Great Clan

Green glazed tiles, white jade round pillars, carved iron bars on windows, and chicken-fat yellow inlaid frames.

In the elegant attic, a long, glossy black and white velvet carpet covered the floor. Today, the Mist Shinobi, carrying a hint of moisture, caused a light drizzle to fall.

Although much time had passed, the rain continued to pour down, soaking the dust and mud. The clouds and rain drifted by, and all was quiet except for the young girl hunched over her desk, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

"Sir, is there anything unusual?"

Throughout the entire day, Mei Terumi carefully examined the scroll in her hand without ever looking up, which made Ao's eyes filled with doubt.

Ever since the news of Misaka Kurasuke's departure from Kirigakure came yesterday, Mei Terumi seemed to have discovered something, and she gathered all the information about Autumn Water Trading Company and Misaka Kurasuke, studying it word by word.

"For now... nothing has been found..."

Mei Terumi raised her head slightly to look at Ao, her brows still furrowed. Misaka Kurasuke gave her a somewhat strange feeling. Although it wasn't very obvious, she always felt that he was different from the family businessmen she had encountered before.

"What exactly is wrong?"

As she pondered this, a hint of confusion appeared in Mei Terumi's eyes.

"A coincidence... The Fourth Hokage left the village not long after issuing the secret order..."

"Although he was just an ordinary person, he was... he was..."

"Too calm?"

Qing was also deep in thought. Although he didn't have any ill feelings towards the spokesperson of this large trading company, he didn't have any good feelings either.

"Not necessarily. I've seen many nobles in Kyoto, and I've met some who are completely unfazed..."

He was just recalling Kato Osamu's expression, muttering to himself, when suddenly he seemed to realize something, and his eyes gradually brightened.

"No... that's not composure, that's an attitude of being without desire or wants, even fearless!"

"Qing! Think about it carefully. This person came because of the blockade of the shipping lanes, but he doesn't seem to be in a hurry at all. I can tell that even though he came to visit, he doesn't seem to care about this matter at all..."

"Moreover, he couldn't possibly be unaware of the Terumi Family's influence in Mist Shinobi. Where does this sense of impunity come from?"

Mei Terumi couldn't understand how an ordinary person could have such an attitude. If he wasn't an idiot, then they were the ones who were the idiots.

"This person... is suspicious!"

The last vestige of doubt in her eyes seemed to vanish completely after she thought of something, and there was no more hesitation in her gaze.

"I remember that the clan's records documented some events, including the now-vanished Land of Whirlpools..."

"You mean... Sealing Jutsu? You used Sealing Jutsu to suppress the fluctuations of Chakra?"

"It seems possible... but I've never heard of such Sealing Formula before..."

"A day and a night have passed; if so, this person has probably already left the village area..."

"The news of the troop deployment must have been leaked!"

Ao wanted to say something more, but upon hearing Mei Terumi's words, he couldn't help but look into the girl's certain eyes. He seemed to realize something and remained silent for a long time.

"If this is indeed the case, I'm afraid we'll need to inform Lord Xiong for a decision..."

Mei Terumi got up and walked straight toward the main entrance, seemingly ignoring Ao's words. However, before she could take two steps, Ao blocked her way.

"Are you going to stop me?"

"Do you know how much damage it would cause to the village if the news leaked?"

With her Mei Terumi's gaze held a hint of anger as she stared directly into Ao's eyes.

"Sir, we cannot be certain whether this is truly the case..."

"Hmph, even if there's the slightest chance, we can't take such a risk!"

"Those sent to the front lines this time are all the elite troops of Mist Shinobi; there can be no mistakes!"

"But... what if we're wrong? Changing the Fourth Hokage's battle plan without any evidence, and even in the eyes of outsiders, he's been using the family's name all along."

"The fourth generation will definitely use this as a pretext to turn the tables on the family!"

"Whether it's true or not, the family will become the target of everyone's criticism!"

Qing stood at the entrance of the attic, like an iron statue. No matter how Mei Terumi's expression changed, he kept his head down and refused to move an inch.

"Green..."

Mei Terumi remained silent, her emotions gradually calming down. She seemed to be caught in a dilemma, her brows furrowed, her hands clenching and unclenching, before she couldn't help but punch the wall.

"Damn it! Go report this to Elder Xiong..."

"Yes!"

"One of the means of governance is to divide and conquer. If this step is not taken, there will always be a variety of voices under one voice, some good and some bad, but each with its own purpose."

"By breaking up large clans into countless smaller families, whether peacefully or violently, even after just one generation, they will lose their cohesion and will no longer be able to generate the power to overturn an entire era..."

"The Second Hokage — Tobirama Senju..."

"It's a pity the First died too young..."

Kato Osamu had never felt the influence of family power in a village so clearly, especially among the top families.

In Konoha, he was merely a low-ranking person, never having the opportunity to access the core secrets of any major clan.

But now, standing in the Hozuki Clan's secret chamber, browsing through scrolls of intelligence concerning the entire Shinobi World, he finally understood for the first time just how a top-tier powerful clan truly existed within a ninja village.

"The Land of Water, Kirigakure), not the Kirigakure of the Mist Shinobi Village, but the Kirigakure of the three great clans..."

"So this is how the policies Blood Mist came about..."

"Law—the embodiment of the ruling class's will. The Blood Mist is nothing more than a product of the struggles between successive Mizukage and powerful clans..."

"Fortunately, this is a world with strong individuals..."

In the dimly lit secret room, Kato Osamu lurked in the darkness, a ghostly blue light flickering. The bright, fiery light reflected in his eyes, and his thoughts seemed to undergo a subtle, unpredictable change. A sense of enlightenment gradually entered his mind amidst the information and scrolls.

Although they may have been influenced by what they saw and heard in their previous life, it was all just theoretical knowledge. Without someone to teach them step by step, no matter how much a person from the bottom knows, they will always remain at the bottom.

Now, one thing after another, the causes and consequences, the thoughts and considerations, all are laid bare before him. A sudden enlightenment gradually merges with the profound truths in his memory, confirming them one by one.

"Even without finding the secret scroll of the Hydrification Jutsu, this harvest is already more than enough..."

Secret techniques are generally unique. Techniques like Spirit Transformation Technique, Shadow Stitching Technique, and Expansion Jutsu are difficult for even outsiders to master. However, if such techniques fall into the hands of an enemy, they will expose one's weaknesses to the enemy's gaze.

Knowing that he wouldn't get the complete scroll so easily, Kato Osamu stopped wasting his time and quietly picked up the rest of the scrolls to quickly browse through them.

"In that case... it's rather difficult to make a move..."

He chuckled softly, ceasing his thoughts on those useless matters, and focused entirely on the scroll in his hands.

Outside the secret room, the entire Hōzuki Clan was eerily quiet; though countless lights shone, not a single person was in sight...