Two Swordsmanship Inheritances in Exchange for a Statement

The days passed as Feng gradually studied the Fireball Jutsu, which had been mocked as Card Release—Dog Awkward Cry Technique—and improved it into the Blazing Fireball Technique.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not disappoint Feng. Within a few days, Konoha sent the White Fang of Konoha's swordsmanship inheritance to the Tea Country. Along with it came several corpses and a very polite apology.

Mitokado Homura: These were the people who had privately investigated the Tea Country's Daimyo Palace. Konoha deeply apologizes for this. We have executed them to atone to the Tea Country's Lord Daimyo and hope that the Tea Country will not pursue the matter further. We also hope you will issue a statement to the ninja world that Konoha has absolutely no designs on the Tea Country's Lord Daimyo.

Feng secretly examined them and discovered that not only had all the corpses' brains been shattered, but they also bore the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.

Combined with their extremely young appearances, they were clearly all scapegoats picked from Root's reserve forces.

And yet Shimura Danzō had not exploded over this. No matter how much Feng looked down on Hiruzen Sarutobi, he had to admit that Hiruzen truly had methods when dealing with internal matters—and was truly ruthless. Of course, when dealing with outsiders, he was also truly cowardly.

"Lord Daimyo, General, Konoha issued a statement to the Ninja World at the same time they delivered these things.

"The people who investigated the Daimyo Palace were all spies from other countries who had infiltrated Konoha. They deliberately committed these wrongs in order to bring disaster upon Konoha.

"Now that Konoha has eliminated all the spies, no one will dare harm Lord Daimyo again.

"They hope that the Tea Country can cooperate by issuing a statement as well, if we are willing.

"To show their gratitude, Konoha will also give us the notes left behind by Great Swordsman Jūbei from a hundred years ago.

"What do you think, Tea Country...?"

Grand Minister Shimizu Takeyasu stood respectfully before Uchiha Feng and the Daimyo, reporting the final results of his discussions with Mitokado Homura one by one before asking Feng to make the decision.

There was not a single material concession involved. It was all about attitude.

And this was already the best possible outcome.

After all, the daimyo of the various countries did not dare press Konoha too hard over this matter. They merely wanted to strangle and stamp out any thoughts harmful to the daimyo, not truly force Konoha into rebellion.

If Konoha, the Ninja World's largest shinobi village, really rebelled, some reckless shinobi might accidentally kill a daimyo. That would puncture the sacred status the daimyo had promoted for thousands of years.

Therefore, now that Konoha had given the Tea Country face and pushed down the red line in the hearts of the various countries' daimyo, the Allied Shinobi Forces could no longer continue gathering.

If the Tea Country tried to push its luck any further, no one knew whether Konoha would do anything, but the Tea Country's big brother, the Land of Fire, would certainly intervene.

And by then, heh, such a tiny Tea Country...

"Fine. Go draft a statement according to Konoha's wishes. Bring it to me for a seal once it is finished, then have it delivered to Konoha's people.

"Tell them this matter ends here. From now on, things will return to how they were."

Feng gave his final decision after hearing the Grand Minister's report.

"Yes, sir. I will immediately inform Konoha's people of the Tea Country's decision."

The Grand Minister respectfully accepted the order.

"Mm, you handled this matter well. You truly deserve to be Grand Minister. You did not let the Tea Country suffer any losses when dealing with Konoha."

"Thank—"

Faced with the praise, the Grand Minister hurriedly tried to nod and offer his thanks, but Feng immediately cut him off.

"There is no need for so much ceremony. Although you were sidelined these past few days, you never missed a court meeting. You should know that I am not the sort of person who enjoys flattery or tedious formalities.

"Now, you have used your actions to show your attitude, so naturally I am not a petty man.

"Once Konoha's people have been sent off, come find me again. A dignified Grand Minister cannot sit around with nothing to do."

"General, please give your orders. I will certainly handle them with all my heart and strength."

Upon hearing this, the Grand Minister immediately knelt to declare his stance.

Officials were not afraid of having work to do. They feared having nothing to do. After all, if no one needed you for anything, why would they keep you around? If a person was useless, there was naturally no need for him to remain an official.

To the Grand Minister, the General saying he could not remain idle meant there was work for him to do.

And if he could help the General handle affairs, then he would no longer be considered an outsider. He could return from being an ignored marginal figure to the center of power.

For a Grand Minister who had struggled for power his entire life, this was an excellent thing. Naturally, he knelt down in tearful gratitude.

Feng said nothing to this. An old fox like the Grand Minister only displayed intense emotions when life and death were involved. Otherwise, it was all an act.

The grand spectacle of the entire Ninja World ganging up on Konoha had barely begun before it hastily ended.

The various countries' governments said nothing, since they had already achieved their goal.

But every shinobi village other than Konoha hated the Tea Country to the bone.

Such a once-in-a-millennium opportunity to eliminate the Ninja World's strongest and richest shinobi village had simply vanished like that?!

If they had only waited a few more days, the Hidden Leaf Village's fertile lands, beautiful women, abundant ninjutsu, and numerous shinobi clans would have been there for everyone to share.

Yet the Tea Country had accepted an apology and two swordsmanship inheritances, allowing that opportunity to disappear. The various shinobi villages practically wanted to wipe out the Tea Country.

But they only dared think about it. They did not dare truly act.

Destroying the Tea Country would not be difficult, but if doing so enraged the daimyo of the various countries as Konoha had and brought a joint assault upon themselves, the losses would outweigh the gains.

As for the Tea Country now being hated by every shinobi village, Uchiha Feng, its true ruler, was neither surprised nor concerned.

They were merely shinobi villages. If all his future plans could be realized, they would all cease to exist anyway. Why should he care so much?

What interested him more now were the White Fang Swordsmanship inheritance Konoha had sent and Great Swordsman Jūbei's notes from a hundred years ago.

White Fang Swordsmanship was short-sword swordsmanship. After carefully studying it for several days, Feng copied down the portions on how to draw a blade faster, more accurately, and more sharply. He planned to learn them and incorporate them into his own swordsmanship system.

As for the other aspects of this swordsmanship, he abandoned them.

However, although he did not learn it himself, he did not hide the White Fang Swordsmanship inheritance away.

Instead, he renamed it Advanced Short Swordsmanship and placed it in the Daimyo Palace's samurai training grounds for all samurai to study.

The same was done with Great Swordsman Jūbei's notes, which were renamed Sword Saint's Long-and-Short Dual-Wielding Swordsmanship and made available for the samurai to study.

Feng himself only absorbed and learned the essential parts concerning how to strike faster while wielding a sword one-handed.

Under such circumstances, the samurai, who had already greatly improved in strength and loyalty due to Feng's reforms, centralized indoctrination and training, and instruction from a renowned teacher—the Impure World Reincarnation samurai instructor from the Iron Country—grew even stronger and more loyal.

Feng believed that before long, these men would become loyal warriors who struck wherever he pointed.