Uchiha's personal opinion

Konoe Atsushi's kneeling and punching posture was indeed amusing, so Uchiha Tokumitsu let him have his way.

"...The shogunate shall not restrict the movement of people in the southern islands; they shall be free to choose whether to stay or return north."

"That's no problem."

Uchiha Tokumitsu agreed to Konoe Atsushi's first request.

"But the freedom of movement of people is mutual, and the territory under the jurisdiction of the daimyo shall not restrict the southward migration of its people."

"no problem!"

Konoe Atsushi agreed, and then continued, "Secondly, the southern islands should be subject to the same tax rates as our country."

"...Does a daimyo expect me to pay taxes to him?!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu frowned.

"All taxes can be deposited into the shogunate's treasury, but the tax rate cannot be changed arbitrarily."

Atsushi Konoe explained.

"Domestic commercial taxes can be levied according to the tax rates of the Land of Water, but foreign taxes are the internal affairs of the shogunate, and the daimyo must not interfere."

Uchiha Tokumitsu thought for a moment and then made his own request.

"no problem!"

This was exactly what Atsushi Konoe wanted.

Subsequently, the two discussed and finalized some details, such as the establishment of a Customs Agreement Division, and the taxation issue of the Southern Islands was also settled.

The last item is the issue of the concessions, which is of utmost concern to both sides.

From the daimyo's perspective, he naturally did not want the Tokukō Shogunate to retain any influence in the eastern islands. Even if he could not refuse, he would rather send it to some deserted island for the Shogunate to catch seabirds for fun.

However, Uchiha Tokumitsu was naturally unwilling to do so. In his eyes, the concession should be set up in the county town of the eastern islands of the Land of Water.

Just like the garrison units established by the Eastern Border Defense Force in the eight eastern districts of the Land of Fire, Uchiha Tokumitsu hoped that the concession would become a medium for contacting local nobles and officials, thereby expanding the shogunate's influence over the local areas.

But the emperor wasn't stupid, and naturally he was unwilling to compromise on this point.

"The shogunate will establish concessions within the seven cities of the eastern archipelago!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu first made an outrageous demand, "In addition, consulates and trading posts of the shogunate must be set up in various waterways!"

"Absolutely impossible!"

Konoe Atsushi refused outright, then took out a map and presented it to Uchiha Tokumitsu: "The location of the proposed concession of our country is shown above. Please, General Tokumitsu, establish the concession here."

Uchiha Tokumitsu picked it up and immediately cursed, "There's no way this boundary can be set up! Does the Daimyo want to continue the war?!"

"But General Deguang's demands are a bit too much!"

Konoe Atsushi retorted righteously, "The Land of Water is a great nation. How can you humiliate such a great nation without considering the criticism from the ninja world?"

"Besides, ninjas seek wealth, while nobles seek stability. How about we each make a concession?"

Seeing that Uchiha Tokumitsu's expression had changed from sunny to cloudy, Konoe Atsushi immediately changed his tune and said, "The shogunate may choose three prefectures to establish concessions, and may set up trading posts and consulates within the concession areas."

"...and two more waterway concessions!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu thought for a moment and added a condition.

"can!"

Konoe Atsushi agreed without hesitation.

This made Uchiha Tokumitsu feel like he had been taken advantage of.

Could it be that the daimyo of the Land of Water has a bottom line that goes far beyond this?

"Within the concession, the laws of the Land of Water do not apply, the rules of the Shogunate apply, and the consuls and residents stationed there enjoy extra-legal rights."

Uchiha Tokumitsu added another request.

What is extrajudicial jurisdiction?

Konoe Atsushi humbly asked.

Uchiha Tokumitsu then explained to him the meaning of extrajudicial jurisdiction.

“Ninjas with shogunate status can enjoy extrajudicial rights, but ordinary people must abide by the laws of their locality.”

Konoe Atsushi considered it for a moment and then made a patch to Uchiha Tokumitsu's request.

"can!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu immediately agreed.

Is it really that hard to get the identity of a shogunate ninja? At worst, just award some titles like lifetime honorary genin to merchant guilds, and they'll have the identity of a shogunate ninja too.

Moreover, this title, coupled with the extraterritoriality of the concession, actually allowed for a great deal of political manipulation.

For example, providing shelter to disillusioned nobles from certain water-based countries.

However, the title of honorary genin for life doesn't sound impressive enough. We could also consider adding a powerless position such as Justice of the Peace or member of the Security Committee.

Thus, both sides felt they had gotten a great deal, and the preconditions for the territorial cession agreement were happily agreed upon.

Fearing that Uchiha Tokumitsu might change his mind, Konoe Atsushi then proactively requested the shogunate's seal of authorization, quickly returned to the daimyo's residence, and immediately issued the imperial edict.

……

In December of the 37th year of Konoha, the Daimyo of the Land of Water announced that the southern islands under the jurisdiction of the shogunate would be incorporated into the territory of the shogunate, officially known as the Southern Shogunate, and would be under the jurisdiction of Uchiha Tokumitsu.

At the same time, the Mizukage of Kirigakure issued a declaration of war, officially declaring war on Kumogakure, which was constantly harassing the coastline of the Land of Water!

The war clouds over the ninja world, which had been brought to peace through the efforts of the daimyo of the major powers, have risen again! The dignity of the daimyo has been ripped off and trampled on with the Third Mizukage's declaration of war.

Although the Second Shinobi World War has ended, the war between the major powers continues!

Chapter 207 The Establishment of the Shogunate

"This signifies the arrival of a new era!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu said this.

When Konoe Atsushi arrived at the shogunate's headquarters with the original edict personally written by the daimyo, Uchiha Tokumitsu had already ordered the withdrawal of the occupying ninja forces from the daimyo's capital and carefully arranged for the former shogunate soldiers captured during the siege to maintain order in the city.

May peace endure forever...

Although Konoe Atsushi didn't quite understand what Uchiha Tokumitsu meant by the "new era," he still politely agreed.

This round of negotiations allowed Konoe Atsushi to be promoted again. The outcome of the negotiations was far beyond the bottom line set by the daimyo and court nobles, so after returning to the daimyo's temporary residence in the Land of Water, he was immediately promoted to Dainagon, making him the most popular high-ranking official among the daimyo's close retainers.

However, in front of Uchiha Tokumitsu, Konoe Atsushi maintained just the right amount of self-respect, neither showing hostility nor being overly obsequious.

"Peace is precious, but it is war that has promoted the development of the ninja world."

Uchiha Tokumitsu casually peddled his past life's twisted theories: "Our ancestors devoted themselves to researching weapons, combat techniques, and ninjutsu in order to kill their own kind more efficiently, and the history of the ninja world has developed and even evolved through slaughter..."

"I never imagined that General Deguang would have such unique insights into the history of the ninja world..."

Konoe Atsushi chuckled twice, feeling a chill run down his spine, and quickly changed the subject: "But the southern islands are, after all, secular lands. How does General Tokumitsu intend to govern them?"

In the minds of the nobles, ninjas, who specialize in killing, are not good at handling ordinary affairs. If ninjas were to directly rule the common people, it would inevitably cause widespread suffering. This was a claim that the nobles consistently propagated to both the ninjas and the common people.

Even many ninjas now believe this baseless fallacy.

"If General Deguang has any needs, I can recommend a few experienced government officials who will surely help you govern the southern islands well."

Atsushi Konoe is very enthusiastic.

"As the saying goes, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. Moreover, the southern islands have just experienced war, so we only need to reduce taxes and allow the people to rest."

Uchiha Tokumitsu didn't mind explaining his governing philosophy to others, since even if he revealed his hand, those greedy nobles wouldn't be able to learn it.

"All I need to do is enact laws, maintain public order, and punish criminals. The rest is simply collecting taxes on time."

"Well... the water people are unruly, General Deguang, it would be best to be cautious..."

Konoe Atsushi understood what Uchiha Tokumitsu meant, but he could only give a perfunctory reply and dared not comment on it at all.

"For ordinary people, the best world is one where the high-ranking officials don't cause trouble. The shogunate will surely grant them such a simple request."

Uchiha Tokumitsu's political ambitions began to burn again.

"If they pay enough taxes, I wouldn't mind establishing a parliament for them, giving their people more autonomy..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, while Konoe Atsushi grew increasingly terrified as he listened.

If Uchiha Tokumitsu's approach to governance is indeed feasible, then what use are the nobles?!

If ninjas could collect high taxes on their own, the daimyo's control over the ninja villages would cease to exist!

This is a truly momentous event that has completely shaken the one-country-one-village system!

"No wonder General Deguang said it was the arrival of a new era..."

Konoe Atsushi gave a dry laugh, his heart heavy as if he were at a funeral.

Uchiha Tokumitsu also noticed Konoe Atsushi's odd behavior, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled up.

These words were not merely idle talk or political commentary; rather, they were intended to demonstrate to the nobles and officials of the Water Kingdom what their interests were and to warn them against attempting to exploit the Southern Islands for personal gain.

After seeing Konoe Atsushi off, Hanzo of the Salamander also came to meet with Uchiha Tokumitsu.

"Is Mr. Hanzo already preparing to leave?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu was somewhat surprised after hearing Hanzo the Salamander's request.

"Mr. Hanzo, are you dissatisfied with the payment? If so, we can discuss it."

Although Uchiha Tokumitsu paid a huge sum of money to hire Hanzo of the Salamander, Hanzo only had two opportunities to attack during the Kirigakure campaign because the Shogunate's ninja army's offensive was unexpectedly smooth.

In terms of workload and returns, Hanzo the Salamander undoubtedly made a fortune.

"Now that the war is over, and I've been away from the village for several months, it's time to go back..."

Hanzo the Salamander said sincerely, "However, to be fair, General Tokukatsu's hiring of Amegakure to fight did indeed give Amegakure a chance to turn things around..."

In addition to the mercenary fees, the 70% of the spoils that Uchiha Tokumitsu allowed the Rain Ninja to keep for themselves also made the participating Rain Ninja very wealthy.

With the free outfit change for the ninja army, the Rain Ninja have at least a completely new look, no longer giving off the feeling of being a disorganized and undisciplined force.

"That's true. Mr. Hanzo really does need to go back and rebuild Amegakure..."