As envoys of the daimyo, Kazuma and his group passed smoothly through Konoha's gates under the strange looks of the two gate guardians.
Because they were rushing over urgently with the daimyo's decree, they had not contacted Konoha in advance. There was no one there to welcome them, only a single Konoha ninja leading the way.
As for why Kotetsu and Izumo were giving them such odd looks, it was mainly because the group's appearance was simply too eye-catching.
Especially Kazuma, with his tangled white hair and the ferocious scar across his face.
Although judging people by their looks wasn't a good thing, seeing an appearance like that, any normal person would become wary.
It was hard to imagine the daimyo actually sending envoys like these.
If they hadn't been carrying the daimyo's token, they would definitely have been subjected to a thorough inspection.
And after the group went inside, the two of them hurriedly had someone report the matter to the Hokage Building.
Kazuma and the others had clearly not come to Konoha very often. On their way to the Hokage Building, they successively passed through the fully renovated commercial street, Konoha's large shopping center, and the amusement park that was currently unique among the Five Great Ninja Villages.
The bustling atmosphere, the grand and imposing buildings that showed no trace of age at all, and the clearly newly built structures that hadn't been around for long constantly bombarded their senses.
It actually made this group of Guardian Ninja from the Fire Capital feel like country bumpkins entering the city.
"These streets of Konoha are even more impressive than those of the Fire Capital."
Walking behind the Konoha ninja responsible for leading the way, Kazuma looked at the prosperous scenery around him, expressionless.
A destructive urge also couldn't help but rise within him.
'A mere Konoha dared to build itself more prosperously than the city where the daimyo lives is practically courting death!'
Because the group remained expressionless the entire time, the Konoha chunin leading them didn't hear any deeper meaning in Kazuma's words and simply thought he was expressing admiration.
So he went along with it and gave a brief introduction.
"That's all thanks to our new Hokage. Most of these buildings were proposed by the Hokage-sama and then organized and promoted by him."
Kazuma's eyes narrowed slightly, a glimmer of light flickering within them, "As far as I know, Konoha's new Hokage should have only taken office two days ago, right?"
The ninja leading the way nodded. That was information announced when the villagers voted two days ago.
"Although the Sixth-sama only took office two days ago, as the disciple of the previous Hokage, he actually started participating in Hokage affairs a long time ago."
Hearing this, Kazuma's gaze turned even colder.
If he remembered correctly, the previous Hokage had also been the Hokage's disciple.
'A Hokage's disciple becoming Hokage. This mere Konoha Village is actually playing at hereditary succession.'
'The position of Hokage should be personally designated by the daimyo, not left to them to mess around like this.'
'Otherwise, before long, who knows whether this Konoha will belong to the Hokage, or to the daimyo?'
'Konoha will sooner or later become a state within a state.'
That was absolutely unacceptable to him.
The Land of Fire could have only one sun, and that was the daimyo.
"Konoha is just a small ninja village. Where does it get the money to build all these things? These… must have all been built with the daimyo's funds, right!"
Kazuma fell silent as Fudō, who had followed him for many years, spoke up.
"Konoha's Hokage really is filthy. Kazuma-sama, don't you think so?"
"Hmph! It's precisely because the Hokage exists that Konoha Village has ended up like this."
"The position of Hokage should have been abolished long ago. Only by letting the daimyo manage things personally can the daimyo's funds be used to their fullest extent, instead of wasting them on these vanity projects."
Kazuma stopped pretending, his tone full of disdain, "What's the use of building houses taller and prettier?"
"For ninja, the most important things are improving their own strength and their loyalty to the daimyo. Luxury and indulgence will only slowly wear down a ninja's will."
"For this Hokage of Konoha to pursue such flashy but empty things, abandoning the fundamentals for the superficial, he's long since strayed from the ninja path."
"?"
The Konoha ninja who had been leading the way was now full of question marks after hearing the exchange between the two.
He clearly hadn't expected them to come to such a misunderstanding.
He was just about to say that Konoha no longer relied on the daimyo's funds and had its own sources of income.
But before he could open his mouth—
"We'll take it from here. There's no need for you to lead us anymore."
Kazuma coldly left those words behind, then surged forward toward the Hokage Building, taking the lead.
They had also noticed that there were signposts along the road, so they didn't have to worry about not being able to find the Hokage Building.
They were already itching to stand before that young Hokage and loudly question him.
After all, they had come with the daimyo's token. They had a legitimate mandate. They were here to take back everything that rightfully belonged to the daimyo.
The daimyo's wealth, and the daimyo's dignity, they were going to take it all back.
.
.
.
Very soon, the group arrived in front of the Hokage Building.
"Hasn't your Hokage received word that the daimyo's envoys have arrived? Why isn't he coming out to greet us?"
Holding the daimyo's token, Kazuma treated the Hokage Building as if it were his own place, arrogantly questioning them.
He had clearly seen that when they entered Konoha, ninja had left immediately afterward at speeds even faster than theirs.
The duty ninja standing at the entrance blinked, confusion showing in his eyes.
There hadn't been any notice that a daimyo's envoy was coming today.
And when Kazuma saw that even a gatekeeper ninja dared show such a dismissive attitude toward him, a daimyo's envoy, the anger in his heart flared even more.
'This Hokage Building really has stopped taking the daimyo seriously.'
"If the Hokage isn't coming, fine. But even your Konoha elders aren't coming either?"
Kazuma took out the daimyo's token and asked again with a cold expression.
Only after seeing the token did the duty ninja come back to his senses and explain.
"The Hokage-sama is handling government affairs in his office. As for the elders you mentioned… Konoha doesn't have elders anymore."
"Hm? No elders anymore. What do you mean?", Kazuma was somewhat surprised.
He hadn't visited Konoha much, but he had learned about Konoha's elders and the previous Hokage at the daimyo's residence.
They had shown a fair amount of respect toward the daimyo and would absolutely not dare to do anything that defied him.
So Kazuma had been willing to regard them as half on his own side.
The duty ninja didn't think much of it. This wasn't exactly a secret either, so he answered directly, "The elders were dismissed several years ago for betraying the Will of Fire. Their elder positions were revoked at the same time, and now they've all become Hokage secretaries."
"Nonsense!"
Kazuma immediately understood what was really going on.
'What betraying the Will of Fire? This is clearly the Hokage and those so-called Hokage secretaries attacking the village elders in order to maintain their own rotten rule and oppose the daimyo.'
Among Konoha's current upper ranks, where was there even a single person on the daimyo's side anymore?
They were all the Hokage's people.
'Does this Konoha Village listen to the daimyo, or to the Hokage?'
Now it seemed clear that Konoha had long since harbored rebellious intentions. Not only did it suppress the high-ranking officials close to the daimyo's faction, it even launched a war against the Land of Grass without the daimyo's permission, striking at the daimyo's residence.
Today they dared attack the Grass Country daimyo's residence. Tomorrow they'd bombard the Fire Country daimyo's residence.
Seen this way, the fact that the Hokage clearly knew of their arrival yet didn't send anyone out to greet them was obviously meant as a show of force.
"Is this the Hokage's intention, or Konoha's intention?"
The duty ninja looked confused, "What intention?"
Kazuma frowned and snorted coldly.
"Hmph! Just a gatekeeping ninja in the end. Let's go. We'll see how the Hokage explains himself!"
Kazuma slammed his shoulder into the duty ninja and strode inside, leaving the duty ninja standing there at the entrance in confusion.
'Is something wrong with this daimyo's envoy?'
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