Konoha: Rebuild the glory of the Uchiha!

The daimyo sighed heavily. Ever since the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, bridged the hatred between ninja clans and created ninja villages composed of ninja clans, he had united the scattered ninja clans into a group.

His own father, the previous Daimyo of the Land of Fire, had privately warned him that ninjas would eventually realize their place and become the true masters of this world. They, as ordinary people, were already fortunate enough to be able to command ninjas to carry out missions and enjoy a thousand years of wealth and luxury.

Don't delude yourself into thinking that this kind of life can last forever; people still have to face reality.

Faced with Konoha's growing power and its repeated transgressions of the nobles' bottom line, the Daimyo maintained one principle.

Trying to smooth things over, just trying to smooth things over.

Let's just make do and live peacefully for as long as we can. I want to live a few more years, so I'll just turn a blind eye to it.

Unfortunately, Konoha's actions this time were too drastic. In order to acquire the iron mines of the Land of Fire, they had genuinely offended the interests of a large number of high-ranking officials in the Land of Fire. It was no longer as simple as snatching food from a tiger's mouth; it was directly cutting flesh off their bodies.

Even if the daimyo wanted to help Konoha cover up the truth, memorials impeaching Konoha continued to be submitted. There were bad people and factions everywhere in the court.

The daimyo sighed inwardly, pondering how to handle the situation. He had already sent people to negotiate with Konoha, but there was still no news.

"Lord Shikato of Konoha has arrived."

A servant entered from outside the door. Upon hearing the voice, the daimyo was overjoyed and quickly invited Nara Shikato in.

"My lord, how have you been?"

Nara Shikahara greeted the daimyo with a smile, and the daimyo, sitting on a recliner, smiled back and casually exchanged pleasantries with Nara Shikahara.

"This year's snowfall is heavier than in previous years."

"Yes, but what's the difference between Daimyo and spring?"

"This is all thanks to Konoha."

Nara Shikahara laughed heartily upon hearing this. The daimyo had placed another large order for air conditioners, it seemed he really wanted to install them all over the entire palace.

They're really rich!

After finishing his cup of tea, Nara Shikahara felt it was time to get down to business, and said in a joking tone:

"I heard that the Daimyo has been hearing mosquitoes buzzing around his ears lately, and even the Hokage, who is busy working in Konoha, has heard it. Is this true?"

"They're just a bunch of insignificant mosquitoes. If they're just disturbing the peace, that's fine, but if they accidentally bite someone, the mosquito bite can be unbearably itchy."

"Does Lu Yuanjun have any ideas?"

The daimyo put down his teacup, his smile unwavering, and looked at Nara Shikagawa with expectant eyes.

The best solution in the Daimyo's mind would naturally be for Konoha to write a letter of apology, which would enrage the Daimyo and subject him to a severe reprimand.

Pick it up high, then put it down gently.

With everything in Konoha at peace, and the ministers and nobles who had been causing trouble under their command able to give an explanation, the matter could be glossed over.

"His Highness has always treated Konoha well, and Konoha will naturally not make things difficult for the daimyo."

Before Nara Shikagawa had even finished mentioning his name, Shikagawa was already beaming with joy.

Nara Shikahara handed an envelope to the daimyo, who eagerly opened it and found the apology note he had been longing for.

The entire document, thousands of words long and seemingly absurd, essentially conveyed the message that Konoha's actions were indeed unethical, and pleaded with His Highness the Daimyo to be magnanimous and, considering Konoha's years of diligent service to the Land of Fire, grant them another chance.

"Hahaha, Konoha truly lives up to its reputation as the backbone of the Land of Fire. If it weren't for the troublesome behavior of my subordinates, I really wouldn't want to trouble the Hokage with this matter."

The daimyo excitedly walked up to Nara Shikagami, took Nara Shikagami's hand, and showed his affection.

"Lord Lu Yuan, please stay at the palace tonight. I will treat you to a proper banquet."

Nara Shikahara broke free from the daimyo's grasp and pulled out a sealing scroll from his robes.

"Your Highness, Konoha has granted your request."

"But the Hokage has instructed that Konoha's reputation needs to be restored."

Nara Shikagami's words froze the daimyo's smile. He couldn't understand what Nara Shikagami meant, but he instinctively felt that something was wrong.

"Your Highness, please take a look at what the loyal ministers and generals of the Land of Fire have accomplished over the years."

Nara Shikagawa formed hand seals and handed over a large number of charges against the daimyo.

The entire corrupt system of buying and selling official positions, embezzlement and bribery, forming cliques for personal gain, disregarding human life, usury, setting up private courts, and even participating in the power struggle among the daimyo's sons was thoroughly investigated and eradicated by Konoha.

The charges against them all involve ministers and nobles who have impeached Konoha in recent days. They could be confiscated, exiled, and their entire families executed by picking just a few charges.

"This, this, this"

The daimyo was so surprised he couldn't even speak. On one hand, he was afraid of Konoha's overstepping of its bounds, which had already crossed the line of non-interference between Konoha and the Land of Fire. On the other hand, he was astonished by the audacity of these insects. For money, these insects would really do anything.

The wealth and land amassed over the years have far exceeded the daimyo's imagination. If all these charges were to be brought to justice, it could completely overhaul the entire court of the Land of Fire, involving so many people that even the daimyo dared not act rashly.

"Your Highness, what do you think should be done with these people?"

When Nara Shikagawa first saw these crimes, the wealth and land involved were worth more than a trillion ryo, making Nara Shikagawa extremely greedy. Why bother with these damned ninja missions? Just devour these treacherous pests and Konoha can live a life of wealth and prosperity for twenty years.

However, Nara Shikahara could only dream about such things. The nobles of the Land of Fire had intermarried for generations, and their relationships were intricate and complex. They were all relatives. Could you really exterminate them all, Daimyo?

If these crimes were made public, even a daimyo could die silently in the palace. A divided Land of Fire is not what Konoha wants.

At that time, all sorts of monsters and demons from the Land of Fire will emerge. The First Shinobi World War has just ended, and the commotion caused by these people will probably be no less than that of a shinobi war.

Harmony and stability. A peaceful country is what Konoha desires.

If Konoha really wanted to arrest, try, and execute them one by one according to the list...

The daimyo would be the first to disagree, and would probably choose to turn against Konoha and declare Konoha a traitor.

The nobles who have money should contribute money, and those who have grain should contribute grain. They should send large sums of money to the other four great ninja villages in the ninja world to help kill these traitors in Konoha. Whoever works the hardest will be allowed to take Konoha's place and move to the Land of Fire to live a happy life.

Sunagakure, already desperately short of money and food, will likely be the first to step forward, followed by Iwagakure and Kumogakure.

Therefore, Uchiha Nan set the tone: only the ringleaders would be executed.

Kill those insects that are making the loudest noise and charging ahead.

Kill the chicken and the monkey!

Konoha is showing you respect by taking your business for granted and is even willing to negotiate to buy it with money, not by simply killing your entire family with shuriken and then easily taking over everything.

How could someone be so ungrateful? What a terrible person!

We must strike and eliminate them!

After a long while, Dai-ming finally recovered from his shock, his mouth agape as he tried to say something.

It happened so suddenly, without giving Daiming any warning.

"Could there be a mistake? I know their character well; they are all honest and upright officials."

The daimyo tried to cover it up with some nonsense, but he knew perfectly well what kind of people his underlings were. Some of the crimes involved were even unknown to him.

In the past, if a daimyo discovered that these people were capable of such audacious acts, he would definitely fly into a rage and kill some of them.

But things are different now; Konoha is ready to overturn the table. All they did was seize a small amount of iron ore through trickery and force, and were impeached a little by the ministers. Everyone just brushed it off, and the matter was forgotten.

What do you mean by wanting to overturn the table now, Konoha?

Why is this so!

Can't we all sit down and talk?

"Does Your Highness mean that Konoha is framing the princes and ministers of the Land of Fire?"

"Konoha cannot bear such a crime."

Nara Shikahara let out a cold laugh, a laugh that sent chills down the Daimyo's spine. Despite the air conditioning being set very high, the Daimyo felt as if he were in an ice cellar.

"Of course, I trust Konoha. But this... this involves people too."

Daming was so excited he could barely speak. He was surrounded by enemies, and if pushed too far, either side could kill him.

It was just a trivial matter at first, and although Daming was annoyed, he didn't really take it to heart.

However, Uchiha Nan didn't think so. It was such a small matter, yet those insects made such a big deal out of it, and the daimyo was just making excuses and dragging his feet.

If Konoha does anything even slightly outrageous in the future, these people will still pursue and impeach Konoha. It's better to make a big fuss about this now.

As Lu Xun once said, if a room is too dark, and you suggest opening a skylight, everyone will object. But if you advocate tearing down the roof, they will compromise and agree to open a skylight.

The same goes for these insects; we must resolve this matter completely in one go, leaving no loose ends.

Nara Shikahara, seeing the panicked daimyo, felt the time was right and spoke:

"Your Highness, please calm down. The Hokage has already considered everything for you."

“These people are truly despicable, but this matter is of great importance. The Land of Fire cannot do without these insects for the time being. This time, we can only punish the ringleaders and separate the fattest and most guilty insects for trial.”

"It's easy to deal with the remaining insects. Their crimes have always been there. We can slowly slaughter them, and it will take us more than ten years."

Nara Shika's words put the daimyo at ease.

He really thought Konoha was going to turn against the Land of Fire over such a trivial matter. Hopefully, they won't.

Just don't turn on them.

As long as the days of wealth and peace can continue, that's fine.

"That's good, that's good"

Daming wiped the sweat from his brow, only then realizing that the back of his underwear was completely soaked.

That was so exciting! I almost scared myself to death.

"Daimyo, Konoha believes these people deserve to die!"

"They committed the most acts of corruption and bribery, and amassed the largest fortune through embezzlement."

Nara Shikahara revealed a greedy smile. The confiscated assets of these several noble families amounted to more than 60 billion taels, which was the wealth accumulated by their families for more than ten generations.

They really are a few good fat pigs.

The daimyo, who was just terrified, now had a greedy look in his eyes. These insects had done so many bad things behind his back, almost causing Konoha and the Land of Fire to turn against each other. They had to be severely punished!

They're after my money!

"The Hokage has really thought this through. Let's settle this matter here."

"Your Highness is truly wise and mighty. Shall we split the profits 30/70?"

"no problem."

The lord nodded and agreed to the share of the spoils. He had just received over a hundred billion taels a few months ago, and now he had received several hundred billion taels. He was really having a lucky streak lately.