Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 95 Persuasion and Reassurance

"You are the leader, you are the culprit, and you will be hunted down no matter where you flee. But if you stabilize morale and integrate all forces now, you may still have a chance to survive."

Following the sound carried on the wind, Negishi Kusanagi looked up and saw Aburame Shisei sitting not far to his left, drinking water from a teapot without looking to the side. But he was certain that it was he who had just spoken.

"Enough!" Negishi Kusanagi slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

Everyone looked at him, and he turned to Aburame Shiki and said, "Strategist Shiraki, what are your thoughts? Tell everyone."

Aburame Shisei sat up slightly and glanced at everyone.

The moment the two great powers issued their declarations of war, the people of Kusagakure were thrown into turmoil, and signs of collapse were already emerging. The newly elected leader, Negishi Kusanagi, was also hesitant about whether to relinquish his position and flee.

Such an organization is nothing more than a mob.

However, he naturally couldn't let them disperse like that, otherwise he wouldn't have used telepathy earlier.

Everyone looked at him, but he remained as calm as ever, with a bright green dragonfly perched on his shoulder, its wings fluttering gently.

After a long silence, Aburame Shisei finally spoke: "Do you want to live?"

"Nonsense, who doesn't want to live? You make it sound so easy. What's the difference between staying here and waiting to die? I'm leaving now, and nobody can stop me!" A Jonin got up to leave, but before he could take a single step, he was held down by the ninjas who had ingested the insect eggs.

After several days, these people's strength had been raised to the level of Jonin. With the addition of the previous two rounds of purges, only fifteen Jonin remained in the Grass Village, and these six, along with Shisei Aburame, were newly promoted.

At this moment, all twenty-two people in the room were high-ranking officials, and more than half of them were actually under the control of Aburame Shisei. However, they were unaware of this, and Aburame Shisei did not want them to know.

"Then let's fight. If we want true independence, if we want to survive, we have to fight our way through. This is a hurdle we can only overcome ourselves."

Everyone was shocked. They knew that with their current strength, they were no match for them and it was like throwing an egg against a rock.

The Jonin who was being held down shouted again, "You're the ones who destroyed Kusagakure! Why should we pay for your mistakes? Let me go! Let's just split up and go our separate ways!"

Aburame Shisei interrupted, "Kusagakure wasn't destroyed by our own hands. Everyone knows the truth; it was Iwagakure who framed us. They killed the Hokage's son to test Konoha and Hiruzen Sarutobi, and we were merely pawns pushed out to take the blame. Even if we disband Kusagakure today and flee, we'll only be hunted down endlessly—your heads will become bounties scattered across the land. So, stop fantasizing about unrealistic choices."

Someone else countered, "Then what do you suggest we do? We have so few people and so little strength. If we don't give up, are we just going to wait to be wiped out by the combined forces of the two great powers?"

"Therefore, we need a master to oversee things, a force capable of deterring a nation. For this reason, I propose an alliance. To be honest, I come from a sacred spiritual land called the 'Dragonfly Sanctuary'."

The summoning beasts there are incredibly powerful, but because they've been far removed from the ninja world for so long, no one knows about them anymore. If you trust me, I'm willing to act as your messenger and assist you in signing the contract. Once successful, each of you will possess a powerful summoning beast.

"So what? It's just a summoning beast; Konoha has plenty of them. How can that change the course of the battle?"

Aburame Shisei played with the dragonfly in his hand, smiling slightly: "What if there were a secret technique that could allow you to temporarily merge with a summoned beast and maintain flight?"

"Furthermore, we can form alliances with smaller countries. Hanzo of the Salamander in the Land of Rain, Naoto and Kakuzu of the Land of Waterfall—if we unite, even the largest countries would have to think twice before trying to harm us."

"You make it sound so easy; why would they possibly be willing to help?"

"You don't understand. It's the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.' Besides, our Grass Country isn't without its own bargaining chips."

"The Seven-Tails of Takigakure has remained sealed away without a suitable jinchūriki. However, someone in our village happens to meet the requirements and can become the Seven-Tails' jinchūriki. In addition, we can cede part of our territory. In exchange for these conditions, we will borrow the Seven-Tails from Takigakure."

"That's a tailed beast! You think you can just lend it out like that? Who do you think you are?"

"Would you believe me if I said I could borrow it?"

Everyone looked at Aburame Shisei with disbelief, staring at him as if he were a fool.

Aburame Shisei remained calm and immediately made a pledge, vowing that he would bring the Seven-Tails within one day. However, the others also had to guarantee that they would not panic or leave the Land of Grass within that day.

These words sounded like mere gossip, but for some reason, when he said them, they seemed to carry a natural credibility.

"What we are facing now is both a crisis and an opportunity. Once we defeat the two great powers, even if we only win the first battle, we will be able to turn the tables and take control of our own destiny. From then on, the Land of Grass will no longer be a weathervane, nor will it be a force to be reckoned with."

"And once I win the first match, I'm confident I can go to the Land of Rain and persuade Hanzo of the Salamander to form an alliance with us. As for the condition, it's to cede that piece of land to the south."

As for the land of the Ming Dynasty, why should the Ninja Village cede it? Aburame Shisei said he had his own way of doing it.

Then, he looked at the new leader and said, "Didn't you always want the village to rise again? Are we going to live like this forever, enduring the oppression of the two great ninja villages?"

Why should they enjoy fertile land and resources, while we are suppressed, criticized, and even afraid to fight back, becoming timid and cowardly?

Ultimately, they knew from birth that they were strong. They could lose, they could fail, they could retreat, but they never felt they would perish. Because they had powerful villages behind them and countless companions they could rely on.

And what about you? You were born knowing you were weak. You could win, you could triumph, you could flee, but you always felt you were on the verge of destruction.

He looked around and said, "If you win this battle, even if you only win the first one, you will no longer be opportunists or weaklings who can be manipulated by others."

You can stand tall and proud in the ninja world and tell everyone – the Grass Ninja Village is also a formidable force.

As for losing... well, since we're going to die anyway, wouldn't it be better to die a glorious death?

"Leader, today you will publish an article denouncing the bullying of the small ninja village by the two great powers. I have evidence to prove that the one who killed the Hokage's son was a ninja from Iwagakure. As for whether the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was blind and incompetent, or simply too cowardly to confront Iwagakure head-on, let the world judge that."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Silence lingered in the council chamber for a long time.