86: Chapter 86 CounterattackOn the top floor of the Chamber of Commerce, Naruto tossed a gold coin engraved with the "Apocalypse" emblem into his hand.
Tsunade sat opposite him, looking at the urgent intelligence that Hibari had just sent.
"The scout team from Kumogakure has reached the border, Iwagakure has strengthened its defenses, and what about Kirigakure."
Tsunade tossed the intelligence scroll onto the table.
Naruto caught the falling gold coin, held it between his fingers, and curled his lip: "Heh, does she think she's the only one who can do this?When it comes to dirty tricks, I'm her granddaddy!"
He sat up straight with a swift movement, his eyes gleaming."Isn't she trying to put pressure on us?Isn't she questioning our control over the tailed beasts and our ability to create powerful beings?"
"Alright, then let's have a good chat with everyone in the ninja world about whether Kirigakure has cleaned up their own mess yet!"
"Hibari!" Naruto shouted.
"Yes, Chairman."
"It's time to get our chamber of commerce's outsourced staff, our well-connected tabloids, wandering poets, and storytellers moving around."
Naruto tapped his fingers on the armrest."Spread the word!Spread the news as fast as you can!Emphasize the key points."
He held up his fingers and counted them one by one:
"First, let me remind everyone what Kirigakure was like during the 'Village of Blood Mist' period!Assassination exams, persecution of bloodline families, making the village a scene of wailing ghosts and fear."
"Secondly, we must emphasize the achievements of the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, in ending the Bloody Mist Village.Praise her!Praise her to the skies!Say that she turned the tide, restored order, and truly became the restorer of Kirigakure!"
Hibari and Tsunade were both stunned for a moment, a little confused by this line of thought.
Naruto chuckled and said, "Keep taking notes."
"Third, why would the wise and powerful Terumi Mei, the Mizukage, send a 'private team' led by Ao to infiltrate our peace-loving and legally operating chamber of commerce, attempting to carry out nefarious sabotage?"
"Does this mean that the evil 'blood mist' force within Kirigakure has not been completely eradicated, and may even have influenced the Mizukage's judgment?"
"Finally, the Three-Tailed Isobu, what a terrifying weapon of war it was!It never did anything good in Kirigakure's hands!"
If extremists within Kirigakure were to gain control of this power, what kind of threat would it pose to the ninja world, which has finally achieved peace?
"Did the Apocalypse Merchant Guild's decision to control the Three-Tails at great cost and risk eliminate a huge security threat to the ninja world to some extent?"
He finished speaking in one breath, picked up the water glass next to him, took a big gulp to moisten his throat, and said, "That's about it.You can fill in the details yourselves."
Hibari's eyes lit up with admiration.She quickly processed the information and respectfully replied, "Yes, President!I'll take care of it immediately!"
Her steps as she turned and left were so swift they seemed to carry the wind, clearly indicating her great enthusiasm for this method.
Looking at the confident Naruto, Tsunade couldn't help but rub her forehead: "You brat.you really know how to use crooked and evil methods so easily.Mei Terumi is probably going to be so angry that she'll vomit blood."
The Tianqi Chamber of Commerce's counterattack has begun.
Almost overnight, all sorts of rumors, gossip, anonymous comments, and tragic stories spread like a plague throughout the black markets, taverns, and post stations of the ninja world.
At first, there were only scattered discussions.
"Have you heard?Kirigakure used to be really weird; you had to kill your own comrades for the graduation exam!"
"Really?That's ruthless?"
"Of course it's true!My second uncle's neighbor's brother-in-law used to travel to the Land of Water by boat.He said that back then, blood was seen in Kirigakure every day.It was terrifying!"
Then, in-depth analysis began.
The End of a Great Era and the Lingering Shadow: On the Achievements of the Five Dynasties Mizukage and the Hidden Dangers Within Kirigakure
From the "Green" Squad Incident: Has the Blood Mist Truly Vanished from the Mist's Shadow?
"The Three-Tailed Fox: Source of Disaster or Key to Peace?A Brief Analysis of the Positive Significance of the Apocalypse Merchant Guild's Capture of the Three-Tailed Fox"
Without exception, they all highly praised Mei Terumi's contribution in ending the Blood Mist Village, extolling her to the skies and making her practically a guiding light illuminating the Hidden Mist Village.
Then the tone abruptly shifts, beginning to question with extreme concern: Why, in the present day, would such thuggish behavior, clearly reminiscent of the Blood Mist era, still occur with the "Green Squad"?
Does this mean that there are still powerful extremists secretly causing trouble within the Fog Shadow?
They even dare to outwardly obey the orders of the Mizukage, just how powerful are they?
Then, "naturally", the conversation turned to the Three-Tails.Such a dangerous power, if it fell into the hands of these extremists hiding in the shadows, would have unimaginable consequences!
The Tianqi Merchant Guild's struggle with the Akatsuki for control of the Three-Tails is not a threat, but rather a demonstration of responsibility for the peace of the ninja world!
In the main residence of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hiashi knelt on the tatami mats, with a widely circulated "intelligence summary" in front of him describing how Kirigakure used the stolen Byakugan to carry out illegal activities.
His face was ashen, and his aura was terrifyingly cold.
Although there are also sordid things within the Hyuga clan, the Byakugan has always been the foundation and glory for them to stand tall in the ninja world!
Kirigakure, a place whose hands are stained with the blood of its own kind, dares to use and defile the power of the Byakugan in this way?
Hinata quietly brewed tea to the side.
Soon, although the Hyuga clan did not issue a public statement, the businesses they controlled began to tacitly reduce their cooperation and exchanges with Kirigakure.
This silent economic pressure from Konoha's top powerhouse was more painful for Kirigakure than many verbal condemnations.
The public support from Sunagakure became the final straw that broke the camel's back in Kirigakure's public opinion campaign.
Kazekage Gaara personally signed a statement, saying that the Apocalypse Merchant Guild is an important strategic partner of Sunagakure, that the guild's president Naruto Uzumaki is a trustworthy friend, and that the guild's actions have always adhered to ethical standards and contributed to regional stability.
Sunagakure firmly opposes any accusations that are not based on facts.
Temari, using her influence, bluntly stated, "Some ninja villages have a ton of problems of their own, yet they always like to throw mud at others.Try."The image is meant to divert attention.
"This kind of irresponsible behavior is the biggest disruption to the harmony of the ninja world!"
This was practically rolling up their sleeves and getting right to the scene, standing in front of the Chamber of Commerce and using the reputation of Sand Village to provide the strongest support to the Apocalypse Chamber of Commerce!
Mizukage Village, Mizukage's Office.
"Bang!"
Another brand-new desk was split in two.
Mei Terumi's beautiful face was contorted with rage.
She clutched a tabloid circulating on the black market tightly in her hand: "Shocking!Remnants of the Blood Mist May Have Overthrown the Water Shadow!The Three-Tails in Their Hands Will Create Another Hell on Earth!"
"Shameless!Vulgar!Turning black into white!"
She was trembling all over.
The viciousness of these comments lies in their excessive praise of her, leaving her with no point of attack to refute them.
The subsequent doubts were like poisoned nails, firmly driven into the body of Kirigakure!
Especially considering that the Qing team's actions were previously confirmed as "individual behavior," she's now completely smeared, like mud falling into her pocket—even if it wasn't shit, it's still shit!She can't clear her name even if she jumps into the sea!
Qing stood below, his face equally grim.
He has now become not only a shameful symbol of mission failure, but also a living testament to the fact that "the Blood Mist Village has not been extinguished"!
He felt as if people were pointing fingers at him wherever he went.
"Lord Mizukage, we…" Chojuro looked at Mei Terumi with concern.
"Issue a statement!Clarify!" Mei Terumi practically shouted.
However, the pale clarification statement from Kirigakure appeared utterly powerless in the face of the triple implicating Tianqi Chamber of Commerce, which had a factual basis, a logical deduction of the 'Ao Squad's actions,' and an authoritative endorsement of the 'Sunagakure and Konoha powerhouses.'
Even some forces and merchants who had originally remained neutral began to view the movements of the Hidden Mist Village with suspicion and vigilance.
After all, the terrifying legend of the "Village of Blood Mist" is not unfounded, and the Apocalypse Chamber of Commerce has indeed put real money and business reputation into its work.
Deidara, holding his wine glass, danced with excitement."Chairman, that move of yours was absolutely brilliant!That powerful kick to that cripple's good leg!It was pure art!I'm impressed!"
Naruto clinked glasses with him: "No problem, you think you can play this game with me?I'll make her pay!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a system notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding!Counterattack launched.The cunning and ruthless style has yielded significant results, consistent with villainous traits.Villain value +2000!]
[Current villain value: 4000]
Hearing this voice, Naruto's smile deepened.
He glanced at Deidara, who was still toasting to "art" and was unusually lively beside him, and a statistic that only he could see quietly appeared before his eyes—Deidara's loyalty had jumped from 8 to 28.
Naruto raised his hand and toasted again, "Come on, let's have another one!"
Cheers!Mm!
Everyone understood that the real battle was just beginning.
After this battle, the name Apocalypse Merchant Guild carries a different weight in the hearts of the ninja world's bigwigs.
They are no longer just an emerging force, but an extremely difficult opponent who doesn't play by the rules.
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