"Please forgive me for being presumptuous, and on behalf of all the confused Ninja and villagers in Kusagakure, I dare to ask..."
Mui's tone deliberately brought out just the right amount of "puzzle" and "grievance" as he looked directly at Naruto:
"It seems that we, Kusagakure, have always adhered to our duties and have never taken the initiative to offend the powerful Konoha, nor have we ever had any direct conflict or offense with you, sir."
At this moment, Mui stood up.
Nowadays, existence or destruction depends on one's thoughts. Even though Mui used the mortal Chakra imprisoned by Hozuki Castle to secretly charge Box of Ultimate Bliss over the years, it still did not meet the requirements for Box of Ultimate Bliss to open.
I can only drag it.
Mui made a quick judgment in his mind.
He winked at Monkey Mask Elder who was lying limply on the ground next to him.
The meaning of that look is very clear: hold still, don't talk nonsense, leave it to me to deal with it. Find a way to buy time!
When Monkey Mask Elder came into contact with Mui's eyes, it was as if he was grasping the last life-saving straw. He nodded reluctantly, curled up, and did not dare to make any more noise.
After completing this small movement, Mui took a deep breath, suppressed the same panic in his heart, and took two steady steps forward.
He raised his head and looked at the white figure above Nine-Tails on the hill. Even when he looked up, his posture maintained a peculiar restraint that was neither humble nor overbearing.
He spread his hands slightly and made a "why so" gesture:
"Then, could you please... tell us why you are so aggressive, even using Nine-Tails's power, to attack such a... little Small Shinobi Village like us who has nothing to do with the world?"
"If it is due to some misunderstanding or an unintentional mistake by some of us that offends Konoha or you personally, we are willing to find out immediately, punish severely, and make all possible compensation."
"Although Kusagakure is young, he is still willing to abide by the rules and moral principles of Shinobi World. Please also ask Mr. Hokage... to state the reasons clearly and give us a chance... to defend or make amends."
"You are talking nonsense when you say that Kusagakure abides by his duties. You will not mention the fact that you took refuge in Iwagakure to harm Konoha Ninja.
It's very simple. From a personal perspective, my surname is Uzumaki.
Not to mention how you treat the Uzumaki clansmen, let's just say that Kusagakure also had a share in the destruction of Uzushiogakure!
Also, Daimyo of Land of Fire is a pioneering king with great vision and courage. He saw the shortcomings of Shinobi World's division and war, and also saw the future represented by the power Konoha has now."
He paused, as if reading an unquestionable edict:
"He gave Konoha an unprecedented and huge military expenditure, and clearly supported us in expanding our territory and reorganizing Shinobi World order!"
"Revenge is a personal grudge; development is a national policy. And you Kusagakure..."
Naruto's eyes were like the final judgment, sweeping over Mui, sweeping over the limp Elder, sweeping over all the pale-faced Grass Ninja:
"It just so happens that it satisfies these two points at the same time."
Land of Fire's Daimyo is a pure waste. What Naruto actually told him at that time was that if the other party did not pay military funds, Naruto would kill him and restore the country to Land of Fire in the name of Land of Whirlpools Daimyo.
Then Land of Fire Daimyo's eyes lit up, Daimyo basically have relatives!
Then the Daimyo of the Fire Country smiled and asked someone to bring up two boxes of files and slowly check them. Finally, it was discovered that the last Daimyo's wife in the Uzumaki Country's wife's grandfather's cousin's niece's husband's brother's wife's grandfather's daughter's husband was the great-uncle of the current Daimyo of the Fire Country.
Naruto's expression at that time was the same as Cao Cao's when he heard that Liu Beizhen was on the family tree.
After finding out that Land of Fire and Land of Whirlpools were indeed related, Land of Fire Daimyo said generously:
"We are all relatives, so let me give you a billion taels of military expenses first.
If you really defeat other countries, what will you do to Daimyo over there...
Hey, we are all relatives, you know, just mean what you mean, don't really kill it!
After all, broken bones are connected to tendons!"
"..."
Mui tried hard to maintain the "calm" expression mask on his face, but beneath the mask, his heart had sunk to the bottom and his hands and feet were cold.
Damn it!
He cursed secretly in his mind.
The other party's purpose is terrifyingly clear!
Revenge for the Uzumaki Clan is a personal vendetta that is irreconcilable and has almost no room for change.
Uzumaki's clan members are indeed dead, and Uzushio Village is indeed destroyed, but the other party obviously has no intention of writing off this blood debt as time goes by!
What's even more fatal is that the other party also has the full support of Land of Fire Daimyo, elevating its actions to the level of "national development strategy"! This means that this is not only Naruto's personal revenge or establishment of power, but also a formal military expansion operation endorsed by the supreme ruler of Land of Fire! The political legitimacy is completely consolidated!
Personal enmity + national policy.
This is simply a never-ending situation! Where is there any room for "misunderstanding", "compensation", and "defense"?!
Mui felt dizzy.
He originally expected to use verbal exchanges to find flaws in the logic of the other party's actions or moral weaknesses, and use this as a bargaining chip to buy time or compromise.
But now, the reasons given by the other side are one is the irresolvable blood feud, and the other is the irresistible national will. The combination of the two is simply an impeccable kill.
Procrastination?
In the face of this absolute will and power, any verbal delay seems insignificant and may even further anger the other party.
Good? How could it be good?!
The opponent has made it clear that it wants to destroy the village and establish its power. This is not only to comfort Uzumaki Clan's spirit in heaven, but also to raise the first blood-stained battle flag for Land of Fire and Konoha's expansion strategy!
Countless thoughts flashed through Mui's mind instantly, but each one seemed to lead to the abyss of despair.
He looked at the Tailed Beast Bomb in Nine-Tails's mouth that had condensed again and became more and more terrifying, and felt the direction in which the destructive energy was locked. For the first time, he truly felt that Kusagakure's fate might have really come to an end.
And he, the city lord of Hozuki Castle, and the Box of Ultimate Bliss that has not yet been opened, may also be buried with Kusagakure.
Mui's eyes opened uncontrollably, and his pupils shrank slightly due to the extreme shock and despair.
The muscles in his cheeks were so tight that he could almost feel the pulsing of blood vessels under the skin and the pain of clenching his teeth.
All calculations, all delaying tactics, all attempts to find life in words, all seem so ridiculous and so feeble in the face of this naked and unquestionable will to destroy.
An absurd thought that emerged instinctively in despair, like the last wisp of poisonous smoke, struggled to float through his mind:
Will... win?
Naruto's answer is: Brother who is sure to die.