At this very moment, during the Land of Fire's court assembly, the Daimyo had just issued a new order to everyone: because the Land of Demons was two-faced and inconsistent in its stance, troops would be sent to punish it!
The officials at the assembly were all taken aback, not expecting the Daimyo to take such a measure. Soon, someone stepped forward to stop the Daimyo.
"Why?" The Daimyo glared at the official who stepped forward, his gaze chilling, as if he wanted to devour him alive.
"Your Highness, although the Land of Demons has not openly declared its allegiance to our country, its stance is still biased towards us," the official said, bracing himself.
"That's only because they don't want to offend our country," the Daimyo waved his hand forcefully. "How can such two-faced behavior be tolerated! They must be punished! Let them understand that they either honestly follow the Land of Fire, or they become an enemy of the Land of Fire!"
Everyone exchanged glances, feeling that this seemed very wrong. Neutral countries have their own positions, and the Land of Demons was leaning towards the Land of Fire. Given time, it might truly join an alliance centered around the Land of Fire. But if military action were taken, then…
"For decades, our country has always used righteousness as its banner when deploying troops. The actions of the Land of Demons have not been inappropriate in any way," another official stepped forward and said.
"How can there be no inappropriate actions? Our country represents the righteous side of the ninja world, maintaining order for many years, yet the Land of Demons does not intend to join the alliance, which shows ill intent!" the Daimyo said coldly.
—Isn't this just sophistry!
The official who had just spoken immediately looked astonished. Although the Daimyo's recent behavior was at odds with the Konoha Ninja Village, from the perspective of a monarch, it was barely reasonable. After all, if a ninja village became too powerful, it would make the monarch very uneasy. Aside from some officials who had benefited from cooperation with the Konoha Ninja Village, many officials also expressed support.
But now, the Daimyo was escalating, twisting the "righteous war" concept consistently promoted by the Konoha Ninja Village. It sounded reasonable on the surface, but in reality, it was not the same as the "righteous war" upheld by the Konoha Ninja Village. Its essence was the war of aggression that the Konoha Ninja Village opposed.
If it was just a slight suppression of the Konoha Ninja Village domestically, the officials felt it was fine, but taking such severe measures against a neutral country was unacceptable.
"Even if the Land of Demons is forced to join the alliance through such means, it will harbor resentment, and it will also cause doubts among other allied nations, which will be very detrimental to the maintenance of allied relations!"
"How can it be detrimental? Wasn't the Land of Wind completely subdued back then, and then obediently entered the alliance? Even the Land of Wind, one of the Five Great Nations, was like that. What room for upheaval does a small Land of Demons have?" The Daimyo shook his head, showing disdain. "As for allied relations, what value do their doubts have? So-called trust is inherently empty; only strength is real. With strength in hand, I doubt they would dare to leave the alliance."
Although he said that, the situation of the Land of Wind was somewhat special. Back then, it was because the Land of Wind was internally in the wrong, coupled with the rise of the opposition faction within the country, and the Konoha Ninja Village's willingness to let bygones be bygones, that the Land of Wind gratefully entered the alliance. How can they be compared?
Moreover, having strength indeed means you don't have to consider others' opinions, but strength alone is not enough. To have harmonious relations, trust is also needed. Otherwise, relying only on suppression by force without building mutual trust, it might be fine when strong, but once trouble arises, the other party might stab you in the back.
Although many officials were trying to persuade the Daimyo, the Daimyo turned a deaf ear, rebuking each one. Gradually, some people understood that the Daimyo was determined to send troops to the Land of Rice. Some expressed that such a move might not be approved by the Konoha Ninja Village, and they might not send troops.
"Why wouldn't they send troops? It was clearly written in the agreement signed with the country back then—to bear military responsibility and take military action according to the requirements of the Land of Fire (the employer)—if they refuse, are they planning to violate the employment agreement signed by their previous Hokage?" the Daimyo said sternly.
On this point, the Daimyo was absolutely correct. The employment agreement clearly stated that the Konoha Ninja Village, as an employed organization of the Land of Fire, was naturally obligated to take military action according to the Land of Fire's orders. If they refused, it would be a breach of the employment agreement, which would cause severe credibility issues for the ninja village.
As mercenaries, the most important thing for ninjas is credibility. No one is willing to pay money for a group of people with ulterior motives who refuse to be managed. Although force can be used, that would be tantamount to losing their foundation. No one would trust such dangerous individuals; they would only employ various means to eliminate them.
Why would someone as powerful as Kakuzu honestly pursue rogue ninjas for money? Isn't it because he's worried about this kind of thing? If he relied on his own strength to acquire money, he would be putting himself in a dangerous position. A large number of hired ninjas would come to hunt him down, possibly even including ninjas from the Five Great Ninja Villages, which would undoubtedly be very unfavorable for Kakuzu, who wanted to live a stable life.
Even someone as arrogant as Orochimaru dared not openly appear, only controlling the Land of Grass and Land of Rice from behind to secure funds for himself, because he also understood that if he openly showed that he controlled a country, the Five Great Nations would unite to eliminate him. This was an act that violated the social order.
The Daimyo's actions targeting allied nations, strictly speaking, were merely political and diplomatic activities, and the Konoha Ninja Village only played an indirect role, which was not stipulated in the employment agreement—after all, at that time, the Konoha Ninja Village was just a military organization formed by ninjas, and no one anticipated such high influence—but military responsibility was indeed written in. In the past, the Konoha Ninja Village also reasoned with people and dared not directly use force, but once the Daimyo refused to cooperate, the Konoha Ninja Village would be in some trouble.
To refuse would be to violate the employment agreement signed between the Konoha Ninja Village and the Land of Fire, which would damage the Konoha Ninja Village's credibility with the country and affect all future activities; to agree would be to violate the principles the Konoha Ninja Village propagated in the ninja world, which would greatly harm the Konoha Ninja Village's credibility in the ninja world. Both outcomes are undesirable.
It can be said that the Daimyo's decision hit the Konoha Ninja Village where it hurt.
Seeing the Daimyo's stubbornness, the officials, knowing they couldn't persuade him, retreated. Some officials who stood with the Daimyo immediately expressed support, and the voice of the assembly tilted towards the Daimyo.
The other officials exchanged glances, all somewhat worried, unsure what kind of response the Konoha Ninja Village would give. Under normal circumstances, the Konoha Ninja Village should feel very conflicted.
However, some officials had already anticipated what decision the Konoha Ninja Village would make. As for the Konoha Ninja Village itself, the moment it heard the news, it had already made its decision without any hesitation.
That was—to refuse!