Uchiha's personal opinion

Konoe Atsushi skillfully said, "Kirigakure is under the Shogun's jurisdiction, and it adheres to the principle of separating secular affairs from ninja villages. His Highness the Daimyo will never interfere in the affairs of ninja villages, and the military funds will be directly allocated to the Shogunate, to be distributed and used by His Highness the Shogun himself."

"The southern islands were territories under the rule of the shogunate..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu said calmly.

"Of course!"

Konoe Atsushi immediately said, "The Southern Islands are His Excellency's hereditary territory, a fact universally acknowledged throughout the Land of Water!"

"Isn't such a division of territory for rule somewhat illegitimate?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu chuckled: "The nobles and courtiers won't have any objections, will they?"

"The Uchiha clan is a prestigious family in the ninja world with a history of thousands of years, so it is only natural that they rule over a region."

Konoe Atsushi's attitude remained as respectful as ever: "His Highness the Daimyo also hopes that His Excellency the Shogun can restore the glory of the Land of Water and raise the prestige of Kirigakure in the ninja world..."

"Furthermore, the position of Kanpaku in the country has been vacant for a long time. We hope that Your Excellency will not hesitate to take on this additional post..."

"Not forcing me?"

"No pressure!"

"This doesn't go against the usual practice, does it?"

"The ninja clan are all nobles, which is perfectly reasonable!"

"Then I shall accept it without hesitation."

Uchiha Tokumitsu nodded in satisfaction.

The practice of asking three times and declining three times is really outdated. Uchiha Tokumitsu asking twice is already quite a show of respect.

Moreover, with the example of Sunagakure directly deposing the daimyo and installing a puppet ruler, Uchiha Tokumitsu was not worried about causing a backlash from the so-called ninja world's public opinion.

The advantage of the salami slicing tactic lies in this: as long as you persevere and make small progress every day, others will get used to each "advancement" of the shogunate.

After all, from the perspective of time, the expansion of the shogunate's power always seems so natural.

"...By the way, I heard that His Highness the Daimyo is not in good health, is that true?"

As if suddenly remembering something, Uchiha Tokumitsu asked casually.

"Your Highness the Daimyo..."

Konoe Atsushi opened his mouth to defend himself, but suddenly a thought flashed through his mind, and he was immediately speechless.

"Our ninja clans are not well-versed in politics, so since His Highness the Daimyo is not feeling well, I wonder if Lord Konoe would be willing to take on more responsibility for the country?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu asked with a smile.

"This, this..."

Konoe Atsushi stammered for a long time, unable to utter a complete sentence.

It was both thrilling and exciting.

He naturally understood the meaning behind Uchiha Tokumitsu's words, but as a close retainer of the daimyo and a distant relative of the royal family, he simply couldn't bring himself to pledge allegiance on the spot.

Moreover, if he were to express his stance in front of Uchiha Tokumitsu, he would undoubtedly become an "enemy of the court" in the eyes of the daimyo and nobles.

However, he was actually quite aware of which carried more weight: a close advisor to a daimyo or a puppet ruler.

"The position of Kanpaku is that of a regent who governs the country on behalf of the daimyo..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu said leisurely, "However, the Shogunate's military affairs are busy, and I need time to cultivate, so it is difficult for me to fulfill the responsibilities of the Regent..."

Atsushi Konoe's heart was beating faster and faster.

Unlike the native ninjas who were used to being fragmented and independent, Uchiha Tokumitsu had a deep-rooted identification with the idea of ​​"unifying the world and bringing the four seas together" from his past life.

However, one should not rush things. One must eat one bite at a time to avoid choking. The daimyo and nobles also need time to gradually adapt to the transition from losing power to becoming mascots.

Moreover, anyone who is well-versed in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is intimately familiar with the criteria for powerful ministers who usurp power, and Uchiha Tokumitsu is no exception.

"If Lord Konoe is willing to do a little more work for the Land of Water..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu drew out his words, his gaze fixed on Konoe Atsushi, whose Adam's apple was bobbing rapidly.

"Lord Tokumitsu..."

Konoe Atsushi knelt down with a thud, demonstrating his resolve through his actions.

"Then you shall assume the position of Grand Minister of State..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu casually said, "I will assign you a Kaguya ninja squad, who will serve as your personal guard."

"By the way, I remember the Imperial Guard Commander was also from a noble family, right..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu stepped forward and helped the kneeling Konoe Atsushi to his feet, whispering something in his ear:

"Perhaps one day, he will be able to take his place..."

These words, like the devil's deadly temptation, kept replaying in Konoe Atsushi's mind.

……

Uchiha Tokumitsu was not in a hurry to seize power in the Land of Water in a short period of time.

For him, time has always been on his side. He can patiently and slowly strip away the power that the nobles and daimyo of the Land of Water thought they could rely on, and gradually make the people of the Land of Water get used to the rule of the Uchiha clan.

In addition, he lacked administrative ninjas under his command and was unwilling to directly recruit Konoha's administrative staff, so he simply adopted the method of using a spokesperson and forcibly supported Konoe Atsushi, the only acquaintance among the nobles of the Land of Water.

As for words like "to replace him," Uchiha Tokumitsu was not making empty promises, but genuinely intended to carry out the matter of deposing and installing a new leader. However, since Kirigakure had just submitted and he had not yet had time to review all of Kirigakure's secrets, he was holding back for the time being.

Moreover, if Konoe Atsushi were to be promoted to the position of daimyo one day, it would mean that the shogunate had made full preparations for the war to unify the ninja world.

……

Far away in Fubo Castle in the Land of Whirlpools, the shogunate's ninjas left behind also received instructions from Uchiha Tokumitsu, allowing representatives from Konoha, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure to travel north to Midway Island for a meeting, and dispatching ships to transport them.

Kirabi and Huangtu finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly directed their troops to prepare to set sail.

However, after learning about Uchiha Tokumitsu's actions in Kirigakure, Mimura Yoru remained silent for a long time before leaving with the words, "Using Kirigakure to command the Land of Water," and then leading his troops away.

The shogunate ninja did not try to dissuade them, but simply reported the matter to Uchiha Tokumitsu.

"...inflexible and unchanging."

Upon learning of this, Uchiha Tokumitsu couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

Chapter 282 The Policy of Balance of Power in the Ninja World

Although Uchiha Tokumitsu promised to preserve the name of Kirigakure, it did not mean that he would really put his heart into revitalizing the strength of Kirigakure headquarters.

In his blueprint, the main role of Kirigakure was to serve as a ninja training base, providing the shogunate with a continuous supply of ninja forces to support the shogunate's future external wars, thereby reducing the consumption of valuable Uchiha ninjas and affiliated ninja clans.

Before departing to return to the Midway base to meet with the envoys from Iwagakure and Kumogakure, Uchiha Tokumitsu also formally announced at the Kirigakure Jonin Conference the appointment of the leader of the Seii clan as the guardian ninja clan of Kirigakure.

Among them, the Hozuki clan will be in charge of Kirigakure's political affairs, the Minazuki clan will be in charge of Kirigakure's finances, and the Kaguya clan, known for its ferocity, will control the ninja academy.

As for the Hidden Mist Anbu and the Standing Ninja Army, they were all abolished and incorporated into the control of the Shogunate.

Although this approach is rather simplistic and crude, and the personalities of the three clans may not be entirely consistent with the authority they hold, Uchiha Tokumitsu didn't need the ninjas of the three clans to be overly dutiful or popular, so this approach was actually better.

In addition to the inherent authority of the three clans, Uchiha Tokumitsu also incorporated all the surrendered Kirigakure Jonin into the Jonin Joint Council, which was responsible for task allocation and resource distribution, thus completing the initial reconstruction of the new Kirigakure system.

Although the boundaries of authority and responsibility of each department are relatively rough, they are very suitable for Kirigakure, which is in dire need of rebuilding. After all, even including the Kirigakure ninjas who are still in prisoner-of-war camps, the village only has about 5,000 people. What it needs is not efficiency through new policies, but rather streamlined administration and recuperation.

After the affairs of the new Kirigakure were properly arranged, Uchiha Tokumitsu led his troops across the sea to Midway Island to meet with the envoys from Kumogakure and Iwagakure.

Midway Island served as a naval port and material storage area during the First Kirigakure Campaign launched by the Shogunate, and in terms of its architectural purpose, it was an out-and-out fortress.

Moreover, unlike the ninja fortresses common in the ninja world and similar to the county towns of samurai, the architectural style of Midway Island was very strange to Yoko and Killer Bee.

Of course, this is also the first bastion in the ninja world.

"Irregular, the city walls are irregular at all..."

Upon arriving at Midway, Chirabi frowned and remarked, "This is not artistic at all!"

"...Then let's look at it from another angle. What if you were in charge of leading the ninja army to attack this fortress?"

Huang Tu sneered and mocked, "Every attacking ninja force will be attacked from both sides by ninjutsu from the two walls, plus the shogunate's sealing techniques... How many times the number of attacking ninja forces do you think it would take to take down this fortress?"

Although the two still didn't get along as much as ever, during their time together at Fubo Castle, the shogunate's base, they were able to tell each other some truths amidst their sarcastic remarks.

"...The ninjas of Kumogakure are unparalleled in their ferocity! No matter how powerful the ninjutsu of the defending troops is, they cannot stop the attack of Kumogakure!"

Kirabi remained stubbornly defiant.

"Therefore, Kumogakure was completely annihilated by the Shogunate in a frontal battle, and was utterly defeated by Kirigakure in a protracted war of attack and defense..."

Huang Tu continued his sarcastic remarks: "If this is all the bravery and ferocity of Kumogakure is capable of, it would be better to let Iwagakure take over the village as soon as possible. At least Iwagakure wouldn't lightly throw their ninjas to the front lines and let them die in vain!"

"Heh... I remember there's a rather significant Stonebreaker Castle within the territory of the Uchiha Higanbana Shogunate~ I suppose Iwagakure had some prior knowledge of this before making such outrageous remarks?"

Killer Bee also retaliated.

Although the two were scathing in their words, the two ninja village kage reached a preliminary agreement in private: to cease hostility and unite against the shogun.

To facilitate this and demonstrate his sincerity, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, even offered to conditionally relinquish the Land of Lightning's territory occupied by Iwagakure, allowing Kumogakure to take it back through a buyout.

"You two messengers, Lord Deguang has arrived at headquarters. Please follow me."

Just as the two were exchanging barbs, a shogunate ninja appeared in front of them in an instant and said something.

Huang Tu and Qi La Bi exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious.

The main course is here...

Uchiha Tokumitsu met with the two in the command center conference room on Midway Island.

"General Deguang, it's been a long time."

Guided by the Shogunate ninja, Huang Tu arrived at the meeting room and immediately bowed to Uchiha Tokumitsu.

"It's been a long time. Please have a seat."

Uchiha Tokumitsu nodded slightly in response.

"...I have been ordered to come here today because there are some things I need to ask Your Excellency the General about."

After everyone was seated, Huang Tu was the first to speak.

The impulsive Killer Bee kept his mouth shut and remained silent.