Chapter 257: , The Harsh

Without rushing to put forward his own demands, the Cat King simply asked three words in a flat tone.

"On what grounds?"

As soon as these three words were spoken, the atmosphere at the scene began to turn ominous.

In the eyes of Hozuki Mangetsu, who was unaware of the truth, this move by the Cat King was partly due to a lack of trust in Ryosuke, and partly because he was likely provoked by Mizunuki Ryosuke's previous actions.

Yet, unexpectedly, upon hearing the Cat King's inquiry, Ryosuke simply smiled broadly and slowly spoke three words.

"On my grounds."

As his voice fell, a terrifying aura, even more overbearing than before, rose from Ryosuke's body.

In an instant, the entire great hall was permeated with the terrifying presence unique to Mizunuki Ryosuke.

"Good! Good! Good!"

At that moment, the Cat King's corpulent body stood up directly from the black-and-white throne, uttering the word "good" three times in succession.

"I have three conditions."

"If Kirigakure can fulfill them, it wouldn't be impossible for me to let you take away the thing in my hands."

This time, the Cat King's attitude had undergone a qualitative change compared to just a moment ago.

Anyone could see that the Cat King's attitude was much more serious than when he was talking to Hozuki Mangetsu earlier.

"Very well, please state them."

A hint of solemnity flashed in Ryosuke's eyes.

"First, I want your guarantee."

"From now on, whenever the Ninja Cat clan encounters an irresistible disaster, Kirigakure must provide full assistance."

Just this first condition made Hozuki Mangetsu frown tightly.

This matter was of great importance, and neither he nor Mizunuki Ryosuke had the authority to make such a decision for the village at this moment.

Yet, unexpectedly, Ryosuke remained composed after hearing this.

"Very well, that is perfectly reasonable."

Mizunuki Ryosuke chose to agree to it directly.

"Second, I need Kirigakure to provide territory for the Ninja Cat clan to operate within the human world."

Upon hearing this, Hozuki Mangetsu's expression changed drastically.

By setting such a condition, the Cat King was undoubtedly stating directly that the Ninja Cat clan was no longer content to remain in these deep mountains and wanted to use Kirigakure as a springboard to march into the entire Ninja World!

"Agreed."

Yet, unexpectedly, Mizunuki Ryosuke remained composed and agreed to the Cat King's request.

"Hiss!!!!"

Whether it was the Jonin far away in the Mizukage Building or Hozuki Mangetsu in the Cat King's palace, they all gasped in shock.

They never imagined that Mizunuki Ryosuke would actually dare to agree to such a request.

Immediately, Hozuki Mangetsu grabbed Mizunuki Ryosuke beside him and shouted.

"Mizunuki Ryosuke, have you lost your mind!"

Hozuki Mangetsu looked at Mizunuki Ryosuke in disbelief.

Theoretically speaking, the entire Land of Water still belonged to the Daimyo of the Land of Water; even Kirigakure Village could not theoretically agree to such a request.

Surely he didn't mean to give Kirigakure Village's own territory to the Ninja Cats?

To this, Mizunuki Ryosuke simply pushed Hozuki Mangetsu aside gently, signaling him not to be anxious.

Hozuki Mangetsu laughed out of extreme anger; he wanted to see what kind of madness Ryosuke was suffering from.

"Finally, I hope to obtain material support from Kirigakure."

"The contents include..."

The Cat King proposed a series of material requirements, which made Hozuki Mangetsu's face turn ashen.

Because the material requirements proposed by the Cat King could no longer be called "a lion's share," but rather "a dinosaur's share."

These supplies were more than double what Hozuki Mangetsu had just proposed!

Relying solely on Mizunuki Ryosuke's ability, it was absolutely impossible to gather so many supplies.

In this case, there was only one possibility: Mizunuki Ryosuke was writing "bad checks," or he was directly selling out the village's interests!

Hozuki Mangetsu was already furious and about to lash out, but unexpectedly, the Cat King on the main seat extended a short, thick arm and pointed a finger gently at Hozuki Mangetsu.

In an instant, Hozuki Mangetsu, who was about to shout, was as if he had been hit by a "mute" button; no matter how he opened his mouth, he could not make a sound.

Clearly, this was an extremely profound Yin Jutsu.

Not only Hozuki Mangetsu, but all the Jonin in the Mizukage Building had ugly expressions.

If Mizunuki Ryosuke agreeing to the Cat King's first request was overstepping, then these conditions could now be called "selling out the village."

The facts were already clear: Mizunuki Ryosuke was using the village's interests as a bargaining chip to successfully ascend to power by obtaining the "Mizukage Secret Scroll" in the Cat King's hands.

This caused some of the Jonin who previously had a very good impression of Ryosuke to look at him in the water screen with disdain.

"Squad Leader Maeda!"

"For a ninja like Mizunuki Ryosuke, I suggest directly stripping him of his eligibility as a Mizukage candidate!"

"No! Directly expel him from Kirigakure!"

Immediately, a hot-tempered Jonin shouted directly at Maeda Yuanshi on the side.

This Jonin's statement instantly ignited the anger in the hearts of the other Jonin, who echoed his sentiments one after another.

"Right!" ===== CHAPTER 259 =====