Time passed minute by minute. Although it was already late autumn, the so-called "autumn tiger" was no joke. The midday sun blazed down fiercely, and with nothing but uneven reefs around them, he wanted to see how long they could keep kneeling.
One hour passed. Then two. By afternoon, the city lord, Uyoka, fainted. The medical team rushed forward to aid her. She woke slowly, only to shove them away and shout:
"If Lord Shigeo does not agree, no one is allowed to stand! Even if he leaves, we will remain kneeling. Without him, Unmei Castle would already be destroyed. If he no longer wants us, then even if we die, it does not matter!"
The people below shouted back:
"Yes! We will endure to the end!"
Damn it… Shigeo almost cursed aloud. But when he saw so many elderly, weak, and sick still kneeling there, the words stuck in his throat, swallowed back down.
"Fine, fine! You win. I give up! I'll stay. As for being a leader, we'll talk about that later!"
As soon as he said this, Chirei rushed up and hugged him tightly.
"Brother Shigeo, that's wonderful!"
Wu Mang also came forward, knocking his head to the ground three times before others pulled him away to the hospital.
Rebuilding livelihoods? This was just trouble for him.
The next three days were filled with endless arguments among Unmei Castle's elders. The reason was simple: they wanted to elect Shigeo as the Daimyo of the Sky Country.
Was this a joke? He would never accept. And so the arguments dragged on without end.
"I believe in his ability. If he becomes Daimyo, there will be no problem!"
"This isn't about ability. Can the Sky Country even be called a nation anymore? Twenty years ago, the old Daimyo dissolved it. Now, just because Shigeo is here, we revive the Sky Country? How is this different from what Shennong and that witch did?"
"We already live overseas. Must we keep hiding our names? Don't we at least have the right to restore our clan's identity?"
Shigeo's head pounded from the noise. Finally, he slammed the table.
"Enough! Sky Country is Sky Country!"
"Good!"
"Then you are our Daimyo!"
"Bullshit! Who wants to be Daimyo? Staying here is already more than enough. What more do you want from me?" Shigeo shouted in frustration.
Again the quarrel continued. These old fools had a knack for never stopping until they got their way. Outwardly they looked like they were bickering, but in truth they were forcing him to yield under pressure.
In the end, Daimyo was out of the question. That wasn't his style. But Shigeo did agree to lead the Sky Ninja.
Previously, Unmei Castle had erased the existence of the Sky Ninja, which allowed that witch to exploit the gap and Shennong to awaken the Zero-Tails. With their own forces, they would no longer be defenseless.
Besides, before, they could hire ninja for protection. But now, living overseas, they needed their own military power.
Thus, the old lord Uyoka resumed her role as Daimyo, while Shigeo was appointed leader of the Sky Ninja Village.
According to tradition, the Sky Ninja required a separate settlement and could not remain inside Unmei Castle.
The island was large but still far smaller than the Five Great Nations. Luckily, many islands dotted the nearby seas. Shigeo led his one thousand surviving guards, Wu Mang, and some villagers to the southeast of Unmei Castle, establishing a new home on a vast island.
Looking at the empty land around him, Shigeo sighed.
"Why did I agree to stay? Wouldn't soaking in hot springs and eating roasted meat elsewhere be better? This was supposed to be a wandering ninja story… how did it turn into a damned farming tale?"
He rubbed his forehead with a bitter expression, while everyone else celebrated happily.
"Up there on the mountain are grown trees. Chop some down and let's build houses!" Wu Mang, usually stoic, hobbled about with his crutch, directing people.
"Village Chief, please sit and rest. I heard you say you wanted roasted meat earlier, right? I'll prepare it for you!" someone said cheerfully.
"Stop! Do you think I'm some decadent ruler? In this situation, who's thinking of roasted meat?" Shigeo shook his head, sitting on a reef, pulling a bag of salted peanuts from his pocket and munching.
"Yes, yes. The Village Chief is our savior, not some tyrant!" the man replied, still beaming, before running off to work.
Shigeo glanced around, then at the three remaining Sky Ninja warships approaching the shore, and sighed again.
Since he had come, he might as well settle in.
"Doton: Doryūheki (Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall)! Mokuton: Daijurin no Jutsu (Wood Release: Great Forest Technique)!"
Two jutsu set the foundation of the Sky Ninja Village.
"Village Chief is amazing!"
The people cheered as walls rose and trees filled the village.
Shigeo turned away. When he reappeared, he was back inside Unmei Castle. Compared to the lively new village, this place was far more tragic. Uyoka had sent him the healthiest helpers, leaving only the weak and sick behind.
On the cliffside castle, Uyoka—still gravely ill—was in council with the elders. Some able villagers had gone to cultivate land outside, but the city itself faced countless issues.
Standing in the corridor, Shigeo listened. Only then did he truly understand how difficult it was to defend a nation and build a village.
The most urgent problem: not enough grain for winter. Houses could be endured by squeezing into underground chambers, but without food, what would they eat?
"Fine, I'll do it!" Shigeo appeared at the council chamber door.
"Since the Sky Ninja ships can't reach the Land of Fire easily, give me your contact addresses. Write down everything you need—grain, tools, medicine, whatever. I'll go get it!"
The elders stood, shocked and grateful. Not long ago he hadn't wanted to involve himself. Now he volunteered.
And so Shigeo set off. It was on this errand that he discovered Unmei Castle maintained hidden outposts in every major village, running businesses whose profits went back to the castle.
…
"Young man, you're alone? Can you really carry so much? Seeds, tools, ironware… and over there, herbs, cloth, daily necessities… this is too much!"
At a small town outside the Land of Fire's Daimyo's city, a rice shop owner looked at him with concern.
"No problem. Please pack everything neatly. Also, buy me some paper and ink. Thank you."
(End of Chapter)
[50 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[10 Reviews = 5 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]