Uchiha's personal opinion

It was that clever Jonin from the Nara clan who was the first to stand up and loudly pledge his loyalty.

The vote was overwhelmingly in favor and passed unanimously.

Chapter 407 Registered Lands and Official Residence Reform

Just as Konoha's military preparations entered a new phase, a vigorous "registration and submission to the shogunate" movement spread throughout the various directly governed and administered small provinces of the shogunate.

However, this time it was not a secret plot by the shogunate, but rather stemmed from the "voluntary surrender of land" by the daimyo of the land of grass.

As one of the earliest countries to be incorporated into the Uchiha clan's sphere of influence, and a small country that was firmly controlled by the United Company but also vaguely separated from the Tokugawa Shogunate system due to the existence of Uchiha Himon, the Daimyo of the Land of Grass had long been prepared for this.

However, after waiting and waiting, the shogunate ninjas never broke into the palace to expel the daimyo and nobles. Instead, the Land of Grass prospered under the dual support of the northwestern border defense forces and the United Company, and thus escaped hunger and abject poverty.

Furthermore, the Fire Gate Shogunate didn't care much about politics and was happy to consult with the nobles of the Grass Country when necessary. As a result, the feudal nobles of the Grass Country mostly invested their ranches as shares and made a fortune under the management of the joint company.

As a result, the common people of the Land of Grass flocked to work on the newly established ranches. Although the working conditions and treatment were so bad that even the 996 workaholics of Uchiha Tokumitsu's previous life would shake their heads, it inadvertently "eliminated" the unemployed population of the Land of Grass and even achieved the "prosperous age of the Land of Grass" where no large-scale freezing or starvation occurred during the snow disaster year!

This is an unprecedented record for the Land of Grass and even the entire ninja world!

Even in the northern region of the Land of Fire, the largest country in the ninja world, there was a large-scale phenomenon of people freezing to death and collapsing during the deep winter of last year!

Therefore, from commoners to nobles, everyone in the Land of Grass agrees that the country's current prosperity is all thanks to the wise leadership of the Shogunate. Otherwise, how could the Land of Grass, with its unparalleled standard of living, enjoy such a good life as the best in the ninja world?

This is also the true thought of the common people in the ninja world and the nobles of small countries, because they really don't want to go back to the days of uncertainty.

"Now I ask the servants to prepare two bowls of milk tea every morning, one to drink and one to pour out for fun! I never dared to imagine such a life before!"

The reason why this classic saying, which came from the mouth of a fallen nobleman, became a popular phrase in the Land of Grass for a time was that it profoundly reflected the transformation of the Land of Grass under the rule of the shogunate, from being as poor as wild grass.

For them, simply being alive is a blessing! As for being able to eat their fill and wear warm clothes, that's practically a privilege reserved for royalty!

This is also one of the positive impacts that Uchiha Tokumitsu brought to the ninja world after establishing the United Company.

Because ninjas are far more efficient than ordinary people, and their territory spans across the ninja world, resource allocation is no longer a problem. Therefore, once goods are in full circulation, even the smallest bit of profit leaking out of their fingertips is enough for the lower classes to live very well.

Furthermore, the Grass Country was known for its ability to read people and adapt to changing circumstances. Therefore, the Grass Country daimyo, who was aware of the situation, immediately offered to "join the shogunate" to the Red Guard stationed at the daimyo's residence after learning that the Water Country daimyo had been deposed. He thus became the first small country daimyo to actively respond to the trend of the times.

Therefore, Uchiha Tokumitsu could not treat this kind and understanding daimyo unfairly.

After acquiring a large sum of money by purchasing land from the daimyo at a high price, the daimyo of the Land of Grass issued the second "Declaration of Humanity" in the ninja world, announcing that he and his ruling family would permanently step down and entrust the affairs of state entirely to the Uchiha clan. He also relinquished his title and changed his surname to Uesugi.

For the various nations, the actions of the Daimyo of the Land of Grass had an even greater impact than the deposition of the Daimyo of the Land of Water.

Because in the eyes of the daimyo and nobles of various countries, the Land of Water had long been in the hands of the shogunate, and the fact that they had delayed taking action until now only showed that the shogunate had considerable patience.

But the fact that the daimyo of the Land of Grass was treated well showed them another way out.

Compared to the Land of Water, the shogunate had a much deeper foundation and greater power in the Land of Grass. However, even so, the daimyo of the Land of Grass only took a little initiative and received such a generous reward. How could this not tempt the daimyo and nobles of the small countries who were already making a fortune?

"Even the sycophants of the Grass Country can be so sycophantic! How can we fall behind!"

Subsequently, the daimyo of the Swamp Country also demanded that the joint company stationed in the country exchange land for shares.

In order to achieve political achievements, the United Company quickly agreed to the demands of the Daimyo of the Land of Swamp and sent a message to Konoha. At the same time, it also publicized the United Company's "virtuous governance" to the ninja world.

Later on, small countries such as the Land of Fields and the Land of Forests took the initiative to "submit their lands and become officials," changing their surnames and resigning from their posts while also receiving generous dividends from the joint company's industrial shares.

"We cannot let down these proactive volunteers!"

Under the instructions of Uchiha Tokumitsu, the newly established "Konoha Political Academy" extended enrollment invitations to the former daimyo families of small countries that had voluntarily donated territory, giving their descendants the opportunity to join the shogunate's ruling system.

Meanwhile, the Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Cloud Village in the northern part of the ninja world were plunged into panic.

However, before the first round of "reforming local officials and replacing them with centrally appointed officials" was completed, Uchiha Tokumitsu deliberately controlled the speed of "replacing local officials with local officials" in the small country, and the two major ninja villages gradually calmed down.

But for the nobles of great powers, they have no desire to be mere wealthy men.

……

Under the secret summons of the Land of Earth's daimyo, Tachibana Uji, high-ranking officials from Iwagakure and Kumogakure, along with secret envoys from the Land of Lightning's Taira clan and the Land of Fire's Minamoto clan, held a secret meeting at the Land of Earth's daimyo's residence to discuss countermeasures.

"Those lowly people! They've abandoned their millennia-old traditions after gaining a few meager benefits, shortsightedly becoming pigs to be slaughtered!"

During the secret meeting, the envoy of the Taira clan daimyo of the Land of Lightning vented his anger and fear.

"Changing one's surname to Yi is a disgrace to our ancestors and deities!"

The envoy of the Lord of the Fire Country, Genji, nodded repeatedly.

Among the great nations and daimyo that still exist today, the Minamoto clan of the Land of Fire is in the most awkward position.

Firstly, they are nominally the supreme rulers of the Land of Fire, and the forces of Konoha and the Shogunate are mostly entrenched within their territory.

However, this also led to the most conflicts between local nobles in the Land of Fire and the shogunate ninjas. But after several local nobles clashed with the shogunate, their mansions mysteriously caught fire, so most of the nobles had no choice but to back down.

The daimyo of the Land of Fire were naturally the ones who suffered the most damage from the nobles' concessions.

Currently, the eight eastern districts and the northern districts of the Land of Fire are under the de facto rule of the shogunate. They neither pay taxes to the daimyo's government nor stop the outflow of people from the Kinki and western districts. The nobles cannot even stop the movement of their people because the shogunate and the ninjas of the Allied Corporation provide some protection for these commoners who choose to abandon their homeland and leave their hometowns. Therefore, the nobles' army does not dare to act recklessly.

But the shogunate's exploitation of the feudal nobility went far beyond that.

Whether it was the gradual seizure of local power, the destruction of noble workshops due to dumping under tariff agreements, or the repeated humiliations suffered by the daimyo, all of these things left the nobles of the Land of Fire with a lingering resentment, yet they were powerless to do anything about it.

"The so-called 'abolition of native chieftainships and replacement of native officials' is a destruction of tradition and a desecration of sacred bloodlines!"

After the various envoys finished speaking, the daimyo of the Tachibana clan of the Land of Earth, seated at the head of the table, said quietly, "If the world were to lose its holy and benevolent nobles, it would utterly descend into a terrifying abyss!"

"That's absolutely right!"

Ai, the third Raikage's envoy and the successor to the next Raikage, also spoke up: "Using so-called transient officials who are forgotten after their departure to govern a region only brings no benefit whatsoever, except for deceiving superiors and subordinates and poisoning the local area!"

"Of course!"

The Daimyo of the Land of Earth nodded approvingly to A, then said softly, "Do you all know that we have reached the most dangerous moment?"

These words caused everyone present to freeze in shock.

I thought we would continue with pleasantries and a denunciation of the shogunate, but I didn't expect the daimyo of the Land of Earth to be so impatient.

Even Iwagakure Tsuchikage Onoki, who was attending the meeting, bowed slightly to show that he was listening attentively.

"Has Iwagakure reached its limit in expanding its military?"

The daimyo of the Land of Earth turned his gaze toward Onoki.

Onoki sighed slightly, then nodded.

"Iwagakure has over 34,000 registered ninjas and over 10,000 students at the Ninja Academy... This is already the limit."

While theoretically, even a pig could be trained into a ninja pig if enough resources were invested, this is not actually the case.

Because resources are ultimately limited, even ninja villages need to consider the "cost-effectiveness ratio".

Therefore, with the expansion of Iwagakure to this point, all the villagers with any talent at the Iwagakure headquarters are now studying at the Ninja Academy. In addition, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth has already given his full support, so there is not much possibility of further increasing the number of ninjas.

"Then, the next step is to properly train these ninjas and try to discover the most talented among them, so that they can protect our Land of Earth and all the legitimate nobles."

The daimyo of the Land of Earth said in a friendly tone.

"I know."

Onoki nodded and said nothing more.

After taking stock of their assets, giving the Iwagakure people a little shock, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth also turned his attention to the special envoy of the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning.

"Lord Taira should also put more effort into training ninjas and support the ninja villages..."

"Military spending will double again this year!"

The envoy of the Land of Lightning gritted his teeth and uttered the words that the Cloud Village ninjas had been waiting for most.

However, now that the Land of Lightning has lost nearly half of its territory, if it wants to continue to pay such a high military expenditure, not only will the daimyo and nobles need to open their private treasuries, but they will also need to continue to increase taxes to see if they can squeeze the last drop of oil from the marrow of the common people of the Land of Lightning.

"So good!"

The daimyo of the Land of Earth was very satisfied.

At this moment, he felt like he was the ruler of the ninja world. If it weren't for Konoha and the Shogunate getting in his way, he probably would have already restored the glory of the Ancestral Emperor's era!

As for the Land of Fire, whose power had been usurped, it was no longer a threat to him.

"What about Lord Genji...?"

The daimyo of the Land of Earth once again looked at the envoy from the Land of Fire.

"His Highness's personal ninja army has expanded to three thousand ninjas, and the masters of the Fire Temple have begun to assist in training the ninja army."

The envoy from the Land of Fire slightly exaggerated the number of ninja troops directly under the daimyo's command.

"This has put His Highness Genji in a difficult position..."

The daimyo of the Land of Earth nodded and did not ask any further questions.

"But that's not enough."

"Aside from the Tsuchikage and the Raikage, the various nations do not have enough strong individuals capable of contending with Konoha and the Shogunate..."

The daimyo of the Land of Earth sighed, "In that case, it will be of no use no matter how many ninjas we train."

"It's easy to find ninja soldiers, but difficult to find top-tier ninjas..."

Onoki nodded as well.

No one understands the impact of high-end combat power on the course of the ninja war better than him.

"Therefore, in order to counter those rebellious thieves, I also plan to bring in powerful individuals from beyond the borders..."

The daimyo of the Land of Earth clapped his hands, and a blond youth emerged from the dark side of the secret chamber.

"This is the plenipotentiary representative of Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave, he is..."

"Asura!"

Asura, with a somewhat sinister expression, said.

"Yes, the two holy sites will fully support our cause of justice..."

The daimyo of the Land of Earth, who had been interrupted, was not angry. Instead, he nodded with a kind expression: "This also shows that destiny is in my hands!"

"If Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave go all out, they can mobilize over ten thousand spirit beasts to assist them!"

Ashura said, "If necessary, the two great immortals can also take action themselves!"

"Then assemble immediately and head south!"

Aishua stood up and said, "With the combined strength of the Ninja Village and the Holy Land, let us fight Konoha and the Shogunate to the death!"