damingfu
The mansion was filled with armored warriors and guards, nearly two hundred people who seemed very cautious about this meeting, after all, most of them were villains.
In the central council hall, twenty-seven representatives from the three major northern powers, plus three from the Nuclear Ninja Village, made a total of thirty people, kneeling on both sides.
However, at this moment, everyone's attention was focused on Kyōai and Ai in the corner.
Although no one spoke, the atmosphere seemed to have frozen.
Kankuro snorted coldly and tugged at the bandages on the puppet behind him, "Tch, why are you glaring at us? If you want to fight, then come at me. What are you waiting for? I've been wanting to get rid of you for a long time."
Choji advised, " Kankuro, calm down."
Everyone present was the worst of the worst; how could they possibly be intimidated by a mere brat like Kankuro?
"Hmph! You think you can do whatever you want in the Land of Rivers just because you have the backing of Sand Ninja and Konoha? You weren't even born when I came to the Land of Rivers."
"You really think we're as weak as that southerner Raiga Kurosuki?"
Kyōai slowly stood up. "We've gathered here today not to fight, so let's calm down."
I don't know what Crow Kuroha was thinking, but he stood up at that moment. "Everyone, listen to me, don't argue. Let's talk about this after the meeting."
"Since Chief Kuroha has spoken, I won't lower myself to his level."
The tense atmosphere eased somewhat, and the meeting room returned to silence.
Kyōai glanced at the samurai guarding the area, who showed no intention of stopping the argument. An ominous premonition welled up inside her. She turned to him and whispered, " Kankuro, Choji, there's a barrier in the Daimyo's mansion that hinders perception. My senses are restricted. Please be vigilant."
"Knock knock knock..."
The sound of guards kneeling slowly drifted from outside the council chamber, indicating that the daimyo had arrived.
The daimyo of the Land of Rivers, named Ishidate Yasuki, was dressed in a blue haori and walked at the front with a steady gait. Behind him were four obese retainers and a samurai carrying a scroll.
Under everyone's gaze, he slowly walked to the head seat of the conference room and knelt down, his pale and thin face bearing a sinister smile.
The four high-ranking officials beside him had somewhat blank expressions.
Ishidate Yasuki opened his fan and fanned himself twice. "Well, esteemed leaders, we are deeply grateful for your presence in my Yamakawa Castle today. We know you have a long and tiring journey."
Crow Kuroha laughed, "You're too kind, sir. We are your subordinates; how could we dare disobey your summons?"
Chi Akatetsu Hoshi, the patriarch of the Red Iron Clan, sported a thick beard and smiled obsequiously after Crow Kuroha finished speaking, "Lord Ishidate Yasuki, everyone except the southern leaders has arrived."
Crow Kuroha and Akatetsu Hoshi were the two most prestigious family leaders in the Land of Rivers. Among everyone present, only the two of them were qualified to speak with Ishidate Yasuki. Even the leader of the Tengu Organization dared not say anything to the others.
Ishidate Yasuki looked at the high-ranking officials behind him. "Oh? Which families are absent?"
The senior official bowed and slowly replied, "It's the Kurosuki Clan, the Shinma Clan, and the Golden Shovel Organization, among other smaller organizations."
The reason why the rebel forces in the Land of Rivers can survive is because their leaders hand over a portion of their income as taxes; otherwise, they would have been eradicated long ago.
Ishidate Yasuki asked again, "What happened? Was the invitation not delivered?"
All invitations have been sent out.
Kankuro whispered, "What's wrong with this daimyo? Wasn't it him who entrusted this task? Why is he going back on his word?"
Even someone as gentle as Choji noticed something amiss. "Could the Daimyo have forgotten the task he entrusted to him?"
Kyōai signaled to the two to stop talking, while she communicated with her thermonuclear bomb life form to sense whether there was anything unusual about Ishidate Yasuki's body.
However, the feedback received showed no abnormalities.
The matter of the commission was known only to the Nuclear Ninja Village and the Daimyo's Mansion. Crow Kuroha and the others believed that the Nuclear Ninja Village wanted to seize territory and annihilate the organization. Moreover, their behavior of recruiting members from various organizations further confirmed this assumption.
Crow Kuroha sneered, "That's a question for the newly established leader of the Nuclear Ninja Village to answer."
He was actually pretending to be ignorant, even though he knew the truth. The establishment of the Nuclear Ninja Village was no secret. If it weren't for the support of the Daimyo's government, how could it have been established in such a short time?
Kyōai, "All members of the Kurosuki Clan, the Golden Shovel Organization, the Shinma Clan, the Yellow Iron Clan, the Purple Hammer Clan, and the Green Brazing Rod Clan have now cooperated with my Nuclear Ninja Village Nuclear Ninja Village and joined the village. Therefore, I am attending this meeting as their representative, and my thoughts are their thoughts."
Ishidate Yasuki's expression revealed his approval. "Oh, very good. I didn't expect the Nuclear Ninja Village to be so decisive and efficient."
Crow Kuroha snorted coldly, "Hmph, I don't care about the Southerners' business. As long as the Nuclear Ninja Village doesn't wipe us out, that's fine. We Crow Clan aren't so easy to talk to."
His words were laced with provocation.
Kyōai was not afraid. "Clan Chief Kuroha is too kind. The establishment of our Nuclear Ninja Village is an inevitable trend. In addition, our Land of Rivers is sandwiched between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. It would be very awkward if we didn't have a ninja village. These clans have been living in fear for too long, and they all joined voluntarily."
Kankuro and Choji: "(°ー°) God, you think it's voluntary? You're a monster! That old geezer is wicked; he not only robbed us, but he also emptied the mines, leaving us with nothing."
Crow Kuroha continued, "It seems the representative of the Nuclear Ninja Village is doing the right thing. After the meeting, why not come to my clan's territory for a chat? Let's discuss joining?"
Kyōai remained completely calm and replied, "Of course."
Ishidate Yasuki closed his folding fan. "Alright, enough of the small talk, let's get down to business."
Everyone quieted down. Kyōai's attention had remained focused on Ishidate Yasuki and the other senior retainers the entire time, but unfortunately, she still couldn't detect anything unusual.
Ishidate Yasuki gestured to the guard captain beside him. "Take it out."
The captain of the guard untied the scroll behind him and spread it out in the center of the conference room. It was a map of the Land of Rivers. Judging from the ink, it looked like it had just been drawn, as the ink was not yet dry and there was a faint fragrance.
"This is a map of the Land of Rivers. Next, I would like all leaders to mark their respective territories on the map."
The major leaders in the north, unaware of the name's request and its meaning, exchanged glances, nodded secretly, and stepped forward to mark their territories with red ink.
These forces have been rooted in the Land of Rivers for as long as twenty years, and the daimyo prefectures are already aware of their spheres of influence. To re-mark them now would be tantamount to gilding the lily.
"It smells so good."
As all the leaders stepped forward, they all smelled the peculiar fragrance from the map.
Kyōai then realized what was happening, but didn't say anything. Instead, she turned to Kankuro and whispered, " Kankuro, go over there and use the puppet clone."
Choji asked, "What's wrong?"
Kyōai's expression turned grave. "This map contains a poison that can paralyze people."
Apart from the Nuclear Ninja Village, all the forces in the north have already demarcated their spheres of influence, and ultimately, everyone's attention has focused on Kyōai.
Kankuro stiffly stretched his neck, stood up, walked to the map, and circled the entire southern territory of the Land of Rivers with a red pen. Then, he casually tossed the pen aside. "Hmph, all your territories combined aren't even as big as the Nuclear Ninja Village."
"How arrogant."