Hearing this, the other elders exchanged worried looks, silently debating. After a moment, they turned back to Kodo and said thoughtfully, "But from what you're saying… this adviser Mujie sounds like a traditional old Grass shinobi."
Everyone in the shinobi world knew what that meant, it was a warning. Traditional old Grass shinobi were notorious for being a trap.
At that moment, Kodo shook his head seriously as he looked at the group. "Though Mujie is an old Grass shinobi…" His eyes flickered with a hint of emotion, as if remembering something, "he's actually very dependable. Once you pay him, he's truly committed."
The elders fell silent again, the room sinking into deep thought. Each one frowned, lost in contemplation.
After some quiet discussion and nods exchanged, they all turned to look at the Third Tsuchikage. Onoki seemed to understand and nodded in agreement.
Folding his hands on the table, reflecting for a moment, he finally looked up at Kodo with a serious expression and said, "Alright… let's give it a try."
Several days later, when Mujie, the adviser condemned by Konoha, received a letter from Iwagakure, he was taken aback.
He glanced over at the curious lord and others around him, scratching his head. "Why a letter from Iwagakure?"
"Why is this letter specifically addressed to me? I don't remember having any friends there... and why all the secrecy?" Mujie asked, puzzled.
"Just take a look," Charlie replied, glancing at the letter with some hesitation. "Whether or not we get involved in Konoha's affairs isn't a big deal. Let's see what Iwagakure wants."
Mujie sighed, feeling doubtful. "What could they possibly want with a lowly adviser like me?
Even the lord seems to ignore me these days. It can't be that they want to buy intelligence from me again!"
He unfolded the letter and began to read. But as the words sank in, the room grew silent.
A cold sweat broke out on Mujie's forehead, and his hand holding the letter trembled. He gasped softly. The letter read, "Mujie, my friend, I hear you want to become the next kusagakure lord?"
Mujie was stunned. He thought to himself, I have no grudge against you. Why would Iwagakure want to harm me?
When Mujie saw the Uzumaki clan and the Chinoike clan standing behind him, his face immediately turned pale. But he had no grudge or conflict with Iwagakure, so why were they trying to undermine him like this?
More importantly, he was the one who had discovered the Uzumaki and Chinoike clans and brought their lords back. How could they treat him with such distrust now?
Frustrated, Mujie quickly shook his head and protested, "I'm not involved! I didn't do anything wrong!
He's talking nonsense! I'm completely loyal to the lord! Besides, do you think I, Mujie, would ever be fickle or waver?"
After he spoke, there was silence. Charlie's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Mujie with a serious expression. "Mujie," he said earnestly.
"W-wait! I remember now!" Mujie exclaimed, suddenly recalling something.
His face brightened as he hurriedly explained, "Last time! When I was guiding the Iwa shinobi, uh, no, I was just working part-time as a tour guide to make some money. I ran into some Iwa shinobi and then…" he winked slyly, "lord, you know how it is!"
Hearing this, everyone's faces lit up as they recalled that big contract from before. Thanks to that millions ryo order from Iwagakure, Charlie's had finally decided to build a factory.
Charlie sighed with relief and patted Mujie on the shoulder. "Mujie! I knew I wasn't wrong about you!"
"..." Mujie wanted to say, 'Don't lie to me! You were just about to throw me in jail!' But of course, he kept that to himself.
Instead, he laughed nervously and said, "lord, your insight is truly sharp!"
Quickly changing the subject, Mujie furrowed his brow, stroked his chin, and said, "So… this letter must be from those Iwa shinobi again.
Looks like since their surprise attack succeeded, they're hoping for continued cooperation. Speaking of that order…"
He glanced at Charlie, who then looked toward Yojin. Yojin raised an eyebrow and nodded. "…It's not produced yet."
The order hadn't been carried out yet. If it weren't for that letter from Iwagakure, they might have completely forgotten it was still pending!
And it wasn't just them, probably the Iwa shinobi had forgotten about it too. At this point, Charlie summed things up clearly, "No matter what happens, whether it's Konoha or Iwagakure, kusagakure won't get involved!"
The main reason for the meeting was to discuss Konoha's reprimand. Konoha was suspicious about how Iwagakure had managed to pass through the Land of Grass without any resistance and even reached the Land of Fire's border.
Were they worried kusagakure was betraying its allies? Of course not! grass had been a loyal ally to Konoha since the village's founding.
Would they really betray them so easily?
"So whether it's Konoha or Iwagakure, our priority is to protect our own village. Honestly, if it weren't for the quick actions of the Iwa shinobi, the battle might have spilled over into the Land of Grass!"
Everyone nodded, though there was a hint of regret in the room. There was no denying it, the Land of Grass was just as strategically important as the Land of Rain.
Charlie smiled and said, "Time is ticking! The kids will be graduating soon!" He looked around the room and added, "Right now, our most important task is the children's graduation!"
This was going to be the very first graduation ceremony at the kusagakure academy. Everyone understood the significance of that moment.
But then Kana, the secretary, hesitated and asked, "How should Konoha respond to all this?"
Charlie thought for a moment and then turned to Mujie, saying, "This one's on you!"
Hearing that, Mujie immediately beamed with confidence, patted his chest, and said, "No problem!"
Later, kusagakure officially released a statement regarding the incident, "We sincerely apologize for what happened. After a thorough investigation, it was found that our senior advisor Mujie acted independently without authorization, causing this issue.
kusagakure was unaware of his actions. Please understand that kusagakure has always been a steadfast ally of Konoha, a bond dating back to the era of the Sage of Six Paths and the founding of Konoha by the First Hokage.
Our friendship runs deep. We have taken this matter seriously, reprimanded, and dismissed senior advisor Mujie, who has been duly punished. Also, as a gesture of goodwill, we're offering all intelligence at a 20% discount."