[Land of Fire, Fire Temple]
Chiriku had just rushed back to the Fire Temple, still covered in dust from the journey, and before he even had time to catch his breath, he was hit with news like a bolt from the blue.
Now, all the land in the Land of Fire had been completely taken over by Konoha.
It was no longer something anyone could occupy just because they wanted to.
But there was one point worth noting: ordinary civilians' farmland and residences were basically unaffected. They only needed to file a report.
As for these temples that didn't engage in production, much of the land they had enclosed in the past was going to be abolished.
Chiriku's thinking went deeper than that. The land of the Land of Fire should, in theory, belong to the Daimyo.
Now that Konoha Village was taking all of it, it was clearly further eroding the Daimyo's power.
It could even be said that this move by Konoha was likely laying the groundwork to completely abolish the Daimyo's rule in the future.
"Lord Chiriku, what should we do now?"
Chiriku hesitated for a moment. He personally didn't want to get involved in the conflict between the Daimyo and Konoha.
The last time he went with Kazuma to advise the Daimyo and was rejected, Chiriku already understood the Daimyo's stance.
His personal strength was fairly decent, but that was only among these monks.
At his level, Konoha had at least several hundred people like him.
Without support from the Daimyo, Chiriku naturally withdrew.
'Are we going to have to live in poverty from now on?'
Chiriku fingered his prayer beads, falling into deep thought.
He personally didn't care much about material desires, but he wanted the Fire Temple to develop better.
But now, Konoha was clearly squeezing the living space of these warrior monks.
For a moment, he couldn't think of any good solution.
"I'll think about this first. Don't get into any conflict with Konoha's people. Fully cooperate with Konoha's ninjas in the land registration work."
Chiriku knew this wasn't the time to provoke Konoha, so he told them to cooperate for now.
The monks below exchanged glances, each seeing the helplessness on the others' faces.
They also knew this matter was difficult. Since they had no good solution themselves, it was normal for Chiriku to need time to think.
So they all bowed and withdrew.
Monks from different places were not the same. These people had never exploited the local villagers.
In fact, they had maintained fairly good relationships with nearby villages.
However, the Fire Temple's decline was a fact. Right now, their income couldn't cover their expenses. If things continued like this, they would have no choice but to dismiss those resource-consuming warrior monks.
After everyone left, Chiriku also began his evening recitation.
He sat alone in his room, chanting scriptures.
Suddenly, his expression shifted, and he stopped.
He looked up toward a corner of the room, where a vortex appeared, and then Obito stepped out of it.
"What are you doing here?"
Chiriku didn't have much of a relationship with Obito. They had only met once or twice.
So he couldn't figure out what Obito wanted.
They had no conflicting interests, so Chiriku wasn't worried that Obito would harm him.
"I've already taken Kazuma to the Daimyo. It was useless. The Daimyo doesn't dare to clash with Konoha, not even to provide secret funding."
"You should give up on that idea."
Chiriku thought Obito had come specifically because of the need for the Daimyo's support.
But Obito instead asked, "It seems the situation for your temples isn't very good?"
Clearly, Obito had also learned that Konoha planned to take all land in the Land of Fire under its control.
Chiriku replied flatly, "We monks won't starve to death. It's not a big problem."
"Heh! Heh! Heh!", Obito let out a low laugh.
"If the Land of Fire falls into chaos, your temples would be in a much better position, wouldn't they?"
Chiriku naturally understood the implication behind Obito's words and asked directly, "What are you trying to say?"
"There should have been quite a few monks who came to you, right?"
Although Obito phrased it as a question, his tone was certain.
After all, the Fire Temple was one of the foremost among temples in the Land of Fire, so other temples would naturally send people to inquire.
Without waiting for Chiriku to answer, Obito continued, "You can act as a representative and go to Konoha to negotiate."
Chiriku didn't respond. He didn't believe Obito was being kind. Clearly, there was more to come.
Seeing Chiriku remain silent, Obito didn't mind and went on:
"When you go to negotiate, observe the defense patterns of Konoha's inner city."
Chiriku sneered, "You think too highly of us. With our strength, we can't do something like that."
Even if his people could enter Konoha's inner city, their numbers would definitely be small. With such a large Konoha, how could just a few people scout it out?
The monks were only slightly stronger than ordinary people, not even comparable to genin. Obito's suggestion was complete nonsense.
Obito seemed to have expected Chiriku's refusal.
Then he said, "You only need to bring these things into Konoha."
As he spoke, Obito took out a transparent glass bottle.
The bottle was very small, about the size of a finger.
It was filled with something that looked like white powder.
Seeing the bottle, Chiriku was somewhat puzzled, "What's inside this?"
Obito shook his head, "You only need to find a way to bring it into Konoha and let more people come into contact with it."
"If Konoha suffers heavy damage, won't your temples be better off?"
Chiriku stared at the bottle, as if weighing the gains and losses.
"I only need to bring it into Konoha's inner city?"
Chiriku was somewhat tempted. Obito was definitely planning something big.
Attacking Konoha was certain. As for how, Kazuma hadn't told Chiriku.
This really was an opportunity.
As long as Konoha was severely damaged, the ninja world could easily return to its previous chaotic state.
"Let me take a look."
The moment Chiriku said this, Obito knew it was settled.
Without concern, he tossed the bottle to Chiriku.
Chiriku opened it and looked. Inside was a white, semi-transparent powder.
He didn't touch it with his hands, but by visual inspection, it looked like some unknown powder.
"I'll find a way."
"Then I'll be leaving."
After saying that, Obito stepped back and disappeared into the Kamui space.
Chiriku picked up a stick of incense from the side, dipped it into some of the white powder, then smeared it onto a prayer bead.
He lightly rubbed it, and the white powder almost became invisible.
Chiriku fell into thought, then walked to the outer hall.
Many monks were there performing their evening recitation.
Chiriku found the monk who had come earlier, "Are there still many temples hoping that our Fire Temple will speak out?"
"Yes, we've been receiving their letters one after another recently."
Chiriku nodded slightly, "Write back to them. I'll be going to Konoha soon. Have them send representatives to go with me."
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