The name "Yellow Flash" once again echoed across the shinobi world.
Single-handedly, he repelled the Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, cementing his status as a Kage-level powerhouse.
On the battlefield, encountering the "Yellow Flash" meant you were allowed to abandon your mission immediately—without consequences.
His prestige wasn't limited to the battlefield, in Konohagakure, he was just as revered. The tales of Namikaze Minato, the Yellow Flash, spread like wildfire among the villagers.
A shinobi from a civilian background, he became an idol for all civilian-born ninjas. Riding this wave of fame, he was now firmly among the candidates for Hokage.
...
The Daimyō's Residence in the Land of Rivers
Danzo stared at the bloated, panic-stricken old man before him.
"W-What do you want? Are you shinobi from Konoha or Sunagakure? This is the Daimyō's residence—you have no right to act recklessly here!"
Despite his loud outburst, the fear in his trembling voice was unmistakable.
A Root member appeared in the hall in a blur, kneeling before Danzo.
"Sir, it's been taken care of. The Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Finance have both agreed to support the second prince."
Danzo barely spared a glance at the pale-faced Daimyō. "Get rid of him too."
"N-No… Don't…! You dare seize control of a nation?! The Five Great Shinobi Nations won't let you get away with—!"
The old man's desperate screams faded as his body slowly sank into the garden soil outside the hall.
...
Danzo's Strategy
A masked shinobi knelt before Danzo. "We've secured the key cities of the Land of Rivers, and trade routes have been reopened. However, with such large-scale movements, Lady Tsunade is bound to take notice."
The covert operations had been too extensive to go unnoticed by the Land of Rivers' military commander—Tsunade.
Danzo settled into the Daimyō's seat, unconcerned. "It's fine. Stick to the plan—I'll handle Tsunade."
He had planned this long before the war began: securing a small nation as a fallback base.
Originally, the targets had been the Land of Waves or the Land of Birds—both minor nations that wouldn't attract too much attention.
But as the war progressed, the Land of Rivers became the perfect choice.
Roughly one-tenth the size of the Land of Fire, it bordered the Lands of Fire, Wind, and Rain. Three great rivers cut across its terrain, giving the country its name.
Its northern coast faced the sea, and aside from the one-third of its land near the Land of Wind, which was a barren wasteland, the rest was fertile and arable.
Had it not been caught between two great nations—lacking sovereignty and constantly ravaged by war—the Land of Rivers would have been an excellent place to settle.
...
The Land of Rivers Under Root's Control
Not long after, the newly appointed Daimyō of the Land of Rivers personally sent a letter to Konoha's field commander, Tsunade, requesting assistance in eradicating bandits and rogue shinobi.
Naturally, Danzo took charge of the mission.
In just half a month, not only were the bandits and thieves wiped out, but many rogue ninjas who had deserted during the war were also "processed" as valuable resources.
Some missing-nin, forced into a corner, retaliated—killing noble families and looting their wealth before escaping the Land of Rivers, never to be seen again.
With the influx of grain and manpower brought in by the Trading Company, Root successfully took control of three cities and eleven prosperous towns.
In just a month, the Land of Rivers was fully operational under Root's administration.
The population count came in at just under 100,000. Even with the steady influx of people from trade caravans, the total estimate was only around 150,000.
Given the country's vast lands, even discounting the desert region unsuitable for farming, it was still sparsely populated.
Like most small nations, those who had a chance to leave rarely stayed.
However, because this was wartime, when the Land of Rivers resumed stable commercial activity, refugees began arriving alongside trade caravans.
Most came from the war-torn Lands of Fields and Waves—small nations still ravaged by conflict.
The Land of Rivers welcomed them all, assigning land for farming.
As for spies? There was little concern. Unlike the great nations, no one saw the Land of Rivers as a strategic priority—it didn't even have its own hidden village.
...
Economic Boom and Foreign Intrigue
With Root's Eastern River Trading Company profiting immensely from the Land of Rivers, other merchants from the Land of Fire quickly caught wind of the opportunity—like sharks drawn to blood.
One after another, trade caravans arrived, bringing goods into the Land of Rivers.
For a nation of barely 150,000 people, its purchasing power seemed strangely high.
Grain, textiles, timber, ceramics—anything brought into the Land of Rivers could turn a profit.
At the same time, merchants transported back rare resources—copper, magnetite, and other valuable ores that were scarce in the Land of Fire.
Some particularly shrewd traders, sensing the potential, bypassed the Land of Rivers entirely—heading straight for the Land of Wind, where they could sell their goods for even greater profits.
But they soon learned the hard way.
Though the war had ended, the Land of Wind was still filled with desperate civilians, bandits, and rogue shinobi.
Any merchant unlucky enough to run into those who harbored resentment toward the Land of Fire… would never leave the desert alive.
The brutal lessons learned in blood quickly dissuaded merchants from attempting the route again.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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