themselves in enjoyment, and fall into the terrible abyss of desire.

"And it's far more than that, as far as I know, although the Peasants' and Workers' League was promoted by the Oni Country, the cooperative relationship between them is not as close as before, and there is a rift in the middle."

"Rift?"

"The high-level of the Peasants' and Workers' League hired the Thunder Light Regiment from the underground black market, and the Thunder Light Troupe, attracted by money, has now become a long-term thug of the Wave Country Peasants' and Workers' Troupe."

"Thunder Light Regiment? Is that Thunder Light Regiment second only to the top mercenary teams such as Xuan Ape and others? ”

Tuan Zang was slightly moved.

The underground black market is a muddy water, and the forces inside are intricate, but definitely not weak.

Especially the most powerful mercenary teams such as the Xuan Ape Crowd, their strength is no weaker than the regular troops of the Ninja Village.

The Xuan Ape Crowd once defeated the Three Shinobi, although it was a rumor, but Danzang knew that this was something that had indeed happened.

And the Thunder Light Regiment, whose reputation is second only to the Xuan Ape Crowd, is naturally not an unknown mercenary.

Like the Xuan Ape Crowd, the Thunder Light Regiment has a large number of people and strong strength, and even the ninjas of the traditional five great countries dare to provoke for money, and they are a group of lawless black market maniacs.

As long as the money is enough, let them change hands to deal with the Ghost Country, which has now become the sixth power, it is estimated that they will nod their heads and agree without blinking.

Moreover, the Thunder Light Regiment and the Xuan Ape Crowd are also extremely reputable mercenaries.

Once you take over the task, you will definitely complete the employer's task.

This is why the underground black market is favored by many wealthy business officials.

Regardless of personal and state grievances, faithfully fulfill the employer's contract.

A group of madmen who lick blood on the knife edge.

"Yes, and I have arrived in the country of waves a few days ago to meet with the Peasants and Workers. According to some of the people who bought it, it seems that the officials of the Oni Country have had a very unpleasant quarrel with the top management of the Peasants' and Workers' League because of this incident. ”

The Daimyo of the Fire Nation sneered.

"I guess this matter, the country of ghosts didn't expect it."

Tuan Zang couldn't help but smile on his face.

"Power is more corrupt than money. How is it possible for a group of uninformed workers and peasants, after holding such a wonderful thing as power, to allow anyone to dictate to them? It's just that this kind of thing came a little faster than I thought. ”

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire made no secret of his disdain.

The group collection cannot be denied.

Even he could hardly resist the temptation of power, let alone a group of peasants and workers who suddenly took over the power of life and death.

Their hiring of the Thunder Light Regiment is the best witness, they want to break away from the control of the Ghost Country, and hope to use the underground black market to organize their own military force to compete with the Ghost Country and keep the wealth that they have plundered from the nobles.

That's human nature. Tuan Zang sighed.

I didn't expect that the peasants and workers, who had been controlled by them, would suddenly give the country of ghosts such a thing.

This somewhat made Tuan Zang happy.

This time, the country of ghosts is a complete miscalculation.

"What do you mean?"

"Men from the roots are selected to cooperate with the Peasants' Workers' Regiment. The aristocratic forces of the country of waves, I gave them a chance, but they didn't work, so I let them disappear completely. Cooperate with the Thunder Light Regiment, and support the high-level of the Peasant and Labor League, and become the new magnate of the country of waves. After the incident, the Fire Country will promise not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Wave Country, and let the Wave Country be autonomous. ”

Because once the Fire Country intervenes, the Demon Country will take the opportunity to cause trouble like the Rain Civil War.

Even if you don't look for trouble on the surface, you will definitely take action in secret.

Rather than this, it is better to make the country of waves completely neutral and not be controlled by the country of fire, but it is also necessary to let the peasants and workers gain a firm foothold in the country of waves and get out of the control of the country of demons.

Tuan Zang has come to his senses.

This step of the Fire Nation Daimyo is indeed wonderful.

Although the Peasant Labor Regiment has obtained the protection of the Thunder Light Regiment, it is still unable to cope with the behemoth of the Ghost Country. If you want to counterbalance the power that the Oni Country has developed in the Land of Waves, you need more powerful support.

This strong support is the most suitable for the Fire Country.

As long as it is profitable, even if the enemy is one moment, the next moment it will become a new ally.

"I see, I'll send someone to arrange it."

As for why he didn't send the dark department there, Tuan Zang also knew the reason very well.

If the spies inside the shadows are not resolved, they will not be able to gain the trust of the Daimyo.

And the root doesn't need to be so troublesome, because as long as the ninja who joins the root, they will be controlled by the spell mark, which can ensure that there will be no accidents.

In addition, the strength of the Thunder Light Regiment is not weak, if they cooperate with the Thunder Light Regiment, a well-known mercenary in the underground black market, as long as they are not facing the pressure of the Ghost Country army, they may not lose in a small battle.

"Then ......"

At this moment, the sound of hurried footsteps reached his and Danzang's ears.

A squire trotted over, his face eager, as if something had happened that moved him.

"What's the matter?"

The Daimyo of the Fire Nation squinted his eyes, did not shy away from Danzang, and asked directly.

The attendant knelt down on one knee and said, "Daimyo-sama, the daimyo of the country of bears is seriously ill, and the new daimyo has taken the throne. ”

"The Land of Bears?"

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire frowned.

He knew the Daimyo of the Bear Country, and he was an ambitious lord who was bent on strengthening the Bear Country.

However, due to the awkward geographical environment of the country of bears, it is like the country of rain, sandwiched between the big powers, and if it wants to develop, it will not be like the country of ghosts.

But even so, the Daimyo of the Bear Country should not be underestimated.

In the western part of the continent, the country of bears is also considered a strong country among small countries, and there is a ninja village organization called Star Ninja Village in the country, and it has a certain military strength.

It's just that the Daimyo of the Bear Country is seriously ill and the new Daimyo is on the throne, which is very sudden no matter how you look at it. The Daimyo of the Bear Country in his impression should be a very strong man, not a person who is greedy for women and overindulges, how could he suddenly become seriously ill, even to the point of abdication?

"Who is the new daimyo of the Bear Country?"

In any case, the new daimyo of the Land of Bears has ascended the throne, and the Land of Fire should send envoys to watch the ceremony.

"It's Princess Zhuhime."

Princess Juhime? The Daimyo of the Land of Fire and Danzo looked at each other at a loss, a little at a loss.

Although Princess Suhime is a woman, she is known as a famous person in the ninja world, and she is the most precious 'treasure' in the hands of the daimyo of the country of bears.

To put it more simply, the princess is a commodity. The daimyo of the Bear Country is used to entrap others, and the goods to be sold at a price, not people.

How did a product suddenly become the daimyo of the Land of Bears?

Is it a puppet daimyo raised by the nobles of the Bear Country?

Only this explanation is the most plausible.

"Other than that......"

The attendants were a little stumbling.

"What else?"

"As soon as this princess Zhuji ascended the throne, she submitted an official credential to the country of ghosts, indicating that the country of bears is willing to become a vassal state of the country of ghosts and accept the full rule of the country of ghosts."

As soon as the attendant finished speaking, the faces of the Daimyo of the Fire Nation and Danzo became extremely ugly.

"I see, you go down."

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire waved his hand.

The attendant nodded and stepped back.

After the attendants retreated, the thoughts of the Daimyo of the Fire Nation and Danzo became extremely heavy.

"Danzang, it seems that we still know too little about the country of ghosts...... The country of waves is not the first small country in their target, and the country of bears may have been targeted by them a long time ago. ”

Three years, or five years, or even before the Oni Country was arranging the Bear Country.

The name of the Fire Nation is unknown.

The only thing that is certain is that the country of bears did not suddenly decide to move closer to the land of ghosts.

Being able to replace a country's daimyo and control the decision of the daimyo proves that the management system of the bear country has long been in shambles.

"The affairs of the country of waves cannot be allowed to fail again, and I will contact the daimyo of the country of wind. Without the help of the Land of Thunder, the Land of Ghosts would be a lone army. Recently, the country of the Demons, a neutral country, has also been dissatisfied with the fact that the Oni Country is eating alone in the arms business, and it can also join forces to suppress the Oni Country. ”

"Yes."

Tuan Zang replied in a deep voice, and got up to leave with an extremely heavy heart.