Tsunade let out a sigh, her face clouded with worry. "If I had known there would be so many issues, I wouldn't have gone through with this. Why didn't I hear about so many problems during the previous inaugurations?"
"That's a given. You have to consider the timing of their inaugurations."
The First Hokage goes without saying; no one dared to cause trouble, and everyone had to present a congratulatory gift with a smile.
Furthermore, Uchiha Madara was still in the village back then. Anyone who dared to cause trouble would have been leveled instantly.
When the Second Hokage succeeded the position, the First Hokage was still around, so no one dared to cause trouble then either.
As for the Third Hokage, his inauguration took place after the victory of the First Ninja World War. The major nations were all exhausted and wounded, unable to muster the manpower for sabotage.
Even if they sent spies, Uzumaki Mito was still alive at the time, and nothing in Konoha could be hidden from her.
Now, over ten years have passed since the last Ninja World War, and the nations have mostly recovered. No one would pass up such a rare opportunity.
Tsunade nodded with a serious expression. "I will tell the sensory clans like the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame to stay alert."
Konoha Plaza, top-floor private box.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire said with a smile, "That was a wonderful fireworks show, wouldn't you agree?"
They had been mocked by others before, as the enemy had fought all the way to their doorstep.
Now, Aoki Yoru's chaotic battle had made them realize the strength of the Land of Fire.
He then looked toward the Daimyo of the Land of Wind and the Daimyo of the Land of Earth. "So, can you tell us now why we've gathered? I recall the last time the five of us met was twenty years ago!"
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth casually spat out a grape seed, scanned them, and asked, "Do you know about the Evil God Cult?"
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire paused. "The one from the Land of Hot Springs? It seems related to the death of the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Springs. Don't tell me they intend to assassinate us too?"
The death of the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Springs had caused a stir among the nobles of various nations.
After all, the Land of Hot Springs was considered a moderately wealthy nation. For its Daimyo to die so mysteriously was indeed shocking.
Even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had sent the Twelve Guardian Shinobi to investigate the truth.
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth took a deep breath. "It's not that one. Between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, there is a small country called the Land of Birds."
"A year ago, an 'Evil God Cult' appeared in that country. This cult is completely different from the one in the Land of Hot Springs. They treat the sick and save lives in the Land of Birds, and they spread theories of equality for all everywhere."
At this, the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning showed a mocking smile. "Equality?"
"We have ruled this world for a thousand years, looking down upon those ants. To think they'd dream of something like equality."
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire also covered his mouth with a folding fan. "So, you called us here for such a trivial matter?"
"Hasn't there been a shortage of people doing this over the past millennium? Every few years, some organization in those small countries starts preaching equality for all, and in the end, they all turn to dust."
"I remember the most recent one was an organization called 'Akatsuki' in the Land of Rain, which also preached such concepts. Apparently, they wanted mutual understanding among people and the elimination of war."
"Didn't they end up being wiped out by Hanzou? Truly a group of 'lovely people'."
Although the military power of the major nations was in the hands of the ninja villages, it didn't mean they didn't have private armies. The Twelve Guardian Shinobi were just the ones out in the open.
Furthermore, they possessed an intelligence system distributed throughout the entire Ninja World. After a thousand years, this intelligence system had become very sophisticated.
They knew about many things happening in the Ninja World; otherwise, how could they sit so securely on their thrones? They would have been pulled down long ago.
However, they didn't look at all the intelligence, focusing only on neighboring countries and other major nations.
They also exchanged information periodically. After all, they were the rulers of the Ninja World.
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth looked at the two of them and said helplessly, "Would you please let me finish!"
"Not long ago, they launched an uprising with the slogan: 'The Azure Heaven is dead, the Evil God shall be established; the year is Jiazi, great fortune to the world.' They quickly occupied one-fifth of the Land of Birds' territory."
"The punitive force sent by the Daimyo of the Land of Birds was crushed by them."
Pausing, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth looked at the three indifferent men. "Once those fellows occupy a place, they carry out a so-called 'land reform,' confiscating the lands of nobles and wealthy merchants to distribute them to the common people."
"Furthermore, they hold 'public trials' to judge nobles deemed to have committed many evils, and then they hang them directly."
The faces of the several people present changed instantly upon hearing this. This touched their bottom line.
They also realized how dangerous this ideology was. If it were truly allowed to spread, they would face endless trouble.
Then they regained their composure. It was just an organization in a small country; they could just wipe it out.
"The Land of Birds is between your two countries. You two should just destroy it."
At this point, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, who was standing to the side, showed a strange smile. "As you know, our two countries are very poor, and the ninja villages cannot be trusted. We really can't spare the manpower."
The others understood immediately—they were here for money. "Fine, we'll let our subordinates discuss the rest."
For them, money was not an issue; the important thing was to suppress this ideology.
As dusk fell and the moon just climbed over the eaves, Konoha's nightlife became lively.
Aoki Yoru stood at a high vantage point, his spiritual energy fully expanded, watching every movement below.
Taking advantage of the evening, people set aside the day's fatigue and called upon friends to begin their nightlife.
The spies hidden in Konoha also began to move, each displaying their own skills.
Some were placing explosive tags in high-traffic areas, some were preparing to destroy the support pillars of Konoha Plaza, and some even wanted to sabotage the amusement park's cable cars.
For them, this mission was a near-certain death, but as long as they could cause casualties, Konoha's prestige would take a massive hit.
They were all elite warriors meticulously trained by their respective villages, arriving with a mindset of certain death.
Unfortunately, they had nowhere to hide within Aoki Yoru's perception. As soon as they began to act, they were knocked unconscious by spiritual energy.
"Is it really going to pass like this?" Aoki Yoru thought doubtfully.
This kind of operation was too amateurish. If Danzo were to implement it, he would surely have filled their bodies with seals to trigger an explosion on the spot, leaving no time to even stop it.
What Aoki Yoru didn't know was that before the Daimyos of various nations arrived, they had communicated with their ninja villages. Minor actions were fine, but nothing too exaggerated. After all, they were still there; what if they were caught in the crossfire?
Furthermore, the gathering of several Daimyos was surely to discuss important matters. Making too much of a scene would also insult the honor of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
At this moment, Aoki Yoru still felt a faint unease. After all, that prying gaze during the day had been filled with deep malice; they couldn't have just given up like that.
Moreover, the Daimyos of various nations were all returning tomorrow. If the enemy wanted to do something, tonight was the final moment.