After Kurosuki Raiga's death, the remaining four Kirigakure ninjas didn't last long before being killed by the Guardian Ninjas.
Hiruko whistled, and the giant bird descended from the sky.
He hurriedly stepped forward and helped the Daimyo of the Land of Water down.
"Can someone tell me why Kurosuki Raiga suddenly attacked me?"
The Daimyo of the Land of Water looked at Kurosuki Raiga's corpse, his face as dark as water.
The twelve Guardian Ninjas looked at each other, but none could answer.
If it were an ordinary Kirigakure ninja, they could have said it might be a spy from another hidden village.
But Kurosuki Raiga was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. It was impossible for him to be a spy from another hidden village.
Could they say the Third Mizukage ordered it?
"Immediately send an order to the Third Mizukage. I demand an explanation."
The Daimyo of the Land of Water didn't make things difficult for them and said coldly.
"Yes, Daimyo!"
The twelve Guardian Ninjas said in unison.
"Daimyo."
Hiruko suddenly spoke up. "I suggest issuing another order: forbid the Third Mizukage from coming to the metropolis."
"You are right."
The Daimyo of the Land of Water was slightly taken aback, then agreed.
With Kurosuki Raiga assassinating him, the biggest suspect was the Third Mizukage.
"Who are you?"
The Daimyo of the Land of Water let out a breath, calmed his emotions, and looked at Hiruko.
Hiruko immediately stated his background truthfully.
He became a rogue ninja of Konoha because of conducting human experiments.
But he hadn't given up on his experiments.
It was just that experiments consumed too much money.
Because he had no money, he came to the metropolis of the Land of Water to earn some.
He rushed to the Daimyo's mansion because he heard the sounds of fighting.
"So, you saved me because you want to seek refuge with me?"
After hearing this, the Daimyo of the Land of Water asked.
"Exactly."
Hiruko nodded and admitted.
The Daimyo of the Land of Water looked at the twelve Guardian Ninjas.
"Konoha indeed has a rogue ninja named Hiruko."
One of the Guardian Ninjas immediately said.
The Daimyo of the Land of Water nodded slightly.
Since what Hiruko said was true, he could indeed be of use.
"Join my Guardian Ninjas, and I will provide you with funding."
The Daimyo of the Land of Water thought for a moment and said.
"Thank you, Daimyo!"
Hiruko immediately expressed his gratitude.
"The Daimyo's mansion is destroyed. We will go to the villa first."
The Daimyo of the Land of Water glanced at the Daimyo's mansion and said.
Under his lead, the group arrived at the villa, a slightly smaller Daimyo's mansion.
The next day arrived.
The Mizukage's building in Kirigakure.
"What did you say?"
The Third Mizukage looked at the Daimyo's envoy before him, revealing an expression of confusion.
"Although you are the Daimyo's envoy, you cannot spout nonsense!"
Karatachi Yagura warned.
"Lord Mizukage, this matter is absolutely true."
The Daimyo's envoy said in a heavy tone. "Kurosuki Raiga assassinated the Daimyo last night and was killed by the Guardian Ninjas."
"This is simply absurd!"
Genji gripped his cane tightly and asked. "Why would Raiga assassinate the Daimyo?"
"That is exactly what the Daimyo wants to know."
The Daimyo's envoy relayed. "The Daimyo said he requires a reasonable explanation."
"What exactly is going on?"
Hozuki Mangetsu said, puzzled. "Although Raiga's behavior is erratic, he is an excellent ninja, and would never..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
Because this sounded like he was implying Kurosuki Raiga's assassination of the Daimyo was ordered by the Third Mizukage.
"Regardless of what happened, Kirigakure would absolutely never assassinate the Daimyo."
The Third Mizukage took a deep breath and said. "I will personally go to the metropolis to investigate this matter."
"Lord Mizukage, the Daimyo said you cannot go to the metropolis."
The Daimyo's envoy immediately said.
The Third Mizukage's face instantly stiffened.
The Daimyo of the Land of Water obviously no longer trusted him, and even suspected he ordered this incident.
But he couldn't produce any proof to the contrary.
"Then I will make a trip."
Seeing this, Genji hurriedly said.
"Elder Genji, I must trouble you. Please ensure you prove the innocence of our Kirigakure."
The Third Mizukage suppressed the emotions in his heart and said.
Regardless of the Daimyo of the Land of Water's attitude, they couldn't possibly break ties with him.
Once they broke ties, without financial support, it would be very difficult for Kirigakure to continue developing.
"I understand."
Genji said with a serious face.
"Envoy, please go rest first. Tomorrow, Elder Genji will return to the metropolis with you."
The Third Mizukage looked at the Daimyo's envoy and said.
The Daimyo's envoy bowed slightly, turned, and left.
"Mangetsu, immediately summon the Lightning Swords: Kiba."
The Third Mizukage ordered.
Hozuki Mangetsu opened the ninja sword summoning scroll.
He formed hand seals and pressed them onto the scroll.
A puff of smoke flashed by, and nothing appeared.
"Just as I suspected."
The Third Mizukage narrowed his eyes and said. "The assassination of the Daimyo is inextricably linked to the Kuja Pirates."
He knew all twelve Guardian Ninjas of the Daimyo of the Land of Water.
None of them excelled in Fuinjutsu.
Especially Fuinjutsu capable of blocking the Summoning Jutsu, which were even rarer.
Only the Five Great Ninja Villages possessed Fuinjutsu with similar effects.
"If the Daimyo cuts off financial aid to Kirigakure because of this, other hidden villages could use the chaos to start a war."
The Third Mizukage continued.
"Which hidden village is so unruly? Daring to act against a Daimyo?"
Genji frowned and asked.
Not acting against a Daimyo was an unspoken rule among all ninjas.
Once someone broke this unspoken rule, the next Great Ninja War would become even more perilous.
After all, someone would definitely try to directly assassinate the Daimyos of the Five Great Nations.
"The hidden village with such audacity is most likely Kumogakure."
Karatachi Yagura said thoughtfully.
Hearing this, everyone agreed.
"We must take precautions."
The Third Mizukage rubbed his brow and said. "Sitting and waiting for death is not our style."
"Lord Mizukage, I am willing to go."
Karatachi Yagura immediately said.
"Mm. Tomorrow you will take people to patrol the sea border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water to prevent a sneak attack by Kumogakure."
The Third Mizukage pondered for a moment and said.
"We must also guard against Konoha."
Genji reminded him.
"Mangetsu, have the Anbu pay close attention to Konoha's movements."
Hearing this, the Third Mizukage added.
Compared to Kumogakure, Konoha was relatively law-abiding.
Since the establishment of the village, they had never proactively started a war.
Most importantly, Konoha had Iwagakure to the north, Sunagakure to the west, and Kumogakure and Kirigakure to the east.
It didn't dare to act rashly. One wrong move would affect the whole situation, triggering reactions from the other four hidden villages.
But Kumogakure was different.
Because the Land of Lightning was a country surrounded by the sea on three sides.
It wasn't easy for other hidden villages to attack it.
It had a higher degree of freedom.
The Raikage building in Kumogakure.
The Third Raikage put down the document in his hand and nodded.
This document was related to Nii Yugito.
She was the Two-Tails Jinchuriki of Kumogakure.
Not long ago, she successfully achieved partial Tailed Beast transformation.
And she was only seven years old.
If this continued, she would definitely become a perfect Jinchuriki.
A perfect Jinchuriki's strength was much greater than an ordinary Jinchuriki's, and they could play a more important role in war.
Just then, a knock sounded on the door.
"Come in."
The Third Raikage looked up and said.
"Lord Raikage, we just received intelligence."
Dodai walked in and got straight to the point. "Kirigakure's Kurosuki Raiga failed to assassinate the Daimyo of the Land of Water."
"What's going on?"
A puzzled expression appeared on the Third Raikage's face.
"Unclear."
Dodai said uncertainly. "Perhaps it's related to Kirigakure being repeatedly reprimanded by the Daimyo of the Land of Water recently."
"Pay close attention to this matter."
The Third Raikage instructed.
This matter was truly bizarre.
He suspected someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
"Yes, Lord Raikage."
Dodai turned and left.
But right before it was time to get off work, he appeared in the Raikage's office again.
"Kirigakure is making a move."
Dodai said in a deep voice. "Besides sending Genji to the metropolis of the Land of Water, they also sent Karatachi Yagura to the northwest border of the Land of Water."
"So Kirigakure suspects our Kumogakure did this?"
The Third Raikage couldn't help but ask coldly.
The Land of Lightning was right to the northwest of the Land of Water.
The appearance of Karatachi Yagura was undoubtedly to guard against their Kumogakure.
"Highly likely."
Dodai nodded and asked. "Do we need to issue a statement?"
"No need to issue one."
The Third Raikage narrowed his eyes and said. "Since they think we did it, so what if we did?"
"Lord Raikage, do you mean...?"
Dodai was momentarily stunned and asked subconsciously.
"This is a good opportunity."
The Third Raikage instructed. "Let Ay and B go and get some training."
"I'll go notify them right now."
Dodai understood.
On one hand, it was to train the new generation AB Combo of Kumogakure, but on the other hand, it was to find an opportunity for war.
If they could severely injure Karatachi Yagura and the others, they might be able to take advantage of the situation and provoke a war with Kirigakure.
The next day.
Nine o'clock in the morning.
Konoha Anbu Base.
Natsuki looked at the intelligence before him and fell into thought.
He hadn't expected the Third Mizukage to send Karatachi Yagura to guard against Kumogakure.
Kumogakure was even more reckless, not offering any clarification.
And they even sent the Fourth Raikage and Killer B, the AB Combo, to deal with Karatachi Yagura and the others from Kirigakure.
If nothing unexpected happened, they would most likely end up fighting.
But he had to admit, this was very much in line with Kumogakure's usual style.
From another perspective, it also showed that Kumogakure had long wanted to provoke a war.
In fact, there was a similar plot in the original work.
Before the Third Great Ninja War broke out, Kumogakure's AB Combo had fought with Konoha's Namikaze Minato.
Natsuki let out a breath.
The Third Great Ninja War was imminent.
In a sense, he was the one who raised the curtain on it this time.
Although it was an accidental result.
It was also normal.
Even without this incident, Kumogakure would still have taken the initiative to attack.
After all, the Third Great Ninja War was not far off.
Once Might Guy, Sarutobi Asuma, and the others became Chunin, it would break out completely.
These two years were the preparation time for the Five Great Villages.
Because a full-scale war required all-encompassing preparations, especially logistics.
Natsuki put down the intelligence in his hand and took out the Lightning Swords: Kiba.
The Lightning Swords: Kiba was a rare pair of twin swords.
And judging from its performance, its usage was more like the Sorcery Clima-Tact.
Simply put, not a warrior, but a mage.
The greatest function of the Lightning Swords: Kiba was to attract lightning.
Natsuki had examined it after obtaining it.
As he expected, the reason it could attract lightning was that Lightning Release chakra crystals were incorporated into the blades.
In other words, it was the same as the Sword of the Thunder God.
Natsuki planned to use it as raw material to forge a new ninja tool once he unlocked the Senji Muramasa template's Flame.
The Kubikiribocho and the Kabutowari would be handled the same way.
Natsuki put away the Lightning Swords: Kiba and went to the Research Department.
He needed to inform Orochimaru about the actions of Kirigakure and Kumogakure.
Konoha needed to make plans early.
"So Kurosuki Raiga's assassination of the Daimyo of the Land of Water was controlled by Kumogakure?"
After listening, Orochimaru asked.
"Perhaps Kurosuki Raiga died a long time ago, and this Kurosuki Raiga was an impostor from Kumogakure."
Natsuki made up an excuse.
He didn't plan to tell Orochimaru about this matter.
Mainly because assassinating a Daimyo broke the ninja code.
Although Orochimaru might not necessarily care, less trouble was better than more.
"It is within expectations that Kumogakure would do this."
Orochimaru nodded slightly and added. "Konoha needs to prepare for war. You take charge of this matter."
"Yes, Teacher."
Natsuki turned and left.
He then went to the Hokage Secretary's office.
Namikaze Minato, Nara Shikaku, and Uchiha Mikoto were all there.
"I have an announcement to make."
Natsuki spoke up. "Starting tomorrow, begin purchasing large quantities of supplies, especially ninja tools and medicine."
"What's going on?"
Hearing this, Namikaze Minato immediately asked. "Is war coming?"
"It's not certain yet, but it's always right to be prepared."
Natsuki then recounted the actions of Kirigakure and Kumogakure.
"No wonder."
Nara Shikaku nodded and said. "Once Kumogakure takes action, it probably won't be a small skirmish."
Hearing this, Natsuki thought to himself that Kumogakure's style was truly known to everyone.
Another week passed.
Natsuki received intelligence from Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
They had also begun preparing for war.
It was no exaggeration to say that the ninja world was already surging with hidden undercurrents. As soon as the time was right, the Third Great Ninja War would officially begin.
The metropolis of the Land of Water.
Natsuki appeared at Hiruko's residence.
Ever since Hiruko became a Guardian Ninja for the Daimyo of the Land of Water, he had received a very large courtyard.
"Lord Natsuki."
Seeing him, Hiruko hurriedly bowed.
"Has Genji found out anything?"
Natsuki asked.
Genji had already arrived in the metropolis of the Land of Water three days ago.
"They just finished extracting the memories from the corpses of Kurosuki Raiga and the other four yesterday, but they found nothing."
Hiruko paused and said. "Besides that, he also inquired about the whereabouts of the Lightning Swords: Kiba."
"What was the result?"
Natsuki asked again.
Although Kurosuki Raiga had seen him, Natsuki had already erased that memory.
There were many ways to erase memories.
For example, Fuinjutsu.
In the movie Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Lost Tower, Uzumaki Naruto traveled back to the past through the Ryumyaku and met Namikaze Minato.
When parting ways, to avoid affecting the future, they erased their memories.
Besides Fuinjutsu, there was also the Mangekyou Sharingan.
Erasing memories was simple. Rewriting memories was very difficult.
In Natsuki's memory, only Uchiha Shisui's Kotoamatsukami could rewrite memories.
Otherwise, rewriting Kurosuki Raiga's memory would have achieved a better effect.
"Whether it's the Daimyo or the twelve Guardian Ninjas, they all said they didn't see the Lightning Swords: Kiba."
Hiruko changed the subject and said. "But he asked me several times. He probably has his eye on me."
"That's normal."
Natsuki didn't find it surprising.
Although Hiruko had his own reasons for appearing at the Daimyo's mansion, Genji and the others definitely wouldn't believe him.
"They will most likely try to capture you secretly, extract your memories, and investigate the specific situation."
Natsuki looked thoughtful and said. "This is a good opportunity."
He could take this opportunity to make the Daimyo of the Land of Water completely lose trust in Kirigakure, thereby agreeing to support the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
But there was a prerequisite.
The Daimyo of the Land of Water had to trust Hiruko and let him establish the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
A thought crossed Natsuki's mind, and he suddenly remembered something.
In the original work, it was mentioned that if the Chimera Technique could perfectly fuse five Kekkei Genkai, it could achieve immortality.
To be honest, Natsuki didn't quite believe it.
But it might work to deceive the Daimyo of the Land of Water.
A Daimyo, an ordinary person in a high position of power, naturally had the greatest weakness: the fear of death.
If there was hope for immortality, he would definitely try it at all costs.
"Hiruko, have you told the Daimyo about the experiments you're conducting?"
Thinking of this, Natsuki asked.
"Not yet."
Hiruko replied.
"Find an opportunity to tell him, especially emphasizing that if the experiment succeeds, he will gain immortality."
Natsuki reminded him.
"Yes, Lord Natsuki."
Hiruko immediately responded.
Natsuki then opened an Air Door and walked into it.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Sea.
"Master!"
Ichikishimahime immediately clung to him.
"Go get Tagitsuhime and Tagorihime."
Natsuki pressed his hand against her head and pushed her away.
"Yes, Master."
Ichikishimahime stopped in her tracks, turned, and left.
Before long, she walked in with Tagitsuhime and Tagorihime.
"Three things."
Natsuki got straight to the point. "First, send the snakes of the Ryuchi Cave to monitor Genji and the others from Kirigakure."
"Yes, Master."
Tagorihime nodded.
"Second, when they make their move, lead the other Guardian Ninjas to deal with them."
Natsuki continued.
The unlock condition for the Senji Muramasa template's Tsumukari Muramasa only required not using genjutsu to control the Daimyo of the Land of Water.
The Guardian Ninjas were not included in this restriction.
He could control these Guardian Ninjas and have them join the Seven Warlords of the Sea, saving him the trouble of searching for Jonin everywhere.
"Third, take this opportunity to prepare to liberate the slaves of the Land of Water."
Natsuki added.
He had previously had Ichikishimahime find out which places in the Land of Water had large numbers of slaves.
Centered around the metropolis, a total of seventeen major cities had large numbers of slaves.
When the Daimyo of the Land of Water was overwhelmed by Kirigakure, he definitely wouldn't have the time to investigate where these slaves went.
After all, slaves could be replaced.
The ninja world was generally in a feudal society. Slaves were not going to disappear.
And Kirigakure wouldn't care about these slaves either.
Because they had more troublesome matters to deal with.
For the first two tasks, Natsuki didn't need to go personally.
The third task required his Door-Door Fruit.
After all, without teleportation, transporting so many slaves to the Land of Sea would be an impossible task.
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