Our Kumogakure Must Help Support the Scene

Ever since Hozuki Shingetsu began spreading the Konoha Threat Theory through various channels, the other hidden villages received the news long before Konoha, which lagged behind in intelligence.

There was no helping it; as the undisputed leader of the current Shinobi World, any matter even remotely connected to Konoha made these villages incredibly sensitive.

In the current Shinobi World, if any news involving Konoha failed to reach the desks of the various Kage within three days, it could already be considered a serious dereliction of duty.

Not to mention that Hozuki Shingetsu, taking advantage of his new position as Minister of Foreign Affairs, had specifically written a long letter to each village's Kage. In the letter, besides high-profile propaganda about everyone being friendly neighbors linked by common interests, he had also casually brought up this matter.

In the letter, Hozuki Shingetsu indignantly labeled Konoha the shame of the Shinobi World, claiming that if Kirigakure weren't currently practicing isolationism, they would have already dispatched troops, and so on.

At the end of the letter, Hozuki Shingetsu creatively proposed that to prevent Konoha from launching a war, the Land of Lightning, Land of Earth, Land of Wind, and Land of Water should form an offensive and defensive alliance to firmly lock Konoha in the center of the continent.

As for the position of alliance leader... well, it naturally had to be held by the Raikage of the second-ranked Kumogakure.

To demonstrate the legitimacy of the alliance, Hozuki Shingetsu even proposed calling the "Raikage" the "Thunder Emperor" to highlight his authority in leading the four nations.

Hmm, combined with Konoha's "Fire Emperor," it would be as if the two emperors of the east and west were dividing the Warring States period between them.

"This little brat from Kirigakure is quite the restless soul!"

After carefully reading the letter sent by Hozuki Shingetsu, the Third Raikage Ai lay back on his spacious office sofa, his tone somewhat unreadable.

"What a pity! If he thinks this little bit of temptation is enough to lure my Kumogakure into action, he is severely underestimating me!"

"Then, Father, are we just going to do nothing and watch from the sidelines?"

Ai's son, the future Fourth Raikage who was the same age as Hozuki Shingetsu, Yotsuki Rai, looked at his father with unwillingness.

"How could we remain indifferent! Whoever is attacking Konoha, my Kumogakure must show support!"

"Good! Tell me, Father, who do I go and crush!"

For the future Fourth Raikage Yotsuki Rai, the education he had received since childhood was to defeat Konoha and prove who the true boss of the Shinobi World was. However, it was a pity that from the time he was born until now, he had never had such an opportunity. So, when he saw a chance to cause harm to Konoha, he was already impatient to act.

Although he didn't know what to do, how to do it, or where to strike, it didn't matter; his blood was already boiling!

Awoo!

Kumogakure shall never be enslaved!

"Crush, crush, crush—all you know is how to crush! Why don't you go crush some food first!"

The Third Raikage Ai looked at his hot-blooded son with disdain. He truly didn't know how someone as clever as himself had produced such a blockhead.

Look at Hozuki Shingetsu of Kirigakure; he was the same age as his son and was already playing these high-level political games, while his own son was still here babbling away. It was truly embarrassing.

But he was his own flesh and blood after all, and in the Shinobi World, strength always came first. Although his son wasn't bright, his talent for cultivation was excellent. According to his current progress, there was a high hope that he would master the clan's secret Lightning Release Chakra Mode to its peak before the age of twenty.

By then, whatever he lacked in brains could be made up for on the battlefield. Presumably, that little guy from Kirigakure wouldn't have any way to deal with that, right?

Therefore, while he was impressed that Hozuki Shingetsu could defeat a Konoha squad at that age, he never worried that no one in his own village could handle him.

In fact, with Yotsuki Rai's current strength, he could not only defeat the same Konoha squad but even achieve an instant kill. After all, the focus of Nintaijutsu was speed and power; as long as he caught them off guard, a one-shot kill was entirely possible.

Watching his son, in his excitement, start training with equipment right there in the Raikage's office, Ai shook his head while turning his attention back to this public opinion incident.

That said, while he wanted to help, how to help, when to help, and under what banner to help were all things that needed careful consideration.

To be honest, seeing the current public opinion in the Shinobi World regarding Konoha in the first half of the letter, Ai was very happy.

After all, according to the Shinobi World's theory of relativity, the enemy's misfortune was his own good luck, the enemy's weakened strength was his own increased strength, and if the enemy was evil, then he was justice. The logic behind this give-and-take was endless.

However, before he could figure out how to use this opportunity to strike at his old rival, he suddenly saw the proposal for an alliance in the second half of Hozuki Shingetsu's letter.

Actually, he had rejected it at first, but... the title of "Thunder Emperor" was just too tempting!

Moreover, Ai suddenly realized this was a great opportunity to use the Konoha Threat Theory to pressure small nations, seize their living space, and integrate them.

Konoha's threat is so great; to prevent you from being attacked by Konoha, it is only reasonable for you to place yourselves under the protection of my Kumogakure, right?

My Kumogakure isn't even asking you for money; we are traveling thousands of miles at our own expense to help you. What kind of spirit is this? This is the glorious spirit of humanitarianism!

As for the talk of leading the four nations in the letter... as long as Ai retained even a shred of sanity, he wouldn't do that.

Are you kidding? Does he really think the other nations are made of clay?

Even for Kirigakure, which could be called the shame of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Kumogakure would have to suffer heavy losses to suppress them, let alone the other villages. Therefore, regarding the position of the four-nation alliance leader and the title of "Thunder Emperor" in Hozuki Shingetsu's letter, he was only tempted.

So... Ai didn't want the position of leader of the four-nation alliance, but he still felt the position of leader of the Northeast Continental Alliance was quite attractive.

"Pass down the order, three things!"

Thinking of this, Ai quickly stood up and signaled Dodai, who was beside him, to draft the orders.

"First, find some people to fabricate more rhetoric to fuel this Konoha Threat Theory. And not just this Konoha Threat Theory—I want Iwagakure Threat Theory, Sunagakure Threat Theory, Kirigakure Threat Theory! Except for our Kumogakure, which is a peace-loving village that has put away its swords and turned its horses to pasture, I want you to target every other village, including Takigakure and Amegakure! It would be best to make it sound like a Shinobi World War is about to break out!"

Dodai silently categorized Ai's chaotic words on the document, breaking them down into items according to their content.

"Second, in such dangerous times for the Shinobi World, it is only reasonable for our Kumogakure to protect some small villages out of kindness, right? Go immediately and collect intelligence on all small villages and reclusive clans around the Land of Lightning! Then, according to their importance, hurry up and coerce or lure them into joining the 'Pan-Continental Self-Defense Alliance' led by my Kumogakure!"

Ai shamelessly named his alliance the "Pan-Continental Self-Defense Alliance" and felt smug about coming up with such a brilliant name.

As the secretary to the Third Raikage, Dodai was naturally well-versed in the intelligence of all the surrounding small villages and reclusive clans, and he immediately ranked the villages according to their strength.

Just as he wrote Takigakure in the first position, he felt it was inappropriate. After crossing it out, he wrote down another name.

Uzushio Village.

At this moment, before Uzushio Village had been destroyed, it could be said that it was the only existence in a league of its own below the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Even Takigakure, which possessed the Seven-Tails, was no match for it.

Setting aside Konoha's potential reinforcements, the sealing techniques passed down through the Uzumaki Clan for a millennium alone were enough to cause a headache.

Furthermore, the elders of the Uzumaki Clan all mastered the "Dead Demon Consuming Seal," a powerful suicidal sealing jutsu. This group of old fogies could absolutely force a one-for-one trade with anyone, achieving a state of "equality for all."

Hmm, in a certain sense, it was quite similar to the "Evil Containment Wave."

"Uzushio Village... we won't touch it for now. Let's consolidate the other small ninja villages first before we try to gnaw on this hard bone."

After seeing Dodai's ranking, the Third Raikage Ai couldn't help but hesitate, ultimately deciding to wait.

"The same goes for Takigakure. Tailed Beasts are far too sensitive. If our Kumogakure truly gained control of three Tailed Beasts, it would be hard to say whether that would be a blessing or a curse for us at this moment."

On this point, Ai was uncharacteristically clear-headed and saw the situation very clearly.

Dodai, standing to the side, breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed his Raikage had not been blinded by the potential temptation and still possessed basic judgment.

"There is one last thing. Send word to the outside world; tell them we are aware of this matter, and heap heavy insults upon Konoha—that piece of rat droppings in the Shinobi World!"

Ai shifted his tone, speaking with a sense of schadenfreude. As an old rival, it was only right and proper that he let Konoha know he was aware of the situation and mock them for it.

Dodai pondered for a moment, then moved his brush like the wind, writing the following text onto the document with fluid ease:

"Regarding the recent rumors in the Shinobi World concerning Konoha's military buildup and intentions for expansion, Kumogakure maintains a high level of concern. Kumogakure has always been the vanguard for maintaining fairness and justice in the Shinobi World; for many years, we have spared no effort in mediating conflicts between nations, and our contributions to the overall environment of the Shinobi World are plain for all to see. Here, we solemnly warn Konoha to cherish the hard-won peace and refrain from playing with fire, lest they burn themselves; otherwise, Kumogakure will forever reserve the right to stand on the side of justice. To demonstrate our sincerity, Kumogakure solemnly promises never to deploy Kekkei Genkai ninja in unjust wars... At the same time, we call upon all nations to set aside their prejudices, embrace the future, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for the Shinobi World."

When the Third Raikage saw these lines, his eyes lit up. He couldn't help but pat Dodai on the shoulder and praise him: "Ah, yes, yes, yes! That is exactly what I meant! As expected, you are the one who understands me, Dodai!"

Dodai, who had been slammed face-first into the desk by the Raikage's heavy hand, felt a wave of speechlessness. He could only complain bitterly in his heart: Damn it, you're no different from your son—you're both complete illiterates! This village would fall apart sooner or later without me!