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The shinobi world, already busy with the garrisons of the four countries, became even more lively.
This was due to an official document jointly signed by the daimyo of the three countries (Fire, Wind, Water).
As this document spread throughout the shinobi world, it was delivered almost at the same time to the daimyo manor in the Land of Earth.
The content of the document was simple and direct.
It contained only three points.
First, it severely condemned the Land of Earth's untrustworthy actions within the Land of Lightning.
Second, it demanded that the Land of Earth immediately stop its illegal occupation and return all wrongly taken gains.
Third, the Land of Earth must publicly apologize to the Lands of Wind and Water!
Otherwise, the three countries would reserve the right to take all necessary measures.
This strongly worded warning made the smaller nations shake.
Everyone who caught a whiff of gunpowder had only one thought in their minds.
Is war about to break out?
The four nations alliance, which had just jointly carved up the Land of Lightning, was going to turn on each other so soon?
This world was changing too quickly!
So fast that everyone felt strange and worried.
In the Land of Earth, daimyo manor.
Inside the rich hall, the atmosphere was heavy.
The Land of Earth daimyo sat in the main seat, his fat face terrifyingly dark.
The joint warning was placed right in front of him.
Every word on it felt like a slap in his face.
"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!" He suddenly grabbed the teacup beside him and smashed it fiercely onto the floor.
The crisp sound mixed with his furious roar.
"That greenhorn, does he think he's the ruler of the shinobi world?"
"And those two bastards from the Land of Wind and the Land of Water! Two ungrateful white-eyed wolves!"
He was so angry that his fat body shook, and his spit flew.
"Back then in the Land of Hot Water, who took the lead and helped them seize the opportunity to drive out the Land of Fire? It was me! It was me!"
"Now, they're full, and they're teaming up with an outsider to bite me back!"
He couldn't understand, he really couldn't understand.
Isn't it just eating a little more, taking a little more? What's wrong with that?
The strong eat the weak, the bold thrive while the timid starve—isn't that the rule of this world?
Not only did they refuse to admit defeat, they even dared to ally with the Land of Fire!
Below, the gathered officials didn't dare to breathe loudly.
They had never seen the daimyo so furious, like an enraged fat pig.
"My lord, please calm your anger!" A jonin in an Iwagakure uniform finally couldn't help but speak. "In my opinion, the Land of Fire's actions are nothing but empty threats!"
He looked at the situation. "They just finished a war with Kumogakure, so it's impossible for them to launch another war against us in such a short time!"
"Exactly!" Another Iwagakure shinobi immediately agreed. "Our Land of Earth didn't suffer too many losses in the last great war."
"Plus, our terrain is strategically dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack! Even if the Land of Fire really dares to come, it might not gain any advantage!"
"I speculate that they are just trying to threaten us! They want to force us to give in!"
For a time, the hall was filled with excited chatter, everyone shouting to teach the Land of Fire a lesson.
The analysis of his subjects somewhat eased the Land of Earth daimyo's anger.
He turned his gaze to the short figure who had kept his eyes closed and remained silent the entire time.
Third Tsuchikage Onoki.
"Tsuchikage." The daimyo spoke in a deep voice. "What do you think?"
The noise suddenly stopped, and everyone looked together at the humble old man.
Onoki slowly opened his eyes, a cold snort coming from his large red nose.
Going against gravity, he floated up from his seat and drifted to the center of the main hall.
"Empty threats? Threatening us?"
"Do you really think that the Land of Fire daimyo, who could single-handedly stomp the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails jinchuriki underfoot, forcing Kumogakure to sign a humiliating peace treaty, is just a hot-headed youth who only makes empty threats?"
His words instantly made those who had just been shouting for war turn pale.
That's right.
They almost forgot.
The Land of Fire daimyo isn't just a politician.
He himself is also an unmatched expert!
"Then... does Lord Tsuchikage mean..." A civil official carefully asked. "We should give in to them?"
"Give in?" Onoki sneered. "The word 'give in' has never been in my dictionary!"
He turned sharply, looking directly at the Land of Earth daimyo in the main seat, battle intent bursting from his small body.
"My lord!"
"This battle, we must fight!"
"But, not now!"
"The Land of Fire is very strong, but not unbeatable!"
Onoki looked directly at the daimyo, a cunning glint in his old eyes. "The Land of Fire daimyo, this person, is correct."
"But we've all overlooked one point."
"He is now the ruler of the Land of Fire!"
Onoki stressed his words, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"A shinobi can be reckless, but a ruler cannot!"
"Because rules can solidify his ruler's power!"
"So his identity is the chains that bind him!"
"The reason he issued this national letter is to use his identity as daimyo, to use the righteousness of the four nations alliance, to force us into submission!"
Onoki's analysis enlightened everyone.
The Land of Earth daimyo followed this line of thought, looking at it. "So, as long as he doesn't personally enter the fight..."
"Exactly!" Onoki continued. "He wants to play a king's game, and we'll play along!"
"As long as the Land of Fire daimyo doesn't personally act, wanting to bite off Iwagakure, the hardest bone on this continent? A fool's dream!"
"As long as we drag it out, the Land of Fire will surely withdraw its troops due to too much spending!"
Onoki bowed. "My lord, please reply to the Land of Fire!"
"Just say that disputes between shinobi should be resolved in the shinobi way. The daimyo will not participate."
"Good! I understand!" The Land of Earth daimyo nodded. "Then, I'll leave the rest to you!"
"Don't worry, my lord!"
...Iwagakure's reply, in an even stronger stance, was delivered before the Land of Fire daimyo.
The content of the national letter repeatedly stressed that this was a dispute between shinobi, and the daimyo should not interfere.
It cleverly stripped Shin Kurogane from this game, attempting to pull the situation back to a confrontation between countries, and between shinobi.
"Chains, huh?" Shin casually tossed the letter onto the table.
After a moment of thought, he asked. "How are things going?"
Below, Aono said. "It's already done!"
Shin nodded. "Good, this battle report, along with the Land of Earth's reply, announce it to the world."
"Just say that the Land of Earth first acted in an untrustworthy way, and then brutally murdered our Land of Fire's peacekeeping shinobi."
"Since they personally handed the best excuse to me."
"If I don't accept it, wouldn't I be letting down their good intentions?"
"Issue my command."
"In the name of the Land of Fire, to the Land of Earth..."
"Declare war."
"On the declaration of war, only six characters shall be written."
"Blood for blood, unending until death!"
...When the Land of Earth's reply, along with the battle report of the brutal slaughter of the Land of Fire's patrol team, at the same time spread throughout the shinobi world, the entire world fell completely silent.
If the previous joint statement was just shouting across a distance.
Then now, the soldiers' blood had completely cut off all retreat!
The actions of the Land of Earth, in the eyes of the world, had been directly changed from greed to tyranny and bloodlust!
The Lands of Wind and Water responded immediately, announcing their participation in the joint crusade against the Land of Earth.
Their statements were filled with condemnation of the Land of Earth's cruelties.
Within the Land of Lightning, there was a deathly silence.
They had become the most sorrowful watchers in this new war.
A brand new shinobi world war came down with a roar, in a way no one could have predicted.