"Aside from the matter concerning Konoha Village, there is also trouble from Iwagakure. Those bandits have recently sent many ninja into our country to plunder wealth..."
Ryun sat at the head, listening quietly. His one black and one gray eye were like stagnant water, completely unmoving. Only after everyone had reported roughly the most pressing recent issues did he turn his gaze to the Daimyo of the Land of Rice.
"Regarding the issue of protection money, since you sought me out, you must not want to pay. In that case, respond to Konoha. Say that Otogakure is now established and has the ability to defend itself. It no longer requires Konoha's protection..."
The Daimyo of the Land of Rice nodded upon hearing this, but his expression remained anxious and uneasy. Seeing this, Ryun spoke faintly.
"Proceed without hesitation. Konoha is currently locked in a fierce battle with the Land of Wind and has no attention to spare elsewhere. If they truly dare to make trouble, I will personally intervene when the time comes."
Ryun believed Konoha most likely would not move against Otogakure at this time, at most resorting to threats and intimidation. Unless the conflict between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind reached a conclusion, Konoha would probably be unable to free up resources to deal with Otogakure. Otherwise, the matter would most likely just be dropped.
Hearing Ryun's promise, the Daimyo of the Land of Rice instantly straightened his back, a satisfied smile finally appearing on his face.
"As for the trouble from Iwagakure, Raiga Kurosuki, you lead several of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, two jonin, and a number of chunin and genin to eliminate those bandit ninja. Kill any Iwa-nin who resist without exception. Once enough people die, I want to see if that Ōnoki still dares to send people over."
Ryun issued another strong, authoritative command. Everyone present couldn't help but swallow nervously. Then, they saw Raiga Kurosuki quickly stand up to accept this troublesome mission.
"Won't this anger those bandits... I'm afraid they might become desperate and do something reckless..."
The Daimyo of the Land of Rice spoke softly. After all, he was just the daimyo of a small country. He greatly feared the Land of Earth would use this as a pretext to launch a war against the Land of Rice, especially now that they had proactively severed their cooperative relationship with Konoha.
"Endless concessions will only make the enemy push their luck and become more aggressive. Cowardice solves no problems." Ryun said, casting a cold glance his way.
Dealing with the bandits from the Land of Earth using the Daimyo's previous policy of not daring to offend anyone was ineffective. Ryun was tired of hearing reports from his subordinates on this issue.
"If... if that's the case, then we must act decisively... The Shadow is right. Dealing with those bandits indeed requires making an example out of them to deter a hundred others..."
The Daimyo of the Land of Rice gave an awkward laugh and quickly voiced his agreement. At this point, he could only trust Ryun's decision. The strength possessed by this Shadow was worth gambling his country's fate on.
"If you encounter enemies you cannot handle, you can seek me out at any time. As for other trivial matters, handle them yourselves." Ryun said, standing up before leaving directly.
"Yes!"
Several Otogakure higher-ups, along with the Daimyo, stood up and nodded in unison at this moment.
Ryun was the Shadow of Otogakure. He had stated he would only be responsible for helping the village defend against enemies. All other trivial matters were beyond his concern, and he couldn't manage them all anyway.
With this top-tier expert of the era as their backing, this relatively weak ninja village suddenly became assertive. They first refused to pay any more protection money to Konoha, then even raised the executioner's blade against the Iwagakure bandits within their borders!
This strong, firm posture actually briefly intimidated both the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth. The anticipated 'desperate reckless actions' did not materialize. After making a few threatening statements, Konoha recalled all its ninja from the Land of Rice.
They seemed to know the Land of Rice was being plundered and harassed by the Land of Earth. Withdrawing their ninja was clearly intended to make the Land of Rice suffer more.
They did not believe the Land of Rice had the ability to drive away those bandits on its own. In the end, they would still come begging to Konoha.
They firmly believed this and were prepared to make the Land of Rice pay a heavy price.
In reality, with Ryun's help, Otogakure had already developed a considerable combat capability. However, this force had not yet been revealed openly, leading Konoha to misjudge the situation.
As long as the Land of Earth did not launch a full-scale war against the Land of Rice, Otogakure was capable of resisting Iwagakure's plundering invasions on its own.
Three days later.
"Shadow-sama, the majority of the bandits invading the Land of Rice have been executed. The remaining Iwa-nin seem to have received orders to retreat. The Land of Rice is now peaceful again. However..."
Raiga Kurosuki first reported his work to Ryun, stating the mission was complete, but then brought up a new major problem.
"However, according to our latest intelligence, the Land of Earth has gathered more Iwa-nin at their ports. They will most likely launch a larger scale invasion against us, possibly even a formal declaration of war..."
Raiga Kurosuki felt that if war truly broke out between the two countries, given the Land of Rice's current capabilities, there was a significant risk of the country being destroyed.
The Land of Earth and the Land of Rice were separated by two other countries, including the relatively strong Takigakure. Therefore, the Land of Earth could not invade the Land of Rice by land. They could only use the sea route from start to finish.
Additionally, sea transport costs were lower, which actually made it more convenient for the Land of Earth to transport their plundered goods.
Hearing this news, Ryun remained silent. His gaze fell on a large map, and a plan quietly formed in his mind.
"Relay my command. Withdraw all intelligence personnel near this port. I will personally handle all remaining problems."
Ryun raised his hand and pointed to a port on the map. It was the largest 'bridgehead' for the Land of Earth's attacks on the Land of Rice. He planned to make a trip there personally to eliminate this trouble!
Late at night, two days later.
A violent, earth-shattering explosion occurred at the largest deep-water port in the Land of Earth. A massive tsunami also swept through the large dock area near the port. Numerous ships were destroyed in the explosion and tsunami. Iwagakure consequently held an emergency high-level meeting.
"The Pingyang Port appears to have been attacked by a Tailed Beast Bomb..."
"That level of explosion and tsunami absolutely cannot be achieved by human power. Furthermore, there were no warning signs beforehand. Only a Tailed Beast could accomplish something like this!"
At the Iwagakure high-level meeting, a senior intelligence officer reported the situation at the bombed port to the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, along with some of his own assessments.
"Can you confirm it was a Tailed Beast Bomb?" Ōnoki asked, his face dark, gloomy, with furious veins bulging on his forehead.
"Based on the destructive power of the explosion and the specific range, the initial assessment is a Tailed Beast Bomb explosion... As for the formation of the tsunami, the specific cause is still under investigation..."
Daring to say it was most likely a Tailed Beast attack at such a high-level meeting meant it was almost certainly true and had undergone preliminary investigation and verification.
"Bastards! Which major country launched this attack? Do they want all-out war!" Someone roared, slamming the table and standing up.
Every Tailed Beast stood behind a major country. If a Tailed Beast truly attacked their port, it meant a major country had launched an attack on them without declaring war!
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