Uchiha's personal opinion

"Commander of the Western Border Defense Force, Jonin Mimura Hazaki!"

"Commander of the Northwest Border Defense Force, Jonin Uchiha Hamamon!"

"Commander of the Northern Border Defense Force, Jonin Sarutobi Shinsuke!"

Among the commanders of the various border armies, Uchiha Tokumitsu had the longest title and rank, making him the most eye-catching.

Behind the curtain beside the Hokage, the daimyo's eldest son, who was acting as the special envoy, was also watching this legendary Uchiha ninja who was known for his lawlessness, arrogance, and tyranny.

The newly formed "Konoha Reform Association" has made the daimyo and nobles extremely uneasy.

What exactly is being reformed in this so-called innovation?

The Reform Society's platform did not explicitly state its objectives, which made the noble families even more uneasy.

However, they are certain that they cannot sit idly by and watch the current Hokage lineage in Konoha be overthrown by public opinion, nor can they allow the hearts of all the Konoha ninjas to be won over. Otherwise, if the ninja village falls into the hands of Hatake Sakumo or Uchiha Tokumitsu, their good days may be over.

"...By order of the holy daimyo who is revered by all people and who rules the land, I have come to mediate the internal differences in Konoha. All differences should not exist. Unity is the foundation for maintaining the development of the Land of Fire and Konoha."

Uchiha Tokumitsu ignored the preceding formalities, but immediately understood what he meant when he heard those words.

After exchanging a glance with Hatake Sakumo, Uchiha Tokumitsu fired the first shot.

"Putting aside whether the daimyo is sacred or not, can the conflicts between villages and the wishes of ninjas be ignored or suppressed?"

"Or, according to Your Excellency, is the intention to suppress the expression of Konoha ninjas? If so, can I consider this a contempt for the will of Konoha's Jonin?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu sneered repeatedly, while Hatake Sakumo remained expressionless.

"Jonin Tokuko, the problems in Konoha should be reported through reasonable channels, instead of causing panic among the villagers..."

The special envoy responded politely.

"And in what capacity did the daimyo come to mediate?"

Sakumo Hatake suddenly spoke up.

"The ninja village is not under the command of the daimyo!"

Mimura Yomi continued.

I second that!

Uchiha Himon added a comment.

"Konoha may have experienced some setbacks and suffered some damage during its development, but it has always been an indispensable military force for the Land of Fire. The Daimyo and the Hokage were loyal to each other and together they forged the golden age of the greatest ninja nation in the world..."

The envoy took a roundabout approach, responding to the three men's questions from the sidelines.

"In order to make up for the mistakes as much as possible, the Daimyo is willing to waive 4 billion ryo war bonds and allocate an additional 2 billion ryo to compensate the Konoha ninja for their losses, in order to quell the internal divisions of the ninja village."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Tokumitsu narrowed his eyes.

Leaving aside whether the two billion taels would satisfy the Konoha ninja clan's appetite, the envoy's mention of forgiving four billion war bonds was enough to give the Uchiha clan a headache.

Of the 10 billion yen war bond plan, exactly 4 billion yen of the 6 billion yen actually issued was provided by the daimyo, and the remaining 2 billion yen was raised publicly by the Nakagawa Stock Exchange.

Once the news of the bond forgiveness spreads, what impact will it have on the 2 billion yen bond holdings controlled by the Uchiha clan...?

Although the war bonds are to be repaid by the village, if any problems arise during the repayment process, it will affect the reputation of the Uchiha clan in the ninja world.

"...In addition, the Daimyo will allocate extra funds each year for the development of people's livelihood, so that every Konoha ninja can receive blessings and support."

"My only wish is that the Konoha ninja can put the past behind them, look to the future, and unite to uphold the supreme honor of the greatest nation!"

"Sakumo Jonin is unparalleled in prestige, Tokumitsu Jonin is outstanding in martial arts, Himon Jonin led the defeat of Iwagakure, Yemaki Jonin defended against enemies abroad, and Shinnosuke Jonin guarded the northern border. All of them are meritorious officials of the Land of Fire..."

"Therefore, all the daimyo are bestowed with the title of general by you gentlemen, and enjoy the rank and salary of the guard post..."

The so-called guardianship title is the official in charge of a prefecture. Although it is just a nominal position with a salary, the daimyo is quite generous in his spending.

It is indeed a simple and effective way to eliminate violence...

Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat helpless.

"Getting a general's title wouldn't be bad..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu whispered to Hatake Sakumo, "After all, our original intention was only to reject Tsunade's proposal..."

Although Sakumo Hatake was somewhat unwilling, he still nodded slightly to show his acceptance.

Uchiha Tokumitsu, however, was thinking about a different problem.

According to tradition, a shogun can rightfully establish a shogunate, so wouldn't his Red Guards become legitimate ninja forces?

Moreover... the Shogun, the Shogunate...

When these words are strung together, they seem to possess a unique charm...

When Uchiha Tokumitsu turned his gaze back to the special envoy who was bestowing official titles, making promises, and lavishly spending money, his expression became much more friendly.

As for withdrawing the proposal, they can also promote the idea in the media that it was precisely because of the pressure from the proposal that the daimyo was willing to spend lavishly on welfare.

"They will change, not because of a change of heart, but because we will speak out for you!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu had even come up with the theme for his publicity campaign.

As long as I don't have to kneel and pay homage to the daimyo, accepting this general's title is fine...

Moreover, it would be perfectly legitimate for them to come to Luoyang to defend the emperor...

Uchiha Tokumitsu licked his lips, somewhat satisfied.

The daimyo envoy, who had been observing the changes in Uchiha Tokumitsu's expression, was also quite satisfied.

Chapter 178 The Age of Authoritarianism

The daimyo directly bestowed the title of Jonin upon the village, a first in the entire ninja world.

What's more, they were bestowing the titles of five generals all at once.

Sakumo Hatake and the four border commanders all accepted the titles.

Uchiha Tokumitsu announced the withdrawal of the proposal and promised not to pursue the matter further.

The people of Konoha were somewhat numb to this, because there had been too many shocking things recently, and they were not emotionally prepared.

Moreover, they were quite dissatisfied with the Hokage accepting the Daimyo's mediation and the five accepting the title of Shogun, especially those marginal ninja clans who had hoped to restart the Shinobi Council and gain power from it.

But Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo were too lazy to pay attention to those insects.

Their key task now is to explain and clarify the significance of this to the ninjas of the Reform Society.

"...The ninja world is unequal, and so are the ninja villages."

After Sakumo Hatake gave his speech, Tokumitsu Uchiha, who was the chief director of the Reform Association, naturally took the stage to speak as well. His first words caused the faces of the ninjas in the Reform Association to change drastically.

"It is precisely because inequality exists that we pursue equality, that we sit together, and that is why Konoha has the Reform Association."

At the reform meeting, the ninjas' expressions immediately brightened.

After numerous public speeches, Uchiha Tokumitsu became increasingly adept at manipulating the emotions of his audience with language, using a strategy of first suppressing and then elevating to completely capture their attention.

"The Daimyo may lavishly spend money, and the Hokage may be kind and benevolent, but this is not because they are inherently good, but because we have stood up!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu raised his right fist and shouted, "It's us!"

"The Reform Society is like the rising sun in Konoha; under its blazing rays, all darkness vanishes!"

Thunderous applause erupted in the hall.

"but!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu's tone shifted again, becoming somber: "The future is bright, but the road is winding."

The reformist ninjas, who had been caught up in their enthusiasm, immediately calmed down, thought about it for a moment, and then nodded in agreement.

"Power is not our most essential pursuit, but it is an indispensable condition for realizing our ideals!"

The purpose of this statement was to justify his and Hatake Sakumo's acceptance of the shogunate title from the daimyo.

At the reform meeting, the ninjas hesitated for a moment, but they all nodded in agreement.

Those who can become Jonin are all shrewd individuals who have been through the brutality of the ninja world, and those who join the Reform Association are people whose original aspirations have not been lost. Therefore, they are not complete idealists, and naturally understand the "byproduct" of gaining power in the process of pursuing ideals.

Furthermore, if it weren't for Sakumo Hatake being the leader of the Jonin squad, and Tokumitsu Uchiha being from a wealthy family and a border army commander, coupled with their strength and past record of threatening the Hokage, the Reform Society might have been wiped out by the Anbu in its very nascent stage.

The following day, the speeches given by Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo at the Reform Society's internal meeting were compiled into a document and named "Our Struggle," which was then circulated throughout Konoha.

……

Of the five generals who received the title of Daimyo, Uchiha Tokumitsu and Uchiha Himon were from the same clan, and Uchiha Himon was also the chief bodyguard of Elder Setsuna, so their relationship was self-evident; Hatake Sakumo was an ironclad ally of the Uchiha clan, so he was naturally on the same side as Uchiha Tokumitsu; Mimura Yoru, although having a shallower foundation, had already chosen to stand on the same side as Hatake Sakumo.

Therefore, the only outlier is Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the newly appointed commander of the northern border defense forces and the son of the third generation.

Moreover, he was the one among the five with the least impressive battle record.

However, for the Hokage faction, it still occupies one of the four major ninja armies, which can be considered as regaining some power—because the northern border defense force was once the ninja army commanded by Sakumo Hatake.

In this respect, the one who suffers the most loss is Hatake Sakumo, because as the leader of the Jonin team, he only has one mobile ninja force under his command, and most of the operational Jonin of the mobile ninja force are Uchiha clan members, and it is impossible for him to establish a shogunate within Konoha.

Although the rank of general is a nominal one, it carries a very high level of authority.

The prerequisite is having the ability to realize the power of this position.

Uchiha Tokumitsu quietly established the Tokumitsu Shogunate, with its headquarters located in the Land of Whirlpools. He appointed the chief official of the shogunate as the Whirlpool Guardian, and then granted this position to the Ashina clan chief of the Uzumaki clan.

Although the former territory of the Land of Whirlpools officially became the domain of the Uchiha clan in law, this also indirectly gave the Uzumaki clan members an opportunity to return to their homeland.

Ashina Uzumaki was naturally extremely grateful. After repeatedly thanking Uchiha Tokumitsu, he happily led about ten members of the Uzumaki clan to take up their posts in the Land of Whirlpools.

His duty was to rebuild a county town in the Land of Whirlpools as the residence of Uchiha Tokumitsu's shogunate.

In Uchiha Tokumitsu's vision, the laboratory located in the eastern part of the Land of Fire would eventually be moved to the Land of Whirlpools, and together with the shipyard secretly built, it would form the pillar industry of the Tokumitsu Shogunate.

With the support of his clan, Uchiha Himon also established a shogunate, with its headquarters in Shattered Stone Castle in northern Kusanagi Country. However, the independence of his shogunate was far less than that of Uchiha Tokumitsu. But with further support from his clan, and with the help of Tokumitsu's Red Guard stationed at the Daimyo's residence in Kusanagi Country, Himon's shogunate not only controlled Kusanagi Country, but also began to infiltrate western Takigaki Country and eastern Amegakure Country.

Although Mimura Yomaki was the commander of the western border defense forces, he came from a commoner family in Konoha. He didn't have many followers, so he simply joined the Reform Society and, with the support of Hatake Sakumo, formed a shogunate, barely managing to control the Land of Rivers.

Although Sarutobi Shinnosuke is the young head of the Sarutobi clan, the northern border defense forces he commands are stationed in the Land of Fire. Although he also has officers in the Kaifu, he cannot control a region like Uchiha Tokumitsu. In addition, he lacks seniority, so Konoha ninjas generally believe that he was just lucky to be granted a title, and he is also ridiculed as "the landless general".

However, the appointment of the five generals by the daimyo did alleviate the internal conflicts in Konoha to some extent. Some dissidents chose to leave and join the Border Army Shogunate. Although the strength of the village headquarters was weakened to some extent, the overall atmosphere in the village was much more harmonious.

Most of the Uchiha clan's idle forces were transferred to the two major shogunates, and the forces left in Konoha were only used to maintain the police department and the Nakagawa Stock Exchange. In addition, the smuggling business of the United Fisheries Company and the Kirigakure ninja clan became even more unimpeded after Uchiha Tokumitsu obtained the rank of shogun, making a fortune. Naturally, they had no intention of continuing to entangle themselves with Konoha's insects.

The guardians of the eight eastern districts of the Land of Fire also became more obedient, because Uchiha Tokumitsu had already stationed a company of ninjas in each district, and after establishing the shogunate, he further increased the size of the garrison from a company to a brigade, thus strengthening his control over the local areas.