The Daimyo's Envoy, Bought and Paid For
Returning to the present, the Land of Crafts and the Land of Lightning are separated by a sea, which means that the Kumogakure's army cannot travel quickly.
It was the next day Fourth Raikage A, and his men caught up with Darui and the others who had gone ahead, and were finally almost at the Land of Crafts.
Meanwhile, on the shore, Feng and his men had been waiting for quite some time. Beside Feng stood several ordinary people dressed in fine clothes, with arrogant expressions on their faces.
But these ordinary people, who didn't even have Chakra, looked at Feng with disdain and contempt, whether they were looking at the more than two thousand ninjas behind him or the army of Kumogakure ninjas that the Raikage was bringing ashore.
But Feng not only failed to eliminate them, he also arranged for several people to serve them tea and water, constantly flattering and fawning over them.
Well, the one who flattered the loudest and most eloquently was Takayanagi Haruki, who had just been appointed as the Land of Water yesterday.
As Jonin of Merchant Ninja Village, he might be at the bottom in terms of strength, but what about his eloquence?
Ha, a merchant-ninja, a merchant-ninja, merchant-ninja, merchant first, ninja second. When it comes to talking, this merchant-ninja, a Murakami Jonin, and cowardly Takayanagi Haruki, could point at everyone under Feng's command and say: They're all trash!!
Of course, this situation would naturally displease some people, such as the proud Uchiha and Kaguya clan ninjas, who were so angry that they gritted their teeth and itched with hatred.
If it weren't for Feng keeping them in check, they probably would have already taken action and killed these 'clowns' in their eyes.
After all, they were just a few nobles and high-ranking officials. Uchiha and Kaguya, who had been under Feng's command for more than two years, had killed countless people in the Sea Country and the Land of Water.
They've long lost their romanticized view and awe of the nobility; now they trust what Feng tells them more:
"Political power grows from Chakra!" "Dignity resides only on the edge of the sword, truth lies only within the range of Ninjutsu!"
Identity? Status? Let's talk about whether he can withstand a Ninjutsu first.
The Uchiha and Kaguya clans have always believed in the supremacy of the strong and that whoever is stronger is right. After being educated by Feng and broadening their horizons, they immediately regarded Feng's golden words as the golden rule and kept them in mind.
Therefore, the nobles and high-ranking officials in the Land of Lightning, just like the traditional Ninja World, still treated these ninjas as tools, looking at them with disdain.
Uchiha and Kaguya also regarded this group of nobles who had no strength but occupied high positions as ants.
"Lord Raikage, something seems amiss!"
Look at the people next to the leader from Hidden Mist Village; they seem to be high-ranking officials from our Land of Lightning.
I've seen him at the Daimyo Palace before."
On the ship, Samui, a ninja from Kumogakure, was the first to notice that something was amiss with the atmosphere on the shore from Hidden Mist Village.
That didn't look like they were about to face a major battle; it looked more like... anticipation? Or watching a show...?
But that's completely unreasonable and makes no sense.
This left Samui, who always considered himself intelligent and calm, completely bewildered and unable to understand it.
"Hmph! Who cares if he's right or wrong, get the boat alongside and start the fight first."
But the Fourth Raikage A, didn't care about all that; he just wanted to charge in.
"Bang!"
As they were talking, the Kumogakure fleet had already docked. Without waiting for the ship to come to a complete stop, Ai jumped ashore and charged ahead of the Kirigakure army.
They didn't take the two thousand-plus Kirigakure Ninja on the other side seriously at all.
"Hehe, Your Excellency, thank you for your trouble."
Facing Raikage charging at him alone, Feng smiled.
Then, with a cheerful smile, he led his group back a few steps, highlighting the few arrogant ordinary people beside him in front.
This was an envoy from the Land of Lightning whom he had urgently summoned after spending over a billion ryo, and would have to pay the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning five hundred million ryo annually, plus three rare treasures.
The envoys still have the millions he sewed on them, so they are definitely on Feng's side.
He wanted to see what the Kumogakure would do.
To attack the daimyo's envoy?
Hehe, then Kumogakure will be branded as disrespectful to the emperor. If Feng makes a move, they might also be labeled as being on Feng's side.
Not taking action? That's perfect, just in line with Feng's plan.
"Raikage A, stop!"
I am a special envoy dispatched by the Lord Daimyo, here to mediate the dispute between your Kumogakure and Kirigakure by imperial decree.
This is an official imperial edict; please receive it.
The leader of the messengers saw the approaching Raikage and immediately stepped aside to block his path.
However, when facing the Raikage, he didn't exhibit the arrogance and disdain he usually displays towards other ninjas.
After all, the person in front of him was not only the Kage of Kumogakure, but also a member of his own clan's daimyo, and a notorious brute.
The envoy knew very well that if he carelessly displeased the other party, the other party might really beat him up!
But a member of the royal family who is also a notorious brute can be beaten for no reason, no matter how plausible the reason.
"Who are you?!
Forget it, whatever, get out of my way.
Ai, too lazy to listen to the messenger's nonsense, simply raised his hand and pushed the other person away.
If the other person didn't look familiar, the outstretched hand wouldn't have been used to push them away, but rather to deliver a Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop.
This is where the benefits of beacon tower coins become apparent.
The messenger staggered slightly from Ai's powerful push, but his other hand gripped Ai's hand tightly, preventing him from leaving.
The other envoys nearby quickly stepped forward, some holding hands, others pulling on arms.
They've already pocketed the millions in bribes for stopping Raikage, and if they successfully stop Raikage, Feng will receive an additional millions in bounty.
Without bribes, they might just go through the motions, but if they can gain tens of millions in benefits, they're willing to risk their lives to 'maintain' the authority of the daimyo.
Of course, the real reason these messengers were certain was that while the Fourth Raikage was a reckless man, he wasn't reckless enough to dare kill a daimyo's messenger in public.
"You!!!??
Let go of me!
Being dragged along by a group of people with ordinary strength but extraordinary backgrounds, Ai Youli dared not use force and could only angrily rebuke them.
"Lord Raikage, are you alright?"
"Gentlemen, please let go of our shadow. Let's get down to business. It's very unseemly for a group of men to be pulling and tugging in public."
While A was delayed, Darui, Samui, and other Kumogakure ninjas had already caught up with the main force.
"Then you must guarantee that your family's shadow won't take advantage of the situation to make a move."
"Okay, we promise."
"Yes, everyone, let's release Lord Raikage first."
The envoy and the few people from Kumogakure casually exchanged a few words, setting the tone for the scene: let's talk first!
"Lord Raikage, please take a look at the imperial edict first."
After releasing Raikage, the messenger once again handed the imperial edict to Ai.
"Give it to me, I'll read it to Lord Raikage."
Samui watched as his shadow clenched his fists, making a cracking sound, and remained motionless for a long time. He had no choice but to step forward and accept the decree for Ai.
Regardless of the circumstances, the Raikage is nominally still the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning. It's fine for everyone to talk about the Daimyo in private, but on the surface, they still have to act like subordinates.
"Imperial edict to Kumogakure."
I have recently heard that the Kirigakure of the Land of Water and the Kumogakure of my own country have developed a rift, and signs of war between them are already evident.
Both families are...
I have heard...,
Therefore, Kirigakure paid 100 million taels of silver to appease the people of Kumogakure...
So be it! [Date: Year X, Month X, Day X] in the Land of Lightning!
The edict was quite long, Samui read it for a long time.
But the core meaning boils down to three points:
First, the daimyo of both the Land of Crafts and the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water are already aware of the matter. The Daimyo of the Land of Water has publicly apologized to the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning and offered compensation.
Second, to prevent future conflicts between the Lightning and Water Kingdoms in the Land of Crafts, the daimyo of both kingdoms have decided that they will no longer station troops in the Land of Crafts. This means that from now on, neither the Kumogakure nor the Kirigakure will be allowed to have any ninja stationed in the Land of Crafts.
Second, regarding this conflict in the Land of Crafts, Kirigakure shall pay Kumogakure 100 million ryo and issue a public apology. Kumogakure shall not retaliate or launch any counterattacks, otherwise the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning will severely punish Kumogakure.