Uchiha's personal opinion

Uchiha Tokumitsu planned to have another backup plan. If that wasn't feasible, he would support a local noble family to compete with the daimyo.

After all, besides smuggling, the most profitable thing is to establish a ruler of the country.

However, this move is ultimately a double-edged sword.

Therefore, this move can only be used as a last resort.

……

As secret letters continued to pass between the various ninja clans, one after another, "good news" of peace came from the five great nations.

In late May of the 37th year of Konoha, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth signed a reconciliation agreement, completely ending their confrontation at the border.

In early June of the 37th year of Konoha, the Land of Fire signed a second peace treaty. This time, the signatory was the Land of Wind. Neither side would pay compensation to the other. The Land of Wind recognized the Land of River as part of the Land of Fire's sphere of influence and acknowledged that the shogunate established by Mimura Yomaki, the commander of the western border defense forces, in the Land of River was legitimate and legal.

At this time, the only countries that have not issued a peace treaty to end the state of war are the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.

At Uchiha Tokumitsu's command, Uchiha Himon resolutely carried it out.

The Fire Gate Shogunate and the Tokuko Red Guard mobilized their entire forces, secretly blocking all major transportation routes between the two countries and killing all suspicious messengers, thus delaying the progress of the peace agreement.

However, in July of the 37th year of Konoha, an envoy who detoured through the Land of Birds and the Land of Wind to enter the Land of Fire signed the Decree of the End of the War in the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Fire, announcing a reconciliation between the two countries, and the Land of Earth recognized the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain as the Land of Fire's sphere of influence.

The Second Shinobi World War officially ended with the Land of Fire emerging as the biggest winner!

But procrastination is still useful.

After consulting with various affiliated ninja clans and other stakeholders, Uchiha Tokumitsu ultimately decided to implement a secret special policy—

"License to privateer!"

Chapter 180 The Debate on Righteousness and Profit, and the Simplicity of Civil Officials and the Indolence of Military Officials

The so-called privateering license was a secret decree implemented in the eastern sea along the route from the Land of Fire to the Land of Water. Its purpose was to crack down on the trading fleets of other nobles and wealthy merchants and to protect the interests of the Uchiha clan and the Hidden Mist clan.

Of course, the license to privateer was not just for plundering; it was also implemented in conjunction with a signal flag jointly issued by the Uchiha and Kirigakure clans.

In short, any ship without a permitted flag was unprotected and could be attacked and plundered at will. Ports controlled by the Uchiha or Kirigakure clans could provide these privateers with supplies and sell their spoils.

To obtain a pass flag, one would naturally need to pay a considerable sum of money. This way, one could not only generate some income but also increase the trade costs for other nobles and wealthy merchants, thus making smuggled goods more "cost-effective".

In addition, the Kirigakure ninja clan communicated with Uchiha Tokumitsu about a plan to force the Mizukage to abdicate in Kyoto or overthrow the Mizukage. They also indicated that if necessary, they intended to hire Uchiha ninja to participate in the Kirigakure civil war. Uchiha Tokumitsu readily agreed and expressed his support for all his ally's actions.

This is like having a pillow delivered to your head when you're feeling sleepy!

Uchiha Tokumitsu had originally planned to build his own fleet to attack Kirigakure after seizing power in Konoha, but unexpectedly, the Hozuki and Mizuki clans had handed him their swords!

This is absolutely wonderful!

For the next few days, Uchiha Tokumitsu was in a very good mood, which surprised his subordinate ninjas.

"Peace!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu said to his subordinates, "The most precious thing in the ninja world is peace! Now that peace has arrived, shouldn't we be happy about it?"

Upon hearing this, the subordinate chuckled dryly twice and said nothing more.

As expected, Lord Tokukō is indeed a general; ordinary ninjas wouldn't say such things!

……

Just as everything was ready, the border defense forces lifted the blockade of the ports, and the first batch of privateers were deployed, Sakumo Hatake, appointed by the Hokage and the Daimyo as a peace patrol ambassador, arrived at Fubuki Castle, the residence of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The two had not seen each other for some time, so they were very happy to see each other again.

After exchanging pleasantries, they finally got to the main topic.

"Tokugawa-kun, we have come here at the Hokage's request to urge the border troops to lift the border blockade..."

After a moment's hesitation, Sakumo Hatake presented the main purpose of his visit.

"Except for the necessary patrol units, all other border defense forces have withdrawn."

Uchiha Tokumitsu smiled and replied, "Peace is hard-won, and we will naturally cherish it all the more..."

Hatake Sakumo did not explicitly state his purpose, and Uchiha Tokumitsu did not mind using official jargon and platitudes to beat around the bush.

"...The village already knows."

After a moment's hesitation, Hatake Sakumo took the initiative to be direct: "The village has already received intelligence about you and the Kirigakure privateering force..."

"Is that so?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu was not surprised.

After all, the first batch of privateering forces were composed of clan ninja drawn from various affiliated ninja clans, so it was not surprising that word got out.

Moreover, Uchiha Tokumitsu's original intention was not entirely for maritime plunder, but rather for strategic deterrence, to prevent others from participating in the Land of Water's trade as much as possible. The leak of information was not necessarily a bad thing.

"What? Does Sakumo-kun intend to stop this?"

Seeing Hatake Sakumo's hesitant expression, Uchiha Tokumitsu asked in return.

"It's not about stopping it, it's just that privateering is always morally wrong..."

Sakumo Hatake's tone was somewhat uncertain.

He naturally understood why Uchiha Tokumitsu had created such a dishonorable secret decree, and he also knew what impact restoring peaceful border crossings with the Land of Water would have on the smuggling business.

But in his mind, or in the eyes of most ninjas who adhere to their beliefs, plundering—especially semi-official plundering—is not a glorious thing.

"Principles of morality?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu was also somewhat surprised.

"What is loyalty and duty for a ninja?"

Before Hatake Sakumo could answer, Uchiha Tokumitsu continued, "For a group with combat power far exceeding that of ordinary people, what should be called loyalty?"

Sakumo Hatake remained silent.

He didn't know how to answer.

In fact, the reason why he came to the Tokugawa Shogunate as his first stop was because the Hokage's faction and the daimyo and nobles kept pressuring him on the grounds of "duty," so he had no choice but to accept the appointment to go to various places to urge the withdrawal of troops and the restoration of peace.

The eastern border defense forces have now withdrawn from the blockade zone, but he is not confident that he can persuade Uchiha Tokumitsu to give up his privateering.

Furthermore, even the ninjas of the Reform Society, especially the senior Chunin, have benefited greatly from the logistics of smuggling. If they were to give it up, their subordinates would likely complain.

"Sakumo-kun, do you think that for a ninja, is duty more important or self-interest?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu continued to ask.

Sakumo Hatake shook his head, unable to answer.

If it were in the past, he would definitely have chosen "righteousness" without hesitation.

But now he is one of the village's high-ranking officials, and he has an organization like the Reform Society under his command. In addition, the various theories that Uchiha Tokumitsu had instilled in him intentionally or unintentionally before, under the influence of the complex environment, have changed his thinking to a certain extent, and his bottom line has become more flexible.

"When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame."

Uchiha Tokumitsu slowly said, "The daimyo and nobles live high and mighty lives, enjoying wealth and luxury; the ninjas toil and struggle for a meager commission, risking their lives... Is this what justice is?"

"This is unreasonable..."

Although Hatake Sakumo felt his mind was completely blank, he still instinctively replied.

"Yes! This is unreasonable!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu immediately chimed in, "The Reform Association's goal is not just the reform of Konoha, but the reform of the entire ninja world!"

"And those seemingly mundane interests are precisely the driving force behind our unity with allies and our drive for change! Don't you agree, Mr. Sakumo?"

"That makes sense..."

Under the intense and dense barrage of logic, Sakumo Hatake had already forgotten his initial topic and purpose.

Uchiha Tokumitsu said in a deep voice, "Times have changed. If those remnants of the old era are unwilling to change on their own, then let them sleep eternally beneath the Nine-Slope of the Underworld!"

"Samurai, priests, monks, shrine maidens... everything from the old era has been shattered by the bombardment of ninjutsu, but ironically, after they colluded with the daimyo and nobles, they were able to continue to enjoy special treatment that was a level above that of ninjas!"

"This is not fair!"

"The ninja world shouldn't be like this! Ninjas shouldn't be like this!"

"The master of the ninja world should also be a ninja!"

Under Uchiha Tokumitsu's barrage of words, Hatake Sakumo was speechless.

Uchiha Tokumitsu has openly shown his disdain for the "righteousness" advocated by the daimyo and nobles, and has also proposed that the ninja should lead the order of the ninja world.

Although Sakumo Hatake still felt that there seemed to be something wrong with the logic, he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

"The ninjas broke the ethics and morals of the daimyo and nobles, losing only their shackles but gaining the entire ninja world!"

With Uchiha Tokumitsu's last words, Hatake Sakumo completely succumbed.

"I understand……"

Sakumo Hatake sighed, "But please be mindful of your limits and don't go too far."

"I know what I'm doing."

Uchiha Tokumitsu raised his head and replied with a smile.

"...It is said that the daimyo is planning to reduce military spending. I wonder what Tokumitsu-kun thinks about this?"

Before leaving, Sakumo Hatake revealed some information.

"Although the dawn of peace has appeared, the danger of war remains."

After a moment of contemplation, Uchiha Tokumitsu countered, "Is reducing military spending at this time intended to save the funds for war reparations?"

"Deguang-kun, what would you do?"

Sakumo Hatake continued to ask.

"Regardless of how the village and the daimyo view it, the Tokuko Shogunate and the Homon Shogunate will continue to expand their military."

Uchiha Tokumitsu stated his thoughts: "While others save money, I am amassing troops; other people's money is my money!"

Sakumo Hatake was speechless.

"The ninja world is just that cruel, isn't it~"

……