The Jade Dispute
Naraku glanced at the somewhat disheveled Kazuma, and praised him coldly with a blank expression:
"Kazuma, you're very good."
Gold always shines. Despite their different stances, Naraku still held Kazuma in high regard and wanted to recruit and utilize him.
By using the Guardian Ninja Kazuma, they changed the power dynamics of the Land of Fire's Daimyo and Hokage standing side by side.
Both Kazuma's actions and his thoughts perfectly aligned with Naraku's mindset: how could a country have two jewels?
"Ahem, the victor is king, the loser is villain. I never imagined you were so powerful. Your ambition to wipe out Konoha and make the Daimyo rule the world was nothing but wishful thinking on my part."
Kazuma coughed twice, then looked at Naraku and said in a deep voice.
Kazuma understood his situation; falling into the Hokage's hands meant certain death. At this moment Kazuma showed no fear, but rather a calm composure.
Naraku, his face gentle, sat cross-legged, gazing at Kazuma through the crack, and spoke softly:
"To wipe out Konoha? That's certainly wishful thinking. However, turning Konoha into a purely military organization, subject to the Daimyo's commands, is still a possibility."
"Hahahaha, the Hokage has unparalleled strength in the Shinobi World, yet he obeys the Daimyo's orders? Isn't that utterly ridiculous?"
That's absolutely hilarious, hahaha!
Kazuma hearing Naraku's words, Kazuma burst into laughter. He was going to die anyway, so he ruthlessly mocked him.
Naraku watched Kazuma quietly, unperturbed by Kazuma's madness, remaining calm and composed.
Kazuma chuckled to himself for a while, then, seeing Naraku staring at him like he was an idiot, he stopped laughing and instead sneered:
"When you say 'obeying the Daimyo's orders,' do you mean arbitrarily deposing and installing Daimyo, manipulating the court, supporting ministers close to Konoha, and plundering the Land of Fire's wealth at any time, turning the court into Konoha's money bag? Is that right?"
This isn't called obeying the Daimyo's orders, Lord Hokage. This is simply exploiting the Land of Fire's court. The Land of Fire shouldn't be like this; a nation should only have one jewel.
This jade belongs to either Daimyo or a Hokage. The Daimyo's bloodline has been passed down for thousands of years, making them incomparably noble, something you crude ninjas can't compare to.
Even if you are the strongest ninja in the world, Hokage, you are still just a tool of the Daimyo. This is an unchanging rule.
Naraku and softly echoed:
"That's right, you're right."
Kazuma never expected that the Hokage of Konoha would agree with his insult to ninjas. Kazuma frowned, somewhat confused about what the Hokage was trying to do.
"Kazuma, you're absolutely right. The Land of Fire should only have one Jade, Konoha should just be a military organization that obeys the Daimyo's orders."
Your idea is excellent, I agree with it, and I'm willing to support you.
However, there is only one condition.
Naraku's hands swirled with energy as he pulled out Gunbai and Kusarigama, speaking softly to Kazuma below.
Naraku separated the Gunbai and the Kusarigama, and reattached the weight that had been removed from the Kusarigama to the end of Kusarigama chain, thus turning the Gunbai and the Kusarigama back into two weapons.
After Naraku noticed that Kazuma hadn't asked about his conditions, and his expression turned serious as he said in a deep voice:
"Kazuma, the condition is that I must become the Daimyo."
Kazuma had already guessed something when he heard the earlier words. But after hearing Naraku's words confirm it, Kazuma's pupils contracted slightly. He never expected that the Fourth Hokage's ambition was so great, wanting to destroy the Land of Fire, which had been passed down for thousands of years!
Konoha has only been established for a little over fifty years, yet in such a short time, a leader has emerged who wants to replace the monarch Land of Fire for a thousand years.
This shows that the ninjas no longer wanted to be weapons, but wanted to become the masters themselves.
"Hokage, you... your ambition is so great, you want to replace the Daimyo!"
If you do this, you will be condemned by all the nations and people of the Shinobi World!
Konoha has always been weak and easily bullied, yet it has produced a leader like you. It's truly laughable, hahahahahaha!
Kazuma, he couldn't help but laugh, mercilessly mocking the ambitious Hokage of Konoha.
His contempt for Konoha and the Hokage was not without reason. Kazuma had witnessed firsthand that Konoha was the victim of invasion during both the Second and Third Shinobi World War, proving utterly weak and incompetent. Such a village had no reason to exist.
Naraku scrutinized Kazuma, his brow furrowing slightly in displeasure.
Although I admire his talent, this guy's attitude is just too arrogant.
Naraku's expression turned slightly serious, and he said in a cold voice:
"Konoha is weak and easily bullied? Ha, that was the era of the Third Hokage."
Times have changed. Now, Konoha is ruled by me Fourth Hokage!
To pacify all nations and unify the world is also my ideal!
"When I heard what you said in front of the Daimyo's living quarters, I thought you were a man of great insight."
Naraku paused slightly at this point, then continued:
"I never imagined you would be so foolish. It is only natural that a ninja replacing Daimyo would be condemned by the Shinobi World."
But what if the entire royal family of the Land of Fire dies, leaving no heir to inherit the Daimyo's throne?
At that time, the throne of Daimyo will be vacant; who then will be qualified to sit there?
"If not me, then who?"
Kazuma hearing Naraku's words, Kazuma's mouth gaped open, his expression blank. The Hokage's words had once again shattered his understanding.
"The entire royal family of the Land of Fire is dead, with no heir? You... you want to wipe out the Daimyo family of the daimyo!?"
Kazuma went through the history of Konoha in his mind and found that since the Fourth Hokage's era, there seemed to be no weak or vulnerable things in Konoha.
He pacified the Land of Lightning, obtained a large amount of reparations from the Land of Lightning through the war, and built up Konoha and the surrounding area, enabling Konoha to fully recover after the Ninja War.
At the same time, this Hokage also harbored the ideal of pacifying various countries and unifying the world.
This, this philosophy, isn't this exactly what I've been pursuing all along?
The two were complete kindred spirits, sharing the same thoughts. The only difference was that the Hokage stood on the side of Konoha, while Kazuma stood on the side of the Daimyo.
If this Fourth Hokage were to ascend to the throne as the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, wouldn't all the conflicts be resolved?
"Daimyo, the Daimyo's bloodline has been passed down for a thousand years, Hokage, is this... is this...?"
Kazuma stuttered a bit, and couldn't quite finish his sentence.
What he wanted to say was that doing this was perhaps a bit too cruel, after all, the Daimyo bloodline had been passed down for thousands of years and was said to be the bloodline of a god.
"Kazuma, I saw you reprimanding Asuma Sarutobi and Chiriku before, speaking righteously and with a face full of morality."
I never expected that after I spared your life, you would be so timid and cowardly. I am truly disappointed.
I intend to rule the Land of Fire, and naturally, there can be no obstacles. Anyone who stands in my way will be killed, no matter who they are.
Don't you understand such a simple truth?
What divine bloodline Daimyo? If the daimyo was of divine blood, how was he assassinated, and how did he die?
If there are gods in this world, then I am the god of this Shinobi World!
Naraku stood up, storing the Gunbai and Kusarigama he was holding into his inner space. Chakra surged around him, radiating an aura of power Kazuma.
The burst of power widened the cracks created by the Earth Style Release: Ninjutsu Earth Style: Earth-Splitting Palm, sending dust billowing across the field. Kazuma, standing at the center of Naraku's aura, was so blinded by the wind that he could barely open his eyes, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.
"Oh"
Naraku looked down at Kazuma's predicament, sneered, and withdrew his imposing aura.
In Naraku's worldview, it is impossible for a country to have two leaders, even a nominal one.
The idea that "kings and nobles are not born with a special destiny" and "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun" was deeply imprinted in Naraku's mind.