Naruto: I, the villain template, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 52 Decapitation Operation (Seeking monthly votes!)

Meeting room in the Wochao Village building.

"The Land of Fire hopes to further sign a free trade agreement with our Land of Whirlpools to eliminate trade barriers and thus promote the free flow of goods, technology and people."

The pale moonlight shone on the dark brown conference table. A middle-aged man sat at the head of the table, cautiously glancing at the others present, and asked, "What are your thoughts, elders?"

One of the old men glanced at him with a hint of helplessness and sighed, "Tetsuya, you are now the daimyo of Uzushiogakure. Before asking us, let us hear your thoughts first."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Uzumaki Tetsuya blinked, shrank his neck, and said, "I'm young and inexperienced, so I'll listen to the elders."

He spoke very humbly, but inwardly he couldn't help but sigh.

"I'd rather not have the title of daimyo that I obtained in exchange for my daughter, but it's not something I can decide..."

The thought of Kushina living in a strange land as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and the image of her crying her eyes out when she left him, filled Toru Uzumaki with heartache and helplessness.

But in front of these clan elders of grandfatherly descent, there was really no room for refusal or resistance.

I just hope that Hiruzen Sarutobi will keep his promise and take good care of Kushina so that she won't be bullied by others.

"In that case, let's reply."

Meanwhile, the others whispered among themselves for a while, and finally nodded and said, "The war is so intense now, and although it is unlikely to affect us, reaching an agreement with the Land of Fire is beneficial to both sides."

"After all, our Land of Whirlpools and Land of Fire have always shared the same fate, and we share the same fate. This is an agreement that has been upheld since the Warring States period."

Upon hearing this, the other clan elders all nodded in agreement.

In the eyes of these high-ranking officials, Konoha and the Uzumaki clan were as close as brothers.

Not only because of the relationship between Mito-sama and Hashirama-sama, but even Kushina Uzumaki, who has been the most outstanding in recent years, was sent to Konoha at Hiruzen Sarutobi's request.

After all, even in Uzushio Village, Mito-sama's age is considered long-lived.

Konoha hoped that Kushina could succeed Mito as the second Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and the high-ranking officials of the Land of Whirlpools also hoped to use this to solidify their friendly relations with Konoha.

"Please take a look at this."

At that moment, Tetsuya Uzumaki suddenly placed a form on the conference table.

"What is this?" Everyone was stunned for a moment, picked up the form, and frowned.

"The daimyo of the Land of Fire said that the caravan we sent earlier was affected by the unrest, and it seems that some weapons and supplies were lost. He hopes that we can replenish them as soon as possible..."

Upon hearing the name, the elders' expressions turned somewhat unpleasant.

"The claim of lost supplies is just an excuse; it's obvious he wants more."

One of the clan elders, barely suppressing his anger, said in a deep voice, "We don't have many supplies left either. If we give them some more..."

Seeing that the elders were somewhat dissatisfied, Uzumaki Tetsuya quickly tried to smooth things over, smiling and advising, "Gentlemen, you may not know this, but the Daimyo of the Land of Fire has already been succeeded by Enichi Osamu. It's best not to cause trouble at this time."

"Yuan Shixiu, the youngest son of that famous old man?"

Hearing his words, several elders frowned and whispered among themselves, "That old fellow actually abdicated at this time and replaced him with a brat. No wonder he's so arrogant..."

After a long, noisy discussion, Toru Uzumaki kept trying to smooth things over, and by the end, he was covered in sweat.

"Then let's do this. Tetsuya, send someone over to negotiate and offer them 10% more than the selling price."

The elder clansman tapped his cane and said in a deep voice, "Just consider it giving the new daimyo face; we can't afford to ruin the daimyo's relationship."

The Uzumaki clan doesn't have strong combat power; they rely more on taijutsu, sensory perception, and sealing techniques. Moreover, only a small number of them can become ninjas, so there aren't many people available to form an intelligence department.

Before the Second Shinobi World War breaks out, it is essential to maintain good relations with the Land of Fire and utilize the intelligence networks of both the Land of Fire and Konoha. Only in this way can they continue to develop with peace of mind.

Given the distance between them and Konoha, if any unexpected situation arises, the Anbu can arrive in just one day.

At that time, no matter which major power it is, they will not be able to break through their defenses; they will be exhausted to death.

That's all for today.

Uzumaki Tetsuya stood up, bowed slightly to the elders present, and said in a low voice, "Thank you all for your hard work. I will inform you separately if there is any new information. Now, please enjoy the Mask Festival."

"We're all old bones, what's there to enjoy? Let the young people have fun." The elders waved their hands, made a self-deprecating remark, and got up to leave.

After the elders left, Toru Uzumaki finally let out a breath and walked to the window to look out at the bustling city in the distance.

Even though it was late at night, the lights were still on.

The crowd surged like ants, forming a slow, swirling black mass on the street.

But at this time...

boom!!

A loud bang, growing louder as it approached, shook the entire building.

The window in front of Tetsuya Uzumaki vibrated and cracked with a snapping sound, splitting the bewildered face reflected in the glass into multiple pieces.

As an ordinary person who doesn't know ninjutsu, Tetsuya Uzumaki's first reaction was to immediately crouch down and cover his head in defense, just in time to avoid a shard of glass.

Only after confirming there were no further repercussions did he stand up, drenched in cold sweat, gripping the windowsill. He looked out the window with a grave expression and asked in alarm, "What happened?"

Countless birds were startled and took flight, and a large plume of black smoke billowed from afar, while the orange-red flames illuminated half the sky.

"The armory storing explosive tags exploded?" Tetsuya Uzumaki muttered to himself, but quickly shook his head, his expression turning horrified. "No, no, that direction is..."

"A shopping street hosting a mask festival!!"

Just as he felt a chill, the conference room door was pushed open.

The clan elders who had left earlier returned in a disheveled state, accompanied by several tense-looking ninjas from Uzumaki Village. They breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Uzumaki Tetsuya was unharmed.

"My lord, and all the clan elders."

A ninja stepped forward, his face grim, but he still reassured everyone, "Something has happened. Please wait here for now. We have already sent people to provide assistance."

"So, what exactly happened?" Tetsuya Uzumaki's body trembled slightly as he widened his eyes. "Was it an accident, or... an attack?"

If someone attacked Wochao Village, they must be incredibly audacious!

Also, why was there no warning from beginning to end? When did the defenses become so weak?

"Please don't worry, all the ninjas are on their way, it won't..."

Before Uzumaki Tetsuya could receive a definite answer, several clan elders and ninjas changed their expressions, abruptly turning to look out the window with grave expressions, saying, "Someone's coming!"

Upon hearing this, Tetsuya Uzumaki subconsciously turned his head to look, and immediately felt a chill run down his spine.

Suddenly, a white mist surged out, gradually engulfing the buildings until it enveloped them, filling the air with a chilling and ominous atmosphere.

Judging from the ninjas' tense demeanor, it was clearly not naturally formed mist.

"Could it be..." Tetsuya Uzumaki's eye twitched, "...that they're coming for us?"

(End of this chapter)