The Konoha Ninja Village stated that while Asuna and the other Guardian Shinobi were resting, the Guardian Shinobi captain, Tobi, suddenly attacked their residence with the Daimyo's Chakra Samurai.
They barely managed to break through and contact the Konoha ninja camp near the capital.
A similar attack also occurred at Princess Chihime's mansion.
Because Princess Chihime had previously felt unsafe and discussed the matter with Konoha ninjas, she requested the Konoha ninjas from the camp to rescue her after the attack.
The Konoha Ninja Village expressed great indignation at Tobi's actions, demanding that the Daimyo's mansion punish Tobi, as he not only attacked the Guardian Shinobi but also intended to harm a royal descendant.
Fumori Masaki did not directly point fingers at the Daimyo, because if the Daimyo were seen as the mastermind, it would immediately ignite the conflict between the two sides.
It wasn't that it couldn't be done, but without evidence, accusing the Daimyo would make people think that the Konoha Ninja Village was arrogant and presumptuous, especially since claiming the Daimyo tried to harm his own sister seemed implausible.
Fumori Masaki did not want his village to have any blemishes.
Even if the Konoha Ninja Village were to win, in terms of propaganda, the Konoha Ninja Village should be portrayed as the weaker, helpless party, which would benefit its image.
The Konoha Ninja Village's explanation was more likely to be accepted by the capital's officials.
Compared to the Daimyo being the mastermind, they were more willing to accept that it was Tobi acting on his own initiative.
Tobi's reputation in the capital was already not very good; everyone knew he was hostile towards the Konoha Ninja Village, so it was very possible he would do such a thing.
This was where Fumori Masaki was wise; he acutely perceived the capital officials' views on the Daimyo and Tobi.
In the officials' minds, the Daimyo was being misled by Tobi.
Therefore, instead of directly attacking the Daimyo, it was better to target Tobi, which would more easily arouse public outrage.
To make the Konoha Ninja Village appear more righteous, Fumori Masaki requested a joint investigation with local nobles.
In the eyes of the capital officials, with other local nobles supervising and the investigation taking place within the capital, it showed that the Konoha Ninja Village had nothing to hide.
So, the capital officials asked the Daimyo if an investigation could be conducted, implying that Tobi might be guilty of deceiving the monarch, directly pointing the finger at Tobi.
However, the Daimyo refused without hesitation.
He angrily stated that there was no need for any investigation, that Tobi was a loyal and trustworthy subject, and that everything was a conspiracy by the Konoha Ninja Village, who had kidnapped Princess Chihime.
He once again demanded that the Konoha Ninja Village send Asuna and the others to the capital for trial and ensure Princess Chihime's safe return, otherwise he would raise an army to attack them.
The capital officials were not fools.
The Daimyo's statement seemed reasonable, but it couldn't withstand scrutiny.
Compared to the Konoha Ninja Village, the Daimyo's constant refusal seemed a bit suspicious.
Some people began to wonder if there was something fishy behind this matter; otherwise, why would the Daimyo protect Tobi so much?
At this time,
Local nobles jointly submitted a petition, requesting an investigation into the matter.
They strongly suspected that it was Tobi's unauthorized action and that the Daimyo had been deceived.
They requested the Daimyo to investigate clearly, not to wrong a good person, and not to let a bad person go.
The actions of the local nobles were, of course, instigated by the Konoha Ninja Village.
They did not believe that the Konoha Ninja Village had any possibility of betrayal.
On the other hand, the Daimyo's mansion had always had measures to suppress the Konoha Ninja Village, and the mastermind was naturally Tobi.
In the past, the Konoha Ninja Village had consciously portrayed itself as a wronged party, earning some sympathy from well-connected nobles.
Now, with Princess Chihime's endorsement, they had no doubts whatsoever.
The Konoha Ninja Village did not reveal that the Daimyo was being controlled by genjutsu, as they had no evidence.
They only stated that Tobi was deceiving the Daimyo from behind the scenes.
With Princess Chihime's testimony, local nobles might hesitate to attack the Daimyo, but they had nothing to fear from Tobi.
It should be known that the policies enacted in the past due to Tobi's "manipulation" of the Daimyo had caused considerable losses to these areas connected with the Konoha Ninja Village.
Now, finally, there was a reason to bring down this favored minister beside the Daimyo, and the local nobles spared no effort.
Princess Chihime also publicly declared that this matter was very likely Tobi's conspiracy, and she implored her royal brother to investigate thoroughly and not be deceived by treacherous officials like Tobi again.
The controlled Daimyo would certainly not agree to this.
Uchiha Obito didn't even intend to delay; he urgently needed to provoke a war to cause a large number of deaths, to strengthen himself and use that power against Fumori Masaki.
The combat ability Fumori Masaki displayed that day put a lot of pressure on him.
If Uchiha Obito had handled things well, relying on the Daimyo's influence, he might have swayed some people.
But since Uchiha Obito had no intention of hiding anything, the Daimyo's actions became increasingly unreasonable.
Not to mention the local nobles, even the officials within the capital found it very difficult to understand.
Especially after some local officials requested a thorough investigation, they were ordered imprisoned by the Daimyo, and the person executing these orders was Uchiha Obito, who was at the center of the storm.
This made the capital officials feel that while the Daimyo's favoritism towards "Tobi" remained, they also felt their own danger.
At this time, even the slightest disagreement with the Daimyo's wishes would result in severe punishment.
It should be known that not all of the imprisoned capital officials were on the side of the Konoha Ninja Village; some had merely come forward with a sense of public duty.
Such officials were often upright and honest, enjoying high popularity among the populace.
Upon hearing of these officials' arrests, the populace expressed that the Daimyo had wronged good people, and they also showed sympathy for the Konoha Ninja Village, believing it was impossible for them to betray the Daimyo, and that everything was the doing of "Tobi."
Without any surprise, the Daimyo ordered the Chakra Samurai to go out and maintain order, ostensibly to maintain it, but in reality, to suppress.
Anyone with dissenting opinions would be dragged out and imprisoned.
Under such threats, no one dared to openly stand up.
The Daimyo's act of suppression undoubtedly disappointed the populace.
The capital officials also felt that the Daimyo's actions were highly inappropriate, but in the face of the menacing Chakra Samurai, they dared not voice any further objections.
However, the seeds of resistance and distrust towards the Daimyo were thus sown.
With neither side yielding, the conflict naturally escalated, and the Konoha Ninja Village's propaganda offensive continued.
Within the Land of Fire, the Konoha Ninja Village was undoubtedly the sympathetic party.
The Daimyo's mansion's various actions had already lost the support of the people, and even the local nobles began to lose their illusions.
Under such circumstances, the Chakra Samurai on the capital's side began to mobilize, taking over command of the armed forces of the lords near the capital, and were about to march towards the Konoha Ninja Village.