Uchiha's personal opinion

"I understand."

Uchiha Tokumitsu nodded.

Although Uchiha Tokumitsu had long suspected that the three great nations were besieging the Land of Whirlpools, he had been hampered by a lack of reliable intelligence to corroborate his suspicions.

Now that the representatives of the Hozuki and Minazuki clans, who are the parties involved, have spoken out publicly, it is clear that they are not intentionally trying to mislead, but must have some crucial evidence.

"Is it true that there is a faction in Kirigakure called the 'Bloody Mist Faction'?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu casually changed the subject.

"...That's right. The Blood Mist Faction is composed of commoner ninjas from Kirigakure and ninjas from minor clans. They are extremely opposed to bloodline ninjas. Although their organizational strength is relatively weak, they have the support of a daimyo in secret."

Minazuki Chino hesitated for a moment, but still answered truthfully.

"Hehe... Your name..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu chuckled coldly twice.

"Lord Tokuko, the evidence we have regarding the conspiracy among the major powers and daimyo will be delivered to you along with the seafood when it is shipped to the Land of Waves. We hope it will be of some help to you."

Hozuki Masahiko continued, "If you grant us permission, the heads of our two clans are willing to travel to the Land of Waves to meet with your esteemed family."

"This matter is of great importance and requires further discussion within the family."

Although Uchiha Tokumitsu took this very seriously, he did not agree immediately.

After all, no matter how great his power was, he was not the head of a clan. The alliance between ninja clans was of great importance, so he still had to discuss it with the clan head, Uchiha Yomo, and Elder Setsuna.

"I'll wait to understand."

Hozuki Masahiko bowed, hesitated for a moment, and then continued, "Lord Tokumitsu, even a powerful ninja clan like ours is still seen as a tool to be used by the daimyo and nobles..."

"Some things always need to change."

Minazuki Chino continued, "Even though we are in two countries, we have long been unwilling to see the tragic situation of the Uzumaki clan repeat itself."

"If one does not keep secret, one will lose his life."

Uchiha Tokumitsu replied with one sentence, and then said no more.

As members of powerful clans, Hozuki Masahiko and Minazuki Chino not only possessed excellent ninja skills but also good literary knowledge, so they naturally understood the meaning behind Uchiha Tokumitsu's words.

So the two of them said no more and got up to take their leave.

After the two left, a smile gradually appeared on Uchiha Tokumitsu's face as he was alone in the room.

What a surprise.

The attitude of the two major ninja clans of Kirigakure was unexpectedly sincere, and their desire to form an alliance was unexpectedly strong.

There are only individuals who betray their class, not classes that betray their class interests.

The conflict between ninjas with extraordinary abilities and daimyo nobles who control secular political and financial power has intensified.

Even if a very small number of ninja clans are forcibly bound together by the system, they will still naturally send each other a high-intensity barrage of messages in their hearts.

What the Uchiha clan had to do was to test the Daimyo's bottom line step by step.

Uchiha Tokumitsu was particularly looking forward to disrupting this stagnant ninja world.

"Daimyo..."!

Chapter 167 Siege of the Temple of Fire

To conceal their true purpose, the Kirigakure delegation still signed a temporary ceasefire agreement with Konoha.

Yes, only a ceasefire.

Although the two sides ceased fighting after Kirigakure's defeat on the mainland, Kirigakure was still unwilling to admit defeat or pay reparations, especially since Konoha was unable to invade the Land of Water.

As for Konoha, although the Hokage intended to end the state of war with Kirigakure, Kirigakure remained unwilling to compromise on compensation and was also under pressure to repay bonds. Therefore, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was also unwilling to agree to achieve unconditional peace with Kirigakure for the time being.

Of course, an even greater obstacle is the hardliners, led by the Uchiha clan, who are unwilling to sign a peace agreement without compensation.

Although the Uchiha clan and the Kirigakure ninja clan were doing very well in their smuggling business, it was just "normal business" between the ninja clans and should not be confused with the village's official business.

Moreover, the longer the state of war lasts, the longer the connection between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire will be severed, which will naturally be more conducive to the smuggling trade between the two ninja clans.

Even after the ceasefire agreement was signed, the Hidden Mist Ninja Clan secretly reached a verbal agreement with Uchiha Tokumitsu to jointly combat illegal shipping. Both sides would strictly inspect domestic ports and shipping routes under the pretext of "preventing aid to the enemy" and resolutely crack down on unauthorized vessels that were not part of the smuggling system going to sea, so as not to damage the smuggling interests of both sides.

……

Two days have passed since Uchiha Tokumitsu issued the three-day ultimatum to the daimyo at the meeting.

After the daimyo's envoy, Asakura Daifu, left Konoha and returned to the daimyo's residence, no further news reached Konoha.

But playing dead won't solve the problem.

The petty-minded Uchiha Tokumitsu still harbored resentment over the daimyo's audacity in sending an envoy to question him.

Moreover, if the Uchiha clan doesn't make a big fuss, wouldn't Uchiha Tokumitsu's harsh words at the meeting become empty words?

Therefore, Uchiha Tokumitsu sent a message to the northwestern border, ordering the second and third squads of the Tokumitsu Red Guard stationed in the Land of Grass to enter the Land of Fire and openly march to Izumi Castle in the Kinki region of Daimyo Prefecture.

Elder Setsuna, on a whim, even interfered, demanding that the Red Guards change into the traditional red armor of the Uchiha clan.

Uchiha Tokumitsu, of course, readily complied with the elder's request to cosplay.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Tokumitsu drew sixty elites from the police department and, together with his own thirty-two bodyguard ninjas, formed a directly controlled ninja army, ready to carry out a deterrent strike.

The ninja army secretly left the village through a secret passage controlled by the police department and sped towards the Daimyo's capital.

Of course, Uchiha Tokumitsu's target was not the Daimyo's mansion, but the Fire Temple, which was not far from the Daimyo's mansion.

As a mountain temple directly under the control of the Daimyo clan, the Fire Temple is a force to be reckoned with, boasting eighteen Jonin-level monks and dozens of martial monks with combat strength equivalent to Chunin, making it comparable in strength to a medium-sized ninja clan in Konoha.

However, in the face of the Mangekyou Sharingan, ordinary Jonin strength is nothing to worry about. Even if the current Five Kage were to attack, Uchiha Tokumitsu would be confident in giving them a chance.

……

"Stop!"

Just as Uchiha Tokumitsu led his ninja army out of the village and into the dense forest, a furious shout came from behind them.

"Ok?"

The voice sounded somewhat familiar, so Uchiha Tokumitsu stopped in his tracks.

It's Tsunade.

And there's Jiraiya.

"Tsunade Himeyasu."

Uchiha Tokumitsu greeted Tsunade, but ignored Jiraiya, who had a complicated expression on his face.

What are you going to do?

Tsunade's pretty face was cold as she asked in a chilling voice.

"Although the Senju and Uchiha have chosen to reconcile, their relationship is not so close that they can exchange secret information with each other, is it?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu's brow twitched, and he replied in a similarly cold voice.

"You're going to Daming Prefecture?"

Tsunade also realized that her attitude was problematic, and her tone softened slightly.

"The Uchiha are men of their word."

Uchiha Tokumitsu also expressed his attitude.

"Don't you know? Doing this undermines the 'one country, one village' system! It will provoke a war!"

Tsunade couldn't help but show anger on her face, "Do you really want to see the village besieged by the four great nations?"

"What a joke..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu felt somewhat amused and exasperated. Not long ago, the two powerful clans of Kirigakure, who had been fighting to the death on the battlefield, had taken the initiative to come to him hoping to form an alliance. It would be absurd for the four major nations to organize their respective ninja villages to besiege Konoha.

The number of guardian ninjas held by the various daimyo is probably not even enough to fill the Uchiha clan's teeth.

"Tsunade, times have changed..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu's left hand rested on the scabbard, his thumb tapping the tsuba (handguard) lightly. "Please don't get in my way, or I won't be able to explain it to Jonin Dan..."

"you!"

Tsunade's anger intensified.

"Besides, in what capacity are you questioning me?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu said gently, "You should know that as a fellow Konoha Jonin, you do not have the authority to command the ninja clans and their armies."

"Besides, perhaps you don't know or understand... your teacher, the Hokage of Konoha, was also keen on undermining the authority of the Daimyo and curbing their influence from spreading in Konoha. It's just that in the past, Danzo was the one who did these kinds of things..."

"Now that Danzo is dead and Root is gone, he's naturally happy to see the relationship between the Uchiha clan and the Daimyo deteriorate, isn't he?"

After saying that, Uchiha Tokumitsu flicked the tsuba with his thumb, revealing a gleaming blade.

The ninja guards also placed their hands on their main weapons.

Jiraiya's expression became tense.

Tsunade remained unfazed.

"A ninja from the Uzumaki clan!"

Tsunade's gaze fell on the Uzumaki clan members among the police department ninjas. "Are you going to join the Uchiha clan in their antics too?!"

"This is a road of no return, leave this place!"

"Tsunade..."

After a moment of silence, the Uzumaki ninja finally spoke up: "The Uchiha clan is bound by a blood oath with the Uzumaki clan. This is a covenant that the Ashina clan chief declared to every member of the Uzumaki clan!"

A smile appeared on Uchiha Tokumitsu's face.

After obtaining inside information from the Hidden Mist Clan about the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, Uchiha Tokumitsu immediately relayed it to Uzumaki Ashina.

Given this, it's no wonder the Uzumaki clan has absolutely no goodwill towards the daimyo of any country.

Uchiha Tokumitsu stepped forward.

The ninja army then moved.