boyutpedia Chapter 172 Persuading the Horse
Chapter 172 Persuading the Horse
Seeing Kyosuke and Ma confronting each other, Mori Kun smiled calmly and spoke.
"Hehehe, Kazuma, don't make it so serious. The Konoha ninjas are so united and friendly, which is a blessing for our Land of Fire. Let's not criticize them too much."
This statement, seemingly praising Kyosuke and Konoha, is actually intended to lead into the next sentence.
“However, there must be rules for the selection process. Otherwise, anyone can interfere in other people's battles, and we won't be able to complete our work. It's also unfair to the others, so we have to punish them. How about this, Kyosuke and Shisui, you will be punished by not being able to challenge others, and you can only accept challenges from others. Do you accept this?”
These words, initially praising and then criticizing, were both gentle and barbed, yet logical and well-founded. Kyosuke, after all, was a ninja who killed with a knife, not a politician who only talked big. Moreover, this did not affect the mission, so he had nothing to say and accepted the punishment along with Shisui.
Seeing Kyosuke's good attitude, Mori looked at Mimori and softened his tone even more.
“Abe Moriichi, although killing is not prohibited here, we are all pillars of the Land of Fire and may become comrades in the future, so you should try not to kill anyone.”
This statement, though seemingly critical, reveals a deep sense of protectiveness in the tone, which everyone can sense.
Mi Shou put away the kunai and nodded: "Yes."
With a few words, the dispute was resolved, and Mao Likun signaled that the selection process would continue.
Because of the strength shown by Mikami and Asuma, the next few people to take the stage did not challenge Mikami and Kyosuke, and instead went about their own business.
"Kyosuke, you're right, that guy is targeting me, and his motives are definitely not simple!"
In the stands, Asuma recalled the details of the battle just now, and the more he thought about it, the more something seemed off.
"During the battle just now, it felt like I was being led by the nose the whole time, being schemed against step by step by him."
Kyosuke said seriously, "You're right. He must have investigated you beforehand, and understood your personality and strength, otherwise he wouldn't have been so arrogant. I suspect that he might not only have investigated you, but also me and Shisui."
Shisui was somewhat puzzled: "It would be difficult for him and his ninja clan to do this on their own. Who is supporting him behind the scenes?"
Kyosuke sneered: "Hmph, the ninja world has been fighting for so long, and countless hatreds have been accumulated. It's not surprising that we have so many enemies."
Kyosuke thought to himself, "You can suspect anyone, just don't suspect me."
The Third Hokage's enemies, the Uchiha clan's enemies, Konoha's enemies, and the relatives and friends of those he had killed—there were too many suspects.
Upon hearing Kyosuke's words, Asuma and Shisui's expressions changed slightly, and they both had their own guesses.
Asma thought of his father.
Could someone be trying to get back at me in order to hurt my father?
Asuma wasn't stupid. He thought about the enemies in the war that had lasted for years, and how his father was getting older and it was almost time to find a new Hokage.
Asma felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of the conflicts of interest involved.
Shisui thought of the clansmen who had disappeared without a trace, the increasingly dissatisfied and irritable atmosphere within the clan, and the increasingly strained relationship between the clan and the village, which also gave him a headache.
The struggle for power is the bloodiest; you might become the focus of the struggle yourself. Some people want you to live, while others want you to die.
Kyosuke puts on an act in front of Asuma and Shisui, while Yamori also puts on an act in front of Kazuma.
As soon as Mimori returned to the stands, Kazuma came over and led him to a quiet corner.
"I didn't expect you to be so powerful. I've seen ninjas from the Abe clan, but none of them are as good as you."
Trying to test my abilities?!
Mimori glanced at Kazuma and said calmly, "Stop your pointless probing and just say what you have to say."
Even after his thoughts were exposed, Ma wasn't angry.
Whether it was due to his professional habits as a ninja or his desire to recruit reliable subordinates, he tried his best to gather information about Mikami.
However, now that his words were blocked and seeing how firm Mikami's attitude was, Kazuma naturally wouldn't try to probe any further.
There are plenty of ways to gather intelligence; there's no need to strain relationships like this.
Kazuma looked in Kyosuke's direction and stated his opinion directly: "These Konoha ninjas always think they're superior, it's really annoying. I think the Land of Fire only needs one Daimyo as its leader, the Hokage is completely superfluous, what do you think?"
This is about expressing one's stance and beliefs. There's no way to hide it, otherwise you won't attract like-minded people, let alone build a team.
If we agree with this concept, we have the potential to become partners and take the next step of contact.
If you don't agree with this idea, then just do what you need to do. Whether we become strangers or enemies in the future is up to fate.
Mi Shou was silent for two seconds, then reached out and touched his chest.
During the battle, Asuma's blade tore the clothes at the chest, revealing two large holes.
Mi Shou touched the hole in his clothes, seemingly recalling the battle just now, his tone somewhat indignant.
"The ninjas of Konoha have achieved their current strength through inheritance and wealth; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to hurt me at all."
Kazuma curled the corners of his mouth: "The Land of Fire belongs to the Daimyo, and the wealth of the Land of Fire also belongs to the Daimyo. The Daimyo can use his wealth to support Konoha, so naturally he can support others. Without the support of the Daimyo, Konoha will surely wither away."
Mimori was not swayed by Kazuma's words, but calmed down and spoke in a composed manner.
"I know your purpose, but Konoha is so strong, how can the Daimyo fight against them? Although I despise Konoha, I don't want to die."
Kazuma said in a deep voice, "I know this will be difficult to succeed, but I will still do it because it is the right thing to do. Think about it, if Konoha were gone, the resources of the Land of Fire could support your ninja clans, and you would not be as weak as you are now."
Faced with the temptation, Mi Shou frowned, looking somewhat conflicted, and then slowly asked, "Do we really have a chance?"
Upon hearing this, Kazuma felt that the persuasion was about to succeed, and explained it to Mimori.
"Now is the best time. Konoha's strength has been greatly weakened due to the long war, and it is unable to forcibly suppress the Daimyo's actions. Moreover, there are forces within Konoha who are dissatisfied with the Hokage, and they are our allies. As long as we have enough military power to make Konoha hesitant to act, we can gradually force Konoha to back down."
"This process may be long, but as long as our strength continues to grow, Konoha will make more and more concessions, and we will gain more and more benefits. One day we will achieve our ideal!"
Seeing Kazuma's determined expression, Mimori thought to himself, "We've gone this far enough; it's time to agree."
So Mikami closed his eyes, seemingly waging a final battle within himself.
When Mi Shou opened his eyes again, there was no longer any hesitation on his face, and his gaze was once again as cold as a knife.
"Ninjas will die eventually. Rather than losing your life for a little reward, why not do something big! Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
Seeing that Mikami had agreed, Kazuma breathed a sigh of relief.
For the sake of the daimyo's mission, he and Ma have worked hard and finally recruited their first subordinate.
Although further testing is needed to determine whether Moriichi Abe is reliable, this is a crucial first step.
Thinking of this, Kazuma smiled and gave Mimori a task.