Chapter 136: From Now On, We're All One of Us
Uchiha Dali was in the Hokage's office, reading through intelligence reports sent back by the Anbu.
At that moment, one of his subordinates entered to report.
"Lord Fourth, the Daimyō of the Land of Water and the Land of Wind have arrived."
"Mm, let them in."
Uchiha Dali had already sensed their familiar chakra signatures. He nodded to his subordinate while keeping his gaze on the intel file.
The information itself was straightforward—it detailed the movements of the Land of Lightning, the Land of Earth, and a few smaller nations.
Sensing an impending threat, those smaller countries were attempting to form an alliance with the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth to resist the Land of Fire.
Such behavior was utterly foolish and laughable.
Uchiha Dali didn't even know how to describe the idiocy of those small nations' daimyō.
"When facing an opponent you can't beat, your first thought isn't to negotiate or compromise but to resist? How foolish…"
He muttered to himself, not bothering to lower his voice.
And right at that moment, Rasa and Yagura entered the room.
The two of them clearly heard Uchiha Dali's remark.
Yet, they had no choice but to pretend they hadn't and respectfully stepped forward to greet him.
"Lord Fourth Hokage."
"Oh, it's you two. Perfect timing."
"Go call everyone to a meeting," Uchiha Dali instructed an Anbu member nearby.
Soon, the key jōnin of Konoha were gathered in the meeting room.
Uchiha Dali got straight to the point and tossed the intel report onto the table.
"The Land of Grass, the Land of Waterfalls, the Land of Hot Water… these small nations really don't know what's good for them."
"Our people have gathered intel indicating that they actually plan to ally with those two great nations and oppose us to the very end."
"I want each of you to share your thoughts. What do you make of this?"
With that, Uchiha Dali sat down, crossed his legs, and waited.
The other shinobi all exchanged glances.
Everyone knew that this Fourth Hokage was immensely powerful.
And since he spoke in this manner, it was clear he was preparing to use force.
Hyūga Hiashi was the first to speak. "Lord Fourth Hokage, are you suggesting we launch a military strike against them?"
Uchiha Dali simply glanced at him meaningfully and said nothing.
Then he turned his attention to the others.
Akimichi Choza thought for a moment and then exhaled heavily. "These small nations are short-sighted and ignorant. They think that by joining forces with those two great nations they can stand against us. That's nothing more than a fool's dream."
"But Lord Fourth, our original plan was to subdue them without a fight—to let them witness the development and might of Konoha, of the alliance between the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Water."
"If we move against them now, won't that waste all the time and effort we've invested in our preparations?"
Choza's words weren't without merit.
But Uchiha Dali merely responded with a silent smile, just as he had with Hiashi.
Then he looked to the rest of the shinobi.
Yamanaka Inoichi pondered for a moment, then asked curiously, "Lord Fourth Hokage, are you planning to let those small nations join forces with the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth unchecked?"
"What I need now is for you to share your thoughts—not to ask for mine," Uchiha Dali finally responded.
Upon hearing this, the room once again buzzed with low murmurs.
Meanwhile, Rasa and Yagura, who had also been invited to the meeting, remained silent as they still considered themselves outsiders.
So at this moment, they simply observed from the sidelines without expressing any opinions.
That was when Uchiha Dali's gaze fell on the two of them.
"Why aren't you two saying anything?"
Upon hearing that, all the shinobi present turned their attention to Rasa and Yagura.
The two of them smiled awkwardly. Rasa responded, "Lord Fourth Hokage, wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to speak on such matters in this setting?"
"Yes, Lord Fourth Hokage. After all, we're merely vassal states…" Yagura started to say, but Uchiha Dali waved a hand to cut him off.
"Enough. Don't bring up those meaningless distinctions."
Uchiha Dali swept his gaze over the room and continued, "Since the two of you have truly submitted, then the Land of Water and the Land of Wind are henceforth part of a unified whole with the Land of Fire."
"That makes all of us one and the same—there's no issue of what's appropriate or not."
"Oh right, since everyone's here, why don't you two take this opportunity to introduce yourselves?"
It was supposed to be a formal meeting, yet suddenly he was asking for self-introductions.
Such a capricious move.
But it was Uchiha Dali issuing the command.
Who present would dare defy him?
Even setting aside whether or not they could beat Uchiha Dali, just looking at how much benefit they had already received from him—who would be foolish enough to make an enemy of him?
Rasa had once been the Kazekage of the modest Sunagakure.
While his position looked prestigious on the surface, he had always been shackled—at the mercy of the Land of Wind's daimyō, forced to play the sycophant in front of the nobles.
Yagura had been in an even worse position.
If Uchiha Dali hadn't shown up in Kirigakure when he did, Yagura would have become nothing more than the puppet of that man who called himself Uchiha Madara.
Later, under Uchiha Dali's guidance, Yagura even went on to bring the entire Land of Water under the control of Kirigakure.
Now, he wasn't just the honored Mizukage, but also the daimyō of the Land of Water.
His status was second only to Uchiha Dali himself—far more esteemed than when he had merely been Mizukage.
Under such circumstances, how could they possibly go against Uchiha Dali?
Rasa was the first to stand up.
"Greetings, everyone. I am Rasa, former Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure. I now serve as the daimyō of the Land of Wind, under the command of the Fourth Hokage of the Land of Fire, Uchiha Dali."
The surrounding shinobi were all visibly moved by how well Rasa phrased his introduction.
Uchiha Dali, too, revealed a satisfied smile.
Next up was Yagura.
He didn't falter in the slightest.
Following Rasa's example, he introduced himself in a similar tone and likewise emphasized that he served under Uchiha Dali's banner.
Once both of them had finished their introductions, Hyūga Hiashi, Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Choza, and the other jōnin also voluntarily stood up one by one and introduced themselves.
A moment later, the round of introductions was complete.
Only then did Uchiha Dali speak again.
"See? That's better. Now everyone knows each other. When you come to Konoha in the future, there's no need to be so reserved. As I said before, the fact that I've invited you here for this meeting means there are no outsiders present."
"Now, you may all speak freely."
Uchiha Dali looked over at Rasa and Yagura.
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