327. We've Secured Aid Again, Brothers!

"An envoy from the Hidden Hot Water Village?"

Upon hearing about the Hidden Hot Water Village, the Fourth Raikage's already gloomy expression turned even darker.

He could easily guess the purpose of their visit without even opening his eyes. It was always the same—asking for people, money, weapons...

Although it was irritating, what could A, as the Raikage, do?

The Land of Hot Springs was a crucial gateway for Kumogakure to access Konoha, serving as a strategic stronghold in case of war with the Leaf.

If they didn't provide sufficient support, such a small country could easily switch allegiances to Konoha.

Once Konoha stationed troops in the Land of Rice and the Land of Hot Springs, they could threaten Kumogakure's homeland through the Land of Frost or block all routes south to the Land of Fire.


This would leave Kumogakure in a very passive position.

For this reason, no matter how tight Kumogakure's finances were, they had to scrape together some resources to stabilize the Hidden Hot Water Village.

Thus, the Fourth Raikage had no choice but to receive the envoy from the Hidden Hot Water Village as usual.

However, this time, things seemed a bit unusual.

As soon as the envoy from the Hidden Hot Water Village entered, he fell to his knees with a loud thud and cried out, "Lord Raikage, you must save our Hidden Hot Water Village!"

Hearing this, the Fourth Raikage's brow furrowed, and a sense of foreboding crept into his heart.

"Get up first!" The burly A grabbed the envoy and pulled him to his feet, then asked, "Tell me, what's happened now?"

Under his questioning, the envoy from the Hidden Hot Water Village finally spoke, trembling, "Lord Raikage, to be honest, the situation in the Land of Hot Springs is a complete mess. Those damned rebels have equipped themselves with a large number of new weapons and have somehow recruited several powerful rogue ninjas! Moreover, they've obtained a new drug! Once they take it, their strength increases significantly... We're no match for them!"

The envoy's words came faster and faster, but his voice grew softer and softer. By the end, the Fourth Raikage's brow was completely furrowed.

"Powerful new weapons? Strong rogue ninjas? A drug that enhances strength? How did a bunch of rogue organizations get their hands on these things?" The Raikage's question made the envoy hesitate for a moment before he finally whispered, "We once captured a rebel member. After some... intense interrogation, he revealed the truth..."

"What truth?" A raised an eyebrow, clearly curious.

"That guy said... they found them in the forest..." The envoy's voice was almost inaudible by the end.

At first, the Raikage thought he had misheard, but then he flew into a rage. "Are you telling me that a bunch of weapons and performance-enhancing drugs just grew out of the deep forests of the Land of Rice?!"

The envoy from the Hidden Hot Water Village nodded weakly. "That's what the prisoner said..."

"Idiots! Absolute idiots!" The Raikage slammed his hand on the table, shattering it into pieces.

The thunderous sound of the table breaking scared the already nervous envoy so much that he fell to the ground.

Seeing this, Mabui, the Raikage's secretary, quickly escorted the envoy to the waiting room to rest.

When she returned to the Raikage's office, she found A standing with his arms crossed, veins bulging on his muscular arms like tree roots.

"Lord Raikage, you lost your temper again," Mabui scolded without hesitation.

In her view, a leader should never lose composure, no matter the situation.

Blind anger only clouds judgment and leads to foolish decisions.

A knew he had overreacted.


After taking a deep breath, he apologized, "I'm sorry, I lost control."

Mabui nodded slightly.

This was the demeanor a great leader should have. After experiencing the pain of losing his father, the current Raikage seemed much more reliable than before—stronger and more resolute.

Therefore, Mabui didn't dwell on A's outburst and instead moved on to discuss the more pressing matter. "Lord Raikage, who do you think provided them with these weapons and drugs?"

Hearing this question, A answered almost without thinking, "Of course, it's Konoha!"

At this stage, who else would challenge Kumogakure in the Land of Hot Springs besides Konoha?

Mabui nodded but then shook her head, saying meaningfully, "It's Konoha, but it can't be Konoha."

This statement left A momentarily stunned, and his expression turned complicated.

He realized that Mabui was right.

Konoha and Kumogakure had already reached an agreement regarding the Land of Rice and the Land of Hot Springs.

The Land of Rice would go to Konoha, and the Land of Hot Springs would go to Kumogakure.

Therefore, Konoha hadn't directly sent troops to the Land of Hot Springs but was secretly funding the rebel organizations there.

On the surface, they hadn't broken the agreement.

If Kumogakure exposed Konoha's support for the rebels, it would destroy the tacit understanding between the two nations, leaving no room for negotiation. This could potentially spark a new war—a result that Kumogakure, already suffering from economic and military setbacks, could not afford.

Thus, the best course of action for Kumogakure was to follow Konoha's example and cultivate their own proxies in the Land of Hot Springs and the Land of Rice, engaging in a proxy war with Konoha within these small nations.

This was a common tactic among major nations during times of peace.

Thinking this through, the Raikage clenched his fist silently. "I understand. I'll increase the funding to the Hidden Hot Water Village."

Hearing A's decision, Mabui nodded slightly and added, "It would be best to send a few experienced jonin to provide guidance. But until the Konoha ninjas make their move, we should avoid any rash actions."

A accepted all of Mabui's suggestions.

Soon, the previously despondent envoy from the Hidden Hot Water Village perked up. They had secured aid again, brothers!

---

On the other side, within the Land of Hot Springs, the Land of Rice Militia and the Land of Hot Springs Resistance had just joined forces to drive off a group of Hidden Hot Water Village ninjas.

Watching their enemies flee in disarray and their own men, who had just come down from their enhanced state after taking the "Spirit Pills," the leaders of the two groups smiled with satisfaction.

This time, it was their turn to experience what it felt like to have the backing of a major nation!

The Leaf's "Fierce Medicine" was indeed effective.

Without it, their superior equipment alone might not have been enough to defeat the enemy.

And they had something even more potent than the "Fierce Medicine"—the "Soul Startler"!