The Land of Water: We Need Guardian Ninja Too!

Half a month later, in the capital of the Land of Water.

The Matsuyama Clan's caravan crossed the ocean and arrived in Kyoto.

"Mr. Koji, welcome to the Land of Water! You must be tired from your long journey. Please come in and have a seat!"

"Thank you, Mr. Hattori."

Koji Matsuyama got out of the car and followed the other person into the clubhouse.

Many nobles were seated inside.

When they saw Koji Matsuyama, they all turned their gazes toward him, and upon seeing the family crest on his chest, their faces lit up with warm smiles.

Koji Matsuyama felt it was absurd.

Even if he were the eldest son of the Matsuyama Clan, he might not have received such a warm welcome in the Land of Fire, yet he received such treatment in the Land of Water.

These people...

He felt inexplicably nervous.

However, Koji Matsuyama quickly calmed down.

Social interactions among nobles were already second nature to him; the only thing he wasn't familiar with was that he was the center of attention this time.

After a round of insincere small talk, it becomes a free occasion to make friends and get to know each other.

Hattori Hiroyuki introduced them one by one.

Unbeknownst to him, he led Koji Matsuyama into a small room.

"Kouji-kun, our two families have had many transactions and dealings before, so we're practically acquaintances. These are all my friends; they're all nobles from Kyoto."

Hattori Hiroyuki laughed.

Greetings, everyone.

Koji Matsuyama was respectful and courteous.

These people are likely Hattori Hiroyuki's own circle, but they may not be there for business.

After a few more drinks, one of them finally revealed his true purpose.

"Kouji-kun, I've heard that in your Land of Fire, there have recently been Guardian Ninja. I wonder what the significance of these Guardian Ninja is?"

"The main duty of the Guardian Ninja is to protect the Feudal Lord, but since they are in Kyoto, we nobles also benefit, and we are somewhat safer than before."

Koji Matsuyama replied with a smile.

Then he exclaimed, "Thanks to this, we're seeing more wealthy merchants coming to the Kyoto of the Land of Fire than before."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Hattori Hiroyuki delivered the message, discreetly digging for information.

Koji Matsuyama sipped his drink and nodded slightly. "Yes, as you all know, I used to manage the casinos more, and recently the number of wealthy people coming in has increased three or four times!"

Three or four times?

Everyone was secretly astonished.

You can't squeeze much profit out of a poor person; casino customers, apart from a few Big Fat Sheep, ultimately come from the wealthy.

These people are the main force.

So many pages to translate...

That's amazing!

Why is this happening?

"With the Guardian Ninja, what need is there to say about Kyoto's security? What kind of vagrant thugs would dare to cause trouble in Kyoto?"

Koji Matsuyama chuckled softly, "Once we establish a good reputation, customers will naturally feel more comfortable coming to the Land of Fire."

They exchanged glances and nodded to each other.

That makes sense!

In recent days, they had heard from merchants that doing business in the Land of Fire was safe, but at first they didn't understand.

Later I learned that this was related to the Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire.

Guardian Ninja, protected the Feudal Lord, safeguarded Kyoto, and were also responsible for clearing out bandits in the surrounding area, bringing peace and tranquility to the Land of Land of Fire.

so.

Having come up with an idea, they went through a channel to have Hattori Hiroyuki invite Koji Matsuyama.

Koji Matsuyama was somewhat drunk.

He smiled smugly, "We're all friends, and to be honest, we've been getting fewer requests from Konoha lately!"

"Oh? Then Konoha can tolerate this?"

Hattori Hiroyuki exclaimed in surprise.

Koji Matsuyama looked at him strangely. "Why not? We're the ones paying, we're the ones in charge, it's our freedom to give to whomever we want! Why should we have to worry about what they think?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

this...

That's true, but since the ninja village possesses formidable strength, they still don't dare to confront them head-on.

After chatting for a while longer and realizing that Koji Matsuyama didn't have any more information, they ended the banquet.

Inside the small house, everyone sat facing each other.

"Guardian Ninja, protecting the Feudal Lord —that's certainly a good title. I heard they've expanded recently, recruiting several clans."

"But they have Danzo."

Some people have raised questions.

Without Danzo, the Guardian Ninja could never have organized such a large-scale operation.

"But we also have the Kaguya Clan and the Yuki Clan."

Hattori Hiroyuki.

The combined strength of the Kaguya Clan and Yuki Clan is definitely not weak, and the fact that both clans are now on their side is a clear indication that they have long since broken ties with Kirigakure.

Guardian Ninja is a good title.

and.

A ninja team belonging to Feudal Lord and nobles!

How tempting!

So what if they're ninja villages? They're the ones who pay for it, and all they're doing is supporting a few loyal ninjas.

"You can give it a try."

"Agree!"

"Let's work on things at home first, and then all of us can work together to get the Guardian Ninja' arrangement finalized as soon as possible."

Back at his lodgings, Koji Matsuyama breathed a long sigh of relief.

Pretending to be drunk is not difficult.

but.

Pretending to be drunk, and making others believe you're genuinely drunk and telling the truth, is indeed very difficult!

"Mr. Buso, are you still there?"

"Yes."

A deep voice sounded.

Koji Matsuyama sigh of relief.

This is the country where the Bloody Mist resides!

He only agreed to come to the Land of Water because he had someone to follow and protect him; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to come to this godforsaken place.

Although it's lucrative, it's also dangerous.

He sat down and said, "Is this all you need?"

"Um."

In Konoha, Tsunade read the report with astonishment.

"You really have a way with things!"

Kyohiko's methods left her in awe!

It's still about public opinion.

but.

This time, the main targets changed from ninjas to the Feudal Lord, nobles, and wealthy merchants of Kyoto, who were the main force behind the ninjas' requests.

They are not afraid that the Land of Water will not take the bait. When that time comes, Kirigakure will face a situation similar to that of Konoha.

"These are merely some measures regarding public opinion, at most guiding the situation, and cannot directly interfere with their decision-making. Ultimately, it's the Land of Water's own ideas that matter."

Kyohiko shook his head.

The attitude of Kirigakure is clearly different from that of Konoha.

The situation in the Land of Water is quite different from that in the Land of Fire.

At least in the Land of Water, there isn't Feudal Lord as enlightened and intelligent as in the Land of Fire.

Furthermore, putting everything else aside, Kirigakure has already shown hostility towards the Kaguya Clan and Yuki Clan.

Adding fuel to the fire, she didn't believe Kirigakure could sit idly by.

Tsunade wholeheartedly agreed and nodded approvingly, "Indeed, we have to thank the Matsuyama Clan for their cooperation; otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy for our people to infiltrate."

Furthermore, she discovered that the abilities of the Iburi Clan were indeed very useful!

Not just as an intelligence ninja.

As bodyguards, they can protect their employers in real time, even in business settings, while avoiding dangerous areas.

Tsunade couldn't help but say, "Kyohiko, after the Iburi Clan's problem is resolved, they have great potential and there are many areas where their abilities can be explored. We can't limit ourselves to just intelligence work."

She was extremely envious.

Such ninjas can also be used as bodyguards, especially after their abilities have stabilized.

"I understand, but the Curse Mark is not very stable yet, and the other ability also needs further verification and practice. It may take several years to see results."

Kyohiko understood Tsunade's thoughts.

However, the current situation is indeed not suitable for further spreading the Iburi Clan to other areas.

"That's the only way."

Tsunade sighed, but she understood the reason behind it.

She didn't urge her.

For safety and humanitarian reasons, further experiments are prohibited. This Curse Mark requires multiple layers of testing before it can be applied to humans.

so.

It's normal to go slower.

If things suddenly speed up, she'll worry that Kyohiko has been corrupted by Orochimaru.

Kyohiko has been planning the events in the Land of Water for half a month. Now that public opinion has begun to ferment, there is no need for the Anbu to continue their operations. All they need to do is wait.

The Land of Water problems.

so.

Many of the Anbu agents have already withdrawn.

The Iburi Clan's debut was undoubtedly a success; even though they took a shortcut, they still demonstrated their abilities.

This ability is unique to this family in the village, and no family would be hostile to them or believe that Konoha has infringed upon their interests.

The inclusion of the Iburi Clan was quite successful.

but.

The issue of the Curse Mark remains a pressing problem.

"Senior, how is the situation?"

"Disaster!"

Orochimaru frowned.

He has recently been studying Kurokawa's physique.

This special Sage Body aroused his great curiosity. He had wanted to study it before, but he had never had a good experimental material.

If the Old Man were still in power, he would probably let himself go, but now that Hokage is the Tsunade, her policies and attitudes on many matters are completely different.

He didn't want to ruin the relationship.

However, this inevitably slows down the progress of the experiment.

Orochimaru said, pointing to one of the Monkey.

"Look at it."

The Monkey had transformed into a terrifying monster, unrecognizable from its original form, and was now frantically charging at the fence.

"Out of fifty, only it survived, and it went mad. Even my various attempts to suppress and improve it were to no avail."

Orochimaru sighed.

The Sage Power.

This was the most difficult problem he had ever encountered.

"Ryūchi Cave is also one of the sacred sites, so it should have methods for cultivating Sage Power, right?"

Kyohiko said.

Orochimaru nodded, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "Ryūchi Cave is completely different from your Mount Myoboku. People like Manda have no access to the Sage Mode training methods."

Even if he did, that guy wouldn't teach it.

Orochimaru said, "Given the nature of Ryūchi Cave, even if it were there, obtaining it would be extremely difficult. But perhaps, when I have some free time, I'll go and look for it."

Kyohiko didn't say anything more.

Ryūchi Cave's style is indeed more cruel, showing no regard for human life. Moreover, given Orochimaru's suspicious and life-loving nature, he might not be willing to let Ryūchi Cave teach him Sage Mode.

In the original timeline, Orochimaru missed out on Sage Mode.

"Is something the matter?"

Orochimaru turned around.

Kyohiko said, "Things are going relatively smoothly in the Land of Water. I believe we'll have results in a month or two at most. After that, we'll probably need everyone to get involved."

"No problem, but are you sure you can Danzo?"

"Yes, once things get chaotic in the Land of Water, I'll go to Kyoto and have a proper talk with the Feudal Lord."

Kyohiko nodded.

He then said, "I've also exchanged letters with the Hyuga Clan."

"That guy Hiashi..."

Orochimaru stopped what he was doing, then chuckled softly, "Never mind, the Hyuga Clan won't really cause any trouble anyway."

The Hyuga Clan's Main House system ensures that the Main House possesses absolute authority, making it impossible for the clan to descend into chaos.

"I don't know what they're planning, but I hope nothing goes wrong at this crucial juncture."

In the Hyuga Clan, Hizashi and Hiashi sit opposite each other.

They have gatherings like this several times a month, and over this time, the two brothers seem to have gotten better and better.

"Hizashi, remember to bring back a few children with the Corpse Shikotsumyaku from the Land of Water this time. Also—"

Hiashi's facial muscles twitched slightly as he said, "Be careful. If things really can't be done, then forget it. The Hyuga Clan might not even need the Shikotsumyaku."

"I'll bring back a few seedlings!"

Hizashi spoke solemnly, "As Kyohiko said, our clan has indeed not produced anyone comparable to the Tenji of yesteryear for a long time, and..."

He didn't finish speaking, but Hiashi knew what his younger brother wanted to say.

There wasn't even one close to the Kage Level.

Was Hyuga not diligent enough?

Every member of the Hyuga Clan is incredibly diligent, honing their physical strength and Taijutsu from childhood to maintain their current Byakugan activation rate.

Our ancestors were able to achieve such strength through Gentle Fist and Byakugan, while we can only achieve it through unorthodox methods.

It is clear that the Hyuga Clan is indeed in decline.

If things continue like this, will the Hyuga Clan decline and fall into ruin in a hundred or two hundred years?

This is a problem that both of them are very worried about.

so.

The Shikotsumyaku is indeed extremely important!

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Hiashi got up, he was about to bow to Hizashi.

The Hizashi quickly tried to stop him.

"I was just helping... never mind, anyway, you don't need to thank me, I was doing it for the family."

After saying that, he stood up.

"I've sent the letter and am waiting for a reply before heading to the Kaguya Clan."

"Come back alive."

Hiashi's rare display of emotion revealed his inner feelings.

Hizashi nodded and turned to leave.

Kyohiko estimated that it would take one or two months for the news to develop, but in reality, his Anbu agents found out the information in just half a month.

Kyoto has announced that it will establish Guardian Ninja belonging to Kyoto, the Land of Water.

Their duties are similar to those of the Land of Fire's Guardian Ninja, and their purpose is also to protect the safety of the Land of Water's Feudal Lord, but the Kirigakure has yet to respond.

Both sides adopted a very tough stance.

Thus, Hizashi embarked on his journey to the Land of Water.

but...

He did not embark on this journey alone.

Hizashi glanced around and said, "Isn't that unnecessary? I'm a Jonin, after all. Do I need your protection to go to the Land of Water?"

"It's not about protecting you."

Kyohiko shook his head. "It's a cover."

"Cover?"

"Um."

Kyohiko nodded.

After thinking for Hizashi, Richa realized something.

It's not about protecting himself, but rather using his name to cover up his own actions.

Kyoto?

Hizashi, reflecting on the Darkness of the Shinobi World in Kyoto and considering Kyohiko's recent actions, gradually understood the other party's scheme and subsequent plans.

This is an attempt to eliminate Danzo!

Hizashi was shocked, but he didn't ask too many questions. After thinking for a moment, he said, "How can I cooperate with you?"

"We'll stay in Kyoto for a few days; don't worry about anything else."