After listening to Mingye's explanation, Izuna nodded, then reminded him, "This force must possess strength. We have to treat everyone fairly, or we'll invite even more criticism!"
Mingye smiled confidently again and replied, "Don't worry about that. The targets I've chosen are ones you know well: the Kaguya Clan, the Yuki Clan, and the Hozuki Clan!"
Izuna froze. He had not expected Mingye to set his sights even on the Hozuki Clan, with whom he had dealings. Then he gave a bitter smile. "The Hozuki Clan isn't so easy to shake, Mingye! As for the Kaguya Clan, they seem to lack much sense. Their Kekkei Genkai is certainly unique, but their ambitions far exceed their actual strength! The Yuki Clan... that clan is rather special, but they're still a decent choice. Are you sure you can recruit all three great clans!?"
The issue with the Hozuki Clan was actually something that subordinate ninja had just reminded him of. The behavior and conduct of a genius like Hozuki Gengetsu would definitely leave many within the clan dissatisfied. Once Hozuki Gengetsu rose to power, those who had opposed him would surely suffer his frenzied retaliation. What Mingye needed to do now was speed up that process—speed it up until, before he left, some people would fear Hozuki Gengetsu enough to follow him instead!
"Where there are people, there will be conflict. Internal clan struggles are even more countless. Right now, I'm playing a guessing game with Hozuki Gengetsu, but my opponent is far more than just Hozuki Gengetsu alone!"
When Mingye mentioned Hozuki Gengetsu's name, Izuna frowned slightly. The name seemed familiar, but he could not recall where he had heard it.
"Hozuki Gengetsu... I feel like I've heard that name before!"
Mingye was puzzled. Izuna should not have known about Hozuki