"So, you agreed?"
...
Tobirama Senju's words made the Raikage clench his fists, unwillingness and anger flashing in his eyes.
"I had no choice!" he growled. "After the war, the village was already severely weakened! If we cut the military budget any further, how are we supposed to train the next generation of shinobi?!"
There was a suppressed fury in his voice, but even more helplessness.
With such a foolish daimyō in charge, what could they possibly do?
"This isn't hard to deal with. If you can't solve the problem, then just eliminate the one who raised the problem..." Renya offered his view.
If the Land of Lightning's daimyō didn't support Kumogakure, why not replace him with someone who did?
After all, to the ordinary people of the Land of Lightning, it made no difference who held the title of daimyō.
So why not replace him with one that would benefit Kumogakure?
For a village as strong as Kumogakure, this wasn't a difficult thing to pull off.
The Raikage was taken aback, as if hearing this idea for the first time.
Then his eyes lit up.
It really was a good suggestion!
As long as the Land of Lightning's daimyō died, no one could cut Kumogakure's military funding anymore!
Unfortunately, he no longer had the chance to put it into action.
At that thought, his eyes dimmed again.
...
"Renya!"
Before Renya could finish speaking, Tobirama Senju sharply interrupted.
He looked at Renya in shock, never expecting this kid to utter such treasonous words.
To kill a daimyō—this was something people didn't even dare think about!
Of course, if the Land of Fire ever faced a similar situation, they could indeed follow this kid's line of thought.
Renya curled his lip and tactfully dropped the subject.
This old man was still too conservative...
If they actually followed his approach, the village could develop much faster.
Tobirama turned his head toward the Raikage and continued, "Do you know why Konoha can stand as the foremost among the Five Great Nations?"
The Raikage froze, not understanding why the Hokage was asking such a question.
Why was Konoha the foremost of the Five Great Nations?
Wasn't it obvious? It was because of their advantageous geography and abundant national resources.
Otherwise, why would they have attacked the Land of Fire in the first place?
Wasn't it exactly for those rich resources?
...
"It's not because my ninjutsu is so strong, nor because we have so many shinobi," Tobirama said calmly. "It's because we understand that true strength doesn't come from slaughter and plunder."
The Raikage was stunned.
What on earth was this guy talking about?!
Wars in the shinobi world were caused by nations whose resources couldn't satisfy their people's needs, forcing them to wage war abroad.
By attacking other countries to seize resources, they could alleviate their own problems.
That was why they needed to attack the Land of Fire—because they lacked resources.
Otherwise, who would fight wars for no reason?!
Kumogakure might have had two war-mad fanatics, but they were already dead on the battlefield.
Though he wanted to retort, seeing his current predicament, the words died in his throat.
Yeah, yeah, whatever you say is right.
"You've just become the Raikage. You should be leading Kumogakure toward prosperity, not letting the daimyō use you as his pawn," Tobirama said lightly. "Killing you brings me no benefit."
Renya and the Raikage both showed shocked expressions. Neither had expected Tobirama to say such a thing.
Renya stared at the old man strangely. What the hell had gotten into him?
Logically speaking, such words would only come from Hashirama Senju. Tobirama—someone ruthless and decisive in killing—shouldn't be engaging in this saintly behavior...
Could it be the grilled mushrooms earlier really were poisonous?!
Or was he aiming for a bigger profit?
"What do you want?" the Raikage asked warily.
He absolutely did not believe the Hokage would let him go so easily!
Renya was also curious to know this old man's purpose.
"Because, compared to a dead Raikage, a Raikage who owes Konoha a favor... is far more valuable." Tobirama looked toward the distant sky as he explained.
Renya suddenly understood. He knew the old man wasn't so kind-hearted.
Making the Raikage owe Konoha a debt meant Kumogakure wouldn't attack Konoha for the time being.
After all, the Raikage still owed Konoha his life.
Hearing this, the Raikage fell silent.
After a long while, he looked deeply at Tobirama and finally said in a low voice, "...I will remember today."
A barely perceptible smile tugged at the corner of Tobirama's mouth.
"Good."
The Second Raikage was just about to gather his subordinates and leave when he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others approaching.
No need to guess—those five elite jōnin had been completely wiped out.
They had been practically the last of Kumogakure's hidden reserves.
After a war, the number of elite jōnin the village could muster was limited.
And now, all of them had been lost here...
What a massive loss!
If the daimyō hadn't been so stubborn, things wouldn't have turned out like this.
At that moment, the Raikage couldn't help but recall what Renya had said earlier.
"If you can't solve the problem, then just eliminate the one who raised the problem..."
If he killed the daimyō and took his place, there'd be no need to worry about the village's funding ever again.
When he came back to himself, he was startled by the dangerous turn of his thoughts.
Such an act would undoubtedly shatter the shinobi world's unspoken rules...
If it were exposed, Kumogakure would be jointly sanctioned by the other nations.
The other daimyō would definitely cut off all trade with the Land of Lightning without hesitation.
Such an act would threaten their personal safety, and to prevent other shinobi villages from following suit, the daimyō would unite to boycott—or even attack—the Land of Lightning.
As Raikage, he naturally didn't want to see such a situation.
But high risk meant high reward. As long as he quietly eliminated the daimyō and replaced him with someone of his own, Kumogakure would surely flourish.
Renya's reminder had suddenly made him realize—the daimyō was merely someone responsible for providing financial support.
It didn't matter who filled that role...
The Raikage finally made up his mind. For the sake of the village's development, he would see this done!
He planned to make his move only after Konoha's delegation left the Land of Lightning.
Even if the matter was exposed in the future, he could pin the blame on Konoha, claiming the former daimyō's death was connected to them!
And that wouldn't be a lie—after all, the suggestion had indeed come from Konoha.
At this moment, Renya had no idea that his casual remark had prompted the Raikage to genuinely plan the daimyō's death—and that he was already preparing to pin it on him.
If Renya knew, the Raikage would be lying on the ground right now.
Unfortunately, he didn't know.
After a brief rest, Renya and the others took the heavily wounded Raikage to the daimyō's mansion.
Tobirama had already planned to heavily extort the Land of Lightning, but now that the daimyō had sent the Raikage to assassinate them—and failed, getting caught in the act—he intended to raise the requirements even higher.
This time, the Land of Lightning would bleed heavily!
Renya was already thinking about how to make sure the daimyō was stripped down to his underwear.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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