Hozuki

Kato Osamu seemed to have never thought about a certain question, or even if she hadn't never thought about it, she seemed to have never cared about it much.

Just how many ninjas are there in this Shinobi World?

Ninjas, samurai, immortals, or any other term with a different name—this group of people with extraordinary powers never produces anything of value, even though they are important.

In terms of the resources occupied by the "extraordinary" group alone, it would take at least several dozen times more producers to roughly achieve a balance between income and expenditure. Not to mention the special resources required by the "extraordinary" group, even just to simply support the daily needs of these non-productive people, the number of ordinary people needed would be far greater than that of this special group.

Those who truly yearn for peace are often ordinary people, but history is never something they can control.

The Land of Water is located by the sea, but when people in the Shinobi World mention the Land of Water, they don't usually think of the ordinary people who have lived there for countless generations, and they probably don't consider the fishing industry, on which they depend for survival, to be anything too important.

No matter what, how can it compare to the fierce Shinobi World War?

"Entering the Land of Water is not difficult..."

"The difficulty lies in not letting the Mist Shinobi discover my identity..."

Standing on the shore of the Land of Water, it was already late at night, but the sound of the surging waves seemed to drown out all other sounds as if it would never cease.

Let's go...

"Don't forget who we are now..."

Dressed as a businessman, Kato Osamu seemed to have a change in his demeanor, which made the three little devils behind him look at him with a strange light.

"I've sealed your Chakra aura with Sealing Jutsu. Unless you make the first move, there's a high probability no one in Kirigakure will be able to see through your ninja identities..."

Uzuki Yugao Itachi Uchiha, dressed as a maid, felt somewhat unaccustomed to it, but seeing Iruka and Uchiha Itachi dressed as servants, she found it strangely amusing.

"Teacher Xu... we..."

Kato Osamu turned around, frowning slightly as he looked at the three of them. Although they had taken similar infiltration courses at the Ninja Academy, this was the first time the three of them had done something like this, and they seemed rather clumsy. Even without the aura of Chakra around them, they still didn't seem like ordinary people who revered ninjas.

"Fine... From today onwards, the three of you are not allowed to speak when outsiders are present..."

Uzuki Yugao, who wanted to say something more, looked at Kato Osamu's completely unfamiliar, somewhat gloomy, thirty-something-year-old face, her Adam's apple bobbing, and dared not utter another word.

It is not uncommon for countries to send spies and secret agents to each other. Every day, spies are exposed, and new spies enter towns every day. Wherever there is a flow of people, such a mixed bag is inevitable.

No matter which country or who is in power, this kind of thing can never be avoided.

Orochimaru's prepared identity is one of the fruits of Konoha's years of espionage work. Every country has a true identity like this that can withstand any investigation, but there are very few of them.

As long as his identity is not questionable, the few servants who look like teenagers around him will not attract anyone's attention.

Kato Osamu took out the scroll again, looked at its contents, frowned slightly, and suddenly a ghostly blue flame appeared in his hand. The scroll turned to ashes and disappeared on the beach.

"I wonder what kind of intelligence could warrant such a large-scale mobilization..."

With their destination in sight, Kato Osamu didn't linger and led the three of them toward Kirigakure.

When will the sea lanes reopen...?

"If this lockdown isn't lifted soon, my cargo of seafood will probably rot in my hands..."

"I heard that something big has happened in Kirigakure recently, which is why they've blocked the entire maritime trade route. I have a relative who's Jonin of a Kirigakure, and I heard this won't be short-lived..."

"Oh no! What am I going to do? These ships' cargo have tied up most of my life savings!"

The strange political system in the Shinobi World, where the daimyo controls the finances and the ninja villages control the military, seems to have become a kind of rule.

Both sides have a high degree of autonomy. Rather than saying that the daimyo is the ruler of a country, it is more accurate to say that the ninja village and the daimyo cooperate to jointly control the land under their rule.

A stable regime requires both military and financial resources; even with a divide-and-rule policy, there must be only one voice. If either side gains dominance, it will inevitably lead to disaster.

The wealthy merchants of the Land of Water have no interest in the internal affairs of Kirigakure. Although they fear the ninjas' strength, none of these people who stand out among ordinary people are easy to deal with.

Shipping is one of the most important economic pillars of this island Land of Water.

"Let's join forces and confront the daimyo! By blocking maritime transport in this way, the Land of Water will surely suffer a devastating blow!"

The prosperous capital of the Land of Water concentrates more than half of the country's wealth. Even though it is a small country with a small population, it is still far superior to ordinary places.

In a secluded room of a restaurant in the east of the city, numerous wealthy merchants were engaged in a heated discussion.

"So what? Is the Daimyo really capable of ruling Mist Shinobi?"

Kato Osamu spent nearly half a month in the capital of Mist Shinobi, gaining a general understanding of the major powers in Mist Shinobi. The major bloodline families remained the largest forces in Kirigakure.

However, in Kirigakure, Kato Osamu seemed to see a shadow of Konoha.

Hearing the indignant conversation of a group of Mist Shinobi, Kato Osamu seemed to realize something and slowly stood up.

"Does anyone have Terumi, Hozuki, or Kaguya?"

As soon as Kato Osamu finished speaking, everyone's eyes were focused on his face. They seemed to be trying to remember who this person was. He seemed somewhat familiar, and they knew that he was a real person, but they couldn't recall any more detailed information about him.

But his words made everyone's eyes well up with tears, pondering the meaning behind them.

"Although my Autumn Water Trading Company has many business dealings with the Terumi Family, we have never been able to establish a close relationship with their core members, nor do we know their attitude towards this blockade policy..."

"However, I imagine there isn't much support. You all have many connections with Kirigakure, so you should know some core information. How about we exchange some?"

"Autumn Water Trading Company?"

The people present seemed to be recalling something, and after a while, they suddenly realized what this little-known trading company was all about. Although they didn't say anything, their eyes showed a hint of disdain, as if to say, "What kind of person do you think you are to have the nerve to attend such a high-level gathering?"

However, since everyone present was invited by acquaintances, and merchants wouldn't want to offend anyone, there was only an awkward silence and no one said much.

Kato Osamu wasn't in a hurry. He simply took a sip of tea and said nothing more. He had already achieved his goal. As long as he could divert these people's attention to the inside of Mist Shinobi, he would be able to obtain more information to facilitate his next move.

Upon entering the Mist Shinobi, it's best not to arouse Mist Shinobi suspicion before obtaining that secret technique.

"The Hōzuki Clan... I hope they won't disappoint me..."