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

Takumi Uzumaki carefully considered the current situation of the Uzumaki clan, then suddenly remembered something and gestured to the Uzumaki ninja beside him to do it.

"Go and pick a few children to send to Konoha."

Despite having made up his mind to join Kirigakure, things had come to this point, and even if it was simply to avoid risks, he couldn't put all his eggs in one basket.

With the care of the Senju clan, the Uzumaki bloodline can at least survive in Konoha.

Several children flashed through Takumi Uzumaki's mind; they were all renowned geniuses of the Uzumaki clan, and Kushina Uzumaki was among them.

Just as he was thinking of sending Kushina Uzumaki to Konoha, the news that Shingetsu Hozuki had given Kushina something suddenly resurfaced in his mind.

"Let Michiko and Sankai go!"

After hesitating for a while, Takumi Uzumaki finally made up his mind.

-

After Hozuki Shingetsu and the other two were captured, they were not imprisoned in the dungeon by the Uzumaki clan. Instead, their ability to refine chakra was sealed using a sealing technique, and then they were separated and imprisoned.

The detention facility was a normal residence, and apart from not being able to leave the house and use chakra, it was no different from before.

Seeing this, Hozuki Shingetsu, whose suspicions were further confirmed, waited quietly. In any case, the war on the front lines in the Land of Whirlpools was urgent, and the Uzumaki clan was the most important party.

Sure enough, just one day later, Hozuki Shingetsu was taken away. On the way, he met Yukinagi and Yagura Karatachi. The three of them were escorted to the castle tower.

However, the gate was locked. Hozuki Shingetsu looked at the ninja who was leading the way and saw him pointing to a dog hole, clearly indicating that he wanted the three of them to enter through there.

"Only distinguished guests can enter through the main gate; you can only enter through that gate."

Yukinagi and Yagura were furious. This was incredibly disrespectful!

"But we entered through the main entrance last time!"

"That was last time. Last time you were guests of Wochao Village, but now..."

The guard glanced at Hozuki Shingetsu and the other two, shook his head, and said nothing more.

Hozuki Shingetsu smiled calmly, “People use human doors, dogs use dog holes. This one uses a dog hole as a door. I wonder if the owner of this castle tower is a human or a dog? If he is a dog, then it wouldn’t be so bad for us to enter from here.”

The guard was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond.

"He's certainly sharp-tongued; no wonder he's managed to stir up such chaos in the ninja world." On the castle tower, a group of high-ranking Uzumaki members, including Takumi Uzumaki, were watching this scene from afar. One of the Uzumaki elders commented.

Takumi Uzumaki nodded noncommittally, gesturing for his men to open the door and let him in.

The guard, who was sweating profusely and unsure of what to do, was relieved and quickly opened the gate to let the three of them in. The three then stepped into the first floor of the castle tower.

This time, entering the castle tower was different from before. On the first floor of the castle tower, the Uzumaki clan members were lined up in two rows, each with a murderous look on their face. They were all wearing armor, and there were even bloodstains on the armor, which clearly showed that they had just withdrawn from the battlefield.

"The front line has fallen!"

The moment Hozuki Shingetsu saw these people, he understood. The Uzumaki clan couldn't simply recall these elites just to gain an advantage; this was a true matter of life and death for the Uzumaki clan. They were about to confront him directly! That's why they acted this way earlier—to deflate his ego.

However, the more critical the moment, the more Hozuki Shingetsu realized that he couldn't back down. At times like these, it's all about momentum and confidence.

So he immediately stood tall and proud, hands behind his back, a smile on his face, and strolled through the gap in the middle.

"what!"

When he had gone halfway, the ninjas on both sides shouted in unison, drew their standard ninja swords, and pointed the blades directly at Hozuki Shingetsu and the other two.

Yukinagi and Yagura were terrified, thinking the Uzumaki clan wanted to kill them. They immediately tried to fight back, but suddenly realized they were still sealed by the Uzumaki clan's sealing technique and couldn't refine their chakra at all. Just as they were extremely anxious, they saw Hozuki Shingetsu in front of them remain calm and unfazed by the scene, continuing to walk forward leisurely.

Standing atop the castle tower, Elder Whirlpool, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but sigh, "They do have some guts."

Takumi Uzumaki's face darkened. Wasn't that obvious? Did they lack the guts to launch a sneak attack on the Konoha team last night?

However, it would be too beneath him to speak disparagingly at this moment, so he could only snort coldly and say, "Let's see how he performs next!"

Under the watchful eyes of numerous Uzumaki ninjas, the three of them calmly walked across the first floor and up the stairs to the second floor.

There weren't many Whirlpool Clan members on the second floor, only a large cauldron glowing red from the flames, with boiling water churning inside and emitting bursts of steam.

A Uzumaki clan member dressed as a butcher was sharpening his knife, glancing at various parts of Hozuki Shingetsu's body from time to time, chuckling as if he was thinking about where to make his cut.

“Go up from there and you’ll reach the third floor. The clan leader is waiting for you… Hehehe, but we might see each other again soon.” The vortex clansman reminded him in a hoarse voice, then continued sharpening his knife.

Upon witnessing this scene, Yukinagi and Yagura instinctively tensed their muscles. It was hard not to associate this scene with the torture of being boiled in a cauldron.

Although as ninjas they were mentally prepared to die in battle, and especially after following Hozuki Shingetsu to kill the Konoha envoy, they had considered what would happen if the Uzumaki clan went berserk and tried to kill them, being mentally prepared is one thing, but the specific way one dies is another. Being killed with a single kunai and being boiled alive in boiling water are completely different experiences.

Just as the two were trembling with fear, Hozuki Shingetsu did not go around to the third floor via the stairs, but went straight to the cauldron. He even stuck his head out to look inside, making tsk-tsk sounds as he looked, appearing quite dissatisfied.

"Your plain water won't do! Remember to add some chili peppers later, I like spicy food." Hozuki Shingetsu pulled a handful of chili peppers from his pocket, handing them to the butcher while reminding him, "Oh, and remember to marinate the meat before you put it in the pot! Use cooking wine, scallions, ginger, and garlic to remove the fishy smell, and remember to prepare some sesame paste and chive blossoms for the dipping sauce, thanks!"

After saying that, ignoring the dumbfounded butcher, Hozuki Shingetsu pulled Yukinagi and Yagura, who were also stunned, up the stairs.

I never imagined that the chili peppers I had hidden away to prevent myself from being unable to cry would have such a use.

Hozuki Shingetsu thought casually that he originally intended to use the chili pepper to win over the Uzumaki clan when he was recruiting them. He planned to rub the chili pepper on his eyes when Uzumaki Takumi decided to bring the Uzumaki clan to Kirigakure, then pretend to be excited with red eyes and tears streaming down his face. He would then hold Uzumaki Takumi's hand and say with deep emotion, "For me, having the Uzumaki clan is like a fish having water!"

Wouldn't this scene perfectly save face for both sides?

The butcher glanced at the chili pepper in his hand, then at the knife in his own, and fell into deep self-doubt.

No way, who carries chili peppers with them when they go out?

Upstairs, the many high-ranking members of the Vortex organization who had noticed this scene fell silent once again.

Chapter 48 Hozuki Shingetsu's Verbal Battle with the Heroes

"...Actually, I quite like spicy food too."

Upstairs, perhaps feeling the atmosphere was too dull, one of the elders tried to lighten the mood with a joke. However, he didn't expect that his words would only make the already awkward atmosphere even more uncomfortable.

"Oh? Should we put you in first to test the waters?"

Takumi Uzumaki glared at him with a dark expression and said with dissatisfaction.

A day was enough time for Takumi Uzumaki to get accurate information: Konoha had indeed not sent any reinforcements except for that Konoha squad.

In other words, what that Nara ninja said back then was just a lie—he wanted to take a few Nine-Tails Jinchuriki containers from Uzumaki Village. Furthermore, with the front lines now lost, the Uzumaki clan is truly on the verge of extinction. Konoha is unreliable, they can't run away, and the other major ninja villages wouldn't readily accept the Uzumaki clan's surrender.

Therefore, they have no choice but to either watch the Uzumaki clan disappear from the ninja world or join Kirigakure.

However, he felt a strange sense of resentment about joining Kirigakure, especially after Uzushio Village faced its current predicament and Hozuki Shingetsu's powerful killing of the Konoha envoy.

This would make it seem like the Uzumaki clan couldn't do without Kirigakure. Simply put, he didn't want to enter Kirigakure in a disheveled state.

After all, the worst thing you can do in negotiations is to give someone a hold on your lifeline. So, Uzumaki Takumi wanted to use Hozuki Shingetsu's killing of the Konoha envoy as a preemptive strike to humiliate Hozuki Shingetsu and lay the groundwork for future negotiations.

The Uzumaki clan was a renowned force in the ninja world, and to establish a nation as a clan was an immense honor! Even if they were forced to join Kirigakure due to circumstances, they still needed to maintain a certain level of decorum.

It's like a fallen noblewoman forced to marry a nouveau riche for the sake of survival. She can only use cumbersome aristocratic etiquette to cover up her inner unease and forcibly maintain her noble status, but little does she know that this will only make people more excited.

"Clan leader, the envoy from Kirigakure has been brought here."

Just as Takumi Uzumaki was deep in thought, Shingetsu Hozuki and his two companions finally arrived at the third floor of the castle tower and stood before the group of Uzumaki's high-ranking officials.

When introducing the identities of Hozuki Shingetsu and the other two, the ninja leading the way emphasized the title of "Sin Envoy," intending to put pressure on Hozuki Shingetsu once again.

However, Hozuki Shingetsu, who had long seen through the Uzumaki clan's outward strength but inner weakness, was not intimidated by such a petty trick. He maintained his proper demeanor and responded to the expectations of everyone present.

"Hozuki Shingetsu, do you know your crime?!"

One of the elders stepped forward and shouted at Hozuki Crescent.

"Oh? I wonder what crime I have committed?" Hozuki Shingetsu straightened his clothes and smiled in response.

"You killed the Konoha envoy in my village, Uzushio, and put my clan in a position of injustice and immorality. How dare you say you don't know what crime you committed?"

"Konoha envoys? Oh, you mean those wandering ninjas who impersonated Konoha before?" Hozuki Shingetsu blurted out, causing Elder Uzumaki to pause in surprise.

"That's right! If they weren't imposters from Konoha, why would they lie to you and say that Konoha reinforcements were on their way? I think they just wanted to deceive you and take away those talented children! Or rather, their target from the beginning was those children with the potential to become Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beasts, but they saw through the current predicament of Uzushio Village and just went along with it!"

Hozuki Shingetsu shook his head, analyzed the situation for a moment, and then looked at the Uzumaki elder with a sudden look of suspicion: "But judging from what this elder said, those people don't seem to be rogue ninjas? They seem to be genuine Konoha ninjas? But if that's the case, why would the Konoha envoy lie to you? Could it be..."

Hozuki Crescent Moon's words were pointed, causing Elder Uzumaki to break out in a cold sweat.

How else could he explain it? Was he supposed to expose the conflict between the Uzumaki clan and Konoha to Kirigakure? Wouldn't that make their current situation even more awkward?

Without any external support, wouldn't we be completely at their mercy?

Before he could speak, another elder from the vortex immediately declared Nara Shikanobu and the others' identities.

"Ahem... That's right, they are just wandering ninjas! They have absolutely no connection with Konoha. Konoha's envoy is still on his way and hasn't even arrived at Uzushio Village yet!"

And so, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, along with a Hyuga ninja with the Byakugan, were forcibly designated as wandering ninjas in full view of everyone.

"Very well, then let's return to our previous topic. Elder, what crime have I committed?"

Hozuki Shingetsu was satisfied with the elder's reaction, and changed the subject, directly firing at the elder who had stepped forward earlier.

"Um...this..."

Elder Whirlpool stammered, unable to respond.

"Alright!" Takumi Uzumaki stepped in with a dark face and stopped the farce.

What a bunch of good-for-nothings! They've lived to a ripe old age and yet they let a child get away with it. They've probably gone stupid from staying in the village all this time!

"Regardless of whether those people were Konoha envoys or not, your act of killing others in my Uzushio Village without authorization shows a great disregard for us. Even if those people had something to do with them, you should have reported to us first so that we could take action to arrest them. Kirigakure does not have the right to kill people in Uzushio Village!"

Takumi Uzumaki looked at Shinju Hozuki and spoke.

“That’s true.” Hozuki Shingetsu readily accepted the blame.