Promoting the Konoha threat theory, and talking about the Hidden Mist Belt!

Because the Land of Whirlpools is located in the eastern part of the Shinobi World Continent and is backed by the Land of Fire, it had become a place of trade and commerce during the more than ten years of peace following the First Shinobi World War, sharing this prosperous maritime trade with the Land of Water.

After the Land of Water closed itself off from the world, the Land of Whirlpools became the largest trading hub in the eastern part of the ninja world. Merchants traveling between the Land of Lightning, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Fire transited and traded here, contributing to the Land of Whirlpools' unique prosperity. As the heart of the Land of Whirlpools, Whirlpool Village was naturally built in a grand and imposing manner, with a constant stream of people and merchants coming and going at its entrance.

"I never imagined that the Uzumaki clan alone could build such a prosperous village." Yagura Karatachi exclaimed in amazement upon seeing it. Uzumaki Village was naturally not as grand as Kirigakure, but considering that Uzumaki Village's current state was entirely due to the power of the Uzumaki clan, one couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

"Yes! But whether this is good or bad for the Uzumaki clan is still unknown!" Thinking of the ending of Uzushio Village in the original work, Hozuki Shingetsu couldn't help but show a strange expression on his face.

As in-laws of the Senju clan, the mark on the Konoha headband testifies to the close connection between the two. If the Uzumaki clan had chosen to join Konoha back then, given their relationship with the Senju, it's uncertain whether the Third Hokage would have been Hiruzen Sarutobi. At the very least, they certainly wouldn't have ended up scattered throughout the ninja world, reduced to being used as human charging stations.

"People from Kirigakure?"

Noticing the headbands from Kirigakure on their heads, the guards from Uzushio Village sent someone to inform their superiors before leading the group to a rest room to settle them down.

"Who is this?"

Upon noticing the unconscious Ryoma Aburame, the gatekeeper's eyelids twitched at the sight of the Konoha headband on his head, but he remained disciplined and did not inquire further.

"An envoy from Kirigakure? Our leader has been waiting for you for quite some time."

Soon, a ninja wearing a tactical vest arrived and led the group to the political center of Uzushio Village, the castle tower.

"Does the leader of Uzushio Village seem to value his status as a daimyo more than his status as a ninja?" Hozuki Shingetsu wondered to himself after noticing that the political center of the village leader was the castle tower rather than the office building.

"Your Excellency, the envoy from Kirigakure has arrived."

The way the ninjas addressed their leader confirmed Hozuki Shingetsu's suspicions. However, there was no time to ponder the implications of this information in the current situation. He immediately led Yagura and Karatachi into the room and delivered Ren's letter to the daimyo of Uzushiogakure.

The current patriarch of the Uzumaki clan, leader of Uzumaki Village, and daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools, Uzumaki Takumi, is about sixty years old. His hair has turned from red to white, he has a mustache on his nose, and a long beard on his chin. At this moment, he is wearing a loose robe and sitting in the main seat, casually flipping through Ren's letters.

"To exchange for the sealing techniques of the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki..." Takumi Uzumaki gently put down the letter and turned to look at Shinju Hozuki. "Give me a reason for the exchange, how about it?"

"Your Excellency, before I answer, may I please introduce this person's background?"

Hozuki Shingetsu lifted the still unconscious Aburame Ryoma in his arms and said calmly.

The group present had long been curious about Aburame Ryoma's identity. Although they could tell from the headband he wore that he was from Konoha, they were more concerned about why an envoy from Kirigakure would bring someone from Konoha to Uzushio Village.

"His name is Aburame Ryoma, a Jonin of Konoha. Just a few hours ago, he led three Konoha squads to ambush us on the land of Uzushiogakure, but they were not skilled enough and were killed by us, leaving only this man alive."

At the same time, Yukinagi threw out a bloodstained Konoha headband, the iron headband clanging and clattering on the floor.

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze swept over Aburame Ryoma, but after realizing they didn't recognize him, they quickly focused on Hozuki Shingetsu and his companions.

Three people fought against thirteen and still emerged unscathed. Kirigakure has really produced quite a few geniuses lately!

Before they could even reflect on their situation, Hozuki Shingetsu suddenly asked a question that left them speechless.

"Could I assume that Uzushiogakure is deliberately tipping off Konoha? Could I assume that this is a sign that Uzushiogakure has completely abandoned its independence and is joining Konoha? Could I assume that this is a signal that Uzushiogakure is declaring war on Kirigakure?"

Chapter 39: Taking the Head Start

Hozuki Shingetsu's calm tone echoed throughout the room, and these three questions made all the high-ranking members of the Vortex organization present jump in surprise.

Oh no, this guy has caught us red-handed!

Everyone present knew that Hozuki Shingetsu was being unreasonable. After all, Uzushio Village had only received the news that Kirigakure was sending people over two or three days ago. In such a short time, for Kirigakure to contact Konoha and for Konoha to send people to mark out an ambush location, it would be impossible unless the entire process was completed without any delays.

Moreover, Uzushio Village had absolutely no reason to turn against Kirigakure. Although Uzushio Village and Konoha were traditional allies, this did not mean that Uzushio Village and Konoha were in cahoots. Even if Kirigakure were Konoha's enemy, Uzushio Village would only help Konoha defend against external invasions, not help Konoha expand its territory.

Given the current chaotic situation in the ninja world, Uzushio Village, with its sparse population, must be even more cautious, at the very least to avoid becoming the trigger for the Second Shinobi World War.

But while the logic is sound, the words don't quite match.

After all, as an envoy from Kirigakure, they were indeed ambushed on your territory by outsiders—that's an objective fact. The key question is how this information was leaked; nobody knows. Unless it was leaked due to internal conflicts within Kirigakure, from an objective standpoint, Uzushio Village is indeed the most likely culprit.

At this moment, many high-ranking members of the Uzumaki faction present couldn't help but feel dissatisfied with Konoha. Even though the two sides are allies, sending people to cause trouble on my territory without prior notice—isn't that showing a blatant disregard for me?

And not only did they send people, but they also got killed by the other side. They couldn't even beat one against four. They're so bad, yet they still tried to ambush others.

Not only were they badly injured, but they were also captured alive without any chance to explain themselves.

This technique is too crude!

Takumi Uzumaki sighed as he thought about this. Unless Uzushio Village really intended to turn against Kirigakure as Hozuki Shingetsu had said, he would definitely have to appease Hozuki Shingetsu.

As for how to appease them, it's quite simple.

"Ahem, shall we discuss the specific details of the exchange first?" With a nod from Takumi Uzumaki, Elder Uzumaki stepped forward and gently moved on from the topic.

Hozuki Shingetsu knew when to stop and didn't push his luck. This kind of thing only serves as a warning; if you really look into it closely, the Mist Shadow faction can't really hold up.

"This is a list of supplies that we can exchange. Please take a look, Your Excellency."

As Hozuki Shingetsu finished speaking, Yagura Karatachi handed over the list written by Ren himself.

Takumi Uzumaki took a look and found that the main things Kirigakure could exchange were money, food, and some secret ninjutsu to choose from.

However, it's clear that the total value on the list provided here is slightly less than the sealing technology for the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki possessed by Uzumaki Village. Takumi Uzumaki also understands that this is far from Kirigakure's bottom line; they are waiting for him to negotiate.

It must be said that Lian did a very good job of putting on a good show; at least outsiders couldn't see the trickery in the list.

"The envoys have come from afar and have just gone through a battle; they must be exhausted. Xu Shi, take them to rest first! We can discuss the specifics in a couple of days."

After some thought, Takumi Uzumaki decided to stall for time. He needed to discuss with Konoha whether or not to make a deal with Kirigakure, and also inform Konoha of what had happened there, while also warning Hiruzen Sarutobi not to overstep his bounds.

Otherwise... the current Hokage is no longer the Senju clan, and whether Uzushio Village should continue its alliance with Konoha needs to be carefully considered!

Besides, deciding what to trade and how to trade are not things that can be decided in a short time.

Hozuki Shingetsu and his two companions had just left with Uzumaki Oji when they turned back.

"Oh right, I forgot to give this to you guys."

As he spoke, Hozuki Shingetsu made a gesture as if to hand Aburame Ryoma, whom he was carrying, to a member of the Uzumaki clan standing nearby. But just as the man was about to take it, Hozuki Shingetsu pulled a senbon needle from his ninja tool pouch and, in front of everyone present, plunged it viciously into Aburame Ryoma's head!

"After careful consideration, if we just hand them over like this, outsiders might think that Kirigakure is afraid of Konoha and would even let go of the person who tried to assassinate us. Wouldn't that make any Tom, Dick, or Harry dare to kill us in the future?"

Hozuki Shingetsu slowly drew out the blood-stained senbon from his right hand, ignoring the convulsing Aburame Ryoma at his feet, and smiled.

"I think a corpse should be enough to prove that this person is from Konoha, right?"

Takumi Uzumaki opened his eyes, stood up, his face exuding an imposing aura, and a powerful presence suddenly arose from his body.

Killing someone in front of him, do you think he's dead?

As Takumi Uzumaki made his move, all the Uzumaki clan members present stood up and looked at Shingetsu Hozuki.

Upon seeing this scene, Yagura and Yukinagi immediately raised their weapons and became alert.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

"I merely killed an assassin. Doesn't your behavior, Lord Daimyo, confirm what I just said? Could it be that Uzushio Village really intends to attack Kirigakure?"

On the surface, Hozuki Shingetsu appeared calm and composed, but inwardly he was filled with unease. One could sense this from his aura; Uzumaki Takumi was not only the daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools, but also the leader of the Uzumaki Village and the head of the Uzumaki clan! He was also a powerful ninja who had experienced countless battles.

Perhaps it was Hozuki Shingetsu's words that had an effect, because after a period of stalemate, Uzumaki Takumi uttered two words expressionlessly.

"see a visitor out!"

Having achieved his goal, Hozuki Shingetsu didn't act recklessly. This time, he obediently followed behind the Uzumaki ninja and left the castle tower.

Although he came with the aim of recruiting the Uzumaki clan into Kirigakure, he couldn't lower his status from the start; a servile attitude would only invite contempt. Instead, he needed to demonstrate his strength at the right time. Only a firm stance could make the Uzumaki clan feel secure during the subsequent crisis in Uzushio Village.

As for whether he's worried that the Uzumaki clan will leave him behind after the collapse... as long as Uzumaki Village has no intention of merging with Konoha, and as long as Kirigakure doesn't target Uzumaki Village's core interests, then Uzumaki Village will never take the initiative to attack Kirigakure.

Chapter 40 You are the most beautiful girl from the Land of Whirlpools I have ever seen, this is my

"Hozuki Shingetsu, the foreign affairs officer of Kirigakure, has stirred up chaos in the ninja world as soon as he took office. He truly lives up to his reputation!" Uzumaki Takumi slowly sat down, looking at Aburame Ryoma's corpse, his face revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Clan leader, are we just going to let him go like this? Do you really think we're afraid of Kirigakure?" an elder of the Uzumaki clan said angrily to Uzumaki Takumi.

"Leave?" Takumi Uzumaki glanced at Elder Uzumaki, his tone indifferent. "Then go and kill him!"

"This..." Elder Vortex paused, he was just going along with the atmosphere, why aren't you following the script!

Takumi Uzumaki sighed inwardly. This was the tragedy of a small, sparsely populated country. If this were Konoha, and Shingetsu Hozuki dared to do something like this, he'd be guaranteed to never leave the Hokage Building. Forget about the saying "no killing of envoys in times of war"—that's the confidence Konoha had.

"The one who tied the knot must untie it. Since Konoha caused this trouble, let Konoha handle it. Why should we get involved?"

Takumi Uzumaki looked at the elder who had spoken and asked him to contact Konoha.

"I'm warning Konoha, if they try to overstep their bounds again, I'll chop them all up!" Takumi Uzumaki said calmly. "Then have them send a few experts this time, like that Sakumo Hatake or Hiruzen's three disciples. Once these people from Kirigakure leave Uzushiogakure's territory, kill them all!"

"Killing someone right in front of me? Do you really think I have no temper?" Takumi Uzumaki glanced at Ryoma Aburame, who had stopped convulsing, and snorted coldly.

For the sake of the bigger picture, he couldn't kill Hozuki Shingetsu in Uzushio Village, but this was outside the village's boundaries. If the people of Kirigakure died, he couldn't blame the Uzumaki clan, could he?

If they insist on using this as an excuse to demand an explanation, the Uzumaki clan is the weaker party compared to Kirigakure, but if Kirigakure dares to open their mouths, the Uzumaki clan can still knock their teeth out!

Do you really think that the Uzumaki clan, as the only clan in the ninja world that has emerged from the Warring States period and now stands alone in establishing its own country, lacks any fighting spirit?

As for the deal involving the sealing technology of the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki?

Everyone present wisely refrained from mentioning the matter.

If they're already planning to kill someone, how can this deal still be made?

Clearly, they were just trying to appease Hozuki Shingetsu and his group before, and once the people from Konoha arrived, they were immediately sent away!

-

"I have to say, in terms of trade, Uzushio Village is indeed stronger than Kirigakure Village now." Yagura Karatachi observed the flow of people on the road and came to this conclusion that made him feel very sad.

As an island nation, the Land of Water built its fortune on trade, and such bustling scenes were once commonplace in Kirigakure. However, ever since the Daimyo and the Third Mizukage issued orders to close the country off from the world, such scenes have never been seen in the village again.