They felt they had seen through Di Yan's "true nature."
He was merely a "Daimyo" being used by Danzo, who had come to extort them.
As long as Konoha itself didn't descend into chaos,
and displayed its formidable might, Di Yan would naturally retreat when faced with difficulty.
At most, they would just have to pay some negotiation costs to get the hostages back.
As the de facto military ruler of the Land of Fire,
Konoha's years of independent operation had ingrained in them a deep-seated belief:
the existence of the Daimyo was more of a political symbol.
When it came to matters involving military force and the Village's survival,
Konoha itself had the final say.
They didn't truly believe that Di Yan himself could pose much of a military threat.
Thus, Konoha's focus on war preparations
quietly shifted.
Large numbers of Anbu and regular Ninja were mobilized.
The primary surveillance and defensive forces were concentrated within the Village,
especially around the Root's activity areas, as well as the Shimura clan and other suspicious Ninja Clans.
Regarding Di Yan's approaching entourage,
they merely dispatched regular reconnaissance teams and negotiation representatives to prepare.
They did not give it the highest level of military response.
Although Nara Shikaku kept feeling that something wasn't right,
with everyone else believing that an internal coup was the primary crisis,
his concerns were temporarily suppressed.
The most urgent task
was to ensure Konoha would not be breached from within... Three days later,
Di Yan's conspicuous yet eerily atmospheric entourage
finally arrived outside the magnificent gates of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Stepping onto this land once again,
Di Yan couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
The last time he had visited as the "Son of the Daimyo" was many years ago.
At that time, his wings were not yet fully grown, and he could only carefully scheme in Konoha's shadow.
But now, he was the Emperor of the Land of Fire,
leading an army of "punishment."
returning as a conqueror.
This Ninja Village, renowned as the best in the Ninja World,
in his eyes, had already become a juicy piece of meat about to be devoured.
Konoha had obviously put on a good show.
The welcoming party was grand, with banners unfurled.
Two rows of spirited Konoha Ninja stood on either side of the road,
stretching from the Village entrance to the interior.
And standing at the very front of the welcoming party
was the Fifth Hokage herself... Lady Tsunade!
She wore the Hokage robe, her golden pigtails tied behind her.
Her face was solemn, her eyes sharp.
She looked directly at Di Yan on the dragon carriage without any hesitation,
fully displaying the dignity and presence of a Village's Kage.
Her personal appearance to welcome him not only showed Konoha's "courtesy" but also
0 · Asking for flowers --- subtly implied a show of force.
Look! We Konoha are not afraid of you at all.
The entire Konoha Village looked as prosperous and peaceful as ever.
Although the villagers watched curiously,
they didn't show much panic or anger.
Regarding the Emperor's personal visit and the so-called "assassination attempt,"
the Konoha officials seemed to have deliberately downplayed its seriousness,
creating an atmosphere of "this is just a small misunderstanding that will soon be resolved."
What made Di Yan sneer inwardly even more was that
representatives of the Ino–Shika–Chō clans also appeared in the welcoming party.
Nara Shikaku, Inoichi Yamanaka, and others had calm expressions.
They even maintained basic etiquette.
They appeared surprisingly "calm" and "sensible" about their heirs being captured and humiliated by having their fingers severed,
as if it were an insignificant matter.
Everything was secondary to the stability of the Village.
This was, of course, a pretense.
The three clans were already burning with anxiety internally.
But under the strategy of the Higher-Ups to maintain a unified front and prioritize dealing with "Danzo's coup,"
they could only forcibly suppress their emotions and cooperate with the performance.
Di Yan took all of this in.
His face, however, remained indifferent.
As if the grand welcoming ceremony before him was merely fleeting.
His gaze lingered more on Tsunade's alluring figure,
with undisguised admiration and a hint of aggression.
This made Tsunade seethe with silent anger,
but she had to maintain a facade of calm.
After a series of insipid, diplomatically phrased pleasantries and a welcoming ceremony,
Konoha's ceremonial officer arranged for Di Yan and his entourage to stay at the best inn in the Village.
Ostensibly for "His Majesty's convenience for rest and subsequent consultations,"
it was, in fact, a disguised form of house arrest and surveillance... 0
Di Yan accepted with pleasure,
without raising any objections.
He, along with his female companions, prisoners, and one hundred black-clad death knights, grandly took up residence in the inn.
As if he were truly there for a friendly visit.
On the surface, Konoha Village seemed to be business as usual.
The sun was bright, and the villagers went about their lives.
However, after nightfall,
the undercurrents truly began to surge.
The inn was heavily "protected" (monitored) by a large number of Konoha Anbu Ninja, almost impenetrable.
And the one hundred black-clad death knights Di Yan brought with him
guarded the interior of the inn, never leaving their posts.
Although there was no communication between the two sides,
the invisible killing intent and sense of confrontation almost solidified the air.
Most of the Konoha Higher-Ups' attention was on the internal coup that might soon erupt.
They believed Di Yan was just a front.
The real deadly move came from Danzo.
Therefore, a large number of elite forces were secretly dispatched to monitor Root and the Shimura clan.
Meanwhile, Di Yan was in the inn's most luxurious room,
leisurely sipping tea.
Uchiha Izumi stood by his side like a shadow.
"Is everything arranged?"
Di Yan asked indifferently.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Izumi responded softly, "Tekka has gone to contact the Root, as planned."
"Danzo seems... unable to wait any longer."
A cold smile played on Di Yan's lips:
"Very good. Send word down, tell our people... to 'rest' well and conserve their energy."
"Soon, there will be a good show to watch."
He walked to the window, looking out at the seemingly peaceful night view of Konoha.
He knew that beneath this facade of harmony,
Danzo's ambition, Konoha's suspicions, and the countless hidden pawns he had planted were interacting,
about to drag this premier Ninja Village of the Ninja World
into the abyss of eternal internal strife.
And he just needed to wait patiently.
Waiting for the most opportune moment to harvest.
The calm before the storm is often the most suffocating... Late at night, the most luxurious suite in the Konoha inn was brightly lit.