Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 356 Ryuichi Ida's International Expansion

When the doctor arrived, Daming had already passed away.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

His name is Daimyo, and the cause of death was choking on a date pit.

The people of the capital reacted in various ways when they heard the news.

Some people find it absurd, some find it laughable, and some believe it is the will of Heaven.

But most people just shook their heads indifferently and went on with their lives.

If a great name dies, just change to a new one.

For ordinary people, it doesn't really matter who sits in that position.

But for royalty, the difference is significant.

According to the Land of Earth's inheritance law, the position of daimyo should be inherited by the eldest son.

Upon receiving the news, the eldest prince immediately traveled by ship from his fiefdom to the capital.

His fleet sailed downstream along the largest inland river in the Land of Earth at a great speed.

According to the plan, he will arrive in the capital within three days and complete the enthronement ceremony in the presence of his courtiers.

When the fleet was halfway there, the weather suddenly changed.

That was no ordinary storm. The waves were as high as mountains, and the winds were as sharp as knives.

Two of the three large ships in the fleet capsized in the huge waves, and the remaining ships barely managed to escape disaster by desperately trying to reach the shore.

The ship that the eldest prince was on was capsized by a giant wave.

Everyone on the boat fell into the water.

A few days later, the search and rescue team found several bodies downstream, but the eldest prince was not among them.

The eldest prince has gone missing, disappearing into the swift-flowing river along with his entourage and guards.

Only a few powerful ninjas survived thanks to their superior water-style techniques, but they knew nothing about the prince's whereabouts.

When the news reached the capital, it caused a stir throughout the court and the country.

The eldest prince is dead!

The matter of succession, which should have been in order of priority, has become increasingly complicated.

Meanwhile, at the Ida residence, Fuuka Nuchao yawned, dragging her weary body. "I'll only help you this once. By the way, can you really secure me a spot to train in the Wind Sage Technique?"

That's right, he killed the person, and he also stirred up the storm. The technique he used was Snow Release: Blizzard, which he simplified from the Sage Art Monsoon.

"Of course, you can go now." Ryuji Ida chuckled as he saw the man onto the carriage. He talked about fighting for a spot, but there was no need to fight for it at all. Only this fool would not know how high the threshold for cultivating immortal arts was.

A few years ago, there were many people applying, but since they all failed, Xiaoqing's application area has been idle for a long time.

Iwagakure Village, Tsuchikage's Office.

The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, looked extremely grim as he examined the intelligence reports that had recently arrived.

"The daimyo choked to death on a date pit, and the eldest prince disappeared in a storm. Do you think this is a coincidence?"

The assistant, standing below, said cautiously, "It seems... to be a coincidence."

"Looks like it? I think it was designed by someone." Onoki jumped off the chair and started grabbing it from the floor with his hands behind his back.

Normally, they shouldn't get involved in the affairs of Daming Prefecture, but there's clearly something fishy going on behind this, and besides, if Daming Prefecture is unstable, their funding will be unstable.

"What's the situation in Daming Prefecture right now?"

The assistant replied, "The second and third princes have already started arguing. The second prince has some warrior advisors supporting him, while the third prince has local officials backing him up. The two sides are evenly matched, and neither can gain the upper hand."

Onoki thought for a moment and said, "No, we can't just sit idly by. Go ask those old guys later, have them vote, and see who they support."

"Then we'll support him in becoming a daimyo?"

"Idiot!" Onoki turned his head and looked at his assistant as if he were a fool. Sure enough, the newly appointed secretary was no good.

Sigh, their Iwagakure village doesn't even have many intelligent people.

"Of course we support the opposite side! Go quickly..."

However, before he could finish speaking, an ANBU ninja suddenly pushed open the door and entered, saying, "Lord Tsuchikage, urgent military intelligence!"

"An unidentified ninja team has been discovered at the border, preliminarily identified as being from the Land of Lightning. There are approximately thirty of them, all in disguise, and they are secretly infiltrating into the Land of Earth."

"What Cloud Village? What are those muscle-bound brutes up their brains trying to do? Are they taking advantage of the power transition in the Land of Earth?" Upon hearing that it was his mortal enemy, Onoki immediately became wary.

"Pass down the order: the first, third, and fourth combat units are to assemble immediately!"

"Notify all border outposts to increase vigilance and report any suspicious persons immediately! Also, notify the Fourth Raikage—I need to have a serious talk with him!"

The assistant and the ANBU ninja left to carry out their orders, instantly forgetting about what was happening in the Daimyo's capital.

The internal strife within the Daimyo's prefecture can wait, but the threat from Kumogakure cannot. Their ninja village possesses overwhelming military strength; they can install anyone as the new leader.

On the other side, in Tagawa County, in the secret room of the Ida family.

Ryuji Ida sat at one end of the long table, with six people sitting in front of him.

These six people were all core members of the Jingda family business group, and also spies he had cultivated over more than a decade.

On the surface, they are merchants, craftsmen, and even ronin, but in reality, each of them controls a secret force.

"The second and third princes have already started fighting. What we need to do is make their fight even fiercer."

"How exactly do we do it?"

"public opinion."

This is the essence that Ryuji Ida learned from the Darkness of Konoha. Now that he has mastered it, he can even apply it in practice.

"Spread the word that the second prince is not the lord's biological son. His mother had an affair with a guard when she was pregnant with him."

Not many people knew about this, but it wasn't unknown either. The aim was to muddy the waters and prevent those wavering nobles from easily taking sides.

"What about the Third Prince?"

"The Third Prince's weakness is his mother," Ryuji Ida sneered. "Back then, his mother did some less-than-honorable things to climb the social ladder. To bring those things up, you don't need evidence, just people spreading them. One person saying it might be a rumor, but a hundred people saying it is the truth."

"Anything else?"

"Contact other nobles." Ryuji Ida picked up a list from the table. "These are the people we've won over over the years; it's time to get their help. Tell them that if things go well, their fiefdoms will expand by 30% and their taxes will be halved."

"Can these people be trusted?"

"unreliable."

Ryuji Ida bluntly stated, "But they are greedy. As long as there are enough benefits, they will follow us."

"We have already spoken to the daimyo of these eighteen small countries: the Land of Scenery, the Land of Bears, the Land of Stones, the Land of Rivers... They won't directly send troops to support us, but they will stand by us diplomatically, and that's enough."

Suddenly, someone asked, "What about the other four major powers?"

"That's the key."

Ryuji Ida picked up two documents from the table. "Tomorrow I want these two documents to appear on the desks of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, respectively."