Human desires are like a rolling stone down a mountain; once they start, they cannot be stopped.
People who witness others unearthing treasures, under the allure of a gold mine, will inevitably be unable to sit still. They will grow anxious, even leading their entire families to clear wasteland overnight.
Immediately, a gold rush will break out in the lands needing to be cleared.
Profit can drive even the laziest to cultivate barren land.
If you pay them to clear land, they'll work sporadically.
But if they believe there's a mine in the wasteland, driven by rumors, they'll desire to get rich overnight.
Later, Tsukuyo instructed the Daimyo to order his subordinates to bury gold in different locations, further solidifying the belief among those uninitiated commoners that a gold mine truly existed there.
This not only saved a significant amount of money for land reclamation but also successfully cleared the wasteland.
However…
This was not the end.
The most sinister part had just begun.
The Daimyo hired commoners to clear land on his private estate.
However, those commoners, without permission, secretly went to the Daimyo's land to pan for gold, which naturally violated the rules.
The Daimyo had the right to send people to arrest them and order them to hand over all the treasures they had found.
In essence, not a single penny was spent; commoners helped clear the wasteland for free, and even the gold and silver they dug up had to be returned.
When the Daimyo first heard this scheme, he felt sweat trickle down his back, his face filled with horror.
But the Daimyo had to admit that following Tsukuyo's instructions, he could indeed achieve the most efficient land reclamation with the least amount of wages.
After that, the Daimyo, under the charge of theft, sent soldiers to arrest all those who had found gold and silver.
Then it was confirmed that the 'gold and silver' were merely other heavy objects plated with gold, not actual gold or silver. Using this as a pretext, he framed the ignorant commoners who had dug them up, accusing them of embezzlement.
Unable to return the 'money' to the Daimyo, the ignorant commoners had to sign servitude contracts, selling themselves to compensate, becoming free labor to work for the Daimyo forever.
The Daimyo followed Tsukuyo's steps, proceeding cautiously and strategically.
Ultimately, the necessary projects were completed without spending any money, and the victims even had to pay out of their own pockets.
Through this incident, the Daimyo became fascinated by Tsukuyo's wickedness and initiated a deeper and more covert cooperation with the Senju clan.
Whenever he encountered a problem, the Daimyo would come to Tsukuyo for consultation.
In the course of these interactions, many things transpired.
Tsukuyo helped the Daimyo solve countless troubles.
Following that incident where a group of ignorant commoners was exploited without cost.
When parts of the Land of Fire suffered a locust plague, Tsukuyo dispatched her animal legion, sending insect-eating animals to resolve the plague, once again assisting the Daimyo.
Because of these various trivial matters.
The relationship between the Senju clan and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire grew increasingly close.
The Daimyo's visits to the Senju clan always occurred during his 'recuperation' period, which seemed perfectly reasonable.
Naturally, and gradually, the Daimyo grew to trust the Senju clan more and more, and the issue of the Fujiwara family, long buried in his heart, slowly surfaced.
The Daimyo desired real power; the Fujiwara family controlled the entire Daimyo's estate, using the Daimyo as a puppet, which he could not tolerate.
However, the Fujiwara family was deeply entrenched; shaking them was easier said than done.
Tsukuyo advised the Daimyo to be patient; this would require time and gradual effort.
Tsukuyo had already demonstrated her capabilities to the Daimyo through her actions.
In the current ninja world, the common folk are unsophisticated. The Five Great Nations and various smaller nations around them are still at the stage of mutual conquest and exploitation of their respective commoners.
The major ninja clans were also like this; they fought fiercely amongst themselves, but were also sufficiently unsophisticated.
Tsukuyo, dealing with these illiterate commoners and ninjas whose minds were solely focused on combat, truly had a knack for trapping them every single time.
Even groups like the Nara clan, who prided themselves on being a high-IQ ninja clan, would fall for her schemes disastrously.
"…Lord Daimyo, you only need to cultivate talents loyal to you. Right now, everyone around you is theirs. To put it bluntly… I can help you eliminate them all, but after that, you will face the dilemma of having no one to rely on."
Tsukuyo lowered her voice, softly offering her suggestion.
"You speak wisely." The Daimyo listened with unusual seriousness, saying helplessly, "I, too, have considered that. It is as you say, but cultivating talent is not an overnight task…"
Tsukuyo smiled slightly. "You only need to find sufficiently loyal confidants and send them to me. I can help you cultivate them. However, if you require my assistance in enhancing their abilities, you will need to pay more. Even close kin settle accounts clearly, so as not to let money affect the relationship between the Senju clan and yourself. What do you think?"
The Daimyo pondered for a moment, then nodded, "What you say is feasible. I will make arrangements. Money is not an issue."
Tomorrow, this round of the Daimyo's recuperation period would end, and he would have to return to the capital to handle state affairs.
The three discussed strategies until late into the night.
Only after the discussion concluded did the Daimyo depart.
Not until the Daimyo had left.
Senju Butsuma, who had been listening in, finally spoke, "Be careful. If we help him deal with the Fujiwara family, we might just become the next Fujiwara family ourselves."
"Heh~ Father, he won't have the chance."
A gentle, benevolent smile appeared on Tsukuyo's face.
"Our immediate priority is to unite the ninja clans. But this will not be a hasty unification; they must join willingly."
"In this world, there is no eternal friendship, only eternal interest. Currently, we have a cooperative relationship of mutual utilization."
"Our Senju clan is understaffed. We cannot manage the entire Land of Fire; it's already quite difficult to manage our own small plot of land. We cannot devour it all at once; we can only consume it slowly."
"There's no hurry, Father. That day will come soon enough."
…
Senju Wakama stared boredly at the ceiling, unsure when he had fallen asleep.
In the middle of the night, Senju Wakama suddenly awoke from a dream.
He felt a heavy weight on his chest. Raising his eyes, he saw a petite figure kneeling on his chest.
Senju Wakama: "!!!!!"
Upon closer inspection, Senju Wakama recognized the face of the little 'bean-sprout' sitting on his chest.
Wasn't this Aburame Aoi, the 'loli elder sister' who loved eating insects?
Aburame Aoi had snuck into his room, but Brother Zetsu hadn't warned him immediately.
Either Brother Zetsu was out, or Aburame Aoi posed no danger to Senju Wakama.
"Oh, it's Miss Aoi," Senju Wakama said, feigning sleepiness. "Isn't it a bit impolite to just sneak into my residence like this?"
Aburame Aoi, however, crawled off Senju Wakama and prostrated herself on the bed, bowing deeply to him.
"Please, Senju Wakama, help me." Aburame Aoi's voice was flat, just as usual.
It sounded dry and emotionless, but it seemed to be a serious matter.
Senju Wakama couldn't help but sit up on the bed, his face filled with confusion. "Miss Aoi, what is it you're talking about?"
Aburame Aoi's voice remained devoid of emotional fluctuation. "Would you… have a child with me?"
Senju Wakama: "???"
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