Land of the Moon.
The daimyo is holding a ministerial meeting in the main hall to discuss countermeasures against the recent spate of attacks within the country.
The four Guardian Ninja in charge of security are from the Shīda Squad of Kumogakure.
Because the Land of the Moon is adjacent to the Land of Lightning, the security work and entrusted tasks within its territory are basically handled by the Kumogakure.
However, the recent attacks have made the people of the Land of the Moon feel that something is wrong.
Some people suspected, "Could it be that Konoha is behind this? The war between the two sides is not over yet."
"It could also be Iwagakure; they've always wanted a share of mission assignments from our country."
"No way, is Iwagakure going to break the ceasefire agreement again, Daimyo? What should we do?"
The daimyo of the Land of the Moon looked worried; the ruler of the small country was not taken seriously by those ninjas at all.
Just then, the sounds of fierce fighting and shouts suddenly came from outside, "Enemy attack!"
boom...
The Kakkō tore open the door, revealing a figure dressed in a black robe with red clouds, holding a long sword.
Tick-tock... tick-tock...
Blood dripped from the blade onto the ground, the sound striking the hearts of everyone present.
Glug...
Someone swallowed hard, trembling. The two Guardian Ninja and two teams of ordinary guards stationed outside had probably all been killed by the person in front of them.
All of this happened in just a few breaths, demonstrating the attacker's formidable strength.
"Asshole!"
Captain Shīda let out an angry curse and charged forward with another subordinate, wielding Kunai.
Pfft... Pfft...
All the onlookers saw was a flash of white light, and then Captain Shīda and his men fell to the ground.
Aoki Tsuki walked up to the daimyo who was in the main seat. The daimyo was so frightened that he wanted to run away, but his legs were too weak to stand up. He stretched out his right hand to signal the daimyo to get up and stand aside.
At this moment, a close minister nearby quickly came over and helped the daimyo to the side.
Aoki Tsuki gracefully took the daimyo's seat and began to speak:
"I have been entrusted by the client to ask you all a question: in the future, when entrusting missions to the Land of the Moon, other villages should be considered appropriately."
We can no longer let the Kumogakure Village family monopolize everything like before. I've finished speaking. Who agrees? Who disagrees?
Smack...
A minister dressed as a samurai slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Baka! Who are you? How dare you threaten the daimyo...!"
Pfft!
A flash of blue light, and the minister's words came to an abrupt halt as his body was sliced in two.
"Who else...?!"
Faced with such arrogant behavior, the ministers all lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at them. They usually looked down on these ninjas who fought and killed.
But once ninjas are freed from the constraints of the village, they become the most terrifying killing machines.
The newcomer showed no respect whatsoever, and even the daimyo dared not utter a sound.
"Since no one objects, that means they all agree. Let's sign it."
Aoki Tsuki took out a document from his person and had everyone sign and put their fingerprints on it, then put the pledge away.
"This was all done voluntarily. If I find out you're all just paying lip service, I'll visit you all personally. You can continue your meeting; I won't disturb you any longer."
Until they reached the main gate, someone finally mustered the courage to ask loudly, "Having insulted us like this, do you dare leave your name?"
Qing Muyue stretched out her right fist to everyone, and a ring with the word '' on her index finger stood out unusually.
" Azure Dragon "
Then, in a flash, he disappeared from sight. The people in the room remained silent for a moment, and only after confirming that Aoki Tsuki had really left did they secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
" Azure Dragon? Which village's ninja is that...? I've never heard of him..."
"His clothes look a bit like those of 'Akatsuki,' an international assassin group that has risen to prominence in recent years. This organization is very mysterious and specializes in assassinations."
"Sigh! First the Jashin Cult, then the Akatsuki. The Third Shinobi World War just ended, and these ninjas are really causing trouble."
The crowd buzzed with discussion, but the lord had recovered and returned to his seat in the main position.
"Don't panic, everyone. I will write a letter to inform Kumogakure of this matter later. Raikage promised to provide military protection to our country."
If we can't do that, then we don't need to worry about it.
"That's the only way." Everyone nodded in agreement.
As a neighboring country of the Land of Lightning, the Land of the Moon appears to be neutral due to geopolitical reasons, but in reality, it is the younger brother of the Land of Lightning, the older brother.
I dare not make decisions on my own.
If the Kumogakure can't handle Akatsuki and their employers, they shouldn't blame the Land of the Moon for assigning the task to people from other villages.
Their employers are either Iwagakure or Konoha, and they can't afford to offend either of them.
Aoki Tsuki returned to the base and sent the letter of commitment from the Daimyo of the Land of the Moon back to headquarters as an important basis for settlement.
They also notified Akatsuki members in the Land of Lightning to enter a period of silence, as they could not withstand the wrath of Kumogakure and that avoiding direct confrontation was the best course of action.
The Kumogakure quickly received intelligence from the Land of the Moon.
Raikage's Office.
Bang!
The Fourth Raikage, A, punched through a solid wood table, roaring, "Damn Akatsuki, and that Jashin Cult, one after another!!"
" Lord Raikage, this is the fifth table you've broken this month. Just a friendly reminder, your salary has already been reduced by deductions for damaging public property."
Mabui gave a timely reminder, holding documents in her arms with a meticulous expression and a very capable demeanor.
At the age of fourteen, she was specially recruited as the Raikage's secretary because of her special abilities and outstanding performance, assisting the Raikage in handling various official duties.
Dodai glanced at the girl in the Mabui and secretly felt sorry for her; she was truly a fearless young girl.
In Kumogakure, the only person who dared to openly rebuke the Raikage was Mabui.
"Ahem... Lord Raikage, the person who could hire an assassin organization like Akatsuki to threaten a Daimyo is most likely that old man, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki."
As Raikage's advisor and a member of his think tank, Dodai offered his opinion.
Ai appeared to be a hot-tempered and impulsive man, but in reality, he was shrewd beneath his rough exterior. He nodded and said:
"Yes, I guessed it too. Ōnoki has always coveted the mission share of countries like Tsuki and Shimo, which are on good terms with our country. The so-called ceasefire agreement is nothing but a piece of waste paper."
Their underhanded tactics haven't stopped; it seems necessary to end this tug-of-war with Konoha.
"That's right. Although Konoha has lost the Yellow Flash and Sannin, one of the Orochimaru, their strength is still not to be underestimated. Continuing to fight will only deplete our strength further."
"Do you have any strategy?" Ai asked.
Since Dodai said that, he must have already come up with a solution.
Dodai replied, "After we wiped out the Jashin Cult, they all went into hiding. The Akatsuki's activities are even more covert, and we need powerful sensory ninjas to dig them out."
"I wish we could roll our Byakugan too."
Ai's heart skipped a beat, "What do you mean? Explain in detail..."
"We'll first wear down Konoha on the battlefield... then we'll negotiate for more benefits... while we're negotiating..."
A plan targeting Konoha and the Hyuga Byakugan is quietly unfolding.
Under the command of Aoki Tsuki, members of Akatsuki and the Jashin Cult employed a basic strategy of 'retreating when the enemy advances, and advancing when the enemy retreats,' steadily advancing and painstakingly opening up market business in the Land of Lightning.
It took him two whole years to crack this tough nut.
When Kumogakure finally decided to cease all fighting with Konoha and begin negotiations, he knew he had to stop.
Once the Kumogakure withdraws from the war, Akatsuki and the Jashin Cult will be in big trouble.
Fortunately, he hasn't been idle these past two years. With the help of the resources and technology of the Jashin Cult, he has developed two new techniques: " Spirit Pivot Yama Judgment " and " Earth-Binding Flame Prison ".
As a result, his strength was further enhanced, and he became more and more proficient in Sage Mode.
His assassination missions rarely failed, and the name ' Azure Dragon of Akatsuki ' began to circulate in the underworld.
His value has also skyrocketed, with the starting fee for a single job being ten million taels of silver.
Unlike the other members of Akatsuki, who kept a low profile and were largely unknown to the public in order to conceal their information, Aoki Tsuki's personal characteristics were too obvious and easily recognizable.
Some have already suspected that he is the " Swordmaster of the Moon," the ultimate winner of the Land of Iron's "Swordsman" tournament.
At the underground Exchange, his reward was 30 million taels.
That day, he took some time to return to Amegakure to report on the progress of his work to Konan.
As soon as they entered the village, Pain sensed it through the rain and said to Konan beside him, "Yue has gotten stronger again."
"Really?!" Konan felt a little uneasy upon hearing this.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, Xiao's reputation is growing.
Some missions required Pain's personal intervention, but with each battle, his physical condition deteriorated, and many methods he tried proved ineffective.
But Aoki Tsuki has been quietly getting stronger all along.
A person's abilities will have a peak period, which often slows down as physical development stops.
Aoki Tsuki's Chakra level has been steadily increasing, surpassing most Jonin, and it continues to grow.
'Could this guy possess a special bloodline?' Konan wondered to herself.
He immediately dismissed the idea. Aoki Tsuki's background was very clear: his father was an ordinary Chunin from Amegakure, and his mother wasn't even a ninja.
She had already thoroughly investigated the fact that there was no Kekkei Genkai.
Imagine a village chief who came to power through a coup. His health is deteriorating, while the power of his capable subordinates is growing day by day.
Moreover, this capable assistant was once the old village chief's bodyguard.
How can this not cause anxiety?!
Even though Aoki Tsuki didn't seem like an ambitious person, after spending more time with him, she felt that Aoki Tsuki wouldn't commit such a shameless act of betrayal.
However, it was precisely because he trusted Ibuse Hanzō's character too much that Yahiko died.
In the Shinobi World, reputation is a bargaining chip used for betrayal in crucial moments; never trust anyone—this is the first rule of ninjas.
If a man has the capacity to betray, we must be wary!