With a cold expression, Hatake Sakumo was led to the Tsuchikage's office by Kitsuchi. Just as the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, was about to greet him, Hatake Sakumo gave him a cold glance.
Ōnoki frowned, wondering what was going on. He looked at Kitsuchi, Kitsuchi smiled wryly and whispered a few words in Ōnoki's ear.
Ōnoki's pupils widened, and he cursed inwardly, "Damn, you've raised a fine son, you Daimyo of the Land of Earth!" After glancing at Hatake Sakumo, he felt a jolt in his heart and his lips twitched.
"Um..." Ōnoki wanted to explain to the Daimyo, but Hatake Sakumo held out his hand, signaling him to stop talking, and then revealed the purpose of his visit.
"By order of the Lord Hokage, I hereby declare to the Tsuchikage that if you remain obstinate and continue to aid and abet evil, do not blame us for destroying the Daimyo of the Land of Earth along with Iwagakure." Hatake Sakumo spoke as if it were a very ordinary matter.
"Killing Daimyo? Are you crazy? They are the actual rulers of the country, and the ones who hire ninjas and provide funding. Aren't you afraid that this will make the Daimyo of the Land of Fire wary of you?" Tsuchikage Ōnoki narrowed his eyes.
Admittedly, he didn't want to provoke Uchiha Kō, but at the same time, he also didn't want his hired Daimyo of the Land of Earth to be killed. If word got out, how could he maintain his reputation?
"There's no need for you to worry about that, Lord Tsuchikage Hatake Sakumo turned to leave.
Ōnoki stared at his back with a serious expression, carefully considering the matter, until Hatake Sakumo arrived at the door.
Ōnoki spoke up, "Sakumo, please wait a moment."
Hatake Sakumo turned to Ōnoki and asked, "Is there anything else, Tsuchikage?" His gaze was indifferent, as if he were looking at a dead man.
Ōnoki opened his mouth, then gritted his teeth and made up his mind, "Sakumo, our Iwagakure chooses not to participate in either side. Please show mercy when the time comes."
"I will deliver the message." Hatake Sakumo nodded, then left the office and headed towards Konoha.
Ōnoki's eyes were dark and uncertain. Not getting involved was already the biggest concession he could make. If he were to participate in dealing with the Daimyo of the Land of Earth with the Hokage, then he, Ōnoki, would be a disgrace to the Hokage.
Kitsuchi reminded him from the side, "Father, that guard..." He made a gesture, indicating to Ōnoki whether or not to eliminate him.
Ōnoki closed his eyes and nodded gently. "Go. Don't leave a trace of this. Also, lead the troops eastward now and tell Konoha the route map. You know what to say."
Kitsuchi nodded, and after discussing the marching route with Ōnoki, he personally went to find the messenger.
The messenger was touching the beautiful woman, who outwardly remained respectful but inwardly cursed him as a useless wretch, finding even three seconds of money a waste.
Just then, his door was opened, and a ninja wearing Konoha Forehead Protector appeared, grabbing the messenger by the neck.
Just as the envoy was about to speak, a cracking sound came from his throat. His pupils immediately dilated, and he vomited blood before dying. The woman was about to speak.
The ninja removed his mask, and the woman was stunned. "Brother-in-law, it's you!"
"Shh! Pretend this never happened. Half an hour later, shout, and Konoha Ninja will crush the messenger's throat and escape," the ninja said calmly.
"Okay!" The woman nodded, then looked at her brother-in-law and nodded solemnly, "Be careful when you go out."
After a moment of silence, the ninja said calmly, "You too," and left.
A flicker of worry crossed the woman's eyes as she watched her brother-in-law's retreating figure and took a deep breath.
Next, she adjusted her mindset, glanced at the messenger with disgust, and then kicked him. "Although I don't know who you've offended, it's wrong of you to make my brother-in-law's hands stained with blood!"
Half an hour later, the woman suddenly screamed, "Aaaaaaah! Someone's dead!"
The hotel owner and waiters rushed into the room. "What happened?"
"Konoha... Konoha Ninja attacked! They killed the envoy and ran outside!" the woman sobbed.
Just then, the woman's brother-in-law came in upon hearing the noise. "How can you be sure they're from Konoha?"
The woman looked up and murmured, "Waaah, that ninja was wearing Konoha Forehead Protector and had his face covered, and he ran outside!"
The younger brother-in-law nodded. "Boss, I understand the details. His expenses will be reimbursed by the Tsuchikage's office. Please don't reveal this until the culprit is identified."
The boss nodded hurriedly, "Yes, sir. I and all the staff here will keep this a secret."
Everyone nodded, and then the younger brother-in-law turned around and took the woman away, saying he was conducting an investigation.
When he brought the woman to the edge of the village, he said, "Hurry up, here's my savings, enough for you to live a decent life. Head east to Konoha, and don't do these things anymore."
The woman grabbed his hand. "Brother-in-law, I won't leave unless you come with me. I can't live without you." Her eyes were red and swollen.
The younger brother-in-law's expression was complicated. "Listen to me, go to Konoha first. I... I'll probably go later." He forced a smile.
He knew that someone would have to take the blame for this, either because he had failed to catch the "real culprit" and was investigated, or because he would have to take the fall. He feared he would not escape punishment.
"Really? You'll be coming in a while! How long?" the woman asked expectantly.
"Maybe a week, maybe two weeks..." the man chuckled.
"Okay, be sure to let me know when the time comes!" the woman smiled.
"Yes, I will." The man waved his hand, thinking to himself, "If I can survive."
Immediately afterwards, the man asked a friend to take the woman to Konoha, then turned and walked towards the village.
At the village entrance, Kitsuchi, "Is everything done?"
"Yes, it's all done, without any problems," the man said with a smile.
"Well done, but I'm curious, when you sent your sister-in-law away, did you not trust me or Lord Tsuchikage?" Kitsuchi's eyes were filled with inquiry.
Anbu:...
However, Kitsuchi didn't say much. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "You shouldn't have come back. If you had left, I would have put a bounty on your head and declared you missing-nin. You would have been fine then."
The Anbu member was taken aback and looked at Kitsuchi. "What do you mean by this, sir!"
"I'll give you a chance. Go now. This is no small matter. Everyone knows you like your sister-in-law. Go after her now, or it will be too late!" Kitsuchi turned and walked towards Tsuchikage's office.
The Anbu member sped towards Konoha, and halfway there he saw his sister-in-law. "Sister-in-law, I'm here! Let's go to Konoha together!"
"Okay! Also, don't call me sister-in-law anymore, your older brother has been dead for so many years." The woman blushed, and her friend beside her was a little embarrassed. "Ahem, you two chat, I'm going back to report. I hope we don't meet on the battlefield again!"
The Anbu nodded. "I plan to start a business from now on."