“But…
Your Highness, though you say that…” “Lord Madara has already believed Hashirama Senju and accepted the Senju Clan’s peace treaty.
Moreover, the Uchiha clansmen have also accepted it.” Makoto Uchiha listed many factors.
In short, the ceasefire and peace agreement between the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan was already a done deal.
The more the Daimyo of the Land of Fire heard, the more uneasy he felt, and his expression grew increasingly grim.
Makoto Uchiha watched the Daimyo’s expression closely.
The timing was perfect!
He had successfully stoked the Daimyo’s long-neglected fire!
“However, I will absolutely not sit idly by and wait for death!
I cannot watch the Uchiha Clan march into a fiery pit!” “Your Highness…
since Hashirama Senju wants to win over the ninja clans to establish a ninja village, I can do the same.
To be honest, this is the very reason I left the Uchiha Clan.” “But winning over clans and building a village…
*sigh*…
I only regret that my financial resources are lacking!” Makoto Uchiha threw back his head, looking up at a forty-five-degree angle, his eyes glistening with unshed tears as he cast a sidelong glance at the Daimyo.
His meaning could not be more obvious.
Dammit!
Daimyo, hurry up and give me the money!
I know you have a massive fortune!
Seeing Makoto Uchiha’s “genuine display of emotion”—a tear-jerking, masterful performance of a man willing to die for the sake of his clan…
A smile finally returned to the Daimyo’s face.
He wasn’t afraid of Makoto Uchiha making demands; he was only afraid of Makoto Uchiha resigning himself to fate.
Because of the Hashirama Senju Threat Theory, the Daimyo’s mind had inevitably begun to drift…
Right now, the Uchiha Clan was making peace with the Senju Clan because of Hashirama Senju.
What if, in the future, all the other ninja clans in the Ninja World united because of him, resulting in a super ninja village composed entirely of shinobi?
Hashirama Senju, if you want to unify the Ninja World today, what will you want to do tomorrow?
Even Uncle Teng, who mastered the “Invincible Fire Wheel,” knew that “the triad needs balance.” How could the Daimyo not understand this truth?
“Hahaha, what is so difficult about that?” “I understand the plight of the Uchiha Clan now.
Makoto, if you also wish to establish a ninja village, I can sponsor you with a sum of funding on behalf of the Land of Fire.” Hearing the Daimyo’s words, Makoto Uchiha adjusted his robes and, with a smile, firmly grasped the Daimyo’s hand.
He had finally, finally secured this financial backer…
this angel investor!
“Your Highness, the Uchiha Clan will never forget your assistance today!” “I will resolutely, firmly, and unswervingly support Your Highness!” As Makoto Uchiha spoke, his words struck directly at the Daimyo’s heart, leaving him feeling thoroughly satisfied, his blood rushing with excitement.
This young man before him really knew how to play the game!
The Daimyo also grasped Makoto Uchiha’s hand, everything understood without a word.
The alliance between the two was officially established.
Makoto Uchiha needed the Daimyo’s financial support.
The Daimyo needed Makoto Uchiha to act as his vanguard, keeping the ninja clans divided as much as possible to maintain the status quo of the Warring States Period.
After their conversation, the Daimyo specially invited Makoto Uchiha to stay and dine.
Makoto Uchiha gladly accepted the invitation.
He hadn’t eaten much today, having only drunk tea in the reception room.
The tea tasted good—rich aroma with a sweet aftertaste—but tea alone couldn’t satisfy hunger.
Moreover, to reach the capital of the Land of Fire and see the Daimyo as quickly as possible, Makoto Uchiha had survived on nothing but Ration Pills along the way.
As everyone knew, Ration Pills tasted awful; they were never designed with flavor in mind.
Inside the palace.
At the Daimyo’s command, dish after dish of delicious delicacies began to be laid out before Makoto Uchiha.
At the same time, music and singing filled the air as rows of young maidens dressed in revealing attire entered the room and began to dance gracefully.
Makoto Uchiha was a free-spirited man.
Faced with such a scene, he chose to stare directly at them.
Not because he was lustful, but because the flowers were blooming beautifully; to ignore them would be a lack of appreciation for the finer things in life.
But it had to be said…
the Daimyo’s life was truly luxurious, and he ate exceptionally well.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire sat relaxed in the high seat, taking a light sip of fine wine.
Wine could wash away worries.
Especially on a rainy day, holding a cup of fine wine and quietly gazing at the natural scenery, one’s mind and body would feel incredibly relaxed.
“Makoto, if only everyone could be as trouble-free as you.” The Daimyo suddenly sighed.
Ordinary people could not comprehend his current state of mind.
Being a Daimyo in the Naruto world was not an easy task.
Although the Daimyo was nominally the head of state and held supreme power over the Land of Fire, thousands of years of class stratification had led the noble families and clans to band together, freely carving up the power in his hands.
By his generation, bureaucratic politics had become the norm, to the point of being uncontrollable.
Now, apart from handling a small number of major public affairs, he spent most of his daily life on games and hunting.
The day-to-day affairs of the Land of Fire were basically handled by the ministers.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to expand his power, but rather that he couldn’t.
In his youth, he too had grand ambitions.
He wanted to break through the shackles of the rigid bureaucratic system, open the windows to let in some fresh air, dispense with all the red tape, and revitalize the creaking, old bureaucratic machinery of the Land of Fire.
The Daimyo had had enough of the shadow government; he wanted a transparent government of his own!
Then, that very afternoon, the ministers delivered a white paper to him.
The white paper was titled “Transparent Government”!
Accompanying it were stacks of archive boxes and execution documents piled like four or five small mountains, all requiring his personal attention.
They were filled with obscure, incomprehensible clauses.
“…Regarding the execution of legal provisions, abnormal and irregular situations between respective departments fall under the purview of the Administration Department…” There were also countless memorials accumulated over many years…
interspersed with various meetings.
Even if the Daimyo worked himself to death, he couldn’t cope with so many matters.
Aside from the exhausting public affairs…
when the Daimyo inquired about the implementation of the policy to downsize the civil service: “Can this policy actually be implemented?” His ministers merely shrugged helplessly and said: “Your Highness, if you insist that I speak plainly, I can only say that, in light of the current situation, taking a comprehensive view of the whole picture, reviewing the past and present, considering the average level of all departments, and analyzing and summarizing, it may perhaps be considered that, in conclusion, and to summarize, you are very likely to find that, although it may be unpalatable, in any event, the prospects are delicate—such can only be the expectation at this stage.” “Just tell me straight—does it work or not!” “It works, and yet it does not!” A tiny display of bureaucratic maneuvering was enough to leave the Daimyo utterly dumbfounded.
In the end…
the Daimyo chose to just lie flat and do nothing.
Fortunately, though.
During his many years of doing nothing, no major events had occurred to threaten his position.
In this Land of Fire, which was still an agricultural country, putting aside the issue of shinobi, the ministers only needed to do one thing well: “Keep the beasts of burden half-alive.” Unfortunately, times had changed.
The ninja clans, who previously only cared about missions and generational feuds, seemed to be starting to…