Senju Tobirama watched as his older brother, Senju Hashirama, walked out of the room, his resolve hardening.
He then summoned the ANBU ninja standing guard outside the door.
...
Two days later...
Akatsuki Village
Seven in the morning.
Uchiha Makoto's drowsy eyes slowly opened. He sat up, looking at the utter mess on the floor of the room.
"Who am I?"
"Where am I?"
"..."
He subconsciously rubbed his lower back, his mind conjuring several of humanity's ultimate questions.
A few seconds later, Uchiha Makoto's consciousness returned.
Ever since he and Uzumaki Tsubaki returned to his large villa, they had barely left the bed except for mealtimes. It took two full days of frenzied activity to satisfy Uzumaki Tsubaki... Being from the Uzumaki clan, her stamina was truly formidable.
He had been away for four months, and Uzumaki Tsubaki had indeed been feeling quite repressed at home.
More importantly...
She still had no children.
The Uzumaki clan was, after all, a ninja clan with a thousand-year heritage. Such a prominent clan naturally had its own set of survival rules.
Within the clan...
The most important rule was that after marriage, one must have children as soon as possible.
A boy was best, but a girl was also acceptable. In any case, a child had to be born.
The brutal death rate for ninja in the Warring States Period had taught a harsh lesson to those clans that didn't care about continuing their lineage.
The customs of the Warring States still lingered.
Uzumaki Tsubaki had been immersed in this from a young age and was heavily influenced by it.
Of course, Uchiha Makoto was more inclined to attribute it to the suggestive, not-for-children content that Uzumaki Shinji would cryptically include in the letters he wrote to Uzumaki Tsubaki every month.
However, Uchiha Makoto had now entered a brief period of sage-like clarity, and he had no intention of staying cooped up in the room any longer.
Logically speaking...
He and Akatsuki Village had caused such a huge stir throughout the ninja world, and many people would be restless because of it.
And that was indeed the case.
Now that Uchiha Makoto was back in Akatsuki Village, a large group of people was waiting for an audience with him. It wasn't right to keep them waiting.
And...
Uzumaki Tsubaki would be waking up again soon.
So... time to get to work!
Just like that, Uchiha Makoto returned to his familiar Light Shadow Office.
Since Uchiha Makoto had not publicly announced when he would return to his duties, those who wanted to meet with him appeared punctually in the Light Shadow Building's reception hall every day, staying for the entire day.
Right now, a crowd of people was waiting for him in the reception hall.
"Kazuma, inform them."
"Tell them to prepare. I plan to meet with them."
Uchiha Makoto sat in his office chair and gave orders to Kazuma. Kazuma then left the Light Shadow Office, went to the reception hall, and announced Uchiha Makoto's command to the waiting people.
The first people Uchiha Makoto met were representatives of the small ninja factions scattered throughout the Land of Fire. Due to the sudden rise of Akatsuki Village, the situation from the original story where Konoha was the sole dominant power in the Land of Fire no longer existed.
These small ninja factions scattered across the Land of Fire naturally seized this rare opportunity to play both sides, skillfully becoming wall-sitters. They would normally never come to Akatsuki Village with such reverence.
It was Akatsuki Village's great victory that made more of them flock over.
Konoha's performance in the war was a true disservice to its reputation and power in the Land of Fire and even the entire ninja world. In contrast, Akatsuki Village, which had always been in a weaker position in the Land of Fire, had risen to prominence, making the entire ninja world take notice.
This was too powerful a backer to have.
So powerful it was beyond anything they had ever imagined.
...
"Too close to Konoha, too far from Akatsuki Village!"
"All glory to Akatsuki Village!"
"..."
As soon as these representatives from the small ninja factions entered, they couldn't wait to shower Uchiha Makoto with a wave of praise for Akatsuki Village, providing emotional value in spades.
However, Uchiha Makoto only symbolically listened to their meaningless bureaucratic nonsense.
Since these turncoats truly intended to pledge their allegiance, he couldn't let them get away with half-hearted measures as they had in the past few years... He simply hadn't had the time or energy to deal with them before. Now, Uchiha Makoto had all the time in the world to sort them out.
Uchiha Makoto bluntly stated Akatsuki Village's stance.
The first point was the issue of ninja headbands.
Although these guys were currently wearing Akatsuki Village headbands, they usually carried two sets with them—one for Konoha and one for Akatsuki Village.
This situation would absolutely not be tolerated in the future!
Secondly, over the next few months, Akatsuki Village would continuously dispatch its own ninja to be stationed in their territories to supervise and assist them in implementing the various orders from Akatsuki Village headquarters.
Furthermore, these small ninja factions must also send a portion of their young disciples to Akatsuki Village's ninja academy each year for unified, militarized ninja education.
This barrage of demands left the representatives of the small ninja factions looking at each other in dismay. They clearly realized that Uchiha Makoto was playing for keeps and intended to formally incorporate them into Akatsuki Village's administrative system. The good old days of being two-timers, playing Konoha and Akatsuki Village against each other, and selectively accepting high-paying, low-difficulty missions were gone forever.
They were clearly unwilling to give up their past autonomy so easily.
"What, are you unwilling?"
Facing the hesitant representatives, Uchiha Makoto just slightly expressed his displeasure.
Immediately, a clever person began to state his position: "We will follow Akatsuki Village's lead!" This then spurred everyone else in the room to accept Uchiha Makoto's terms of incorporation.
After all, they were too weak and had no bargaining chips. Akatsuki Village and Konoha were two behemoths, and they had seen the ruthless methods used to clear out opposition when the villages were founded. The small ninja factions that had managed to take root in the Land of Fire had all been swept through once; they all knew how to read the situation... Those unwilling to accept their fate had either been eliminated long ago or had already fled the Land of Fire.
Moreover, these small factions relied on the two major villages for mission assignments. They ate purely at the mercy of Konoha and Akatsuki Village. It was only during this specific historical period that they could enjoy a sliver of autonomy.
It was only a matter of time before this power was reclaimed by the main villages.
Compared to the less assertive Konoha...
The externally aggressive Akatsuki Village was better able to protect their interests.
Who wouldn't want the feeling of being on a mission in a foreign land, where simply wearing an Akatsuki Village headband would make ninja from other villages give them a wide berth?
The mighty Akatsuki Village was behind them!
Just thinking about it made them unconsciously stand a little straighter.
"Good. Go and register with Kazuma."
A smile appeared on Uchiha Makoto's face as he nodded.
He had just roughly observed the forces behind these representatives.
This time, about three-fifths of the small ninja factions scattered throughout the Land of Fire had joined his camp... Previously, while these factions played both sides, they had outwardly submitted to Akatsuki but in reality, had clustered tightly around Konoha.
As for the remaining two-fifths, there was likely no hope.
They were either truly too close to Konoha's headquarters or had already become too deeply entangled with Konoha, having been secretly won over at some unknown point.
"Senju Tobirama's efforts over the past few years, leveraging Konoha's great strength, were not in vain after all. He has unknowingly infiltrated so many of the small ninja factions."
"If I hadn't won this war, in a few years, Akatsuki Village would probably only be able to project its influence onto the nearby small factions... Konoha would have scraped almost all of them up... Is that bastard Senju Tobirama trying to use them to surround me, to make Akatsuki Village an isolated pariah?"
Uchiha Makoto muttered to himself as he watched the representatives leave his office.
Senju Tobirama, that naturally evil old ghost of the Senju, why are you so damn malicious? You're scheming in the shadows, trying to create the first island chain against Akatsuki Village, aren't you!
...
After cursing Senju Tobirama in his heart, Uchiha Makoto took a short break before receiving another group of people—representatives of the wealthy merchants from the Land of Fire.
Across the ninja world, ninja and wealthy merchants were still largely two distinct groups. The merchants were eager to merge with the ninja to form a new interest group, but for now, they were throwing flirtatious glances at a blind man.
Other than Akatsuki Village...
Almost every ninja village, big or small, was engaged in the traditional ninja business—doing missions.
The merchants had indeed received Uchiha Makoto's gesture of goodwill and had responded accordingly. The burgeoning economy of Akatsuki Village was inseparable from their strong support, but of course, Uchiha Makoto didn't want to be limited to just that.
The capital and technology of a single Akatsuki Village were too limited to satisfy Uchiha Makoto's ambitions.
However...
Even though the promises and blueprints Uchiha Makoto offered to the merchant interest groups of the Land of Fire excited them immensely, their desire for deeper cooperation had not been met with a response from them.
Before the war...
The merchant interest groups had reservations about Akatsuki Village. After all, war is a continuation of politics, and almost all political problems can be boiled down to not enough money and not enough benefits to go around.
The merchants wanted to let capital run rampant, to become financial oligarchs... but what they needed to do would surely result in many deaths. They worried that Uchiha Makoto might not be able to protect them.
Now the war was over.
Uchiha Makoto had proven Akatsuki Village's strength, so they naturally came knocking on his door.
Inside the room...
Sitting before Uchiha Makoto were several of the most famous business tycoons in the Land of Fire. The reason they could act as representatives was due to their immense power, and each was a commercial giant who would eat people without spitting out the bones... but at this moment, they were squeezed together on a single sofa.
Uchiha Makoto, for his part, sat in his own chair, staring at them without a word. A little of his chakra leaked out, exuding a terrifying pressure. His gaze made their scalps tingle.
"Gentlemen, you have made your fortunes in the Land of Fire."
"You live well, your businesses are thriving, and you have great nobles protecting you from behind, even making laws and policies for you. That is why you rejected my business partnership before."
"It seems you don't need a friend like me."
"But now you come running to me saying: 'Let's forget the past and continue our cooperation.'"
"You show me no respect. You don't treat me as a friend. You won't even call me Lord Light Shadow."
Hearing Uchiha Makoto's voice, the merchant representatives broke out in a cold sweat, their faces filled with terror, and they began to beg for mercy.
"Lord Light Shadow... we..."
"There has been a misunderstanding. We hope you won't be angry about it..."
"A misunderstanding?"
"Perhaps. Sometimes even sincere friends have misunderstandings. But I hope this will be the last time."
"Of... of course!"
Fortunately, Uchiha Makoto had no intention of doing anything to them. These merchants could each leverage vast resources and held extraordinary influence in various industries.
Cooperation between them was far better than enmity!
So after a warning, his tone softened. Smiles of relief appeared on the faces of the merchant representatives, and they began to express their goodwill towards Uchiha Makoto.
The leading representative stepped forward and handed Uchiha Makoto a company share certificate.
This was the result of numerous meticulous discussions among dozens of major merchants from the Land of Fire and across the ninja world. They had calculated a precise equity ratio based on their capital contributions and their joint efforts in production, construction, and sales across relevant industries. The registered capital alone was a staggering forty billion ryō.
And the shares reserved for Akatsuki Village amounted to a full fifty percent. Akatsuki Village wouldn't have to pay a single cent, only lend its name.
This apology gift could only be described as extravagant.
"Lord Light Shadow, please accept this."
"This is our sincerity, and it will be the bond of our future cooperation!"
Uchiha Makoto carefully read through the contract. A gift of this magnitude made even him take a second look. Twenty billion ryō was no small sum. Of course, the money was just one small part; the most important thing was the vast resources and influence this company could leverage... these were things that money alone couldn't buy, the precious wealth accumulated by these merchants' ancestors over generations.
Of the capital contributors listed in the contract, merchants from the Land of Fire accounted for nearly two-thirds, with the remaining one-third coming from major merchants across the ninja world. This meant that a significant portion of the merchants within the Land of Fire had placed a heavy bet on Akatsuki Village.
"Do you know what you are doing? If the Daimyō and the great nobles find out about this... your fate..."
Uchiha Makoto put down the share certificate, a smile on his face, and spoke to them in an inscrutable tone.
Akatsuki Village wasn't getting these fifty percent of the shares for free.
There is no such thing as a free lunch.
"It's nothing more than death and the extermination of our clans."
"But the chance to change our families' futures is right before our eyes. We must consider if this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"Besides, don't we have you, Lord Light Shadow, to protect us?"
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