"This is 'Konoha's Kunai Must Be Washed Seven Times'!" Gojo Kaigetsu declared in a stern voice.

Minato Namikaze shuddered, his drowsiness completely dispelled.

Minato felt that, under Gojo Kaigetsu's influence, he had learned both what he should and shouldn't have. His blond exterior might conceal a Gojo Kaigetsu-shaped darkness within.

But even so…

He struggled to find the words to describe such an article.

He understood each word individually, yet their combination defied logic.

As everyone knew, Sunagakure was extremely arid and water-scarce.

Even for noble descendants or the Kazekage's children, the privileges regarding water were limited.

Due to its unique geographical environment, it was a closed-off and harsh shinobi village. The permanent residents weren't numerous, but it was still one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages; how few could it truly be?

Minato could roughly imagine the scenario-

Influenced by "Iki," a conservative elder like Homura Mitokado, disregarding the village's circumstances, would vigorously promote the "Seven Washes" initiative.

Or perhaps the village's sophisticated ninjas, having read "Iki," would question the owners of Sunagakure's ninja tool shops: why weren't their kunai washed multiple times? Did they intend to cause their deaths in battle due to such negligence?

Or maybe ordinary villagers, driven by a competitive spirit, would defy the village's orders and insist on washing their kunai excessively, proclaiming, "Are we inferior to Konoha villagers?"

Of course, "Iki" was distributed throughout the entire shinobi world, not just Sunagakure. But only Sunagakure suffered from extreme water scarcity; other villages could wash their kunai seven times without consequence.

In Sunagakure… it might even lead to unrest due to issues with water resource allocation.

This was what Gojo Kaigetsu meant by "targeting Sunagakure."

Minato snapped out of Gojo Kaigetsu's "genjutsu."

He pondered for a moment. "Kaigetsu-kun, I think I understand your line of thinking."

"But it all boils down to one crucial question: will Sunagakure believe it?"

Indeed, from the perspective of a Konoha native, it was hard to believe that other villages would go to such lengths to emulate Konoha.

"Believe it? Of course, they will. Only by using Konoha as a benchmark will other villages blindly imitate us."

"Because our track record in Konoha is verifiable. We win every battle, every time."

Gojo Kaigetsu spread his hands, highlighting the core issue. "We all exist in the same shinobi world. Kirigakure and Sunagakure's high-pressure environments are clearly more suitable for cultivating powerful ninjas. So why can't they defeat Konoha, even when they join forces?"

"This question plagues the minds of everyone outside Konoha."

"If I had to guess, the advisory councils of other villages spend their days analyzing the reasons behind Konoha's prosperity, trying to solve this mystery."

"The moon is rounder in Konoha, the air is sweeter, the Hokage Rock is more beautiful, freedom of speech thrives, and Konoha's strength must stem from these factors…"

"As long as we learn from Konoha, everything will be alright!"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"They won't know that the air is sweet because of the abundance of books; the Hokage Rock is beautiful because of the slogans; freedom of speech exists because I'm a good storyteller; the moon is round because… ahem, I can't reveal that yet."

"I even believe that in the future, various shinobi villages will attempt to establish friendly relations with Konoha, sending their young ninjas to learn from us. We might even see joint Chunin Exams and Genin Exams."

Gojo Kaigetsu tapped the "Iki" magazine on the table. "Once 'Iki' enters the village, the advisors will naturally find ways to justify it."

"Praise Iki!"

"Also… Ichiraku Ramen in the article is a real shop. If someone were to investigate, the stories in 'Iki' would…"

"Don't worry, I'm quite familiar with old man Teuchi. At worst, I'll write an article for him as an advertisement, have him pressure the ramen shop owner to cooperate with our 'Kunai' campaign."

"Consider it done."

"You truly are…" Minato wanted to say "outrageous," but swallowed his words. "Praise Iki!"

…

…

"Danzo, what should we do?"

"Withdraw with me and wait for the opportune moment."

Danzo Shimura retreated deeper into the shadows, his face grim as he plotted something unknown.

"Homura, if things unfold as we anticipate, and the Uchiha ultimately choose to betray Konoha, how should we respond?"

"Hmph, how should we respond?"

Homura Mitokado's lips curled into a meaningful smile. He casually drew a katana from a nearby Root ninja's waist and slammed it onto the wooden table between them.

"Is this…?" Danzo's eyes lit up. "I understand, Homura. You're suggesting we eliminate all Uchiha taller than this katana. As for the rest, we can consider recruiting them into Root for training?"

Indeed, if it were the age group represented by that height, Danzo was confident in his ability to brainwash them.

"Danzo, when did you become so merciful?"

"Turn the katana sideways, turn it sideways!"

"???" Danzo glanced at the height of the horizontally placed katana and let out a sigh of relief. "Forget it, let's set that issue aside for now. What did the Fourth Hokage say about Kirigakure before we left?"

Homura's expression turned grim. He pulled out a fresh briefing from his pocket.

"It's a mission! He bypassed us, the elder advisors, and issued a mission concerning Kirigakure directly in his capacity as Hokage."

A loss of power! This was a grave loss of power!

Today, Minato could bypass them, the elder advisors, and issue missions directly. Would he dare to secretly dismiss them tomorrow?!

Taking direct action against a major village! This was a momentous decision.

"He who listens to many sides is enlightened; he who listens to only one side is benighted. I observe that Minato Namikaze doesn't seem like a true Kage. If this continues, something disastrous will happen sooner or later!"

Danzo's face darkened further.

"Against Kirigakure? Did Minato directly issue a declaration of war against them?"

"If that's the case, I will personally impeach him before Hiruzen and the daimyo."

"Not quite. Take a look…"

[Mission Name: Kirigakure Freedom Operation]

[Mission Rank: C]

[Ninjas accepting this mission are to establish a temporary base in the Land of Hot Water. Prepare to receive virtuous ninjas, merchants, and skilled individuals from Kirigakure… Assist the local engineering team in constructing facilities.]

[Encounters with Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Land of Hot Water ninjas are possible. If they threaten or violate Konoha's interests, retaliate immediately.]

[Mission rank will be adjusted after assessment, and rewards will be upgraded accordingly.]

[Base Bounty: 50,000 ryō]

Danzo took the mission briefing and read it thoroughly, word for word.

Firstly, why did the Fourth Hokage assume there would be ninjas and merchants fleeing Kirigakure, even using the term "receive"?

Even his Root organization hadn't received any such intel.

Secondly, when did the Fourth Hokage become so assertive? Knowing the possibility of encountering those muscle-headed fools from Kumogakure, he still issued such an ambiguous order…

Putting himself in their shoes, if he were a Konoha ninja accepting this mission, with the village's vague mission description as backing, he might actually take action if the opportunity arose.

"Strange, strange, strange!"

"Could it be…"

Danzo's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the Fourth Hokage had secretly established an intelligence unit outside of the ANBU, one that even he was unaware of?

When did this happen?!

Only such a scenario could explain the Fourth Hokage's cryptic words before he left the Hokage Residence…

Danzo took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "How many ninjas have accepted this mission?"

"Dozens, and the number is still increasing."

"Heh, I understand."

"If this intel is true, then Gojo Kaigetsu's vision is too narrow."

"I will personally lead the Root ninjas on a trip to Kirigakure. I hear their Kekkei Genkai ninjas are quite… delectable~"