Chapter 251: Shinho Aburame, Daimyo of the Land of Fire
A Loyal Official to Konoha?
Sasuke's expression became pensive.
Being loyal to Konoha meant being loyal to Shinho.
A loyal official referred to someone diligent, responsible, and incorruptible.
Uchiha Sasuke raised his head.
The three tomoe in his Sharingan rapidly linked together.
The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan activated.
The pattern was a combination of a six-pointed star and a triangular pinwheel, a fusion of his own Mangekyo Sharingan and Uchiha Itachi's.
Soon, Takeda Shingen summoned the imprisoned officials to stand before Sasuke.
Genjutsu!
Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan emitted a faint pulse, effortlessly drawing everyone into his mental space.
After transplanting Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan, Sasuke's ocular power had greatly increased, allowing his Genjutsu to mimic the effects of Tsukuyomi.
Ordinary people, lacking both ocular power and chakra, had no defense against the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
Their memories were rapidly reshaped.
To say "reshaped" might not be entirely accurate—
Sasuke simply embedded two commands, or subconscious directives, deep into their minds.
From now on, their every action would revolve around these two orders: be a loyal official of Konoha and perform their duties responsibly.
Shinho smiled faintly.
Previously, both Tsunade and Shizune were worried that after controlling the Land of Fire, he wouldn't be able to govern it effectively.
But they clearly underestimated the power of a shinobi.
They were still thinking like traditional shinobi.
Of course, such memory manipulation couldn't be used frequently.
Once the new academies were established, qualified personnel would gradually fill the administrative roles.
For now, maintaining the current structure was sufficient.
After all, cultivating talent and building institutions takes time.
Even in a shinobi world, things couldn't be settled in mere days.
"Shinho," Sasuke deactivated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and said, "It's all done."
"Good work, Sasuke."
Shinho stepped forward and sat upon the daimyo's throne within the grand hall.
Uchiha Mikoto's heart trembled.
Could it be that his goal wasn't to control the Land of Fire from the shadows but to openly become the daimyo himself?
But doing so would undoubtedly provoke opposition from the other daimyos.
The reason was simple.
Daimyo succession was all about bloodline inheritance.
For Shinho, a shinobi, to blatantly seize the position would inevitably instil fear among the other daimyos.
If it happened once, what would stop it from happening again?
What if all the shinobi villages followed suit?
What would happen then?
Mikoto remained silent.
Since the Hokage had already made the decision, the Uchiha clan had no choice but to follow him to the bitter end.
Moreover, from the current situation, the other shinobi villages simply couldn't compete with Konoha.
But no matter what, the shinobi world was about to experience an unprecedented upheaval.
The system of "one village, one nation" established by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, was now shattered.
..
[Achievement Unlocked: "The Emperor's Turn to Rule"
Reward: Thousand Years Lifespan Gu]
[Thousand Years Lifespan Gu: Rank Four Gu insect, consumable. Grants an additional 1,000 years of life.]
..
Just as Shinho was about to speak, two lines of text suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Unlocking the achievement was expected.
But the reward exceeded his expectations.
Another Thousand Years Lifespan Gu.
The timing was perfect since Shinho had already used up the previous Lifespan Gu he had obtained.
But who should this new one be given to?
Shinho himself already possessed a thousand-year lifespan, so using another would be unnecessary.
After all, he had many loved ones.
In that case, a single Lifespan Gu wouldn't be enough.
Fortunately, no one around him was currently in urgent need of an extended lifespan, so he decided to store it for future use.
"Aunt Mikoto."
After some thought, Shinho said, "Select two Uchiha squads and have them subdue the remaining two generals to end the war."
"I'll head out immediately."
Mikoto turned around and swiftly chose eight jonin.
Although using Jonin for such a task was overkill, it ensured absolute success.
With this deployment, a third of the Uchiha clan's shinobi were now occupied.
Given their speed, they should return by nightfall.
In the meantime, Shinho's priority was restoring prosperity to the capital of the Land of Fire.
This wasn't particularly difficult.
He only had to Command Takeda Shingen to withdraw his troops and release the officials.
The officials, after having their memories reshaped by Sasuke, were now exceptionally proactive.
By nightfall, the capital's order was nearly fully restored.
In the palace study—
Shinho held a scroll in his hands, reading its contents.
It detailed the wealth and properties owned by the various officials and their families.
He couldn't help but marvel—
Each one of them was filthy rich.
But now, all of it belonged to him, no, to Konoha.
After all, as loyal officials, they had no need for such excessive riches.
"The Sharingan truly is incredible," Shinho murmured in admiration.
With the Sharingan's abilities, corruption among the officials of the Land of Fire became impossible.
The entire nation was poised to enter its brightest era.
"Shinho."
Uchiha Mikoto knocked and entered, saying, "The other two generals have arrived and are waiting outside the palace."
"Summon the officials for a court meeting."
Shinho set aside the scroll and instructed.
"Understood."
Uchiha Mikoto turned and left.
Five minutes later.
Everyone gathered in the grand hall of the palace.
On the left stood the civil officials, on the right stood the military generals, and in the center were the Uchiha clan's shinobi.
The positions of the three groups were distinct and separated.
"The First thing I want to announceis that I will officially assume the role of the daimyo of the Land of Fire," Shinho declared without any unnecessary preamble.
The Uchiha shinobi exchanged bewildered glances, their faces showing surprise.
Only Mikoto remained calm.
She had anticipated this outcome and was not shaken at all.
Sasuke, however, looked somewhat puzzled.
Why take on the role of the daimyo of the Land of Fire?
It seemed even more troublesome than being Hokage of Konoha.
"Konoha came to the capital protect the railroads but couldn't stand by while the Land of Fire was engulfed in war. That's why we intervened to stop the conflict," Shinho said with a faint smile. "Once I find a suitable successor, I will step down."
But who could possibly be a successor?
Even the princess had died at Pince's birthday banquet.
Still, this explanation was enough to satisfy the common folk.
As for the nobles— they would simply have to face the Sharingan.
In short, there would be no one in the Land of Fire willing to oppose Shinho's appointment as daimyo openly.
"The second issue is conducting a census of all non-Konoha shinobi within the Land of Fire," Shinho's eyes narrowed slightly as he continued, "The Anbu will handle this."
In the Land of Fire, shinobi didn't only come from Konoha, there were several independent shinobi factions.
The most notable example was the Fire Temple.
Perhaps to balance Konoha's influence, the former daimyo had turned a blind eye to their existence.
But things were different now.
After gaining control of the Land of Fire, Shinho was in dire need of personnel.
His plan was to recruit all of them into Konoha's ranks.
Additionally, this census was related to the expansion of the ninja academy.
Once the academy was renovated and expanded, some of the new recruits could be drawn from these sources.
Only some, however, because Shinho also planned to conduct a large-scale aptitude test among the common citizens of the Land of Fire.
All children with shinobi talent would be given the opportunity to enroll.
It was a massive undertaking, but there was plenty of time to implement it gradually.
"The third issue is institutional restructuring in the Land of Fire. I will address the remaining issues later. For now, establish the Department of Commerce," Shinho ordered. "Aunt Mikoto, notify the necessary parties."
With the officials already under control, there would be no major issues in the short term.
For now, generating revenue was the priority.
Both the reconstruction of Konoha and the modernization of the Land of Fire required substantial funds.
"Yes!"
Uchiha Mikoto's eyes lit up as she quickly responded.
The head of Konoha's Department of Commerce was Uchiha Izumi.
She hadn't accompanied them on this mission.
From Konoha to the Land of Fire, this increase in authority was immense.
The Uchiha clan alone, with Uchiha Izumi at the helm, would have more than enough to live comfortably in the future.
"That's all for now. You may all return."
Shinho had many plans, but he couldn't rush things.
The Land of Fire was vast. Even with the Sharingan, a tool akin to a cheat code, it would take considerable time to bring everything under control.
The grand hall soon became empty.
Only the Uchiha shinobi remained.
Shinho was contemplating a significant decision.
Should he relocate Konoha here?
After all, the distance between Konoha and the capital of the Land of Fire was considerable.
After a brief moment of thought, Shinho made up his mind.
Now that the Land of Fire was under his control, as its daimyo, he couldn't remain in Konoha.
The village should indeed be moved— but not entirely.
In the future, Konoha could serve as a residential area for the families of shinobi.
Distance wouldn't be an issue.
Once Ancour vantian was operational, travel time between locations would be significantly reduced.
Moreover, Shinho remembered that there were Gu insects with teleportation-like abilities.
Once he acquired them, things would become even more convenient.
Of course, all of this would have to wait until after Konoha's reconstruction.
Shinho's focus remained on Konoha, not the Land of Fire.
Especially since the Akatsuki still posed a significant threat, and other villages such as Kumogakure were still active.
"Aunt Mikoto, I'm returning to Konoha tomorrow. The capital will be under your care for now," Shinho said after a brief pause. "Just make sure the officials and generals remain under control."
"I understand."
Uchiha Mikoto nodded.
The next day.
As the sun rose, the news of Shinho's appointment as the daimyo of the Land of Fire spread across the shinobi world.
Although the common folk remained unaware that their leadership had changed, the major nations and shinobi villages had already received the news.
Kumogakre, Raikage's Office
"Has Konoha lost its mind?"
The Fourth Raikage asked, baffled.
Although he was brash and bold, at most, he had only ever considered threatening the daimyo of the Land of Lightningm, never outright replacing him.
"They've definitely gone mad," Samui said, arms crossed, her tone cold. "I suspect we'll soon receive orders from the daimyo of the Land of Lightning."
Attacking daimyos and nobility was a line no shinobi was supposed to cross.
Anyone who broke this rule would face a united retaliation.
"Although I don't know why Shinho would make such a reckless move, it's good news for us," Mabui said with a rare smile on her otherwise serious face. "Once we've dealt with the Akatsuki, we can turn around and destroy Konoha."
"Well said!"
The Fourth Raikage laughed heartily. "I'm sure Iwagakure and Kirigakure will be eager to join us."
"Shinho may be strong, but he's not invincible," Mabui said confidently. "If we unite the shinobi world, we can definitely defeat him."
"Let's not be hasty with Konoha," the Fourth Raikage said, frowning. "Have we located the Akatsuki yet?"
"No."
Mabui's expression darkened. "I suspect they have powerful sensory abilities."
"Time is of the essence," the Fourth Raikage said, frustrated. "The longer this drags on, the more danger Yugito is in."
"I understand!"
Mabui's tone was heavy with worry.
Two-Tails' Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, had been missing for months. No one knew her current condition.
Perhaps... No. It couldn't be.
Mabui quickly pushed the thought from her mind.
She, Samui, and Yugito Nii had grown up together, like sisters. She was the one who most dreaded anything happening to Yugito.
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