The Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water was over eighty years old.
He had inherited his position during the Warring States period. In the turbulent final years of that era, he had bound himself tightly to the Uzumaki clan. The fact that the Uzumaki clan had not been absorbed into Konoha was due in no small part to him.
During the era of one nation, one village, he had fully supported the Uzumaki clan in establishing their own independent ninja village. That way, his Land of Hot Water would not have to live at someone else's mercy.
The special marriage ties between the Senju clan and the Uzumaki clan had allowed the Land of Hot Water to prosper for quite some time.
Unfortunately, the First Hokage and Second Hokage died one after another, and Uzushio Village's value declined sharply.
After that, Uzushio Village was completely destroyed, and the Uzumaki clan was wiped out.
At over eighty years old, the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water had been forced to travel to the capital of the Land of Fire, bow his head to the Fire Daimyo, and become a vassal state of the Land of Fire.
Originally, he had thought that as long as he lowered his posture enough, the Daimyo family would be allowed to continue ruling the Land of Hot Water.
However, something major had happened last night, making the Daimyo feel that something extremely terrible had occurred.
The samurai he had sent to rescue his nephews had all been killed.
Those three nephews all had their problems.
One liked imposing heavy taxes on his territory.
One liked eating deep-sea sashimi, so every month he conscripted fishermen to sail into distant waters. Many fishermen had died because of him.
The last one liked women. Any woman in his territory with even a little beauty, regardless of age, had been seized and dragged into his estate.
Even so, those three were still his nephews. Because Konoha and Kirigakure were at war, they had hidden in the capital, and he could not allow anything to happen to them.
He had even sent six Guardian Ninja.
Yet those Guardian Ninja had not returned last night either.
The Daimyo sat in the great hall, waiting for the results of his subordinates' investigation.
A subordinate hurried into the hall.
Someone from Konoha had arrived and entered the castle.
Inside the castle, gate after gate was opened wide. Rows of servants knelt on both sides of the road. The Daimyo used this method to display his respect for Konoha's ninja.
Aside from missions and Guardian Ninja duties, Konoha ninja rarely left the village.
The nobles supported ninja through missions. The ninja helped the nobles kill commoners who dared to rebel. The two sides had always cooperated well.
Yokoshima followed behind Lord Hidan, looking at the servants kneeling on both sides of the road. He let out a self-mocking, miserable laugh.
The village had once said that if someone could become a noble lord's servant, they would at least be able to eat their fill.
Back then, he had even dreamed of being chosen by some noble.
But none of these servants dared raise their heads.
Their lives were not as good as Yokoshima had once imagined.
The Daimyo stood below the steps of the great hall and saw that the person from Konoha was actually wearing a mask.
That fox mask was very famous.
The visitor was Konoha's ANBU Commander—Fox.
As for the Daimyo's Guardian Ninja, they were actually following behind Fox, with no intention of protecting him.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, everyone entered the hall.
The Daimyo looked at Fox, at Guardian Ninja Captain Yamanaka Kari, and at the young man carrying a three-bladed scythe on his back. He had no idea what Konoha intended to do.
Yako pushed a scroll toward the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water.
One of the Daimyo's servants hurried over, accepted the scroll, bent at the waist, lowered his head, and passed it to the Daimyo.
The Daimyo opened the scroll and glanced at it, then could not help reading aloud:
"Termination of the protection agreement? Free passage agreement?"
"Yes," Yako said.
"I am Konoha's ANBU Commander, and also the leader of the Church of the Three Calamities.
The Church of the Three Calamities is currently establishing temples or shrines in major towns.
Anywhere with a temple or shrine, ninja can rely on the Church's Flying Shrine Scrolls to achieve instant movement.
Starting now, the previous protection relationship between Konoha and the nobles will come to an end.
Konoha ninja will no longer confine themselves within Konoha Village. Konoha ninja will freely move through any town in the shinobi world.
In the past, if something happened in the capital of the Land of Hot Water, you either had to rely on Guardian Ninja or Konoha had to dispatch ninja who would spend nine days traveling here.
From now on, if something happens in the capital of the Land of Hot Water, Konoha ninja can arrive instantly.
Therefore, the Guardian Ninja system specifically protecting the Daimyo no longer needs to continue."
"Impossible!" the Daimyo shouted sternly after a moment of panic.
"Konoha will no longer protect the nobles?
The Land of Hot Water is fully supporting Konoha's war. In order to defeat Kirigakure, my Land of Hot Water has also suffered enormous losses.
On what grounds do you say you will stop protecting nobles just because you wish it?
Does your Hokage know about this?
Does the Daimyo of the Land of Fire know about this?"
Yako said, "Lord Hokage naturally knows. And Lord Hokage clearly supports me. The signature on the scroll belongs to the Third Hokage, Lord Sarutobi Hiruzen."
Yamanaka Kari felt a wave of panic.
In the past, whenever Konoha Village made any major decision, Lord Nara Shikakaku would know immediately.
But with such a massive reform in Konoha, Lord Nara Shikakaku, because he was serving as frontline commander, knew nothing.
Right now, the only high-ranking leaders in the village were Lord Hokage and Lord Fox.
And those two had actually made such a monumental decision.
Yamanaka Kari glanced at Hidan.
Lord Fox had secretly created the Church of the Three Calamities outside the village, and the Church could actually allow ninja to travel instantly. It was mysterious and powerful.
No wonder Lord Hokage had made such a drastic reform.
If the Church of the Three Calamities could truly let ninja appear instantly in any town, then Konoha's influence would rise to an entirely new level.
The Daimyo gasped heavily and said, "Commander Fox, are you not afraid that I will turn around and hire Mist ninja as my Guardian Ninja instead?"
Yako stood up.
"Then it's settled. I'll wait for your good news."
"You!"
The Daimyo was rendered speechless. He could only watch as Fox led his people out of the hall.
After the Konoha group had completely left, the great hall became quiet.
Terrifyingly quiet.
The Minister of the Left moved across the floor on his knees, slowly arriving behind the Daimyo.
"Your Highness, the reason we can rule the Land of Hot Water, the reason we can do as we please within the country, is because even if commoners rebel, they are helpless before ninja and ninjutsu.
If… if Konoha ninja no longer protect us nobles, then does that not mean that if a commoner rebellion occurs and Konoha refuses to help either side, we may actually be overthrown by those lowborn wretches?"
The Daimyo remained silent.
This Church of the Three Calamities and these shrines that Fox had created had completely changed the power structure of the Land of Hot Water.
The Daimyo sighed.
"Contact the Fire Daimyo first. See what his attitude is.
If the Fire Daimyo has some idea, then we will cooperate with him.
If even the Fire Daimyo has no way to deal with Konoha's reform, then what can we do?
Are we really supposed to hire Mist ninja…?"
Inside the temple in the capital, Yako stood before the shrine in the courtyard with Yamanaka Kari and the twelve former Guardian Ninja.
Yako said, "I have arranged for one believer to remain in this temple.
This believer manages the Flying Shrine Scrolls. As long as someone has Konoha's permission, or pays a usage fee, anyone can use the Flying Shrine Technique to travel to another shrine location.
Jonin Kari, try using the Flying Shrine Technique to return to Konoha first."
Yamanaka Kari found it extremely miraculous.
He first asked, "Lord Fox, what about you? Are you not returning to Konoha?"
Yako said, "I oversimplified the reform. It has encountered quite a bit of resistance.
I need to ask Squad Leader Nara Shikakaku for help in handling the resistance and problems facing the reform.
Therefore…"
Yako looked toward the sea.
"The war in the Land of Hot Water should end now. We don't have time to waste dragging things out with the Mist."
Yamanaka Kari asked, "Lord Fox, you're going to the front line?"
"Yes. It's time to let the Mist ninja understand what despair truly is."
Yamanaka Kari watched Commander Fox leave with several ANBU, then turned in confusion toward the believer of the Church of the Three Calamities.
The believer took out a scroll and said, "Konoha ninja, please stand within five meters of the shrine. I will help you travel instantly."
Sealing marks lit up across the shrine. Around it, the ground filled with crawling formula patterns.
An instant later, Yamanaka Kari's vision changed.
He saw the Hokage Rock.
He had returned to Konoha Village.
Looking left and right, he found himself inside a temple.
This temple had once been the Uzumaki clan's Mask Storage Temple, but now, it had actually become a temple of the Church of the Three Calamities.
Yamanaka Kari said, "Lord Shikakaku truly should not continue commanding the war. The Flying Shrine is far more important to Konoha."