Land of Fire Capital City, Daimyō Mansion main hall.
Sandalwood curls around the beams, and gauze curtains hang low.
Dancing Girl, who was wearing twelve singles, twisted her waist at the side of the hall, and the sound of silk and bamboo was so soft that it was like soaking human bones.
Daimyō was leaning on the soft white fox fur couch, squinting at the top-secret booklet delivered to him on the desk.
There are only a few lines on the brochure: Konoha has completely stopped reporting on the whereabouts of military expenditures this quarter; a large number of unknown caravans left Konoha, and the flow of supplies was completely interrupted.
Daimyō pinched the green grapes with his fingertips and tightened suddenly.
With a "Puff" sound, the juice burst all over his hand, staining the luxurious cuffs.
"Don't report the ledger? Privately transfer the caravan?"
Daimyō's voice was not high, but the sound of the piano in the hall stopped abruptly.
Dancing Girl people knelt on the ground in fear, not even daring to breathe.
Bang!
Daimyō grabbed the mutton-fat white jade wine glass on his side and smashed it on the gold brick steps.
Land of Snow's tribute treasure exploded into dozens of pieces in an instant, and the wine splashed all over the floor.
"Arrogant! How brave!"
He kicked over the low table, causing the fruit plate and wine utensils to clink and scatter on the floor.
Daimyō sat upright suddenly, "Who gave Minato Namikaze the courage? He really regards Land of Fire as the private land of Uchiha and Sarutobi?"
The ministers crouched down deeply, shaking like chaff through a sieve, and did not dare to answer the question.
"Send the order!"
Daimyō stood up suddenly, the hem of the gorgeous twelve-layer dress dragged across the ground, his face as gloomy as water.
"Starting immediately, all military funding for Konoha this quarter will be cut off! Not even a tael of silver is allowed!"
"Notify the Ministry of Household Affairs that not even a single piece of rice or iron is allowed to flow into Konoha!"
The confidant's forehead was firmly pressed against the cold stone slab, his voice trembling.
"Daimyō Your Excellency, just the lack of food will probably drive them into panic."
"Minato Namikaze has a very high prestige in the village recently. If there is no money, those vulgar warriors will jump over the wall..."
"How dare they bite their master?"
Daimyō looked down at the lowered head and sneered.
"How can you raise a ninja? What can you buy Explosive Tag? Without my money bag, these mad dogs will have to beg for mercy in three days!"
He was pacing with his hands behind his hands, his tone full of the undisguised contempt of a person in a high position.
"Without the bones, the hounds will starve to death."
"Let them make trouble, and when Minato Namikaze crawls on his knees to beg for mercy, I will let all Konoha understand who is the master of this country!"
In the empty main hall, you can hear a needle drop.
Daimyō's violent chest heaving gradually subsided.
He stared at the broken jade on the ground, the arrogance on his face faded, and there was only a hint of stern and inward haze in his eyes.
In fact, everyone present - including Daimyō himself, knew this very well.
The rhetoric that "cutting off military spending will make Konoha beg for mercy" is nothing more than a fig leaf that can be broken at the first glance.
Konoha has now secretly amassed wealth comparable to that of National Treasury, and has long since achieved complete financial independence. How can he care about the "dry bones" that Daimyō Mansion gives away on a quarterly basis?
The confidant minister crouched on the gold brick, even breathing carefully.
In the entire hall, the monarch and his ministers are maintaining this pathetic window paper with a tacit understanding. No one is willing, let alone dares, to expose Daimyō Mansion's authority that is now in name only.
Daimyō then waved away, turned around and walked into the top-secret darkroom behind the main hall.
In the center of the darkroom stands a huge Chakra Water Mirror.
Daimyō raised his hand and pressed the switch, a faint blue light pulsed, and Water Mirror rippled.
Four completely different faces appeared in the four split mirrors.
Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki was floating in the air, with his arms folded across his chest, and his cloudy eyes were filled with gloom.
Fourth Raikage A Da Ma was sitting on his back, his muscles taut.
Fourth Kazekage Rasa has no expression on his face, and Gold Dust flows silently on his fingertips.
Fourth Mizukage Yagura is holding a strange weapon, smiling harmlessly, but his eyes are like poisonous snakes.
"Daimyō of the Land of Fire, what's the point of contacting me late at night?"
Ōnoki spoke first, with an unconcealable scorn in his hoarse voice.
Daimyō didn't care about the other party's attitude and went straight to the point. "Everyone, Konoha is crazy. Minato Namikaze is trying to break away from the Daimyō Mansion's control. He is accumulating strength and plotting evil. If he is allowed to become powerful, your four major villages will be annexed next."
In Water Mirror, four faces sank at the same time.
Daimyō lowered his voice and threw a killing blow. "As I said before, Konoha's Hokage needs to be replaced by an obedient one. I want your four villages to join forces and send troops to defeat the current Konoha leadership."
The hall was quiet for two seconds.
Raikage snorted coldly, "You Land of Fire are having internal strife and want us to be free thugs? Konoha those people are not stupid."
"As long as you all join forces and send troops."
Daimyō raised his voice and directly offered a price that had no bottom line, "After the completion of the matter, Land of Fire, the three mineral veins on the eastern border and the six large mines on the northwest border will all be ceded to you! Plus 30% of the annual trade tax!"
He smiled, and there was poison in his smile, "I will choose Hokage who is absolutely obedient. From now on, the military balance of Konoha will be jointly decided by the four of you."
"Of course, there is also Rasa."
"The promises I made to you at that time are still valid."
Rasa's face turned green when he heard this, but he still controlled his emotions. After all, what Daimyō said just now was more attractive.
Mineral veins, territory, massive taxes, plus the power to decide on armaments.
The shadows of the four ninja villages met in front of Water Mirror.
There was no verbal exchange, but the four scheming politicians all saw smiles in each other's eyes that smelled of blood.
Daimyō is just a stupid cash machine.
Konoha If military expenditures are really cut off, it will be the weakest and most turbulent moment internally.
Killing them while they are sick not only allows them to eat fat, but also takes the opportunity to destroy Konoha's top combat power.
"Deal."
Raikage was the first to speak, his knuckles crackling, "I've long since found Konoha disgusting."
Rasa nodded slightly. "Sunagakure can send three thousand troops."
Yagura responded with a smile, "Kirigakure is also willing to help clean up the pests."
Ōnoki finally spoke, his voice like a dull saw pulling wood. "Tomorrow, we will first send a special envoy to find out Konoha's background. Iwagakure will make Konoha understand what the rules are."
Water Mirror goes out.
Daimyō straightened his gorgeous clothes, stood in the darkness and raised his head and laughed, the sharp and harsh laughter echoing in the secret room.
Controlling a group of ninjas is just a matter of words and money.
The thick stone door of the secret room suddenly closed, blocking out all the darkness and conspiracy behind it.
Daimyō walked back to the main hall again.
He stretched his neck, which was somewhat stiff due to tension, and exhaled a long, thick breath.
Daimyō just felt so comfortable all over his body, as if he had returned to the pinnacle of power where he could take life and death.
"Someone is coming!"
He clapped his hands, his voice filled with overwhelming laziness again.
The palace door was pushed open quietly, and dozens of chamberlains filed in like ghosts.
With their heads lowered, they gently but quickly swept away the broken jade on the ground and replaced it with brand new handmade carpets.
Then another Golden Silk Nanmu table inlaid with tortoiseshell and luminous pearls was brought up.
"What are you doing standing still?"
Daimyō lazily fell back on the soft white fox fur couch, casually pulled open a button on the collar, and waved his hand with a glowing face.
"Keep playing music, keep dancing!"
The dead hall suddenly came to life.
The sound of silk and bamboo orchestral music flows again like spring water, even more mellow and gentle than before.
Dozens of Dancing Girl dressed in brand-new tulle clothes entered the venue gracefully, singing and dancing, and the fragrance was blowing.
The Earth Dragon Burn is extremely strong. In this cold winter month, the main hall of the Daimyō Mansion is as warm as spring, even making people sweat slightly.
The delicacies were served like water.
Grilled fragrant deer with only the tenderest piece of meat at the tip of the tongue, and the ultimate sea animal bone soup thickened with pearl powder.
And deep-sea shrimp shipped from Land of Water and must be peeled with virgin hands.
Daimyō picked up a new wine glass. The scarlet wine was shaking in the glass, exuding a sweet to slightly pungent aroma of wine and meat.
He picked up a piece of sizzling roasted venison, took just one bite, and frowned in disgust. "It's firewood."
He tossed it casually, and the piece of meat, which was enough to feed a family of three civilians for several days, landed accurately at the feet of a purebred hound next to the soft couch.
The hound wearing a gold collar sniffed and turned his head in a dazed way, not even bothering to take another look.
"Hahaha... even my dog mouth is naughty!"
When Daimyō saw this, not only was he not angry, but he pointed at the hound and laughed heartily.