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

Hozuki Shingetsu turned to look at the ninja world map hanging on the wall and chuckled.

Under the doctrine of justification by faith, it is easy for various evil god cults to emerge in the ninja world, with similar rituals and management systems but completely different internal structures.

Would these various cult organizations, large and small, acknowledge that they share the same origin as each other?

Would they acknowledge the other party's followers as their "brothers"?

Will they end up fighting when they meet, or will they calmly discuss doctrine?

You should know that heretics are even more despicable than heretics!

The doctrine of evil cults is that the more chaotic things are, the stronger they become. In this situation, is it possible that individual will will be hijacked by the collective will?

"I'm really looking forward to it!"

Hozuki Shingetsu looked at the ninja world map hanging on the wall and casually threw the pen in his hand.

boom!

"Wow, right on the bullseye!"

Looking at the Leaf Village nailed firmly to the wall by the pen, Hozuki Shingetsu chuckled.

-

Religious propaganda is different from any previous propaganda; it requires some preparation, at least in terms of theoretical refinement based on the requirements put forward by Hozuki Shingetsu.

Furthermore, certain preparations are needed in the early stages to ensure that when this religious belief is promoted in various places, there are timely occurrences of scenes where "bullies come to bully you but are vindicated by fellow believers," thus accelerating the promotion and dissemination of the religion.

Therefore, after determining the next step in the propaganda plan, which was to use religion to incite the villagers in various villages, Hozuki Shingetsu delegated power to Akiba Masanobu, allowing him to make all the arrangements.

While serving as his secretary, Akiba Masanobu also temporarily assumed the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Despite being extremely busy every day, Akiba Masanobu did not complain. Instead, he was filled with gratitude for Hozuki Shingetsu.

After all, the previous Minister of Foreign Affairs was Hozuki Shingetsu himself, and this "mainland balance policy" can be said to be Hozuki Shingetsu's political slogan.

And how could he not be grateful to Hozuki Shingetsu when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, such an important driving force in implementing his strategy, was handed over to him?

After putting aside these worldly matters, Hozuki Shingetsu devoted himself to training every day, except for occasionally checking on the activities of the Ninja Academy and the Foreign Affairs Department, focusing on improving his synergy with the Six-Tails and enhancing his strength.

He never forgot that this was a ninja world where extraordinary powers existed. The half-dead Uchiha Madara in the underground of the Land of Grass, the Black Zetsu hiding in the shadows, and the Otsutsuki Kaguya on the moon all constantly reminded him that strength was his true reliance.

Because the Second Shinobi World War did not break out, Hozuki Shingetsu was unable to approach the Tsuchigumo clan and try to win them over by using the threat of war and Konoha's past betrayals.

Therefore, there is no way to talk about cultivating in Sage Mode.

Therefore, besides regularly training in Water Release Chakra Mode, Hozuki Shingetsu also began researching Hozuki Gengetsu's signature technique, Steam Explosion, hoping to master it before the war began.

Thanks to the Six-Tails' massive chakra, Hozuki Shingetsu now has more than ten times the number of shadow clones as before.

Therefore, with such a large number of shadow clones, his proficiency in both ninjutsu is constantly improving, and his strength is steadily advancing.

"At this rate, it seems we can barely complete the training for the Steaming and Explosion stage before the war begins."

Hozuki Shingetsu assessed his progress and found the result acceptable.

"However, it seems that the most time-consuming part of the training is actually the regular practice of Water Release Chakra Mode."

However, he thought for a moment that even a genius like Kakarot took almost a year to complete the training to become a Super Saiyan in his normal state, so how could he compare to him?

It's already quite remarkable that he was able to complete the course in just two years.

Anyway, he's only thirteen years old now, so there's still plenty of time. Even if he masters this ninjutsu at fifteen, it won't be too late.

With his obsession gone, Hozuki Shingetsu returned to his routine of routine ninjutsu training, office work, and occasionally cultivating his relationship with Uzumaki Kushina and Yukinagi.

Three months later, the cult reappeared in a new guise.

Chapter 102 Shimura Danzo: After me, it's easy to judge my faults.

"Mangkhut, have you heard? There seems to be a new religion in the village lately. They say all the members are brothers and sisters. If you join, all the other members will come to your aid if you're bullied by outsiders!"

In a corner of Konoha Village, in the slums, two idle ronin are leaning against a wall, gossiping to each other.

"Oh? Really? How did you know?"

The guy named Mangosteen clearly looked skeptical; he didn't believe there was such a good religion in the world that could help them for free.

"Of course it's true! Didn't you see these injuries on my face? They're from the family I went to collect protection money from. They happened to have joined that religion, so I got beaten up afterwards!"

As idle ronin who do nothing all day, their source of income is very simple: extortion.

However, they were also clever; they never tried to extort the locals, but only those who had moved in from other villages and lived in the slums.

"Then what are we going to do? We can't move around if we're from out of town, and we can't afford to move around if we're locals. Are we going to have to learn to work elsewhere?"

"Hehe, then you go find a job yourself. I've already found a way in, I've joined that religion. With so many brothers in the cult supporting me, I can now go and extort money from those locals!"

Seeing the smug look on the man's face, Shan Zhu panicked and quickly grabbed his arm, begging him to help her up.

After seeing that the person in front of her finally agreed, Mangosteen finally felt relieved and looked forward to the good days to come. However, she did not see the deep coldness in the person's eyes.

Religious initiation rites require human sacrifices, so how could one enter so quickly? He was worried about where to find someone to be a sacrifice, but unexpectedly, the sacrifice was delivered to his doorstep.

At this moment, Mangosteen finally remembered that she didn't know the name of this religion, so she quickly asked her companions for it.

Faced with his companion's question, this guy thought for a moment before slowly answering:

"It seems to be called... Maitreya Sect."

-

Since the goal is to spread religion, the name "cult of evil gods," which refers to the very deity they worship, cannot be used anymore.

Originally, Hozuki Shingetsu wanted to pay homage to the number one evil cult in the heavens by naming the religion the White Lotus Cult.

When the time comes, if you shout "Eternal Mother, True Homeland," wouldn't that be the ultimate show of prestige?

But then I thought about it again. The first Mizukage of my village was named Byakuren. Wouldn't calling this religion Byakuren Cult be an admission of guilt?

And you still say it wasn't Kirigakure that did this?

Therefore, Hozuki Shingetsu had no choice but to regretfully abandon this idea and turn to the existing Buddhist thought in the ninja world, naming the religion "Miroku Religion".

Anyway, the Maitreya sect is a well-known religion in the heavens, often seen in various martial arts and fantasy worlds, so it's not bad.

This also conveniently connects concepts like luck and reincarnation with Buddhist concepts of karma and the afterlife, making it easy to understand.

With thorough preparations and various forms of "entrapment" by Kirigakure, the newly transformed Miroku sect quickly gained control of the poorer areas of each ninja village and won the support of the general populace, especially outsiders.

With the allure of brotherhood within the sect and the promise of accumulating good karma for a better rebirth by sacrificing others outside the sect, the Maitreya Sect has flourished throughout the ninja world, like sparks constantly igniting in various regions.

In contrast, the number of people disappearing or going missing in impoverished areas throughout the ninja world is rising sharply.

After all, compared to ninjas and ordinary people with families and jobs, these destitute people who relied on odd jobs for a living would be completely ignored if they disappeared.

Moreover, with the Ninja World War about to begin, the Ninja World was teeming with starving people who had turned to banditry, so it was perfectly normal for people to disappear.

For nobles and the administrators of the ninja village, as long as those with stable property did not disappear on a large scale, the disappearance of the unemployed was not a problem at all.

It's more of a good thing than a bad thing.

However, this situation can only last for a period of time. If this trend continues, the abnormal disappearance of people will eventually be discovered.

Three months later, the first person to discover this situation was none other than Shimura Danzo, the "Dark of the Ninja" who had long been in charge of Root and was a renowned figure in Konoha!

Or perhaps, Hozuki Shingetsu deliberately made him discover it.

"The Maitreya Cult? Through rituals, one can obtain offerings and karmic connections; accumulating these connections can influence the next life; all members are brothers; blood relatives seek revenge; and one is justified through faith?"

In the dimly lit underground, with only faint lights, Danzo Shimura listened quietly to his subordinates' report.

"Our investigation revealed that the Maitreya sect has only been present in the village for three months, but now one-fifth of the surrounding area has become a religious area of ​​the Maitreya sect, and even some civilian ninjas have been attracted by its doctrines and joined the religion."

"It is estimated that by the end of the year, perhaps half of the people on the outskirts of the village will be practicing the Maitreya religion."

Looking at the Root ninja kneeling before him reporting, Danzo Shimura's eyes flashed, and he instinctively gripped the cane in his hand.

Ever since Hiruzen Sarutobi apologized in a roundabout way last time, Danzo Shimura has outwardly remained a good brother who helped him rule Konoha and an old comrade-in-arms who maintained Konoha's hegemony.

However, in reality, darkness had already been quietly growing in Shimura Danzo's heart, gradually corroding his soul in this dark underground.

He was gradually growing tired of the dark underground and longed to stick his head out and bask in the sunlight.

However, he knew that this would not be easy. The biggest obstacle to achieving this was his old teammate, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who stood in his way.

As long as Hiruzen Sarutobi remains in power, he will never reach the top.

In addition to him, Hiruzen Sarutobi's new disciple, Fugaku Uchiha, is also a problem.

After becoming Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciple, Fugaku Uchiha not only displayed exceptional talent in ninja training, but also demonstrated remarkable politeness in his interactions with others, lacking the arrogance and haughtiness characteristic of the Uchiha clan. This earned him unanimous praise from everyone in Konoha.

After all, humans are such complex creatures. When a person who has done all sorts of bad things suddenly reforms, people will give him unlimited recognition. This was also the case with Fugaku Uchiha.

Born into the Uchiha clan, as long as he acts approachable, he is seen as having the demeanor of a great man.

Even Shimura Danzo, who had always disliked the Uchiha clan, had to admit that this guy was indeed an outlier in the Uchiha clan.

In his conduct and character, he is very much like one of his former comrades-in-arms, Uchiha Kagami.

Thanks to Fugaku Uchiha's efforts, the Uchiha clan's reputation in the village is actually starting to change—after all, Madara Uchiha has been gone for decades, and the people have gradually forgotten Madara's deeds. As long as the Uchiha clan restrains themselves a bit, their reputation can be easily reversed.

Therefore, recently, Fugaku Uchiha's seemingly unattainable position as the Fourth Hokage has actually shown signs of becoming a reality.

Shimura Danzo naturally could not tolerate this.