"Lord!" x2
Before long, the Left Minister, Sada Hidemasa, who had been the first to pledge loyalty to Feng, arrived together with the Grand Minister, Shimizu Takeshi, who had recently shamelessly declared his loyalty to Feng of his own accord.
"Mm, sit. Let's talk."
Feng, who had been deep in thought, replied calmly.
After the two sat down across from him, Feng organized his thoughts before continuing.
"Shimizu Takeshi, you should have some connections in Sea Country, right?"
"Uh, in reply to my lord, I have a few business acquaintances."
Grand Minister Shimizu Takeshi was briefly stunned, but he promptly answered honestly.
He was indeed an old hand in officialdom, but precisely because of that, he understood even better that loyalty in politics was never absolute—and absolute loyalty did not exist.
"Mm. Starting now, have your friends in Sea Country keep an eye on when Kirigakure in the neighboring Land of Water might revive the Bloody Mist Village policy."
"The Bloody Mist Village? I heard that the newly appointed Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure had already abolished that bloody policy. Could it be... my lord thinks they'll do it again?!"
Shimizu Takeshi did not understand. Kirigakure's Bloody Mist Village was infamous throughout the Ninja World. That idiotic policy had finally been abolished, yet there would still be fools who wanted to bring it back?
Did Kirigakure want to disband itself?
"You don't need to concern yourself with that. Just arrange for people to watch them. The moment Kirigakure revives the Bloody Mist Village policy, return and report it."
Naturally, Feng had no intention of explaining.
Was he supposed to say that Kirigakure's newly appointed Mizukage would soon be placed under genjutsu and turned into a puppet, while the person secretly controlling the new Mizukage harbored a deep hatred for Kirigakure?
If he said that, people would likely also guess the truth about how Feng had controlled Tea Country's former daimyo.
He was not stupid enough to expose his own secrets.
"Hidemasa, I have two matters for you to handle."
Ignoring Shimizu Takeshi's confusion, Feng turned to Sada Hidemasa.
"Please give your orders, my lord."
Sada Hidemasa lowered his head and waited for Feng's command.
"The first matter is to post a job at the Underground Marketplace. Find the whereabouts of a large flying ninja beast or wild beast.
"There are no requirements for its strength or appearance. As long as they can provide an accurate location, that will do."
Feng paused, allowing Sada Hidemasa to fully understand.
After sorting through his own abilities, Feng had discovered a minor flaw: he lacked consistent aerial mobility.
Susanoo could fly, but using it for everyday flight consumed chakra and drew far too much attention, making it unsuitable for lying low.
Earth Release: Ultra-Light-Weight Rock Technique could also fly, but it was too difficult. He had not learned it yet, and even the day he did seemed far away.
Therefore, he first needed to find a summoning beast that could carry people through the air in daily life.
"The second matter is to secretly search for a country that has already perished: the Land of Neck.
"This is troublesome, because I'm not even certain whether the Land of Neck ever existed.
"Therefore, Hidemasa, you must be prepared for a long search that may ultimately yield nothing.
"But if you find it, the reward will certainly not disappoint you."
Feng gave his second instruction.
The Land of Neck was a country that had appeared only in the original anime and had never appeared in the manga.
Therefore, Feng did not know whether this Naruto world he had transmigrated into had ever contained such a country.
However, Feng was extremely interested in the summoning beast of Kubisaki Gōza, the last daimyo of the Land of Neck, from the anime.
It was not because he liked that chameleon summoning beast's appearance or strength. He had Susanoo and did not care about such things.
What interested him was the chameleon's ability to transform into a castle.
Not only could it become a castle, but the transformed castle could be used like an ordinary one. Switching back and forth between chameleon and castle did not affect the castle's normal use either.
That ability looked useless at first glance, but on further consideration, it was utterly outrageous.
In the original anime, over several decades, everything needed for human life inside the castle the chameleon had transformed into remained clean, orderly, and completely intact.
Think of it another way: a luxurious castle equipped with fully automated housekeeping functions, able to move freely and be placed anywhere, while remaining exceptionally safe.
Wasn't that tempting? Wouldn't anyone want it? Feng certainly did.
Moreover, Feng had another extremely important use in mind for that chameleon.
"Please rest assured, my lord. I will handle both matters properly."
Sada Hidemasa nodded respectfully and readily accepted Feng's orders.
As Feng fully took control of Tea Country, more and more people pledged loyalty to him, and quite a few of them were no less capable than Hidemasa.
Even though he knew that his current position in Feng's heart was the highest,
a ruler's thoughts were difficult to fathom. He still desperately wanted to distinguish himself more, lest others take his high position in his lord's heart.
"Mm. I trust you to handle things. Go get busy."
Feng patted Sada Hidemasa on the shoulder, his words carrying encouragement and trust.
This was a method of manipulating subordinates that he had seen in short videos in his previous life, and now happened to be a good time to try it.
After watching Grand Minister Shimizu Takeshi and Sada Hidemasa leave, Feng himself continued training.
In a world with supernatural power, strength was far more important than authority or status. The Ninja World was naturally no exception. Once one's strength reached a certain level, everything else would follow.
After another day of arduous training, Feng put away his sword and was about to sit down for a rest.
"Watch out!! An enemy!!"
Inside Feng's mental space, the Nine-Tails suddenly cried out in warning.
After several months together, the fox and the man had developed a fairly good relationship. Hearing this, Feng almost immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to leave his original position.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
In the instant after Feng left, three thick branches burst from the ground, attempting to bind something.
It was Wood Release: Silent Killing Bind Technique!
However, having lost Feng as its target, the branches of the Silent Killing Bind Technique spun twice on the spot to no avail before returning underground and vanishing.
As the branches disappeared, a figure slowly rose from the ground.
White Zetsu!
Feng recognized the figure at a glance, and his heart jolted.
Encountering White Zetsu at this time was no good thing. Moreover, the current situation made it obvious that the other party had come specifically for him.
That meant he had most likely been exposed. The only question was how much had been exposed.
What should he do?
Once White Zetsu had set his sights on him, with its ability to merge its body with earth or plants and travel freely through them, Feng would not be able to keep hiding even if he wanted to.
Either kill him instantly! Or fool him?
Information about White Zetsu flashed through Feng's mind, and he almost instantly recalled what he knew about the other party.
But then he remembered that White Zetsu seemed rather unintelligent. His eyes immediately lit up as an idea formed.
"Hey, White Zetsu, why are you in such a hurry to attack?
"We have no grudge against each other. How about we talk first?"
Feng intended to fool him and see whether he could pry some intelligence out of White Zetsu before deciding whether to kill him.
As for whether he could kill him, Feng had never even considered that question.
With the Flying Thunder God and Susanoo he had gained through cheating, paired with the Nine-Tails as a living battery,
as long as Obito and Black Zetsu did not come in person, even if a hundred thousand White Zetsu did not flee, the question would be whether there were enough to kill—not whether they could be killed.
Before you continue