The fragile Ninja Clan Alliance, painstakingly stitched together by the late Hyuga Clan Head, had grown increasingly ambitious after forming a Coalition Force to defeat Iwagakure and enjoying the banquet of dividing up the Herb Country.
However, due to various complications, specific territorial divisions and profit allocations in the Herb Country remained undecided when the Coalition Force hastily withdrew back to their villages.
Although the clan leaders outwardly maintained composed appearances, deep down they were all anxious whether Hyuga Soushu would secretly keep more for himself or show favoritism during resource distribution.
Therefore, the day after the century wedding, led by the Uchiha Clan Leader, clan heads once again collectively visited the Hyuga District under the pretense of offering congratulations, and were received by Hyuga Soushu.
"Unity among ninja clans is essential!"
After everyone settled onto the cushions inside the reception hall of the clan mansion, Soushu began directly: "Especially now that each clan has dispatched members for external expansion, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We cannot allow one bad apple to ruin our entire pot of rice!"
"Exactly!"
"That's right!"
"Very reasonable!"
While somewhat puzzled about his meaning, the clan leaders nodded in agreement since Soushu's words represented perfectly acceptable political rhetoric.
Soushu was well pleased with their responses.
At least, regardless of what these people might personally think, on the surface they still showed proper deference, and every leader had publicly voiced support—which was sufficient.
After all, actions speak louder than intentions; there's no need to demand genuine heartfelt obedience.
"I know you're probably feeling rather discontented inside, right?"
Hyuga Soushu gestured with both hands for quiet before continuing, "But such is the era we live in—those who fail to accept this reality will simply be eliminated. Also according to our principle of clan equality, any family that believes it has been treated unfairly may approach me privately after this meeting. The Hyuga will assist if possible; this goes without saying."
"Uh..."
The assembled clan leaders exchanged glances, uncertain whether Soushu referred specifically to Herb Country resource allocation or borderland outpost assignments.
"Do any of you gentlemen have objections?" Soushu scanned left and right slowly while asking, "Feel free to raise them openly! There won't be any issues!"
"No objections!"
The clan leaders all shook their heads immediately.
Raise concerns? No issues? How about adding that there won't be any retaliation afterward either?
They'd sooner believe Hiruzen Sarutobi is actually the strongest Hokage ever!
"Excellent!"
Soushu nodded very contentedly before snapping his fingers sharply.
Immediately, a serving Hyuga ninja hung up behind him a Land of Earth map covered with densely packed boundary lines.
All clan leaders instantly became alert.
Judging from appearances, those marked boundaries clearly indicated territory divisions!
This confirmed as well that Soushu indeed had no intention of hoarding everything for himself.
Thus, the clan leaders finally relaxed, letting go of the anxiety that had gripped their hearts.
"Now the biggest pity is that due to Hokage-sama's orders, we can't launch attacks on our originally planned expansion targets—the Land of Rain and the Land of Waterfall."
After the map of Herb Country had been properly hung up, Hyuga Soushu's opening words were clearly an incitement.
The clan leaders understood his intention well, but they still nodded in agreement one by one.
Losing benefits that once seemed firmly within our grasp was even more agonizing than watching a sure thing slip through your fingers!
"Back when we still had a military presence in the Herb Country's hidden village, I proposed two strategies. Now that some time has passed, which method do you gentlemen consider superior?"
Hyuga Soushu asked, "Shall we go independent or pool resources?"
This time, all the clan leaders remained silent.
In principle, none of them were really willing to pursue joint investment.
Since the Warring Clans era, it had always been tradition for stronger ninja clans to swallow weaker ones. Even though this was now the era of civilized Hidden Villages, considering how crucial this matter was to their respective clans' futures, none of these clan leaders had any interest in placing their family interests into the mouths of the Hyuga to test how sincere they truly were.
Although there wasn't an exact proverb like "don't put yourself in harm's way" in the ninja world, the logic behind it was well understood.
As a result, the atmosphere inside the reception hall suddenly became tense.
"If that's the case," Hyuga Soushu immediately broke through this awkward moment, "then let's draw lots according to each clan's shares!"
He ordered attending ninja servants to bring forth a leaden box, explaining: "Inside are numbered tokens representing each territory. Each clan shall draw a corresponding number according to its share—every clan will receive at least one territory!"
"What do you think?"
Having spoken, Hyuga Soushu once again swept his gaze across this relieved but disunited group.
Immediately, Uchiha Clan Leader stood up first, walking directly toward the leaden box and drawing the appropriate lot according to Uchiha Clan's allotted share.
"This scattered and fragmented situation..."
Examining his drawn results while comparing them with the displayed map of Herb Country's territories hanging on the wall, Uchiha Clan Leader couldn't help knitting his brows in concern. According to Uchiha Clan's assigned military quota, he had drawn several lots—but these randomly determined territories were isolated from each other instead of forming contiguous holdings.
From their past experience managing tax regions in the Land of Lightning, the Uchiha knew full well that concentrated control offered the greatest efficiency—and biggest savings. These fragmented territories certainly posed hidden obstacles to effective Uchiha governance.
Certainly, although this distribution method wasn't perfect, it represented the fairest approach possible under current circumstances—after all, fortune was seen as a kind of strength too.
The leaden lottery box effectively prevented most forms of chakra-based espionage. Everyone here was shrewd and seasoned; no one would dare try any tricks with so many sharp minds watching closely. Therefore, despite Uchiha Clan Leader's dissatisfaction with the results, he could only silently swallow his displeasure.
Other clan leaders similarly recognized the limitations inherent in this lottery system, yet they too chose silence without objection—collectively accepting this outcome.
No matter how the final lottery turned out, the fact that Hyuga Soushu—a figure of great influence in Konoha and possessing immense prestige—was willing to handle matters this way was already a significant gesture. If someone were foolish enough to reject this face-saving opportunity, they'd likely end up in serious trouble.
Thus, one by one, the clan heads approached the iron box, drawing numbered tokens—each number matched to its corresponding territory.
As expected, the results brought both joy and disappointment, but no one voiced any objections.
That was more than enough.
"Now that all of you clan leaders have drawn your territorial codes," continued Hyuga Soushu, paying no heed to their private thoughts, "what remains belongs to the Hyuga Clan."
"But I also have another proposal," he added.
Now we're getting to the good part!
The gathered clan heads leaned in, holding their breath, hanging onto his every word.
"I intend to establish an open capital corporation under the Hyuga name. If any of you are interested, feel free to invest. It could bring us all unprecedented profits."
Hyuga Soushu tossed the idea into the air like a grenade. He didn't explain what this "corporation" actually was, nor did he clarify its purpose.
Once again, the clan leaders looked at each other, confused and uncertain.
"Clan Leader Soushu," asked the Uchiha Clan Head—the only one among them whose status and authority could rival Soushu's—"what is the nature of this company, and what purpose would it serve? And what benefits could it possibly bring to us?"
"Coin minting. Banknote printing."
Hyuga Soushu uttered those two phrases slowly.
A stunned silence immediately filled the room.
Coin minting!?
This was a direct assault on the very pillars supporting the daimyos and noble houses!
Needless to say, although the paper currency issued by the Five Great Countries in the Ninja World was generally accepted across nations, even the frequent coexistence of multiple currencies along border regions relied entirely on solid Gold Kan reserves held by the great nations, backed by the noble daimyos' reputations.
More precisely, even the paper currency issued by the daimyos ultimately rested upon sufficient Gold Kan reserves.
Therefore, in essence, it functioned as an advanced form of gold-backed exchange medium. Its widespread acceptance stemmed largely from the trust ordinary people and merchants placed in the noble families, as well as the recognition and adoption of these notes by dominant military forces—including ninja groups—across the lands. This allowed currency to transcend borders and spread far and wide.
Moreover, the reason the one-village-one-nation system rapidly reshaped the warring state landscape was not only because feuding clans had found political affiliations, but also because a unified monetary system had been established and universally recognized by the strongest martial forces in the ninja world.
Therefore, what Hyuga Soushu was doing now was nothing short of digging up the very cornerstone of peace in the ninja world!
"Ninja clans do not hold enough Gold Kans as reserves, and even if we did discover some, no one would be willing to use them," interjected the Uchiha Clan Head once more.
And that's exactly what every single clan leader was silently asking themselves.
Even after forcing the Land of Lightning to surrender, the Ninja Clans and individual Ninja from Konoha involved in the war reaped huge profits. The Hyuga Clan, which monopolized control over the occupied territories, especially gained immense wealth. Yet regardless of how much gold and silver they acquired, these precious metals were insufficient for establishing a universal currency.
If the paper currency couldn't achieve universal circulation, its very existence would become meaningless. Ninja fully understood that the actual reserves of gold kan held by each nation's daimyo could not comprehensively cover all the paper currency circulating in the market. Yet within the established framework of peace and order, people tacitly accepted this reality—after all, the supply of precious metal resources in the ninja world wasn't endless.
Based on these practical bottlenecks, even though everyone knew their banknotes might not always be exchangeable for gold kan at face value, when paying taxes or purchasing goods, those notes still met every need. Thus, people simply continued using them without resistance.
After all, in the general perception, if things really went south, someone bigger would always step up to handle it.
"Why must we necessarily use gold kan as reserves?"
Hyuga Soushu countered with a question.
"That..."
The Uchiha Clan Leader found himself speechless.
Leaving aside whether something like that would even work, who in their right mind would accept so-called corporate banknotes issued by a Capital Corporation outside the Land of Fire and the sphere of influence of the Ninja Clans? Would they really resort to forcing acceptance through ninjas' kunai and explosive tags?
Why not just kill anyone who refused to comply?
Ninjas chose to obey aristocratic daimyos lacking martial prowess not merely because of the illusory prestige granted by noble bloodlines, but also because the one-village-one-nation system had indeed brought temporary peace; if they directly turned blades against those aristocrats...
It had only been thirty-nine years since the end of the Warring Clans Period, and Clan Heads still remembered the brutal days clearly enough.
" Fifteen districts in total within the Land of Lightning occupation zone, plus buffer states like the Land of Rice Fields, along with the Herb Country already falling into our hands, and the upcoming control of the Land of Rivers by the Uchiha Clan,"
Hyuga Soushu counted on his fingers: "Without even considering land fertility, judging purely from territory size, the lands controlled or about to be controlled by our various families probably amount to roughly one-tenth of the entire continent in the ninja world."
"That's certainly true."
The Clan Heads nodded one after another.
So what does all that have to do with issuing paper money?
"We must first affirm that ninja clan governance is merciful, sustainable, and great"
Hyuga Soushu gave himself and the others a head start on moral justification, staking out the high ground: "Take an example—measured from commoners' standard of living, ninja clan rule is clearly superior to aristocratic exploitation."
"At least they now have jobs and food to eat."
When it came to firsthand knowledge on this matter, the Uchiha Clan had the most authority—they'd already taken control of one tax region in the Land of Lightning.
The reason was simple—the civilians in the tax regions of the Land of Lightning were merely production tools within a contracted period. Therefore, the ninja clans in control wouldn't damage their own tools for no reason. Quite the opposite—just like any other valuable tool, to ensure these "means of production" could continue functioning and achieve long-term maximization of resources, managers preferred providing food at minimal cost, maintaining the basic survival needs of these "tools." After all, to maximize long-term returns, they had to keep these human resources alive and functional.
In short, nobles weren't necessary. Without nobles, ninja clans were still fully capable of maintaining administrative control.
"However," Hyuga Soushu raised his finger solemnly, "whether it's the tax regions, military zones, territories controlled by individual clans, or even future military-controlled areas, they will all face one problem."
"That is," he continued, "who will buy the goods produced from each clan's territory, and how exactly should we sell them?"
"Furthermore, with massive supply of goods, our self-issued currency will hold purchasing power that rivals those of the major nations—at least in certain areas."
"This is the cornerstone of the plan!"
"Using commodities as backing for issuing paper money."
Uchiha Clan Leader murmured thoughtfully.
Though still not fully comprehending, the more he considered, the more feasible this plan seemed.
"If that's the case, the Uchiha Clan wouldn't mind lending General Soushu a helping hand!"
The Uchiha Clan Leader responded first.
"We fully support General Soushu's wise decision!"
Once the Uchiha Clan had chosen to join, the subordinate ninja clans naturally didn't mind following suit.
And those clan heads who originally maintained neutrality or opposition began wavering immediately.
"We are willing to join."
Even though they still didn't quite understand, nearly all the clan leaders agreed to join the capital group proposed by Hyuga Soushu, following the down-to-earth philosophy: do it if you understand, and learn along the way if you don't.
"Thank you, noble clan heads, for your wisdom and vision in joining this grand endeavor. We can discuss specific details tomorrow!"
Hyuga Soushu responded very satisfactorily.
After all, today was the second day after his wedding. He certainly didn't want to waste too much time continuing discussions with these cunning clan heads.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>