Uchiha's personal opinion

Ashura said, "And the truth is just as they say."

"Anything else..."

Huang Tu sighed.

He naturally knew that what Ashura said was true.

But isn't this because the village is preparing for war? That's why the taxes are a little higher. But why don't those rioters have any sense of loyalty to the country?

Besides, with the power of ninjas, it would only take a few hundred ninjas at most to wipe out the entire southern rebel army, and those seemingly fierce mobs were simply no match for the ninja army's attack...

Why not just starve to death peacefully, instead of desperately seeking death!

What good would it do for the Land of Earth to be destroyed by the Shogunate?

Huang Tu thought and thought, but he just couldn't understand it.

"Among the rioters in the southern counties, there are mainly two schools of thought..."

Ashura slowly pulled out the intelligence he had instructed Greninja to gather.

"One faction is the pro-royal faction, which argues that the daimyo has been misled by nobles and ninjas, which has led to the decline of national power and the unrest among the common people..."

"Therefore, they hoped to expel the nobles and establish autonomous territories by scholars and merchants, which would then only accept the direct orders of the daimyo."

Upon hearing this, Huang Tu shook his head.

How is this demand any different from killing those nobles and high-ranking officials?

"Instead, the reformists believed that the daimyo and noble families should be completely eliminated, and all ties with the ninja villages should be severed. As for their leaders, they should be subject to the supervision of everyone and elected..."

Ashura continued, "And the number of supporters of the reformists is about five times that of the monarchists."

"...The nobles are at fault, but the mob is also guilty."

Huang Tu spoke slowly.

As for the specifics of right and wrong, he had no interest whatsoever.

He believes that this riot must be orchestrated by a dark force behind the scenes, and is definitely not as simple as a spontaneous act by ordinary people.

Indeed.

Ashura nodded without saying anything more.

Further discussion is pointless, since the ninja village is aligned with the daimyo and nobles, and the two sides have a fundamentally different stance.

"In Mr. Ashura's opinion, what about the Iwagakure Ninja Army?"

Huang Tu changed the subject.

"They are numerous but weak. They can manage to fight in formation, but they are still unable to withstand the direct attack of the shogunate."

Ashura also spoke frankly: "Furthermore... it seems that Iwagakure is not as united as I imagined."

"The authority of the Jonin is great, but they are corrupt and incompetent; the Chunin and Genin are full of passion and enthusiasm, but they are wasted on the front lines..."

Ashura hit the nail on the head, exposing the truth of Iwagakure that had been concealed by the "Will of Stone": "If this continues for a long time, once the passion of the genin is worn away, the seasoned jonin who grow up will continue to oppress their juniors, just like the seniors they once hated the most!"

"Under normal circumstances, it would be one thing, but now that the shogunate is eyeing us covetously, they are still resorting to despicable means to eliminate dissidents. This is truly despicable!"

"How can a great ninja be cultivated if they don't even have the freedom to choose a ninjutsu that suits them?"

"I understand……"

Huang Tu was no longer in the mood to continue the conversation.

Ashura's words have completely torn away the veil of secrecy surrounding Iwagakure, revealing their unspeakable secrets. For Huangtu, whose interests are directly at stake, taking action against these things is no easy task.

"But you don't plan to change it?"

Ashura sensed the resistance in Huangtu's words.

"I understand...we all understand!"

Huang Tu shook his head: "Without reform, Yan Yin will inevitably decline sooner or later..."

"But if they change it... Iwagakure will probably be wiped out!"

Chapter 418 The Sincerity of the Audience

If Iwagakure doesn't reform, it's a slow death; if it does reform, it'll kick the bucket on the spot.

Huang Tu has made his point very clear.

Ashura could only sigh helplessly at this.

He has no intention of giving up his mission, after all, saving the ninja world is his long-cherished wish since ancient times. Although it seems somewhat out of place now, Ashura is only preparing to slightly revise his theories and ways of doing things, and does not intend to give up completely.

Therefore, Iwagakure and Kumogakure still have value.

However, given the current situation, it's uncertain whether our side can ultimately prevail in the confrontation...

"Ugh……"

Ashura sighed and shook his head helplessly.

He had finally seen through the true nature of Yan Yin.

Hopefully, when the final battle comes in the future, these seemingly united ninjas will be able to play the role they are expected to play.

……

As Huang Tu prepared to travel to the Konoha army's camp on the other side to negotiate peace, his heart was heavy.

Back when the shogunate launched its "peacekeeping operation" against Kumogakure, he and Uchiha Tokumitsu were relatively equal in status, with him being at most half a rank lower, but they were still considered to be on equal footing.

However, this time, since it was a peace negotiation initiated by our side, we don't know how the shogunate will make things difficult for us.

Just after sending a messenger to Konoha's main camp to report their purpose, Huang Tu stood in front of the Iwagakure army's position, staring blankly into the distance.

Where exactly does Iwagakure find its way out...?

Ashura's words touched him.

He saw and remembered the suffering of the common people in the Land of Earth, the hardships of the lower-level ninjas in Iwagakure, the extravagance and debauchery of the daimyo and nobles, and the open and covert struggles among the high-ranking members of Iwagakure.

But so what?

He couldn't even handle Ironstone, the commander-in-chief of the Frost Kingdom's army!

But his father simply flew over and used a dust escape technique, which made the unruly Tie Shi realize the situation and obediently return to the village.

"Lord Loess..."

Suddenly, the demon leech beside him pointed at the Shogunate's position ahead and exclaimed, "Yes, the enemy..."

Upon closer inspection, Huang Tu discovered that the shogunate's camp had once again raised a flag—

"Hidden Mist!"

Two words popped out from between his teeth from the loess!

The Hidden Mist has arrived!

The Hidden Mist Ninja from the distant Kirigakure archipelago in the eastern part of the ninja world have traveled a long distance to provide assistance!

"It's alright. The fact that the Uchiha Red Guards haven't deployed means they're not going all out this time!"

Huang Tu tried his best to remain calm as he spoke.

"I hope so..."

The demon leech replied with deep concern.

……

The messenger sent by Huang Tu was quickly received by the shogunate and brought back the request, but...

"To pay homage as a subject?"

The leech exclaimed in disbelief.

There's no need to dwell on it.

Huang Tu calmly shook his head, indicating that there was no need for the demon leech to make a fuss.

"We are the ones asking for help, so we still need to adopt the proper attitude of asking for help."

After adjusting the ninja tool pouch and scrolls on his body, Huang Tu slowly stepped forward.

Huang Tu's accompanying secret agents remained silent, tidied their clothes slightly, and followed him forward.

"Halt! State your name!"

Outside the Shogunate's camp, three Konoha Chunin shouted loudly to stop Huang Tu and his party who were slowly walking towards them.

"Iwagakure's Tsuchikage Assistant and Jonin Class Leader, Huang Tu, has come to pay his respects to His Excellency Tokumitsu, the Shogun of the Bakufu. Please convey my greetings!"

Huang Tu remained unfazed and responded loudly.

As for saving face, it's better to put that aside for now.

"Stay put and wait!"

The three Chunin exchanged glances. Seeing that Huang Tu's attitude was unexpectedly good, they stopped making things difficult for him. After giving him a casual instruction, one of them went to report to the rear.

"He's here..."

In the temporary central command tent, Hyuga Hizashi stared ahead with his Byakugan eyes, reporting the movement of the yellow earth to Uchiha Tokumitsu.

"As usual is fine."

Uchiha Tokumitsu casually gave an order.

After quickly processing the pile of government documents, Huang Tu arrived at the central command tent amidst the watchful eyes of the ninja army.

"call……"

Huang Tu let out a long sigh, expelling the frustration in his heart. Then, with heavy steps, he slowly removed his ninja tool bag, scroll case, and other equipment. Only after being inspected by ninjas such as Uzumaki and Hyuga was he allowed to enter.

"Greetings, General Deguang!"

After receiving the money, Huang Tu immediately knelt down on one knee to pay his respects without saying a word.

Uchiha Tokumitsu simply watched him silently without saying a word.