The days passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, October arrived.
As expected, white snow began to fall over Yomi Castle.
The city sat at the boundary between east and west, so it was easily affected by the eastern climate and entered winter ahead of schedule.
However, because there were enough heating devices, no one had frozen to death here for many years.
Because of that, throughout the city, one could hear faint humming vibrations in many places. That was the sound of the heating devices beneath the city operating.
It was during this season that a ninja village named Konoha was quietly established in the Land of Fire.
Then, with the full support of the daimyo of the Land of Fire, the news quickly spread throughout the ninja world.
In the name of the ruler of the Land of Fire, the daimyo signed an alliance contract with Konoha known as "one nation, one village."
With the effect of this contract, the national defense and military power of the entire country gradually began gathering toward Konohagakure.
As the founders of Konoha, the Senju clan and Uchiha clan moved with astonishing speed, drawing many ninja clans into the village.
Some of these clans were famous, while others were not. But because there were so many of them, once they merged into Konoha, they formed an enormous force.
After that, the allied clans such as the Sarutobi, Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi also joined Konoha quite readily after a private discussion with the head of the Senju clan, Senju Hashirama.
Later still, the Inuzuka clan, which possessed inherited secret techniques, came after hearing of its reputation.
At that point, aside from a few clans such as the Hyūga, who were still watching the situation, most had gathered within the ninja village known as Konoha.
The shock caused by the Land of Fire during this period left the daimyo of other countries, who had been watching the situation, utterly stunned.
Soon, every country sent envoys to the capital of the Land of Fire to visit its daimyo. They wanted to figure out exactly what the Land of Fire intended to do.
A ninja village built by the Senju and Uchiha had absorbed one ninja clan of the Land of Fire after another, and would now take charge of the Land of Fire's national defense and military affairs.
This terrifying development filled the daimyo of other nations with fear.
Was the Land of Fire planning to declare war on every other country and start a full-scale ninja world war?
As the Land of Night directly bordered the northern side of the Land of Fire, Yayoi, as shogun, naturally followed the trend and sent an envoy to the capital of the Land of Fire for a diplomatic visit.
However, because each country was a different distance from the Land of Fire, in order to make the talks convenient, the daimyo of the Land of Fire directly announced that formal discussions would take place in the capital half a month later.
At that time, the clan heads of the Senju and Uchiha would also be invited to attend.
With that, the pressure on every country rose sharply.
One after another, they hired powerful ninja to protect their diplomatic envoys, while also sealing their borders and preparing for the possibility that, if the situation looked wrong, they would strike the Land of Fire first.
If the Land of Fire dared to make a move, no one knew whether the ninja world would sink.
But the Land of Fire would definitely be sunk first.
No matter how strong Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara were, could they really defeat the entire ninja world?
"As expected, it was still established..."
Yayoi looked at the intelligence continuously flowing in from the Land of Fire and murmured to himself.
Recently, he had been paying close attention to the movements of the Land of Fire. Whenever any major event occurred, he had intelligence agents who had infiltrated the Land of Fire send information on Konoha back immediately.
Although he had long known that this day would come sooner or later, now that it had truly arrived, he still felt a heavy pressure that made it difficult to breathe.
This was the great tide of the era sweeping everything along.
More accurately, it was Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara who were pushing this era into existence.
To resist this era was to resist the wills of those two men.
Based on Madara's strength, one could judge what level Senju Hashirama stood at.
Because in the war between the Senju and Uchiha, the Uchiha had been the defeated side.
Senju Hashirama's strength was only greater than Madara's, not weaker.
The power of those two men undoubtedly stood above the great tide of the age.
"My husband, your complexion looks rather poor. Has something bad happened?"
Seeing Yayoi, rarely sitting in the corridor of the inner court with a letter in his hand and such visible emotion on his face, Kichō, who happened to pass by, grew curious about what the letter said.
What could make Yayoi's mood fluctuate so greatly?
A month had already passed since she married into this place.
Even if they had once been strangers, after a month of close interaction, she had roughly figured out Yayoi's personality, preferences, and daily habits.
Although he looked gentle and easy to get along with, he was actually someone with a very strong and domineering personal will.
Kichō could tell that even in private.
During this period, every night, she had always been the one led along.
Moreover, because of his confidence in his own strength, her husband could handle many difficulties calmly.
He was the kind of ninja who, even in a crisis, could swiftly calm a chaotic mind and make the correct decision.
"It is the Senju and Uchiha. They established Konohagakure and signed a 'one nation, one village' contract with the daimyo of the Land of Fire. They have also successfully invited many ninja clans to join them. From the current situation, the military unification of the Land of Fire has already become an unstoppable trend."
Facing his wife Kichō's question, Yayoi did not hide anything.
He concisely explained the major events that had recently occurred in the Land of Fire.
"A ninja... village? What is that? A village where ninja live?"
Kichō blinked in confusion.
This new term felt extremely unfamiliar to her.
The alliance between the Senju and Uchiha had already begun before she married into the Land of Night.
But those two clans establishing something called a ninja village... it felt strangely inexplicable.
In this era, ninja usually acted as family units. Even when clans formed alliances, they would still clearly draw boundaries and guarantee the independence of their clans.
However, this ninja village sounded different.
Moreover, Yayoi had also mentioned that even more ninja clans had already joined this village called Konoha.
The strength of the Senju and Uchiha was already powerful enough. If even more ninja clans joined them...
Rather than shocking news, this sounded more like a horror story.
"It is much more complicated than that. In any case... what we can do now is wait calmly."
Yayoi rubbed his brow, took Kichō's pale, delicate hand, and had her sit beside him, close enough to feel her presence.
Kichō did not mind in the slightest. After all, over the past month, they had already done things far more intimate countless times.
There was no longer any part of her that was a secret from this man.
She took the letter from Yayoi's hand, and her pure white eyes swiftly scanned its contents.
There was not much written, but the things revealed behind the words were astonishing.
Especially the so-called "one nation, one village" contract. It seemed more like a new system that divided military and political authority.
According to this system, in the future, the daimyo of a country would be responsible for the nation's economic and political power.
The military field would transition to the ninja village, allowing a village that gathered large numbers of ninja to take responsibility for national defense.
Ninja would live and develop together as village units, allowing various clans to break out of their closed structures and merge. Furthermore, to ensure the ninja village's development, the nation would send a certain proportion of funds every year as military investment.
In short, the benefits of such a development were clear at a glance.
But every matter had two sides, and the risks also existed.
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After all, with so many ninja clans gathered together, would they truly not explode?
One had to know that many ninja clans had blood feuds with each other before this.
Kichō found it difficult to imagine that these clans could truly coexist peacefully.
"It is a very novel idea. But how long this contract system can last will be difficult to predict. What is obvious, however, is that the Land of Fire will soon host a meeting between nations that will determine the fate of the ninja world."
Although the letter did not mention any meeting in the Land of Fire, Kichō relied on her own sharpness to conclude that a multinational conference was inevitable.
With the internal structure of the Land of Fire shifting so dramatically, it was impossible for the other countries not to feel a sense of crisis.
If the Senju and Uchiha mishandled their next moves, they truly might ignite a ninja world war.
Before, the fighting had been between clans.
But now that countries were entering the game, the scale of war would inevitably rise to the level of nation against nation.
After that, the entire world would be affected.
"You have a sharp mind, Kichō. I did not expect you to realize that so quickly."
Yayoi glanced at Kichō in surprise.
After a little reasoning, realizing that the Land of Fire would hold a multinational conference was not actually difficult. Anyone with decent insight could arrive at that answer after thinking carefully.
The difficult part was being able to make such a prediction after only one glance.
A clever mind was one thing, but what was rarer was this kind of political instinct.
"In my husband's eyes, am I such a foolish person?"
Kichō pinched Yayoi's cheek mischievously, her eyes turning reproachful.
"No. Rather, I mean that you are far smarter and cuter than I expected."
"Smart is smart. What does that have to do with being cute?"
Kichō released Yayoi's cheek and placed both hands on her hips.
Seeing Kichō standing there with her hands on her hips, looking displeased and angry, Yayoi could not help laughing.
Perhaps because he laughed too hard, the skin on his cheek stung. He hissed and drew in a cold breath.
While rubbing the cheek Kichō had pinched sore, Yayoi spoke with a resentful tone.
"You really do not hold back at all."
"If I only pretended to pinch you, would that not look like flirting?"
"We are husband and wife, and there are no outsiders here. It is fine to flirt."
"So shameless, saying such improper things to your young wife in broad daylight."
"So, does that mean being improper at night is allowed?"
Hearing Yayoi's shameless words, Kichō rolled her eyes directly, but a faint sweetness inexplicably rose in her heart.
Whether at the beginning she had simply followed the current or passively accepted things, at least for now, she did not dislike this man who indulged her a little.
"However, the weather has grown very cold recently. My husband, will you warm my hands?"
As she spoke, Kichō gently blew on her pale, chilled hands, hoping it would bring her some warmth.
"Of course."
Naturally, Yayoi would not say something as tactless as "use chakra to keep yourself warm."
Since his wife was acting spoiled like this, he would naturally satisfy her wish.
So he used his broad palms to wrap around Kichō's small hands.
Her entire body also leaned intimately against his broad chest. Her washed black hair carried a faint, alluring fragrance, strands of it lingering around Yayoi's nose.
Not only was the scent of her body stirring, she was also very soft in his arms. Yayoi felt as if he were holding a soft, warm little heater.
Perhaps because it was too comfortable, the girl in his arms soon began breathing evenly. She curled her small body up like a little animal and fell asleep peacefully in Yayoi's embrace.
◎
The multinational conference in the Land of Fire officially began at the end of October.
Not only the traditional Five Great Nations, but also new countries like the Land of Night, as well as small countries that had once been inconspicuous in the ninja world, all sent important figures to attend this conference.
Anyone could see that no matter what the outcome of this meeting was, it would guide the fate of the future ninja world.
This conference lasted a full month, only officially ending when December was approaching.
During this period, letters passed constantly between the envoys of each country and the nations behind them. They represented the will of the highest rulers of their countries as they spoke with the daimyo of the Land of Fire.
At the same time, they clarified the many changes inside the Land of Fire and began considering whether the system of ninja villages was truly a path that could lead to order.
Yes, war was something no one wished for.
Even the daimyo of various nations were filled with endless exhaustion and disgust toward this long Warring States era.
Many weak countries had even been dragged around by the ninja clans within them, falling into endless fighting that led to national ruin and the destruction of families.
Many countries vanished in the flames of war, only for new regimes to rise afterward.
The Land of Night was one such example, but it was not the only one.
In such an era, even great nations worried that their governments might one day be destroyed.
It was precisely because of this that the daimyo of the Land of Fire decided to cooperate with the ninja village of Konoha, which had been established by the Senju and Uchiha.
The embryonic form of the one nation, one village system was born under this background.
Since ninja held the strongest violence, then let the ninja settle down and abandon the old mercenary relationship.
Let the ninja establish an order united with the nation, eliminate internal wars, guarantee national stability, and bring powerful protective strength to the country.
This system model was not only beneficial to the Land of Fire, which had already begun transforming. The daimyo of the other four great nations also saw the interests and advantages behind it.
As daimyo of great nations, they were already the strongest political powers within their countries. The ninja they had cooperated with before were likewise the strongest ninja groups in their respective countries. Otherwise, they would not have been able to sit firmly in the position of daimyo.
Thus, after the multinational conference ended, setting aside the small countries, who still worried whether the unknown future would bring instability to their rule, the other four great nations moved extremely quickly.
They held secret meetings overnight with the strongest ninja groups in their countries, establishing deeper cooperative relationships.
Clearly, great nations with stronger resistance to risk had completely pulled away from small countries in terms of action. While small countries were still hesitating, they had already efficiently organized the forces within their borders.
This was only natural.
In a chaotic age, every daimyo of a great nation was a ruler with ambition.
Useless and conservative monarchs simply could not sit firmly in the position of daimyo.
Thanks to this, the organizational power of great nations in this era was terrifying. Once an order was issued, action would be taken efficiently and quickly.
Compared to the great nations that were preparing to make sweeping changes, and the small countries that were filled with anxiety, the Land of Night continued doing what it needed to do after only a few small ripples.
The Land of Fire, Konohagakure.
Although it had not been established for long, this enormous town had already begun to take shape.
The village was surrounded by the great forest of the Land of Fire. Around the village were several wide roads that had been opened by human hands.
Tall wood and stone walls, high enough to surround the entire huge village, were also being rapidly built by countless craftsmen.
Naturally, the help of ninja was indispensable in this process.
Although ninja did not understand fine construction, they had plenty of strength and methods, greatly increasing the speed at which the village took form.
Beneath the giant mountain wall on the northern side of Konoha stood a rather tall circular building.
Inside a meeting room on the highest floor, a white-haired man wearing black ninja clothes, Senju Tobirama, stood half-leaning against the window with his arms crossed.
"You said Hokage? You are being far too reckless, Elder Brother. How can such a position be handed away so casually? I understand why you want to recommend Madara as Hokage. But this kind of matter should not be decided by you alone. You should know whose contributions allowed those ninja clans to join so smoothly. Besides, the daimyo also recognizes you, Elder Brother, as the one who should become this 'Hokage.'"
Facing his elder brother Senju Hashirama's naive and reckless idea, Tobirama could not help frowning.
Saying something like letting Madara become Hokage was absurd no matter how he looked at it.
Hokage.
The ninja who possessed that title would become the leader of Konohagakure.
At the same time, he would also become the stabilizing pillar that calmed the chaotic hearts of all the great ninja clans.
Among the ninja currently in Konoha, Tobirama did not believe anyone except his elder brother Hashirama was worthy of that title.
"But I already promised Madara..."
Hashirama was not wearing battle-ready ninja gear, but a loose set of ordinary clothes. He sat on a chair to the side.
Faced with his younger brother's stern words, Hashirama could not help trying to argue.
"That is only your personal opinion. The ninja who came to join all know who made the greatest contribution to this village. Since we have established a village, we can no longer use the standards from Father's era to decide a leader. Being respected, and being able to unite everyone, are also important qualities for a leader. Elder Brother, you are the ninja most capable of uniting everyone. That is an undeniable fact."
Although Hashirama's overwhelming strength was also an important reason.
But if strength alone were enough, those ninja clans would not have joined so easily. A heart of benevolence and compassion, combined with a leader's decisiveness and responsibility, was the reason those clans believed in him.
If it were Madara, even with his great strength, those ninja clans would rather die than peacefully join.
Ninja clans were not cowards afraid of death. Tobirama had seen too many weak ninja clans fight until the very last person rather than surrender.
If one wanted to truly win over those fearless ninja clans, strength alone would not work.
The only thing gained that way would be a broken Land of Fire.
"Moreover, even the Uchiha clan knows this. Within the Uchiha, they also agree that you, Elder Brother, should become the leader of the village."
Tobirama's words directly killed Hashirama's idea, leaving him speechless.
Hashirama had not known these things.
He had thought that Madara, as clan head, would naturally be the person most respected by the Uchiha clan.
"Madara became the clan head of the Uchiha because he was the strongest. But you became the leader of the Senju and earned the trust of your clansmen for more than strength alone. Your tolerance and compassion are the key factors that allow you to unite both your own clan and outsiders."
At first, Tobirama had worried whether conflicts would break out once the other ninja clans joined.
But now, Tobirama felt he had worried too much.
Hashirama's strength allowed the various clans to sit down and negotiate calmly.
And his tolerance and compassion allowed the clans to gradually lower their guard.
For Konoha to be built so smoothly, neither of those two qualities could be missing.
"Gahaha! Am I really as good as you say, Tobirama?"
After Tobirama said all of that, Hashirama instantly burst into loud laughter and scratched his head in embarrassment.
Looking at Hashirama suddenly grinning foolishly, a vein popped on Tobirama's forehead. His fingers, pressed against his arm, almost moved to use Water Style and wake him up.
If only this habit of grinning like an idiot could be changed too.
"Sigh."
Tobirama sighed, feeling mentally exhausted.
"In any case, the discussion on this matter ends here. The meeting is about to begin. Also, Elder Brother, act a little more seriously. Do not always speak to people so humbly."
"Ah, then what should I do?"
"Do not speak. I will speak for you when the time comes."
"Well, actually, I think..."
"Shut up! I do not need you to think!"
After being shouted at by Tobirama, Hashirama instinctively trembled and shrank his neck.
Not good.
He had made Tobirama angry again.