The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

He was even prepared to help turn the tide if things went wrong.

"Besides, I'm not without protection here."

As soon as he finished speaking, a burly figure completely shrouded in a long, hooded robe emerged from the shadows in a corner of the palace.

It was none other than Hayato Fuurinji, whom Ishihara Sho had recently summoned using the guardian ninjas of the Land of Fire as materials.

Following that, several more mysterious figures dressed similarly emerged from the corner.

"With them around, even a Kage-level expert won't get any advantage here," Ishihara Akira chuckled.

"Alright then. If it really doesn't work, just use teleportation to go back to the back. As long as you don't have any problems, I definitely won't have any problems here." Mei Terumi sensed the auras of the others and, feeling a slight sense of unease, nodded and said to Ishihara Akira with a serious expression.

"Ok."

Mei Terumi then turned and left the palace, preparing to go up to the city wall to personally oversee the progress of the battle between Konoha and Kirigakure.

……

"Your Highness, this is the latest intelligence that the Mizukage asked me to pass on to you." After Mei Terumi had been gone for a while, the familiar female ninja, who was just there to assist him, came to Ishihara Akira again and handed him a scroll.

"About what?" Ishihara Akira asked curiously.

"Regarding the personnel situation of Konoha's expedition."

Ishihara Yu opened the scroll and looked at its contents—

The result was even better than Ishihara Sho's prediction.

First was Jiraiya, who did indeed come, and as the new Fifth Hokage. Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado remained in Konoha.

Kakashi did not come along, reported by spies remaining in Konoha, because he was attacked by the Akatsuki.

Yes, just as Jiraiya, through the efforts of Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, finally received the appointment as Daimyo and became the Fifth Hokage, and began to organize the expeditionary ninja army, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki suddenly stormed into Konoha, and just like in the original story, were discovered by Kakashi, which then triggered a series of battles...

Kakashi was under the influence of Tsukuyomi, which rendered him semi-vegetative and prevented him from participating in the battle.

But Might Guy did come.

Then there were Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma, and some other Jonin from Konoha, but overall they were all supporters of the Hokage lineage. As for members of Root or the Shimura family, not a single one was seen!

He truly lives up to Danzo's reputation as the "Kage of the Ninja," never forgetting internal strife no matter the circumstances!

Chapter 104 A Decisive Decision

Several days later.

"Take me with you when you go out tomorrow," Ishihara Akira suddenly said as he rested in bed with a tired-looking Terumi Mei in his arms.

He wasn't unaware of the situation in the city; the casualties among the Mist Ninja were increasing every day! It was only under his guidance that the Mist Ninja developed the Summoning Teleportation Technique, eliminating logistical constraints. Whatever was needed could be transported directly from the Land of Water and the Mist Ninja Village, making it convenient even to replenish troops and provide medical ninjas. This prevented the people of Konoha from taking full advantage of the terrain and reaching the vicinity of the capital's walls in a short period of time.

However, the quality of the skilled ninjas from Kirigakure, which had experienced the Blood Mist Village and later the rebellion, could not compare to those from Konoha, who had the Hyuga clan, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Might Guy, and other Jonin whose reputations might not be well-known but whose actual skill level was no less than that of others.

Therefore, in each battle, the Mist Ninja would lose many Jonin, causing the scales of victory to tip continuously toward Konoha.

And even so, this was only because Jiraiya was fighting on his home turf, surrounded by the Land of Fire's land and cities, so he didn't use the Summoning Jutsu to summon the giant toads!

If they were to actually unleash something like Gamabunta, even the Mizukage Mei Terumi would be in for a headache, and might even be completely overwhelmed and have her forces breached, reaching the capital...

Anyway, most of the nobles from the Land of Fire have already fled.

But even Sage Mode isn't something an ordinary person can withstand!

Judging from Mei Terumi's tired expression and the large bruises and marks on her body, it's hard to tell what she's been through these past few days.

Therefore, Ishihara Akira could no longer sit and watch.

"Take you there? No, that's too dangerous." Mei Terumi was taken aback, then immediately shook her head and refused.

The reason remains the same: a noble name cannot be risked!

“I’m not alone. Don’t forget those guards you saw the other day,” Ishihara Akira reminded him with a smile.

"What are you going to do on the battlefield?" This time, Mei Terumi didn't refuse outright, but asked with a puzzled look.

"Have you forgotten? I now possess the Senju bloodline and am a Wood Release ninja. What do you think would happen if I unleashed a wide-range Wood Release ninjutsu while you were fighting the Konoha ninjas?" Ishihara Sho said with a smile.

“Uh…” Mei Terumi was also taken aback, then she thought of the Konoha ninja’s incredulous, disbelieving, and frantic appearance.

Perhaps, it really can change the situation for both sides.

"Alright then. But you must make sure those guards stay close to you, otherwise I absolutely will not let you enter the battlefield." Terumi thought for a moment, then gave up and stated her final condition.

As for why she wasn't the one protecting him personally...

Don't forget she's the Mizukage. Every time she shows her face, Jiraiya will find her and attack her. If she stays by Ishihara Akira's side to protect him, wouldn't that be telling the people of Konoha, "I have an important person by my side. Come and capture or kill him!"

It would be safer to let Ishihara Akira act on his own.

There's no other reason than his youthful appearance. Generally, no one would guess that this boy, who looks like a genin, is actually a cunning and shrewd master, or that a daimyo might be present.

Nothing happened that night, and the next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

After breakfast, just as he had said the day before, Ishihara Sho left the royal city of the Land of Fire with Terumi Mei and the Kirigakure ninja who were going to war, and stepped into the battlefield where they would fight against Konoha.

Ishihara Kaname stayed behind, and because he was well hidden, he didn't attract the attention of anyone in Konoha, giving him time to observe the battlefield environment before him.

To reiterate, the Mist Ninja at the Chunin and Genin level are no less capable than those from Konoha, but at the Jonin level, the Mist Ninja seem to lack successors.

Not long after, a ninja died under Might Guy's Konoha Fluid Technique, and his body was kicked far away.

"As expected, if I hadn't intervened, the Mist Ninja would have been defeated sooner or later," Ishihara Sho sighed inwardly.

Without further hesitation, he formed hand seals and silently shouted, "Wood Release: Descent of the Flower Tree World!"

Instantly, a terrifying aura of chakra erupted, and massive vines, like living snakes, tore through the ground, leaping out from underground and expanding into enormous tree roots. As they clawed and sprawled, giant trees rose from the ground, standing tall and majestic, joining the other newly grown trees to form a vast, seemingly boundless sea of ​​trees that encompassed all the ninjas from Kirigakure and Konoha.

"This, this is... Wood Release!?"

"Ah, Wood Release?! Who used that? Has someone in Konoha now inherited the power of the First Hokage?"

The Konoha ninjas were excited, thrilled, and even gleefully discussing the matter loudly.

In contrast, the faces of the Mist Ninja changed drastically, becoming increasingly pale and grim.

"Wood Release!?"

Before the Mist Ninja and Konoha people could figure out what was going on, more vines shot out from the surrounding trees and thick roots, entangled the Konoha ninjas, and began to absorb their chakra.

"What's going on! Why are we the targets of the Wood Release attack?" The Konoha ninja and the Mist ninja all exclaimed in disbelief.

Along with this, Jiraiya, who was being entangled by Mei Terumi, also changed color. He immediately dodged the vines that were trying to entangle him, leaped into the air, and directly used one of his signature skills in mid-air—Summoning Jutsu!

"puff!"

A huge plume of smoke rose, and an orange-skinned toad, its size exaggerated and taller than the surrounding giant trees, suddenly appeared in the forest, landing with a "thud" in the woods where the surroundings were no longer visible.

"Jiraiya, what's going on?" However, it was not spared either. As soon as it landed, it was entangled by vines, and its chakra was rapidly flowing out like water.

"I don't know either. Anyway, let's deal with these trees first!" Jiraiya said quickly.

Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!

The toad spewed oil, and Jiraiya breathed fire, then the two mixed together in mid-air, forming a fiercely burning cloud of flames that burned the surrounding giant trees.

It did have some effect, but the gaps were quickly filled by newly grown trees, rendering their efforts futile.

But that wasn't all. Perhaps because they had absorbed enough chakra, flower buds began to swell and bloom on the surrounding giant trees, spewing out streams of powder with a strange odor, which were then scattered by the wind and fell into the forest.

"Be careful, this powder is poisonous!" Toad Wen Tai, who was the first to feel the effects of the powder, shouted a warning.

Chapter 105 Changes in the Dream World

Although Gamabunta's warning was timely, the area covered by the Flower Tree World was simply too vast, encompassing the entire battlefield and all the Konoha and Kirigakure ninjas.

In addition, countless snake-like vines relentlessly attacked, and once entangled, the trees would drain their chakra. Therefore, even if others heard his warning, there was nothing they could do. Under the influence of the pollen, they would gradually lose their strength, then be entangled by the surrounding vines, have their chakra drained, and become prisoners to be dealt with.

Seeing this, Gamabunta couldn't help much, so he used the wakizashi kodachi at his waist, which was made to fit his body, to cut off the vines that were wrapping around him. Then, with a sudden burst of strength, he leaped out of the forest like a stunt car leaping across a canyon, and jumped to the clearing outside the forest, taking Jiraiya away from the battlefield.

"Gamabunta..." Jiraiya called out, but in the end, he couldn't utter any words of rebuke. He simply turned to look at the forest created by Wood Release, his expression growing increasingly complicated.

The Wood Release and the power of faith of Konoha were actually reproduced in the hands of the Mist Ninja and applied to the ninjas of Konoha. This is undoubtedly a very ironic thing!

To this day, he still doesn't understand how the Mist Ninja managed to do that.

"I can only try to find a way to control it as soon as possible..." After completely leaving the battlefield, Jiraiya released the summoning and sent Gamabunta back to Mount Myōboku. He glanced back at the direction of the battlefield one last time, then turned around and rushed back to Konoha without stopping.

……

Then the Kirigakure ninjas took the stage. Under Mei Terumi's command, they removed the captured Konoha ninjas from the trees, sealed them, and transported them back to the capital of the Land of Fire for safekeeping and further processing.

There were a large number of people, nearly a thousand, who filled the prison in the capital of the Land of Fire almost instantly. They even had to have some nearby houses converted into temporary prisons to hold everyone in custody.

It's unclear how the elders of Konoha will react when they learn that their first reinforcements have been wiped out and captured.

After all, these ninjas in front of us are the backbone of Konoha and the foundation for the Hokage line to maintain the overall situation. If they cannot be rescued quickly, then the Hokage line, or even Jiraiya as Hokage, could very well be sidelined by Danzo, who is supported by the Root ninjas who have preserved their strength!

If that were to actually happen, it would be something that Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, this longtime pair, would never want to see.

So, follow-up rescue teams will definitely come, but it's hard to say how many people will come, or which group will be the main force.

However, it is certain that Konoha will be severely damaged after this incident, and it will be virtually impossible for them to field such a large number of elite troops again. Therefore, the Water Country's army no longer needs to stay in the capital and can continue to advance towards the surrounding towns, striving to take more of the Fire Country's territory before Konoha's reinforcements arrive.

Meanwhile, Ishihara Akira was not idle either. He used a summoning teleportation technique to teleport himself to the capital of the Land of Wind, and officially paid a visit to the daimyo of the Land of Wind as the daimyo of the Land of Water.

Although there was no prior notice and the Sand Village had never received any reports of the Water Country Daimyo's identity entering the country, the person was indeed real, so the Wind Country Daimyo could not refuse to meet with him.

So after waiting for a while, Ishihara Akane was successfully led by an official from the Land of Wind to meet the Land of Wind's daimyo, who looked like a carefree, obese, and lazy otaku...

What followed was a pointless exchange of pleasantries, and then, when they weren't paying attention, he used his demonic powers and superpowers to control all the nobles of the Land of Wind present, including the daimyo of the Land of Wind, influencing their consciousness and turning them into his puppets.

Then came the daimyo of the Land of Earth, and the daimyo of the Land of Lightning...

Thus, apart from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, who was unable to approach due to his stay in Konoha, all the other Daimyo of the world's major powers became Ishihara Akira's puppets. It can be said that he achieved general control over the world from both political and civilian perspectives!

The next step is to get them to issue a joint statement and find a way to deal with the major ninja villages. In an instant, his authority in this world will exceed 50%, making him the absolute majority shareholder and owner of this world.

Then, doing anything won't be as troublesome as it is now.

……