Kengo Hirabayashi took a deep breath and pushed open the palace door. He saw Haruki and Minato Namikaze, as well as Nobuaki Oda lying on the ground.
A hint of surprise flashed across his face, but he wasn't overly shocked.
"Lord Haruki, Lord Minato."
Kengo Hirabayashi bowed seriously and respectfully.
The two men in front of him had changed his life.
He was born a civilian and was forced to join the army. He was promoted because of his military merits, but as a civilian serving as a military officer, it was ultimately difficult for him to get further promotions.
Kengo Hirabayashi taught himself and took the exam held by the University Dormitory, then was promoted to Junior Assistant Counselor.
He was in charge of reading official documents and held the rank of Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade.
It was an important position.
However, his civilian status prevented him from making further progress.
If he wanted to be promoted, he could only find a backer.
Kengo Hirabayashi considered himself proud and honest and was unwilling to collude with others.
He had been in this official position for more than a decade.
His colleagues had been promoted one after another because of their family connections.
Only he, no matter how well he did, was ignored.
Just when he was completely disappointed in the entire noble class, he met Minato Namikaze.
Meeting Minato Namikaze opened a new door for him.
A brand - new system really thrilled him.
"Don't stand on ceremony."
Haruki slightly raised his hand to signal him to stand up.
To be honest, he wasn't used to these formalities.
If it was a normal greeting, he could naturally accept it.
But in the feudal system, people bowed and knelt down at every turn.
He was a bit glad that he was a ninja. Otherwise, bowing and kneeling every day would be too painful.
"As you can see, Nobuaki Oda is dead."
Haruki asked Kengo Hirabayashi to sit down and poured him a glass of water.
Since Nobuaki Oda was a member of his own Xia Organization, he didn't mention again that the Daimyo's accidental death was caused by an attack from the Cloud Hidden Village.
"Thank you."
If asked what Kengo Hirabayashi liked most about the Xia Organization, it was that everyone was on an equal footing regardless of their duties.
If the Daimyo were to pour him tea, it would be absolutely unthinkable.
If that really happened, he would have to wonder if he had offended the Daimyo and if his head was about to fall.
He sipped the tea. He had long anticipated Nobuaki Oda's death, but he was a little surprised that this guy had only been domineering for a short time before going to see his father.
"If we want to elect Tsunade - sama as the Daimyo, there may be relatively large resistance."
Kengo Hirabayashi put down the teacup and said thoughtfully, "After all, she is an outsider. When she tries to take away the power of the nobles, she will face the hostility of the entire noble class. Even though they usually fight each other to the death, they will be extremely united at this moment."
"Their opposition won't be of any use."
Haruki smiled, showing his self - confidence clearly.
Kengo Hirabayashi asked softly, "Do you want to take action against them, my lord?"
"Right." Haruki nodded. "Do they think the nobles can win by allying? They're just paper tigers. If they want war, then give them war. I'd like to see how many of them have the guts in the end."
Kengo Hirabayashi was shocked.
Having grown up in such a society, he naturally held the nobles in awe.
Although the education of the Xia Organization had somewhat reduced this feeling, he still couldn't completely get rid of it.
The obstacles in one's heart are always the most difficult to overcome.
He was silent for a moment and then said, "I have a way to divide them. According to the laws of the Land of Fire, the members of the Oda clan who were eligible to directly inherit the position of Daimyo have been killed by Nobuaki Oda. Why don't we set new rules and let each clan fight among themselves? The winner will become the Fire Daimyo."
Haruki was a bit surprised when he heard this idea.
He thought for a moment and then smiled as he said, "I plan to declare war on the Land of Lightning and the Cloud Hidden Village in the name of the Daimyo's death. Since that's the case, how about letting them send troops to attack the Land of Lightning? The first clan to enter the metropolis will have its leader become the future Fire Daimyo."
Kengo Hirabayashi's eyes lit up and he said, "This method is excellent."
Almost all the major clans had their own private armies, which included samurai and ninjas.
But usually, these armies would never fight for the Land of Fire.
Unless it was a moment of life and death.
As for the situation where the Daimyo died without an heir, it was virtually impossible to occur.
However, once it occurred, they would go crazy for it.
Under normal circumstances, as long as no clan plotted a rebellion, the Fire Daimyo would almost always be from the Oda clan.
With the highest position right in front of them, they would surely be willing to be driven.
"The more active a clan is, the more they are our enemies."
Kengo Hirabayashi thought of another advantage and said, "We can definitely pick out those who don't conform to the philosophy of the Xia Organization."
"Not only that."
A smile appeared on Haruki's face. "What if the first to enter the metropolis is Tsunade and Minato's Black Armor Army?"
Kengo Hirabayashi was stunned.
What a ruthless move.
A few seconds later, he sighed and said, "Sure enough, you're amazing, Lord Haruki..."
"Don't lay it on thick." Haruki interrupted him and said, "Inform everyone of Nobuaki Oda's death and secretly summon the leaders of each clan to discuss the successor of the Daimyo. At the same time, the most important thing is to announce what the Cloud Hidden Village has done to the ninja world."
"Yes."
Kengo Hirabayashi immediately stood up.
Fortunately, this was not a traditional feudal era. The existence of ninjas greatly increased the speed of information dissemination.
The next day, the whole ninja world already knew what the Cloud Hidden Village had done.
When A, who had escaped back to the Cloud Hidden Village, heard this news, he almost spat out blood.
"This is a slander! A false and vicious slander!"
In the Raikage's office, A roared angrily.
He was already furious because of his father's disappearance. Now, hearing such an absurd rumor, if he hadn't been in good health, he might have fainted from anger.
The people in front of him were also filled with indignation.
"A."
A man in his thirties standing at the front calmly spoke up.
Tsuchiyo, a Jonin trusted by the Third Raikage, was the chief examiner for the Lightning Release: Double Lariat ability test and possessed the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai.
He had many appearances in the original story.
"Now is not the time to get angry."
Tsuchiyo raised his head and quieted the crowd. "This is a critical moment for our Cloud Hidden Village. Although we know that Lord Raikage would never harm the Fire Daimyo, we have no defense because the Fire Daimyo is indeed dead. Getting angry won't help."
"Tsuchiyo is right," another Jonin, Toroi, a highly - skilled Jonin with Magnet Release, chimed in.
"The Third Raikage is missing. There's a high probability that he's been captured by Konoha. Our best plan now is for A to temporarily act as the Fourth Raikage and send troops to the Land of Fire to rescue Lord Raikage."
The words of the two Jonin gradually calmed A down.
Among the Five Great Villages, the Cloud Hidden Village is definitely the most united one.
When it comes to choosing a Raikage, there's no hesitation.
After Toroi finished speaking, the others all agreed.
A waved his hand and said in a serious tone, "I understand. Please put aside your grief and emotions and head to the Land of Fire immediately."