They witnessed firsthand how the Land of Rain declined.

A small nation dragged into war by great nations is always so pitiable and powerless, no matter when you look.

But what can they do in the face of the overwhelming strength of the Five Great Nations?

The highest class in the Ninja Realm was established since the inception of the one nation, one village system.

In the past, small nations had the power to fight against great nations, but now military strength relies on Ninja Villages.

From this perspective, they resent the God of Ninja who established the one nation, one village system.

Great nations possessing vast lands working hand in hand with immensely powerful Ninja Villages, have further squeezed the living space of small nations.

Moreover, they don't want to provide too much support to these coarse ninjas.

Who knows, after giving too much military spending, whether Hidden Star Village's desires will inflate, threatening their power and status.

The ones who have amassed over ninety percent of the Land of Bear's wealth are unwilling to engage in such a venture that appears thoroughly futile.

They don't need Hidden Star Village to conquer lands, just for them to be honest and content with the current situation, which is the greatest support they can give.

The Daimyo of the Land of Bear glanced at him and said, "Don't rush, let me finish. Originally, there was no problem with increasing their budget by thirty percent, but I've heard some unsettling rumors lately."

"Unsettling rumors? What do you mean?"

"It seems Hidden Star Village is in cahoots with officials from other nations."

At this point, the Daimyo of the Land of Bear's face slightly darkened, very solemn.

"What?"

The officials all opened their mouths wide, looking at the Daimyo of the Land of Bear in disbelief, thinking they heard wrong.

"Not long ago, a letter written by the Third Hoshikage to officials from another country was intercepted by my men. On it is the Third Hoshikage's handwriting and Hidden Star Village's official seal."

The Daimyo, with great seriousness, took out a letter from his chest, handed it to an attendant nearby, to pass down to the six officials below, letting them read it in turn.

Opening the letter with suspicion, the officials present read it very seriously.

The further they read, the more shocked they became, their expressions growing darker and heavier.

Though Hidden Star Village hadn't yet shown thoughts of rebellion, secretly colluding with officials from other nations undoubtedly violated the interests of the Land of Bear.

This matter must be stopped.

If Hidden Star Village is persuaded by another nation, that's not a good thing for the Land of Bear.

Worst case, the Land of Bear might be destroyed because of it.

Of course, all of this is based on Hidden Star Village actually planning to defect.

The handwriting on the letter indeed matches the Third Hoshikage exactly, and there's Hidden Star Village's official seal. It would be difficult for an outsider to forge... But ninjas cannot be measured by common sense.

Forging handwriting is not difficult, and as for the seal, with the Daimyo of the Land of Bear's capabilities, it's equally easy for a spy in Hidden Star Village to obtain it during the Third Hoshikage's unguarded moments.

They have their calculations in mind; this letter is very likely forged by the Daimyo of the Land of Bear, and the plan is clumsy.

However, they all understand that a highly sophisticated plan isn't necessary; hitting the key point is what's most important.

They see an ambitious Daimyo of the Land of Bear wanting to swallow Hidden Star Village whole.

Given a crime, there is no need to worry about insufficient evidence; so whether the plan is clumsy or sophisticated doesn't matter, what matters is the Daimyo's current attitude.

The officials watched their noses, their noses watched their hearts, no one spoke first.

The atmosphere in the meeting room thus fell silent.

The Daimyo of the Land of Bear knew what these people were worrying about, but his scheme had already reached such a stage, it was too late to withdraw.

"Let's be upfront, I need your assistance. Imagine the profits after accomplishing this task."

A Ninja Village completely controlled by their will... The officials imagined eagerly.

"But the covenant..."

One official was somewhat apprehensive.

The one nation, one village system was established precisely because of the so-called 'covenant'.

Daimyo and nobles provide development funds to Ninja Villages, which receive funds and actively protect national stability.

And neither side is to exceed their authority.

"Did we do anything?"

The Daimyo of the Land of Bear put down the folding fan in his hand, looking at everyone with a puzzled face.

The officials suddenly realized.

Indeed, they hadn't done anything, so the one nation, one village covenant couldn't naturally penalize them.

Moreover, they are the highest-ranking people in this country, except for great nations, who can truly punish them?

The so-called rules are just tools they used to enslave the lower class.

Therefore, a Daimyo of the Land of Bear who dared to propose this plan had probably already infiltrated his men into the core of Hidden Star Village, right?

◎

"Long time no see, Lord Daimyo."

The person privately meeting the Daimyo of the Land of Bear was Jonin Akahoshi who sneaked out from Hidden Star Village.

He spoke in an attitude seemingly familiar with the Daimyo of the Land of Bear.

But from his slightly respectful tone, it was not difficult to tell that in their interaction, it was the Daimyo of the Land of Bear who held the dominant position.

As the Daimyo of a nation, he controlled most of the nation's wealth, including power. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The power in the Daimyo's hands was not just soldiers composed of ordinary people, secretly, he also cultivated loyal ninjas to serve as his guards.

Akahoshi vaguely sensed that in the unseen corners of this luxurious room, there were at least six ninjas lurking.