A Visit * A Game

"I don't think we need to worry too much," Izuna said. "On the one hand, they're currently influenced by their families of origin—no, the Warring States Period —and have long been in a mode where they only eat when they get orders. They simply don't know how they'll eat without their sugar daddies."

"On the other hand," Izuna continued, "They blindly believe in past experience, thinking that only by becoming strong can they secure their position, and they think you will sweep across their country and take their place."

Tobirama was somewhat surprised. "You actually know these things?"

"Nonsense." Izuna rolled her eyes at him. "Didn't the Land of Whirlpools send someone before, telling us to kill the Daimyo and become the ruler of the Land of Fire? You can figure out what these people are thinking by applying a formula."

Tobirama: "Then what should we do? If they're really worried about this, no matter what we say, they won't believe we don't have those thoughts."

"Easy, the broken windows theory."

"Broken windows theory?"

"First, explain to them that we have no such intention, then demonstrate our military strength and tell them that if we wanted to do that, we would have done it already."

Hashirama suddenly exclaimed "Ah!" and slapped his thigh. "It's that move from Minamoto Daimyo!"

Tobirama tilted his head to look at him. "What?"

Hashirama clapped his hands, his tone tinged with a sudden, excited realization. "Back then, our young Daimyo thought we were pushing our luck and didn't want to give us the status of Special Administrative Region. Izuna said that if we wanted, we could just establish a country, and then the Daimyo agreed to the proposal for Special Administrative Region."

Tobirama was dumbfounded.

He had originally thought that Yuan Yusheng was self-aware and had even remarked that the young Daimyo was quite open-minded, but he never expected that the result was obtained through coercion.

He immediately realized, "No! We can't do this! If we do, they'll really think we're going to war! If they attack, we might be fine, but Konoha will suffer!"

Ban interjected coldly from the side, "They wouldn't dare."

Tobirama turned to look at him, his tone turning serious. "Look at how many people died at this Summer Festival."

Ban clicked his tongue, his face darkening as he fell silent.

The lives of those hundred or so people are still on the report for this operation. Those guys were indeed good fighters, and Konoha wasn't a pushover either, but nobody wanted casualties like this.

We've finally entered a peaceful era; we can't go back.

"We really can't do that anymore." Izuna put the Travelogue aside, resting his chin on his fingers. "Then what should we do...?"

The corridor was quiet for a while.

Just as they were pondering, they heard footsteps outside the Inn.

The innkeeper's voice rang out. "Excuse me, sir, are you here for a stay or...?"

A man's voice said sincerely, "Please inform the Konoha Delegation that Namikaze Sōichi his gratitude."

Izuna looked up. "Namikaze Sōichi? What's he doing here?"

Namikaze Sōichi changed into clean clothes and styled his hair.

Yūko stood half a step behind him, holding a child wrapped tightly in a cloth in her arms.

The child poked his little face out, his eyes wide open, looking around.

"Lord Izuna." Namikaze Sōichi bowed slightly at the door, his tone carrying a solemnity that belied his hesitant manner, "I apologize for disturbing you."

Izuna stepped forward. "Come in and talk."

Sōichi hesitated for a moment. "This... isn't that a bit inappropriate..."

"Come in," Izuna said. "You have a child with you; don't let him get cold."

Sōichi then led Yūko into the house.

At the low table under the eaves, Hashirama and Ban moved aside to make room for the couple.

After sitting Sōichi, Xiangyi said, "Lord Izuna, I've come to express my gratitude."

"Uh..." Izuna hesitated for a moment, "Should I thank you?"

Are we asking them to go to Konoha? Wait, this is my request, not his!

"It was about the storm," Sōichi said. "That night, Yūko and I were running through the alley with the child in our arms. When the wind picked up, I thought the three of us were going to die there, but the wind lifted us up and we spun around in the sky for most of the night. When we landed, the child was still in my arms, his face rosy."

As he spoke, he glanced at the child in Yūko's arms. The child was reaching out to grab the ribbon on Yūko's clothes, but couldn't catch it, and grinned and giggled.

Yūko smiled indulgently and wiped the child's drool.

"Later I heard that many people didn't suffer that night; the elderly and children didn't die," Sōichi. "The wind was fanned by Lord Izuna. Our family was able to land safely because Lord Izuna deliberately controlled the power."

Izuna was stunned. "I didn't..."

Mokushō spoke up before he could, "It was Izuna who did it. He will protect the innocent from harm."

Izuna turned to look at him, her face full of question marks.

Sōichi was startled by the sudden voice.

There was clearly no one there just now. He composed himself and bowed slightly in the direction the voice came from. "Oh, uh, thank you for clearing up my doubts, sir."

Mokushō waved his hand.

"So you came here specifically to express your gratitude?" Mokushō asked.

"Yes," Sōichi nodded. "We've also prepared gifts, they're in the carriage outside. Gentlemen, you can go and see them. By the way, we've come to say goodbye."

Thanks to this storm, the burden on his shoulders vanished into thin air. The reorganization of the Land of Hot Water allowed him to leave the Land of Hot Water and go directly to Konoha with his wife and children, free from all the intricacies of the situation.

Sōichi and Yūko knew that Izuna others wouldn't be traveling with them, so they came to say goodbye.

Tobirama thought for a moment, then took out a Kunai from his Ninja Tools pouch and handed it over.

"Take this," he said. "It has the Flying Thunder God Mark on it. Show this Kunai when you arrive in Konoha, and someone will arrange accommodation for you."

Sōichi took it with both hands, wrapped it in cloth, and carefully tucked it into his robes. "Thank you, Lord Tobirama."

Yūko stood up, holding the child, and bowed slightly to the group.

The child was startled by his mother's movement, turned his head to look around, then grinned, revealing two newly emerging little teeth.

After thanking him, Sōichi left with Yūko.

Upon reaching the Inn entrance, Sōichi nodded to Kakuzu, Kakuzu was waiting there. "Let's go."

After the Sōichi family took their leave, the corridor fell silent again.

Izuna leaned against a pillar, picking up where he left off. "Let's get back to business. If the broken windows theory doesn't work, let's try another approach."

Tobirama put away the Kunai and sat back down at the low table. "What are your thoughts?"

Izuna sat down at the low table, picking up where he left off. "Let's get back to business. If the broken windows theory doesn't work, let's try another method."

Tobirama looked at him. "What are your thoughts?"

"Since they think we have ulterior motives," Izuna said, "Then let them have their own ulterior motives."

Tobirama's expression changed. "Izuna, do you know what you're saying?"

"Eh~ not that kind." Izuna waved his hand, "It's more like boiling a frog in lukewarm water."

"Explain in detail."

"The reason they're wary of us now is entirely because they fear our Strength," Izuna said. "Let them continue to fear us. But we can't let them completely believe we're invincible. After all, a perfect persona will always crumble, but having a few minor flaws will prevent us from being forced to shatter the myth of perfection."

Tobirama pondered his words for a moment, "You mean, we should show weakness?"

Ban frowned, but remained silent.

He recalled the actions of Hashirama the years that he had once considered weak.

In the early stages of the unification, they bowed to the tribal Clan Head, made concessions at meetings, and smiled and smoothed things over in public.

At the time, he felt those actions were shameful, but later, those actions that he considered weak did indeed give everyone a way out and did indeed unite the scattered people into Konoha.

Hashirama listened intently, seriously considering the feasibility of kowtowing at the meeting.

Izuna, unaware that Hashirama was already mentally rehearsing the angle and force of his kowtow, continued, "Yes, it's about showing weakness. We need to have something we want, and it must be something we can't take by force. Only then will they see something profitable and be willing to sit down and talk with us."

For example?

"The puppetry techniques of the Land of Wind Ninjas."

Tobirama frowned. "Do we need this?"

"You think Puppet Technique is useless because you're used to doing it yourself. But what does a puppet mean? It means the real person doesn't have to participate."

Hashirama confusion, "So?"

"In the past, acting for the nobles only made them somewhat interested. After a while, they would start to speculate and think that the Ninjas had ulterior motives, only showing their good side and not knowing what they were really like behind the scenes."

"But what if we could have a nobleman personally control a Ninja, go through a mission, or even live like Ninja for a period of time?"

Tobirama looked at him, his gaze scrutinizing. "What are you trying to say?"

I want to make games.

Hashirama stroked his chin. "My intuition tells me that the game you're going to make is different from what we understand."

Izuna raised an eyebrow. "Hmph, of course it's different."

"I want to turn the daily life of Ninja into something fun and engaging, and put it in front of both nobles and Ordinary People, letting them role-play as Ninjas, take on missions, explore maps, and interact with others."

"Can this work?" Hashirama asked. "Izuna, putting aside whether those nobles are willing to promote this, I think most people wouldn't want to do something dangerous, would they?"

Izuna shook his finger. "Hey, you're wrong, Hashirama- kun. How did it feel to be swept up in the storm the other day?"

Hashirama's expression wasn't good. "... Uh, are you sure you want to say it?"

"Being caught in it makes you dizzy and lightheaded, like your internal organs are all out of place, it's disgusting, right?"

Hashirama nodded.

"If you were far away, and the storm wouldn't affect you or hurt anyone, how would you feel about it?"

Hashirama answered quickly, "That's dangerous."

"No," Izuna shook his head, "It is incredibly powerful."

Hashirama was taken aback.

"Humans experience excitement when faced with the power of nature. Moreover, humans have a desire to conquer," Izuna said, "Especially when they are certain of their safety."

He held up three fingers and started to bend them down one by one.

Wow--the storm is so dangerous, so spectacular. I'm amazed that I can actually see something like this.

"What? This was done by a person? Who is this person? I want to know him. How can I get him to do it again?"

Izuna smiled and pressed down the last finger.

"We're all human. If he can do it, does that mean I can also master this power?"

The corridor fell silent.

Madara and Hashirama felt a chill run down their spines as they listened to these words.

Because such people truly exist, right before their eyes, there is Izuna himself.

He was all too familiar with this series of psychological changes, as if he were describing the path he had walked himself.

If he had given examples like Madara or Hashirama, they probably wouldn't have thought much of it.

But Izuna was describing himself.

Hashirama a moment, then asked, "You... that's what you think?"

"Yes, that's why I think this kind of game would definitely be popular!"

Seeing Izuna clenching his fists and radiating confidence, Hashirama was speechless, but he couldn't directly ask Izuna if that was his experience.

Recently, this strange situation has been increasing, and Izuna has been unconsciously revealing some familiar or eerie insights about certain things.

And that time, the illusion that the thing called Kyōkotsu showed them.

It's chilling to think about it now. What exactly happened in Izuna's world?

Izuna gestured, "As for how to obtain it, we'll go to their place and plant trees to improve their environment, how about that?"

Tobirama frowned. "You mean you want to use this to exchange for puppet technology? Isn't that a bad deal?"

Ban was also somewhat dissatisfied. "Why should we do this thankless task for them?"

Izuna waved his hand. "That's what makes puppetry technology so important to us. Besides, who said I only care about technology?"

Madara instantly understood Izuna's thought process, "You want to kidnap someone else too?"

Izuna snapped his fingers, "That's right! Let them work for us."

His plan was to bring puppeteers from the Land of Wind to Konoha to teach them Puppet Technique, especially the Hyuga Clan.

The Hyuga Clan members, once they activate their Byakugan, can see through the entire internal structure of a puppet.

For ordinary people to create a mechanism, they have to simulate it in their minds, draw and revise blueprints, and go through many trials before they can make something decent.

The Hyuga Clan doesn't need to; they can see all the mechanisms and wiring clearly at a glance.

Izuna was still a little puzzled when he saw so many puppets on the moon in the last Hokage movie. How come the Hyuga Clan, a Close Combat clan, had puppets all over the moon?

Even if someone lives alone and is lonely and wants companionship, they'd still need the skills to create so many attack puppets, right?

Now, Izuna suddenly understood, based on the situation: the Hyuga Clan's original path included a puppeteer branch.

So, has the Hyuga clan's technology tree regressed? After all these years of messing around, they've ruined puppetry and even created the Caged Bird Technique to restrict their own members. No wonder their Byakugan has no place in an era where powerful experts are everywhere.

What a waste!

This time, we absolutely must teach them Puppet Technique.

As for whether the puppeteer is willing to teach...

Izuna wasn't worried at all. No one could refuse an opportunity to replicate the moves of the God of the Shinobi World and the Asura of the Ninja World, could they?

Hashirama, Madara, and Tobirama, however, were thinking about something else entirely.

Planting trees would certainly not allow too many people from the Konoha to go.

That's someone else's territory. If too many people from Konoha go there, what will they think? Will they be there to plant spies, or to invade and colonize?

Moreover, afforestation is a good thing, but if you just let others plant trees without mastering the technology yourself, then your lifeline is essentially in someone else's hands.

When the people of Konoha leave, this place will turn back into a desert.

Therefore, Konoha will not send too many people.

But that doesn't mean they can't win people's hearts.

The fact that it can bring water and plants is itself the greatest blessing.

If they truly teach the technology to the people of the Land of Wind, those people will definitely remember it.

When Konoha makes any demands, the Land of Wind will be much more accommodating from top to bottom.

Even if the higher-ups don't give in, there will always be someone secretly lending a hand.

That's enough.

Izuna: "Let the puppeteer teach us all the techniques!"

Hashirama: "Improving the land to win people's hearts! A good idea!"

Izuna: "?"

Hashirama: "?"