Conflict with the Kaguya Clan

"Haha, Shingetsu, I knew you had a trick or two up your sleeve!"

After Ao had scouted the current situation in the shinobi world—especially after learning of the various moves made by the major hidden villages—he was beside himself with joy. He immediately rushed to the Hozuki Clan compound, eager to share this excitement with his close friend.

"This is only the beginning, Ao," Hozuki Shingetsu said, attempting to soothe his companion.

As for the current situation, the "Continental Balance Policy" could be described as going swimmingly; in fact, things had progressed even better than Hozuki Shingetsu had anticipated.

Before implementing the plan, he had hoped for a smooth execution, but he never expected that the various machinations of the old foxes in the different villages would lead to the current state of chaos.

Under these circumstances, Hozuki Shingetsu wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the Second Shinobi World War broke out tomorrow.

Hmm, having turned a world that had enjoyed over a decade of peace into this, could it be that I, Hozuki Shingetsu, have a talent for being a "poisonous strategist"?

Back in the day, Jia Xu offered schemes that indirectly ignited the Three Kingdoms era. Now, with a few minor ploys, I have stirred up the heroes of the shinobi world. Couldn't I also crown myself a "Shinobi World Poisonous Strategist"?

"By the way, did you find those people I asked you to look for?"

Hozuki Shingetsu suddenly remembered the matter and inquired about the progress.

"I found them, but we ran into some trouble when entering the village."

Ao spoke of the incident with a troubled expression.

Back on the very first day Hozuki Shingetsu took office as Minister of Foreign Affairs, he had assigned Ao a task: to invite renowned film industry professionals to Kirigakure.

When it came to public opinion and propaganda, how could one do without various forms of multimedia?

Furthermore, to ensure that Ren wouldn't stab him in the back, and to alleviate the hostility from the Daimyo, Hozuki Shingetsu had prepared a series of plans, and the cornerstone of these plans was precisely film.

Coincidentally, during these dozen years of peace in the shinobi world, film had already emerged, though due to the massive investment required for theaters, this emerging form of entertainment was currently limited to a few large cities.

As a new medium, film professionals were looking to expand their market, so when they learned that the young clan head of the Hozuki Clan was extending an invitation, everyone invited dropped their current work and headed to Kirigakure with great enthusiasm.

However, they never expected that before they could even enter the gates of Kirigakure, they would be rounded up and arrested by the Police Force Headquarters under the pretext that outsiders were strictly forbidden from entering the village during these times.

Ever since the Third Mizukage's blockade policy was implemented, the Police Force had taken full control of the village's defense. Logically, in the execution of this order, those who were unaware or had arrived at Kirigakure by accident were usually just turned away.

But as luck would have it, that group, in an attempt to prove they weren't intruders, had dropped Hozuki Shingetsu's name. The Police Force happened to be controlled by the Kaguya Clan, who had been at odds with the Hozuki Clan ever since the Third Mizukage took power. Seeing this, they immediately arrested the entire group on the spot.

"I've gone to the Kaguya Clan two or three times to explain that they were your guests, Shingetsu, but they blocked me, claiming there was no written order from the Mizukage," Ao said, lowering his head in shame.

"It's not your fault. This is aimed at me."

Hozuki Shingetsu understood exactly what was happening the moment he heard it.

It was simple: seeing how smoothly Hozuki Shingetsu's first steps had gone since taking office, some people were starting to feel uneasy.

As allies to the Second Mizukage's rise and the primary contributors to the Third Mizukage's ascension, the Kaguya Clan was, without question, the vanguard for attacking Hozuki Shingetsu.

Solving this was simple enough; Hozuki Shingetsu just needed to pay a visit to the Police Force himself.

The core of this matter was to make Hozuki Shingetsu lose face, and according to the Kaguya Clan's usual habits, the way to make someone lose face was very straightforward.

Just have a fight.

Yes, much like the Uchiha Clan.

Indeed, given the battle-crazed nature of the Kaguya Clan, as long as they beat you into submission, any talk of genius or prestige became a joke in their eyes.

Simple, brutal, but effective.

However, Hozuki Shingetsu was actually looking for someone to spar with to test the power of the new ninjutsu he had recently developed.

He had wanted to experiment with it when he fought the Konoha squad, but unfortunately, the opponents were too weak.

In front of Hozuki Shingetsu, who was proficient in all kinds of Hozuki Clan Water Release Secret Techniques, the branch family of the Hyuga—who claimed to be the nemesis of the Hydrification Technique—had no power to fight back. They were defeated before he even had to reveal his trump cards.

Moreover, prestige was not something that could be built on schemes and tricks alone; it wasn't enough to convince people.

Despite Hozuki Shingetsu's tireless efforts over the years and his recent high-profile actions, he had gained fame in Kirigakure, the Land of Water, and even the entire shinobi world. But as the saying goes, "barbarians fear power but do not cherish virtue." Without seeing the size of one's fist, there would be no true respect.

It could be said that the Kaguya Clan's provocation had hit exactly where Hozuki Shingetsu wanted.

Thus, adhering to the principle that there is no time like the present, Hozuki Shingetsu immediately took Ao with him to the Police Force Headquarters located in the heart of Kirigakure.

Although the Kirigakure Police Force was controlled by the Kaguya Clan, there were still ninjas from other clans within its ranks. After all, the Kaguya Clan's influence was far from that of the Uchiha, and their relationship with the village was nowhere near the point of irreconcilable hostility.

Furthermore, while the Kaguya were all battle-crazed, they lacked the arrogance of the Uchiha who looked down on everyone. As long as you could beat them, you could earn their respect. Therefore, the villagers' perception of the Kaguya Clan was far less complex than the Konoha villagers' perception of the Uchiha.

Of course, "respect" here meant they wouldn't call you trash to your face; don't expect them to fawn over you.

"Minister Hozuki, what an honor to have you here! Forgive us for not meeting you sooner!"

Upon receiving the news, the Police Force squad leader, the veteran Jonin of the Kaguya Clan, Kaguya Hirotoshi, came before Hozuki Shingetsu and greeted him with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Kaguya Hirotoshi was exactly twenty years old, and it had been six years since he was promoted to Jonin. He was in the final year of the rapid growth period between twelve and twenty, and his strength was enough to qualify him as a seasoned Jonin.

With an age gap of less than eight years between him and Hozuki Shingetsu, they could barely be considered of the same generation.

From his age and strength, it was clear that the Kaguya Clan had sent Kaguya Hirotoshi specifically prepared for this encounter.

Kaguya Hirotoshi was naturally very annoyed that his clan had sent him to deal with someone so much younger than himself.

Yes, Hozuki Shingetsu was a genius, but who hadn't been a genius youth back in the day?

Promoted to Jonin at fourteen—though not as dazzling as Hozuki Shingetsu—he was still worthy of being called a genius.

Therefore, Kaguya Hirotoshi had already made up his mind to ruthlessly suppress this detestable brat.

"I presume that for the Department Head to visit the Police Force at this hour, there must be some official business to coordinate? I wonder if you have the Mizukage's 'written order'?"

Kaguya Hirotoshi deliberately emphasized the words "written order," clearly intending to provoke Hozuki Shingetsu.

I hope this brat has some backbone and doesn't wilt at the last second, Kaguya Hirotoshi thought to himself.

If Hozuki Shingetsu truly backed down, he would find it difficult to take any action.

After all, a duel agreed upon by both parties and an unauthorized assault on someone—especially an unauthorized assault on a Jonin—were two very different things in nature.

At a time when they had not yet completely severed ties with the Hozuki Clan, it was best if such an incident did not occur.

However, Hozuki Shingetsu had no desire to engage in a war of words with Kaguya Hirotoshi, choosing instead to satisfy the man's wish in a direct and brutal fashion.

"Enough with the hypocrisy. I'll say this once: if I beat you, will you release those people to me?"

Kaguya Hirotoshi narrowed his eyes and gave a definitive reply.

"Of course."