Day by day, Feng studied the Fireball Jutsu that had been mocked as the Card Release—Dog Awkward Cry Technique, gradually improving 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 legacy to the Tea Country. Along with it came several corpses and a polite apology.
Mitokado Homura: "These were the people who secretly investigated the Tea Country's Daimyo Palace. Konoha deeply regrets this.
"We have executed them to apologize to the Tea Country's Lord Daimyo, and we hope the Tea Country will not pursue the matter further.
"We also hope you will issue a statement to the ninja world declaring that Konoha has absolutely no designs on the Tea Country's Lord Daimyo."
Feng discreetly inspected the matter and discovered that not only had every corpse's brain been crushed, but each one also bore the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
Judging by their extremely young appearances, they were clearly all scapegoats selected from Root's reserve ranks.
And Shimura Danzō had not even 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 affairs—and was truly ruthless.
Of course, when it came to outsiders, he was truly cowardly as well.
"Lord Daimyo, Grand General, while delivering these things, Konoha has already issued a statement to the Ninja World.
"The people who investigated the Daimyo Palace were all spies from other nations embedded in Konoha. They deliberately committed these wrongs in order to bring disaster upon Konoha.
"Konoha has now eliminated all the spies. From now on, no one will dare harm Lord Daimyo again.
"They hope that our Tea Country will cooperate by issuing a statement as well, should we be willing to do so.
"As thanks, Konoha will also present us with the notes left behind by Great Swordsman Jūbei from a hundred years ago.
"What do you think the Tea Country should do...?"
Grand Minister Shimizu Takeyasu stood respectfully before Uchiha Feng and the daimyo, reporting in detail the final result of his negotiations with Mitokado Homura of Konoha and asking Feng to make the decision.
There was nothing material involved here. It was all about attitude.
And this was already the best possible outcome.
After all, the daimyos of the various countries did not dare pressure Konoha too hard over this matter.
They merely wanted to strangle and extinguish any thoughts harmful to the daimyos before such thoughts could arise. They did not truly intend to force Konoha into rebellion.
If Konoha, the strongest shinobi village in the Ninja World, truly rebelled, some reckless shinobi might accidentally take out a daimyo.
That would pierce the sacred status the daimyos had promoted for thousands of years.
Therefore, now that Konoha had shown the Tea Country sufficient respect and suppressed the red line in the hearts of the daimyos of every country, the Allied Shinobi Forces could no longer continue gathering.
If the Tea Country still tried to push its luck, no one knew whether Konoha would do anything.
But the Tea Country's big brother, the Land of Fire, would definitely intervene.
And then, heh, such a tiny Tea Country...
"Fine. Go draft a statement.
"Write it according to Konoha's wishes, then bring it here for sealing and deliver it to Konoha's people.
"Tell them this matter ends here. From now on, everything will return to normal."
Feng gave his final decision in response to 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 are worthy of being Grand Minister. You did not let the Tea Country suffer a loss when facing 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.
"Though you were left aside these past days, you never missed a council meeting. You should know that I am not someone who likes flattery and empty formalities.
"Now, you have used your actions to show your attitude, so naturally I will not be stingy.
"Once Konoha's people have been sent off, come find me again. A dignified Grand Minister cannot sit idle without work."
"Grand General, please give your orders. I will certainly carry them out with all my heart and strength."
Upon hearing this, the Grand Minister immediately knelt to demonstrate his stance.
Officials were not afraid of having work to do. What they feared was having nothing to do.
After all, if no one needed you for anything, why would they keep you? If a person was useless, there was naturally no need for him to remain an official.
To the Grand Minister, the Grand General saying that he could not remain idle meant there was work for him to do.
And being able to handle matters for the Grand General meant he would no longer be considered an outsider.
He would be able to return from being a neglected fringe figure to the center of power.
For a Grand Minister who had spent his whole life fighting for power, this was a tremendous blessing.
Naturally, he knelt down in overwhelming gratitude.
Feng said nothing to this.
An old fox like the Grand Minister, unless his life was at stake, was acting whenever he displayed any great emotion.
The spectacle of the entire Ninja World joining forces to beat down Konoha had barely begun with great fanfare before it swiftly ended in a hasty anticlimax.
The governments of the various countries said nothing about it.
After all, they had already achieved their purpose.
But every shinobi village other than Konoha hated the Tea Country to the core.
Such a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to destroy the strongest and wealthiest shinobi village in the Ninja World had simply vanished like this?!
If they had waited just a few more days, the Hidden Leaf Village's fertile lands, beautiful girls, abundant ninjutsu, and numerous shinobi clans would have been shared by everyone.
Yet the Tea Country had received an apology and two swordsmanship legacies, and that opportunity had disappeared.
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.
After all, destroying the Tea Country would not be difficult.
But if doing so enraged the daimyos of every country, as Konoha had done, and led to them being besieged as well, the loss would outweigh the gain.
As for the Tea Country now being hated by all the shinobi villages, 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 cease to exist anyway. Why should he care too much about them?
What interested him more now were the White Fang swordsmanship legacy Konoha had sent and the notes of Great Swordsman Jūbei from a hundred years ago.
White Fang Swordsmanship was a short-blade art.
After studying it carefully for several days, Feng copied out the portions concerning how to draw the blade faster, more accurately, and with greater sharpness.
He planned to learn them and later incorporate them into his own swordsmanship system.
As for the rest of the swordsmanship, he abandoned it.
However, though he did not learn it himself, he did not hide the White Fang Swordsmanship legacy 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 went for Great Swordsman Jūbei's notes.
They 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 wield a sword one-handed and strike faster.
Under such circumstances, the samurai, whose strength and loyalty had already greatly increased due to Feng's reforms, centralized indoctrination and training, and instruction from famous teachers—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 would strike wherever he pointed.
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