It was only natural for Konoha Village to make such a decision. Not to mention that Fumori masaki already intended to overthrow the Daimyo with this, even if he didn't, Fumori masaki couldn't possibly agree to the Daimyo's demands.
Both refusing and agreeing would damage Konoha Village's reputation. However, the damage to reputation from refusing the Daimyo had room for maneuver, because Konoha Village could regain its reputation by overthrowing the Daimyo and re-directing public opinion. If they chose to agree to the Daimyo's demands, Konoha Village's international reputation would be irrevocably lost.
And reputation in the ninja world was Konoha Village's foundation. Without it, its cooperation with other countries and ninja villages would not have been so smooth, nor would it have grown to its current scale. Therefore, Konoha Village could not possibly agree to the Daimyo's demands.
Of course, although Fumori masaki decided to reject the Daimyo's request, he didn't reply immediately, because he wanted to give others time to react and let public opinion ferment. Refusing immediately would seem too eager.
Fumori masaki stated that the matter still needed thorough discussion and requested to go to the capital to discuss it with the Daimyo, but the Daimyo refused.
At this time, the Daimyo, as the Konoha higher-ups suspected, was already controlled by Tobi (Uchiha Kokuya) from behind. Otherwise, the Daimyo would not have made so many perplexing moves, nor would he have issued a declaration of military coercion against the Land of Demons at this moment.
Uchiha Kokuya did not want Fumori masaki to enter the capital, mainly because he was afraid that Fumori masaki would realize that the Daimyo had been controlled by genjutsu. Speculation, no matter how strong, was still just speculation; without evidence, it could be dismissed as baseless talk.
However, if Fumori masaki were to enter the capital, with his abilities, he would certainly find a way to uncover evidence that the Daimyo was under genjutsu. After all, Fumori masaki was the Kage of a village, and many things couldn't restrict him, unlike the Guardian Ninjas in the capital who could be prevented from entering the Daimyo's mansion in the Daimyo's name.
Hyuga Hiashi's Byakugan could also tell if the Daimyo was under genjutsu, but since he couldn't enter the Daimyo's mansion to see the Daimyo, Hyuga Hiashi naturally couldn't use his Byakugan.
Once Fumori masaki found evidence, he could reasonably prevent the civil war from breaking out, and Uchiha Kokuya's plan would come to nothing. He also couldn't eliminate Fumori masaki and silence him—he himself had been beaten to that state by Fumori masaki's daughter, and Fumori masaki's strength clearly surpassed hers. Even with Susanoo as a trump card, his chances of winning were probably not high.
To fight Fumori masaki, it would have to be when the war had reached a certain scale, with a large number of fallen souls in hand, that Uchiha Kokuya would have the confidence.
Therefore,
Uchiha Kokuya could not possibly allow Fumori masaki to enter the capital, but this made the Daimyo's mansion appear somewhat outwardly strong but inwardly weak.
Fumori masaki guessed the reason why the other party wouldn't let him enter the capital, and felt a little regretful. If he could use the Daimyo being controlled by genjutsu as evidence, that would truly minimize losses—because then Konoha Village would have a reason to directly surround the Daimyo's mansion and scheme from there, forcing him to cede power on the grounds of the Daimyo's misconduct, and a civil war would not occur.
But many things in the world don't go so smoothly. Although there were Byakugan users among the Guardian Ninjas, they were isolated by the Daimyo and couldn't play their role. It seemed there was only a civil war as an option. Although it would lead to greater losses, one benefit was that it would make the efforts to sideline the Daimyo even more thorough.
Under the efforts of Konoha's propaganda department, newspapers about the Daimyo's decision to send troops to the Land of Demons and Konoha Village's request for discussion being rejected were widely printed, first spreading throughout the village, then leaving the village, and reaching every town.
Residents of Konoha Village discussed this animatedly. Only a few years had passed since the Second Great Ninja War, and those who had experienced that painful war were still alive. They were deeply influenced by the new Ninshu culture in the village and were very puzzled and indignant about the Daimyo's decision.
Although the Land of Demons had not joined the Southern Alliance, it was one of the origins of the Ninshu culture's revival. The current Ninshu original texts were discovered within the Land of Demons, and it had maintained friendly relations with Konoha Village to this day. No one would consider the Land of Demons an enemy.
And the Daimyo's reasons clearly couldn't gain the approval of Konoha residents. Their opinions were basically unanimous—that is, they disapproved of such an unrighteous military action and believed that the Daimyo's office needed to consider it carefully before making a decision.
Officials in the capital who saw the newspaper content all submitted memorials advising the Daimyo to reconsider, otherwise it might arouse public indignation—they had also witnessed the power of public opinion in recent years and had utilized it in their daily struggles. Since the newspaper originated from Konoha Village, no one was better at playing this game than them.
But to everyone's disappointment, the Daimyo remained deaf to their pleas and stuck to his own opinion. This was, of course, natural, as the Daimyo had already been controlled by Uchiha Kokuya and naturally couldn't listen to anyone else's advice.
Uchiha Kokuya was somewhat anticipating whether the Konoha ninjas remaining in the capital would request to enter the Daimyo's mansion for discussion. If so, he would have a reason to apprehend them, making them easier to control. Currently, these individuals were staying outside the Daimyo's mansion, usually residing in a single courtyard, making them more troublesome to deal with.
However, Asuna and the others did not do so. They had already received orders from the village and did not need to persuade the Daimyo. Moreover, with Tobi (Uchiha Kokuya) involved, the Daimyo's mansion was actually somewhat dangerous. For safety's sake, Fumori masaki had ordered everyone not to act alone, so that if any unexpected situation truly arose, they could better protect themselves together.
Although Uchiha Kokuya wanted to eliminate the Konoha ninjas in the capital as soon as possible, he couldn't act rashly at the moment. He needed to stabilize the other party, as the success rate would be higher when the opponent was careless—another point was that Uchiha Kokuya's injuries hadn't fully healed yet and he needed time to recover.
This incident was not only known within the Land of Fire but also to the outside world. The Southern Alliance's stance, needless to say, was unanimously against sending troops, advising the Daimyo's office to carefully consider and discuss it thoroughly with the Hokage.
Meanwhile, in the northern Land of Earth and Land of Lightning, news of this also reached them. Their Daimyos were all very curious and sent letters inquiring with their respective ninja village leaders on how to handle this matter.
Onoki saw the news in the newspaper, his face surprised, and said, "Although I think the Land of Fire Daimyo's actions are extremely foolish, I didn't expect them to be this foolish."
"It seems very unusual," his son Kitsuchi said from the side.
"Of course it's unusual. The Land of Fire Daimyo isn't a wise ruler, but he's not someone who can't see the situation clearly. The ninja villages and people in the country have shown an attitude of rejecting war, so even if he genuinely wanted to force the Land of Demons to join the Southern Alliance, he should give up now." Onoki said.
"Then why… the newspaper also said that the Daimyo's office refused to let the Hokage enter the capital. What exactly is this…" Kitsuchi looked confused.
"It's not incomprehensible. The Daimyo's sudden change is probably closely related to that Tobi," Onoki said. "If I'm not mistaken, he might have used genjutsu to control the Daimyo."
"But that wouldn't do him any good either." Kitsuchi knew that during the Warring States period, there was a practice of controlling noble leaders with genjutsu, which often led to great turmoil. This kind of action would arouse the suspicion of all nobles; once it happened, they would spare no effort to eliminate the genjutsu user, and the person controlled by genjutsu would also fall due to political struggle.
After the national situation stabilized, such things rarely happened. The strengthening of the power around nobles was one aspect, and another was that it did no good for the country and would put oneself on the hot seat. Smart people wouldn't do this unless they were confident they could handle everything.
However, Tobi clearly didn't have that ability, so Kitsuchi couldn't understand what good it would do him to control the Daimyo and make such a move.
"This might be related to this person's background. We still don't know his origins," Onoki replied.
"Then, Father, what will happen in the Land of Fire next? Now the Daimyo's office insists on sending troops abroad, and while Konoha Village hasn't made an official statement, it's probably a refusal…"
"Masaki will definitely refuse. If he agrees, he'll completely destroy the reputation he's built over the years. Although I dislike his methods, if he truly destroys it with his own hands, I would look down on him." Onoki's answer was somewhat contradictory, but Kitsuchi somewhat understood.
Fumori masaki's style was completely different from his father Onoki. Onoki was also very annoyed by being repeatedly at a disadvantage in his struggles with Konoha Village, and he also believed that the situation Fumori masaki had created was not as stable as it appeared on the surface. The reality Onoki saw was not like that.
However, regarding Fumori masaki's character, no matter how annoyed Onoki was, he still had some admiration. To reach this point in the ninja world with such noble character, he deserved respect no matter what.
Therefore, if Fumori masaki truly chose to overthrow all of this, even if it aligned with the reality in Onoki's eyes, he would still be disappointed in him.
"So, Konoha Village and the Daimyo's office are bound to clash?" Kitsuchi asked.
"It's very likely to be that way. The Daimyo's office in the Land of Fire also has a powerful armed force, which I believe Tobi trained, right?" Onoki was referring to the Chakra Samurai. Recently, the Daimyo's office issued a statement that if Konoha Village refused to take military action, the Daimyo's office would dispatch Chakra Samurai to act on its own, and at the same time, would punish Konoha Village for violating the contract.
"I heard that while the Chakra Samurai possessed by the Land of Fire Daimyo may not be as high quality as those in the Land of Iron, they surpass them in number and are considered a quite powerful armed force," Kitsuchi said.
"Tsk, given this situation, I think the Land of Fire Daimyo might even take military suppression action against Konoha Village," Onoki said with a somewhat solemn expression.
"Will it really be like that? That would be too unwise!" Kitsuchi was startled.
"Have the Land of Fire Daimyo's recent actions been wise?" Onoki retorted, saying, "However, Konoha Village will definitely win, I have no doubt about that. But if Konoha Village takes such a counterattack, the Land of Fire will certainly fall into turmoil."
"Do you mean…?" Kitsuchi keenly sensed that his opportunist father's heart seemed to be stirring again.
"Pay close attention. We might really be able to profit from this," Onoki said with some excitement.
On the other hand, the Third Raikage in Kumogakure did not share Onoki's thoughts. His initial views aligned with Onoki's, believing that the Land of Fire Daimyo might take military suppression action and that Konoha Village had a very high chance of success. The point of divergence was the outcome.
Onoki believed that the Land of Fire would fall into turmoil as a result, thus giving foreign powers like them an opportunity to fish in troubled waters. The Third Raikage, however, believed that Konoha Village was very likely to quickly stabilize the domestic situation.
Some high-ranking officials in Kumogakure shared Onoki's idea, their uncooled passion urging them to profit from the civil war in the Land of Fire. But the Third Raikage indicated that they should wait and see, because he believed Fumori masaki had already anticipated such a situation in the past. To ask why, it was related to the Third Raikage's previous visit to Konoha Village.
Onoki and some high-ranking officials in Kumogakure did not have such an experience. During his visit to Konoha Village, the Third Raikage gained a very clear understanding of Konoha Village's cultural atmosphere. He even personally read some rare books that were not available outside and only sold within the village, from which he could glimpse some of Fumori masaki's original, unpolished thoughts.
In his conversations with Fumori masaki, the Third Raikage also felt that this Hokage-sama did not hold the same reverence for the Daimyo as other ninja village leaders. In his heart, it seemed the Daimyo had never held a place.
Although it was just a guess, the Third Raikage believed that Fumori masaki might have been anticipating such a situation for a long time. His actions to date also seemed to be pre-emptive preparations for countering the Daimyo—although to many, it was precisely Fumori masaki's actions that led to the Daimyo's suppression of him.
If that were truly the case, the situation in the Land of Fire would not be as chaotic as others expected. Perhaps it would regain stability in a very short time, giving no opportunity for outsiders to fish in troubled waters.
This was merely the Third Raikage's own conjecture, and he couldn't draw a definitive conclusion, but he felt it was necessary to observe carefully and decide slowly. He couldn't be like Onoki during the Second Great Ninja War, who, on a whim, led Iwagakure to join the aggressors and ended up as a defeated nation.
The Third Raikage had a vague premonition that Onoki would likely try to fish in troubled waters, and if Fumori masaki was as he thought, it might be a good opportunity for him to consolidate his northern influence.