Escape From Konoha

The Kingdom of Fire, Daming Mansion.

In a secluded courtyard, the Fire Country Daimyo was sitting leisurely on the corridor, sipping tea and admiring the scenery in the courtyard.

Not long after, footsteps sounded nearby, and the Fire Country Daimyo knew who was coming.

He turned his head to look at the visitor and smiled: "There you are, Danzo."

The person who came had an indifferent expression, but there was a dark and cold aura about him, which gave people a very uncomfortable feeling. It was Danzo Shimura, the leader of Konoha Root.

Danzo nodded.

"Sit down, there are no outsiders here, there is no need to be so polite between you and me."

The Fire Nation Daimyo said.

After Danzo heard this, he had no choice but to sit next to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Then he said, "I'm sorry, I messed up the matter in the Land of Rain."

The end of the Rain Country War greatly reduced the reputation of the Fire Country and Konoha in the world. On the contrary, the Thunder Country and Kumogakure, who did nothing, won the final victory.

Even though the Kingdom of Demons also benefited from it, it still paid a high price to make the Kingdom of Fire and Konoha give in.

Even though it was more than a month ago, Danzo still felt like a lump in his throat. He was filled with unwillingness and vowed to return to the Kingdom of Demons for revenge.

In the past, the Kingdom of Ghosts has always maintained its status as a neutral country, so it was inconvenient to take action.

But now that the Kingdom of Oni has taken the initiative to jump into the big dye vat of the ninja world and no longer enjoys the protection system of a neutral country with the Kingdom of Iron, then some methods can naturally be put into practice.

"This matter has nothing to do with you. It's you and I, as well as Hiruzen, who underestimated the power of the Kingdom of Demons. Ever since Lord Hashirama established the one-country-one-village system, it's unprecedented for the Kingdom of Fire to suffer such heavy losses. Once. This is not only your Konoha's dereliction of duty, but as a daimyo, I also seem to have lost the awareness of being prepared for danger in times of peace."

After the name of the Fire Country was finished, a look of shame appeared on his old face.

He is of the same generation as Hiruzen and Danzo. When Hiruzen took over the position of Hokage, he almost became the daimyo of the Fire Country. For decades, they stayed together to warm each other and jointly developed the power of the Fire Country.

Occasionally there will be gaps, but on major issues, they can also abandon their prejudices and speak out unanimously.

But this unification on major matters came during a difficult war period for the Fire Nation.

In the period of peaceful development, the relationship between the Daming Palace and Konoha was not as ambiguous as it was during the war. Instead, there were more worries.

He once wanted to marry his direct daughter to the Fourth Hokage of Konoha in order to better control Konoha, at least not to allow Konoha to escape the control of the Land of Fire, but unfortunately this choice was rejected by the Third Hokage.

He also completely gave up his idea of ​​interfering with Konoha.

As a daimyo, he knew very well that once irreconcilable conflicts broke out between the daimyo mansion and the Ninja Village, the Fire Country and Konoha would be destroyed.

Therefore, in this matter, as a daimyo, he and the Hokage were giving in and compromising with each other.

Danzo nodded solemnly.

However, it was only the Fire Nation daimyo who lost their awareness of danger in peacetime, and his friend Hiruzen, the root leader, who had always advocated martial arts to enhance the international influence of Konoha and the Fire Nation.

It's just that his idea was always rejected before the war in the Kingdom of Wind.

It was not until the dangers of the Demon Country became apparent that the frightened Daimyo and Hokage gradually realized that the ninja world was no longer the ninja world they had known in the past.

There is the Kingdom of Ghosts in the front and the Kingdom of Thunder in the back. Both powerful countries that are keen on military development are eyeing the Kingdom of Fire. If we continue to think about peaceful development, it will only be a matter of time before the Fire Nation and Konoha decline.

Relationships between people and between countries are fundamentally different.

Personal matters become insignificant once they escalate to the national level.

Just like his good friend Hiruzen, who has an sworn personal feud with the senior officials of the Demon Country, but in negotiations, the overall situation must be given priority, and personal emotions cannot influence the mood.

This is the Hokage's duty.

Naruto is not the Hokage of the Sarutobi clan.

Without the support of the other ninja clan, Naruto would be just a decoration.

Because of this, the support of the Hyuga clan is particularly crucial for Konoha, which has lost Uchiha.

Danzo pays more attention to the Hyuga clan than Kakashi, the ANBU minister.

This is the heritage of the ninja clan, and their voices are the most powerful in Konoha.

"There is one thing I want you to know, Daimyo. Hiruzen wants Tsunade to succeed the Fifth Hokage."

Danzo said suddenly.

"Tsunade?" The Fire Country Daimyo chewed the name carefully.

Tsunade is naturally familiar to him. Speaking of which, Tsunade is still pretending to be a princess here in Daming Mansion. Although she is a princess who listens to orders but not announcements, her influence in the Land of Fire is indeed real. He is also the one with the strongest foundation among the three ninjas.

Even if the Senju clan declines, the will of the Senju has been passed down. In other words, as long as Konoha does not change its core ideas, Tsunade's 'princess' status will always be valid, and as long as she has an idea, she can quickly Raise a direct force of your own in Konoha.

Fame and connections are sometimes invisible and intangible, but they are always there.

Just like how Uchiha was able to prosper in the Kingdom of Demons, he also relied on the connections he had accumulated.

As long as the reputation and connections continue, as long as the clan does not suffer a devastating blow, it will have a chance to make a comeback.

"Tsunade's words are indeed good. If she becomes the Fifth Hokage, I will feel much more at ease."

The Fire Country Daimyo didn't seem to see through Danzo's thoughts and said to himself.

"He has inherited Hiruzen's conservative ideas, which may not be conducive to the future development of Konoha."

Danzo said indifferently, unable to see his expression.

"But Hiruzen has begun to change his thinking now and is no longer as conservative as before. I believe that Tsunade can take over Hiruzen's job very well."

The Fire Nation Daimyo said.

"Do you really think so, my lord?"

Danzo looked over with flickering eyes.

The fire country daimyo sighed inwardly.

Sure enough, Danzo did not give up the idea of ​​becoming Hokage.

But, how can the roots in the darkness be exposed to the sun?

If so, the root is no longer a root.

He also didn't think Danzo was up to the job of Hokage.

Ability is second, and style of acting is the key.

Danzo's approach sometimes was too dark. He could only control the ANBU at most, but that was the limit. He could not become the leader of Konoha on the surface.

"Sun Zhan will not let you succeed."

"But the Fire Country and Konoha can't afford to wait now. Moreover, I came today just to inform Daimyo that I'm already preparing for action, and there will be results in a few years at most."

"..."

The Fire Country Daimyo wanted to slap Danzo in the face.

You have already made your own decisions, so why are you looking for someone like him?

However, he also knew what Danzo wanted from the Daming Mansion.

The fire country daimyo finally sighed and said: "Well, I will not help each other at that time, if you can bring down Hiruzen, it is also your ability. But I don't want Konoha to evolve into Kirigakure, and the private fight will eventually lead to My own vitality is severely damaged.”

In his opinion, Sha Yin had indeed suffered a great humiliation during the War of the Wind Country.

But because of internal fighting in Wuyin Village, thousands of ninjas were killed and injured, which is the most aggrieved.

At least the ninjas of Sand Hidden died fighting the enemy instead of being slaughtered by their own people.

Being slaughtered by one's own people is the most ridiculous thing.

He couldn't help thinking of Konoha's Uchiha clan again, and the fire country daimyo suddenly found that he couldn't laugh out of his heart.

If the Uchiha clan of Konoha is still there, the kingdom of ghosts will not be so presumptuous to the kingdom of fire.

That is a wealthy family with a large number of elites, and the most powerful ninja clan in Konoha. Compared with Hokage, the Uchiha clan has a more deterrent effect on foreign enemies.

It is not the individual but the collective that is powerful in the Blood Succession Limit Ninja Clan.

"I will arrange this matter properly."

Danzo nodded seriously.

He doesn't need to be reminded by the daimyo of the country of fire, he also knows what he should do.

The Uchiha clan is due to serious political differences, and he is not so harsh on the rest of the ninja clan.

"That's good. But speaking of Tsunade, another of the Sannin is called Jiraiya, and you Konoha should strengthen his discipline."

Speaking of Zirai, the daimyo of Fire Nation had a hard look on his face.

Because the mention of this name made him think of very bad things.

The reason is that when the Fire Country intervened in the Rain Country's civil war last year, the Sannin didn't think hard about the Fire Country and Konoha, but went to the Daming Mansion alone to stop him from using troops against the Rain Country.

If it wasn't because the other party was his friend's disciple, he would have wanted to point to the other party's head and ask which side he was on?

The policies related to national development have been unanimously decided by Daimyo and Hokage, so no other voices of opposition are allowed. At this time, the whole country should unite on the same front and abandon all previous prejudices.

But this Sannin not only didn't think about his own people, but instead spoke out for the enemy, accusing the Fire Nation of inappropriate behavior.

It made him wonder if this Sannin was a spy sent by the Land of Rain.

It was said that the other party had accepted orphans from the Country of Rain as disciples in the past, which made him even more angry as a daimyo of the Country of Fire.

what is this?

Cultivate enemies to fight against your own country and Ninja Village?

On the other hand, Konoha pretended to be deaf and dumb about it, and didn't care about it.

Are you waiting for the other party to turn around and help Yugakure and break into the Land of Fire before coming over to explain?

"..."

Danzo couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed on his old face.

He also heard a little about Jiraiya.

He also felt that Jiraiya's handling of this matter was very wrong.

Fortunately, this matter was suppressed by the Hokage and him, otherwise the rumors within Konoha would not know how to evolve.

It is estimated that all Konoha ninjas will look weird when they look at this Sannin.

"Regarding this matter, Chiba Shiraishi of the Oni Country also said. On the eve of participating in the Rain Country talks, Jiraiya also went to the other party on purpose, hoping that the Oni Country would give up the talks."

After Danzo was embarrassed, he answered calmly.

"..."

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire did not speak, but calmly picked up the teacup next to him and drank tea.

But his face was ashen.

Let the ghost country give up the talks?

What does he want to do?

What is the result of letting the country of ghosts abandon the talks?

Do you hope that the Kingdom of Ghosts and the Kingdom of Thunder will directly send their armies, break into the territory of the Kingdom of Fire, and then aggressively renegotiate with the Kingdom of Fire?

"Could he be...a spy sent to Konoha by the Kingdom of Demons?"

Finally, the Fire Country Daimyo stared at Danzo closely and asked this sentence.

Danzo paused and quickly shook his head, denying the possibility that Jiraiya was a spy from the Demon Country.

Judging from the performance of the talks, the Kingdom of Ghosts is obviously not willing to go to war. Only the Kingdom of Fire compromises and supports the Kingdom of Ghosts to become the sixth largest country. Then the matter of the Kingdom of Rain will be written off and no one will mention it again. It can be said to be a happy ending.

Jiraiya's approach obviously conflicts with the purpose of the Demon Country.

"In short, I don't want him to come to Daming Mansion again and say some evil words to confuse the public. Some of his actions must be restrained."

After hearing Danzo's words before, the Daimyo of the Fire Country was very fortunate that the top management of the Ghost Country was still clear-headed and did not listen to Jiraiya's unreasonable troubles.

If Jiraiya's words were listened to, the real disaster for the Fire Country and Konoha would be imminent.

Originally, the Rain Country talks were just a formality for all parties to compromise and balance, in order to stabilize the peace of the ninja world.

Even the Fire Nation, which suffered the most loss in the talks, suffered a loss in reputation, but at the level of a great power, a slight loss in reputation is not a big deal.

As long as the foundation remains, there will be a day when the country can regain its title as the leader of the five major countries.

It was Jiraiya's obstruction that could lead to the outbreak of the Fourth Ninja War.

Even though the starting point was good, as a Sannin, his understanding of politics was so shallow, which the Fire Country Daimyo did not expect.

The Kingdom of Ghosts paid such a high price to facilitate the talks between the Kingdom of Rain.

If the Kingdom of Ghosts gives up the talks, it will definitely ask the Kingdom of Fire for compensation from other aspects.

By that time, what the Fire Nation will lose is not just a trivial reputation, but something even more humiliating.

For example, the land cessation clause is similar to that of the Kingdom of Wind.

"I will explain this matter to Ri Zhan."

Danzo's eyes flashed.

The daimyo hated Jiraiya, which was an unexpected surprise that Danzo had just discovered.

Maybe there could be some manipulation here, and it would not be impossible for the daimyo to support him in becoming Hokage.

The only thing to blame was Hiruzen's own incompetence. He couldn't even restrain his disciples, and he almost caused a war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Demons.

This kind of behavior, in Danzo's view, will sooner or later become one of the bane of Konoha.

"That's good. There is one more thing that I have to entrust the roots to do."

The Fire Nation Daimyo said.

"What's up?"

"You must have heard about the Agricultural and Industrial Corps of Wave Country."

The Fire Nation Daimyo asked.

"Yes, it is said to be a low-level organization formed by the workers and farmers who were instigated by the Kingdom of Ghosts to overthrow the tyranny of the nobles of the Kingdom of Waves."

In the matter of the Land of Waves, he initially hoped to let the Anbu intervene, but was rejected by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire at that time, and instead let the Anbu, the direct descendant of the Hokage, take over.

However, I did not expect that a spy from the Kingdom of Demons would appear in the ANBU of the direct line of the Hokage. The information was delayed in sending, which led to the outbreak of the resistance movement. The Daimyofu and Konoha of the Country of Fire were delayed in getting the information, but by then it was already too late. The power of the country's aristocracy is gone.

In addition, the Rain Nation's negotiations were urgent at that time, which also made the Fire Nation's clones weak.

Now that things have stabilized, it’s really time to deal with the affairs of the Country of Waves.

That is the sea gateway to the Fire Country, and there is no room for error.

Danzo understood that there was room for others to sleep soundly on the side of the couch.

"This organization is not as beautiful as it appears on the surface. Most of the people inside are illiterate civilians who are easily tempted by money. After plundering the wealth of the famous people in the country of Waves, they began to indulge in depravity, leaving the Agricultural and Industrial Corps with no spare power to destroy the Wave Country. The remaining aristocratic forces in the country.”

The great name of the Land of Fire looked at the pond in front of him, as if he was talking about a very small matter.

Danzo nodded slightly.

After taking away the astonishing wealth of the nobles, it is indeed difficult for ordinary people to maintain it. They lose themselves in enjoyment and fall into the terrible abyss of desire.

"And it's far more than that. As far as I know, although the Agricultural and Industrial Corps was promoted by the Kingdom of Ghosts, the cooperative relationship between them is not as close as before, and there are cracks in the middle."

"crack?"

"The top management of the Agricultural and Industrial Corps hired the Thunder Light Corps from the underground black market. The Lightning Corps, attracted by the money, has now become a long-term thug of the Agricultural and Industrial Corps of the Country of Waves."

"The Thunder Light Group? The Thunder Light Group whose reputation is second only to the top mercenary teams such as Xuan Yuan Zhong?"

Danzo moved slightly.

The underground black market is a pool of muddy water, and the forces within it are complicated, but they are definitely not weak.

Especially the most powerful mercenary teams such as the Xuan Yuanzhong, their strength is no weaker than the regular troops of the Ninja Village.

Although it was a rumor that the Xuan Yu Zhong had defeated the Sannin, Danzo knew that this had indeed happened.

And the Thunder Light Group, whose reputation is second only to the Xuan Yuanzhong, is naturally not an unknown mercenary.

Like the Xuan Yuanzhong, the Thunder Light Group has many people and strong strength. They even dare to provoke ninjas from the five traditional countries for money. They are a group of lawless black market maniacs.

As long as they have enough money and let them deal with the Ghost Country, which has now become the sixth largest country, they will probably nod in agreement without blinking an eye.

Moreover, the Lei Guang Tuan and the Xuan Yuan Zhong are also mercenaries with excellent reputations.

Once you take over the task, you will definitely complete the employer's task.

This is why the underground black market is favored by many wealthy businessmen and officials.

Regardless of personal or national grudges, faithfully fulfill the employer's contract.

A group of lunatics who lick their lives on the edge of a knife.

"Yes, and I have arrived in the Country of Waves not long ago and met with the Agricultural and Industrial Corps. According to some people who have been bribed, the officials of the Ghost Country seem to be very unhappy with the senior officials of the Agricultural and Industrial Corps because of this incident."

The Fire Country Daimyo sneered.

"I guess the Kingdom of Ghosts didn't expect this."

Danzo couldn't help but smile.

"Power is more likely to corrode people's hearts than money. How can a group of ignorant workers and farmers, after they have mastered such a wonderful thing as power, allow others to point fingers at them? It's just that this kind of thing is coming sooner than me. I imagined it would be faster.”

The Fire Country Daimyo showed his disdain without concealment.

Danzo could not deny it.

Even he can hardly stand the temptation of power, let alone a group of farmers and workers who suddenly have the power of life and death.

Their hiring of the Lightning Regiment is the best witness. They want to break away from the control of the Kingdom of Ghosts, and hope to use the underground black market to organize their own military forces to compete with the Kingdom of Ghosts and hold on to what they finally plundered from the nobles. wealth.

This is human nature. Danzo sighed.

I didn't expect that the farmers and workers who had been manipulated by them would suddenly be attacked by the Kingdom of Ghosts.

This somewhat made Danzo feel happy.

This time, the Kingdom of Ghosts completely miscalculated.

"What do you mean by that name?"

"Select people from the roots to cooperate with the Agricultural and Industrial Group. I gave the noble forces of the Kingdom of Waves a chance, but they didn't work, so let them disappear completely. Cooperate with the Thunder Light Group, and have to Support the top management of the Agricultural and Industrial Corps and become the new powerful people of the Country of Waves. Afterwards, the Country of Fire will guarantee not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Country of Waves and allow the Country of Waves to have all autonomy."

Because once the Fire Country interferes, the Ghost Country will take the opportunity to cause trouble like the Civil War in the Rain Country.

Even if he is not looking for trouble on the surface, he will definitely take action secretly.

Rather than this, it is better to make the Kingdom of Waves completely neutral and not be controlled by the Kingdom of Fire, but it is also necessary to allow the Agricultural and Industrial Corps to gain a firm foothold in the Kingdom of Waves and escape the control of the Kingdom of Ghosts.

Danzo came to his senses.

This move by the Fire Nation Daimyo is indeed a wonderful one.

Although the Agricultural and Industrial Corps has obtained the protection of the Lightning Regiment, it is still unable to cope with the behemoth of the Ghost Country. If you want to check and balance the power that the Kingdom of Demons has developed in the Kingdom of Waves, you need stronger support.

The Fire Nation is the most suitable for this strong support.

As long as it is profitable, even enemies one moment will become new allies the next.

"I understand, I will send someone to make arrangements."

As for why he didn't send ANBU there, Danzo knew the reason very well.

If the spies within ANBU are not solved, they will not be able to gain the trust of the daimyo.

The roots don't need to be so troublesome, because any ninja who joins the roots will be controlled by the curse seal, which can ensure that there will be no accidents.

In addition, the strength of the Thunder Light Group is not weak. If they cooperate with the Thunder Light Group, a famous mercenary in the underground black market, they may not lose in a small group battle as long as they are not faced with the pressure of the Demon Country's army.

"Then..."

At this moment, the sound of hurried footsteps reached his and Danzo's ears.

A valet trotted over, his face anxious, as if something had happened that moved him.

"What's up?"

The Fire Country Daimyo narrowed his eyes and asked Danzo directly without avoiding Danzo.

The attendant knelt down on one knee and said, "Lord Daimyo, the Daimyo of the Bear Country is seriously ill, and the new Daimyo has ascended the throne."

"Bear Country?"

The Fire Country Daimyo frowned.

He knew the name of the Bear Country. He was an ambitious hero who wanted to conquer the Bear Country.

However, due to the very awkward geographical environment of the Bear Country, just like the Rain Country, it is sandwiched between big countries. If it wants to develop, it must be a sudden rise like the Ghost Country.

But even so, the name of the Bear Country should not be underestimated.

In the west of the continent, the Bear Country is also considered a powerful country among small countries. There is a ninja village organization called Star Ninja Village in the country, which has a certain military strength.

However, the Daimyo of the Bear Country was seriously ill and the new Daimyo came to the throne. This seemed very sudden. In his impression, the Daimyo of the Bear Country should be a very strong man, and he is not a person who is greedy for women and indulges in excessive sexual activities. How could he suddenly become seriously ill and even abdicate?

"Who is the new daimyo of the Bear Country?"

In any case, the new daimyo of the Bear Country has ascended the throne, and the Fire Country should send envoys to watch the ceremony.

"It's Princess Zhuji."

Princess Zhuji? The Fire Nation daimyo and Danzo were confused and a little at a loss.

Although Princess Tsumugi is a woman, she has always been famous in the ninja world and is the most precious 'treasure' in the hands of the Daimyo of the Bear Country.

To put it more simply, this princess is a commodity. Daimyos of the Bear Country are used to win over others, commodities to be sold, not people.

How did a product suddenly become famous in the Bear Country?

Is it a puppet name brought up by the nobles of the Bear Country?

Only this explanation is the most reasonable.

"besides……"

The waiter was a little hesitant.

"What else?"

"As soon as Princess Zhuhime came to power, she submitted a formal letter of credence to the Kingdom of Ghosts, indicating that the Kingdom of Bears was willing to become a vassal state of the Kingdom of Ghosts and accept the full rule of the Kingdom of Ghosts."

As soon as the attendant finished speaking, the faces of the Fire Country Daimyo and Danzo became extremely ugly.

"I understand, go down."

The Fire Country Daimyo waved his hand.

The attendant nodded and stepped back.

After the attendants withdrew, the Fire Country Daimyo and Danzo's thoughts became extremely heavy.

"Danzo, it seems that we still know too little about the Kingdom of Ghosts... The Kingdom of Waves is not the first small country in their target. The Kingdom of Bears may have been targeted by them a long time ago."

Three years, five years, or earlier, the Kingdom of Ghosts was arranging the Kingdom of Bears.

The name of the Kingdom of Fire is unknown.

The only thing that is certain is that the Bear Country did not suddenly decide to move closer to the Ghost Country.

Being able to replace a country's famous people and control the decisions of the famous people's government proves that the management system of the Bear Country is already riddled with holes.

"The affairs of the Kingdom of Waves cannot be allowed to fail again. I will contact the Daimyo of the Kingdom of Wind. Without the assistance of the Kingdom of Thunder, the Kingdom of Ghosts is a lonely army. The neutral country Iron Kingdom has also recently begun to challenge the Kingdom of Ghosts in the arms business. If you are dissatisfied with eating alone, you can also join forces to suppress the Kingdom of Ghosts."

"yes."

Danzo responded solemnly, stood up and left with an extremely heavy heart.