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

Chapter 4 Ghost Lantern New Moon

That's right, Hozuki Shingetsu is a time traveler.

Before his transmigration, his biggest hobby was reading novels. Novels had been a constant companion throughout his life since sixth grade. Besides that, anime was also a way for him to pass the time. However, he never imagined he would actually transmigrate into the world of "Naruto," and even become the young head of the Hozuki clan in Kirigakure, the lowest of the five great ninja villages.

He initially resisted the idea of ​​transmigrating. After all, while his life in his previous life wasn't exactly glamorous, he had a harmonious family, no mortgage burden, and had even passed the civil service exam, enjoying a comfortable and fulfilling life. Moreover, the timing of his transmigration was off; he arrived too early. The parents of Naruto and Sasuke were still children, and the girls like Hinata and Ino were nowhere in sight. The gears of this world's plot hadn't even begun to turn yet.

But since we've already put them on, we have to do something with them.

Partly driven by an inexplicable confidence that time travelers must possess extraordinary abilities, and partly by some regrets from watching Naruto in his previous life, this former Cao Cao fan decided to do three things after accepting reality.

Immortality, beauty, and unification.

As a ninja world where extraordinary powers truly exist, and with the example of the Otsutsuki clan's immortality, Hozuki Shingetsu's heart was naturally filled with the desire for immortality.

As someone who idolizes Cao Cao, he naturally wanted to emulate his predecessor, whipping his horse and galloping away. After all, in his previous life, he had played many games like Naruto's Vacation and Ninja Trainer, and he naturally wanted to get close to the famous female ninjas in anime with a sense of pilgrimage.

Coincidentally, as a transmigrator, Hozuki Shingetsu also possesses his own cheat ability: the ability to connect with others' chakra, communicate their minds, and convey his own emotions.

This ability, similar to that of the Sage of Six Paths in establishing the Ninja Cult, has been developed into other applications by Hozuki Shingetsu through various attempts. This is also the source of Hozuki Shingetsu's confidence.

Besides immortality and beautiful women, the last thing, naturally, is Hozuki Shingetsu's deep-seated desire for unification.

As a transmigrator from a centralized country that has existed for over two thousand years, he naturally cannot stand the current "one country, one village" political system in the ninja world.

"The most important affairs of the state are sacrifice and war." It's ridiculous that the highest armed force of a country is actually a mercenary group.

Oh?

So I was part of that mercenary group. That makes things alright.

Then the only option is to punish the wicked and purge the court of corrupt officials.

These three things, especially the last one, are certainly unacceptable to most ninjas today, even for a father. After all, for Hozuki Zangetsu, the position of Mizukage is probably his ultimate goal.

If it gets even bigger, could it defeat Konoha and become the number one ninja village?

As for unifying military power and the Water Kingdom, why bother with such a troublesome thing?

This is why Hozuki Shingetsu didn't reveal his plans to his father, Hozuki Zangetsu, and had to make arrangements on his own. His various methods of gaining fame, recruiting promising young talents from the Ninja Academy to his inner circle, improving his own strength, and striving for the position of Ninja Academy principal were all for this purpose.

That's a ninja academy!

The only military education institution in a ninja village, where all civilians must undergo ninja school education to become ninjas. What would this have been like in the previous life?

That was the Imperial Academy, the National University, the Central Party School, and a collection of all military academies, including the National Defense University and the National University of Defense Technology.

And what exactly is the position of the Ninja Academy Principal? In the previous life, what kind of person held that position?

However, due to the Bloodline Ninjas' monopoly on ninjutsu and their overwhelming advantage in bloodline limits, the principal of the Ninja Academy, which can only produce cannon fodder at this stage, is merely a Jonin from the Kaguya clan and has not received much attention.

However, out of an apparent emphasis on the commoner ninja, their job level was set so that only senior Jonin could hold the position, which can be considered a kind of "low-ranking but high-level" arrangement.

As the number of civilian ninjas continued to increase, geniuses emerged, and the intensity of war continued to rise, ninja academies received further attention and were often personally led by the village kage.

Therefore, for Hozuki Shingetsu, who aspires to become the Mizukage, the Ninja Academy is a crucial piece that he must acquire.

It just so happens that the Jonin of the Kaguya clan resigned from his position as principal of the Ninja Academy due to blood disease, which led to Hozuki Shingetsu's previous actions.

However, this is not actually Hozuki Shingetsu's goal, at least not at this moment.

"Father, I think you don't need to worry about my strength. After all, I have shadow clones to handle these administrative matters, so they won't affect my strength improvement. Moreover, I've also thought of a way to quickly improve my strength. Once the time is right, I can greatly enhance my strength."

Hozuki Renge looked at his son with some surprise. To be honest, even he was somewhat unsure of his son's strength, but there was no doubt that being able to kill a standard Konoha squad without getting injured meant that his strength, if not quite reaching the level of an elite Jonin, was very close. And to be able to rapidly increase his strength under such circumstances—was there really such a method?

However, Hozuki Shingetsu had no intention of answering his father's questions. Instead, he changed the subject and started talking about his considerations regarding his position.

“Father, if we want to surpass Lian without breaking ties, we can only try to seize control of the village.”

"Win over all forces that can be won over, seize the high ground of public opinion, clip their wings, make as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible. After doing this, even if Ren is the Mizukage, he will be nothing more than an empty shell of a Mizukage."

Hozuki Cangetsu tapped the table lightly with his finger, giving his son a noncommittal nod to continue.

"And this first step must begin with this power struggle."

“Of course I know that Ren won’t let me get this position easily.” Hozuki Shingetsu was the first to fully affirm this point.

After all, he is a water shaman; even if he can't accomplish anything, he can certainly cause trouble.

"However, given my merits and the current situation, it's far from time to break ties, and considering the influence of public opinion, Ren will definitely give me a high-ranking position, even if it's just a nominal one. But from a malicious perspective, this position will certainly not be the principal of the Ninja Academy."

"Besides the Ninja Academy Principal, given your achievements, there don't seem to be any other positions you could get... right? There are no vacancies in any of the major departments, and given your age, it's impossible for you to become an advisor. Are you suggesting we create a new, peripheral department just for you?"

Hozuki Cangetsu was somewhat confused, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

The establishment of a new department is far more sensitive than the Hozuki Shingetsu appointment incident, involving personnel changes and fund allocations, which could cause fierce competition among the various clans. Although Ren could forcefully push it through with the power of the Mizukage, it would be a losing proposition. If things were really going to go that way, it would be better to just let Hozuki Shingetsu become the principal of the Ninja Academy!

"Of course there's another department, have you forgotten?"

With a hint from Hozuki Shingetsu, Hozuki Zangetsu finally remembered the department that Kirigakure had been neglecting all along.

"You mean, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"

Chapter 5 Jonin Meeting

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not actually have a minister; in fact, it has never had a minister since the ministry was established.

As a subordinate department of the Hokage's office, the Foreign Affairs Department has always been the least noticeable department. Other departments like the Jonin Team, Intelligence Department, Internal Affairs Department, and Security Force all have some presence in the village, but the Foreign Affairs Department?

Excuse me, what is that?

Since the establishment of major ninja villages by various countries emulating the Land of Fire and Konoha Village thirty years ago, the diplomatic relations between these countries can hardly be described as close as intimate; rather, they can be described as wanting to devour each other alive.

In this environment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an organization specifically established for the first Five Kage Summit, was largely forgotten by the people of Kirigakure for decades afterward, except for its presence during the First Shinobi World War in declaring war and making ceasefires.

If it weren't for Hozuki Shingetsu's reminder, even Hozuki Kangetsu probably wouldn't have remembered this department.

"The daimyo's envoy is already in the village. It just so happens that I'm currently seeking a Jonin position. Coupled with some hints from my subordinates and the conflict with the daimyo, that guy Ren should remember this department."

Hozuki Zangetsu, recalling the current conflict between Kirigakure and the Daimyo, quite agreed with his son's assessment.

The position of Foreign Affairs Officer is high enough in rank to be suitable for Hozuki Shingetsu, since it was an organization specifically established for the first Five Kage Summit. It has the rank and benefits, and no one else can really say anything about it.

Secondly, the arrival of the daimyo's envoy at that moment was indeed a disgusting position. Speaking of which, we must mention the discord between the daimyo of the Land of Water and Kirigakure.

Back in the day, during the first Five Kage Summit, the guards of each village's Kage were the successors of their respective villages. This was actually recognized by the Daimyo of each country. Before that, the First Mizukage, Byakuren, even took his apprentice, Ren, to the capital of the Land of Water.

However, to everyone's surprise, after Byakuren's death, Hozuki Gengetsu broke the rules and, in collusion with allies, launched a coup, forcibly seizing the position of Mizukage from Byakuren, the heir.

Without the help of the ninja clan, how could the lone Ren be a match for Hozuki Gengetsu? Moreover, at that time, not only in terms of strength, Hozuki Gengetsu's sunny personality also gained more support. In addition, Hozuki Gengetsu promised to let the matter rest and not to hold Ren accountable later, which led Ren to accept the situation himself.

But the daimyo of the Land of Water was unhappy!

You, Hozuki Gengetsu, launched a coup without authorization. Did you even pay your respects to the authorities? Do you not know if Ren's position as Mizukage is one I have approved of?

However, even Lian, the person involved, backed down. Furthermore, if the matter continued to stalemate, it would expose the daimyo's lax management of his subordinates, which would only make him more embarrassed. So, the matter was dropped. The daimyo could only reluctantly acknowledge Hozuki Gengetsu's status as the Second Mizukage, but he also gradually reduced his financial support to Kirigakure. This can be seen as laying the groundwork for Kirigakure's invasion of the Land of Earth during the First Shinobi World War.

There was no other way. The boss wouldn't pay him, he was still in a precarious position, and he had a bunch of brothers under his command to support. He couldn't reduce his pay either, so he had no choice but to go and rob someone himself!

Then he and the Second Tsuchikage Mu died together, and the position of Mizukage returned to Ren's hands.

However, even after Ren became the Mizukage, the Daimyo still held a grudge against him for backing down in front of Hozuki Gengetsu, and didn't treat him well, nor did he increase his financial support. Ren, in turn, resented the Daimyo for not supporting him to the end, so the two were now in a state of mutual animosity. In the past, the Daimyo's envoys had always been handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is why Hozuki Zangetsu thought Hozuki Shingetsu's guess made a lot of sense.

Solving two problems at once—wouldn't that be wonderful for Lian?

“Father, if we want to fight for the right to speak, we need to let others see the efforts we’ve made. Whether it’s impeccable hard achievements or soft propaganda that’s a mix of truth and falsehood, we need others to see them. And in this process, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a department that has always existed but has been overlooked, is, in my opinion, a very clever piece.”

After all, as a time traveler, the combination of island nation, conflicts between nations, and diplomacy makes this problem incredibly easy to solve.

"Moreover, by using the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a springboard, we can also distinguish which people are true centrists, which are our allies, and which are our enemies."

"Alright, since you're so decisive, I won't say anything more." Hozuki Regetsu looked at his son, whose figure was upright under the lamplight, his tone filled with hope.

"Following this trend, the Fourth Mizukage twenty years from now will undoubtedly be you, Shingetsu. At that time, I will have lived up to the responsibility entrusted to me by Uncle Gengetsu!"

Hozuki Shingetsu smiled slightly but did not reply.

Twenty years? That's too long!

Moreover, obtaining the position of Mizukage is only a small part of his life plan, so how could he be satisfied with just that?

……

Time flew by, and three days later, at 10 a.m., all the Jonin from Kirigakure gathered at the Mizukage Building to attend the Jonin Conference.

As the weakest of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Kirigakure was even considered a disgrace to the Five Great Ninja Villages after the "Blood Mist Rebellion". Although its strength has not declined to that point, it is probably only able to compete with Sunagakure, let alone Konoha.

Currently, the elite Jonin of the ninja village number only about two hundred, barely enough to fill the entire conference room. Most of them are from bloodline ninja clans, with a smaller number from various minor ninja clans; there isn't a single Jonin who is truly from a commoner background.

After all, the Ninja Academy has only been established for one or two decades, and it has not yet cultivated enough fertile ground for ordinary geniuses to flourish.

The Jonin Conference, as the highest-level political meeting openly held by each village, generally has only one purpose: to elect the Kage of each village. However, it is clear that this was not the topic of the Jonin Conference held in Kirigakure this time.

"Tanaka, what do you think is the reason the Mizukage suddenly convened a Jonin meeting? It can't be that the Mizukage is voluntarily stepping down and letting us elect the next Mizukage, can it?"

A Jonin from a minor ninja clan gossiped to his friend.

"How could that be! Something big must have happened! But for us, it's just a formality. As long as it doesn't involve us, we'll just say whatever everyone else says. Anyway, even if the sky falls, it's not our place to hold it up."

Similar remarks emerged one after another. At this time, it was not far from the Warring States period. Generally, the larger ninja clans had elders in charge who were well aware of the principle of self-preservation.

Soon, with the arrival of Shuiyinglian, the noisy meeting room finally quieted down.

However, what puzzled many of the Jonin present was that the person sitting next to the Mizukage seemed to be the Daimyo's envoy.