"Lord Kage, do I need to prepare anything in advance?"
Uchiha Makoto did not hesitate even for a moment.
"Prepare funds. A large amount of them."
He paused briefly, his eyes narrowing as he tapped the map spread across the table.
"As for that small conflict with Arasaka Company… we'll deal with it along the way."
His tone was calm, almost casual, yet Takahashi Tengwan felt a chill run down his spine.
Makoto was already certain of one thing.
Among the forces behind the recent attack on Akatsuki Ninja Village, there must be people whose interests directly conflicted with Arasaka Company. Otherwise, retaliation would not have come so quickly, nor would it have been so well-coordinated.
Since they were in the way, Makoto had no intention of letting them live comfortably.
This time, he would make an example of them.
Not only would it clearly demonstrate Akatsuki Ninja Village's stance, it would also resolve Arasaka Company's troubles in one decisive strike.
"Lord Kage… if that's the case," Takahashi Tengwan said carefully, "then these people would be the most suitable targets."
As he spoke, he pulled out a neatly prepared stack of intelligence documents from his sleeve and placed them on the table.
Uchiha Makoto reached out and took them.
His eyes scanned the information swiftly, his expression calm and unreadable. After only a short while, he stopped at one particular entry.
A prominent hereditary noble family.
Top-tier status.
And most importantly—
They owned land.
An absurd amount of land.
Makoto's fingers lightly tapped the parchment as he read further. The three surrounding counties were almost entirely under this family's control. Vast farmlands, irrigation systems, granaries, tenant villages—everything belonged to them.
"So much land…" Makoto muttered softly.
Every year, when the Land of Fire collected grain taxes, the local officials probably didn't even bother visiting anywhere else. They could simply go straight to this family's estate.
Yet, due to their noble status, very little tax was ever actually collected.
That, however, had nothing to do with Makoto.
He didn't care about their tax evasion.
What he cared about was the land.
This family's holdings alone were enough to satisfy Arasaka Company's expansion needs in one single stroke. In fact, even if Arasaka Company swallowed it whole, they still wouldn't be able to fully utilize it all in the short term.
"Hiss—"
Takahashi Tengwan sucked in a sharp breath when he realized which family Makoto had chosen.
"Lord Kage… isn't this target a little too… audacious?"
The status of this family was far beyond his imagination. Even with all of Takahashi's wealth, he wouldn't be qualified to sit at the same table as them.
Makoto looked at him calmly.
"Tengwan," he said, "what are you afraid of?"
He stood up slowly, his voice steady and cold.
"Nothing in this world lasts forever. Dynasties fall. Families perish. If something goes wrong—"
He turned back, meeting Takahashi's gaze directly.
"I will bear the responsibility."
Takahashi's heart trembled.
"What you should be thinking about now," Makoto continued, "is how to raise enough funds as quickly as possible. Once this begins, those lands will be fought over viciously."
"Yes, Lord Kage," Takahashi nodded immediately. "I'll prepare at once. It's just that… such a massive amount of land means the cash flow required will be enormous."
Even for wealthy merchants like him, liquid assets were always limited. Converting wealth into immediate cash was never easy.
Makoto waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry. Akatsuki Ninja Village will contribute part of the funds."
Then, his lips curved into a faint, dangerous smile.
"And rest assured—once Arasaka Company makes its move, land prices will drop dramatically."
Takahashi's eyes widened slightly.
"Also," Makoto added, pointing at a specific location on the map, "during this period, purchase large quantities of grain."
Takahashi followed his finger.
There, clearly marked, was a massive dam.
"This dam," Makoto said calmly, "is enough to solve all our problems at once."
Takahashi froze.
"There are always people who refuse to switch from rice cultivation to mulberry planting," Makoto continued casually. "Persuasion is troublesome."
He tapped the dam lightly.
"So let's flood it."
For a moment, Takahashi Tengwan was speechless.
Then—
A radiant smile spread across his face.
How could he not have thought of such a perfect solution?
With so much land involved, labor was inevitable. Great nobles would never personally farm. Naturally, it would be the tenant farmers of those counties who worked the fields.
Even if the land was purchased…
Convincing people to abandon food crops for mulberry trees was extremely difficult.
Resistance would not only come from the upper classes.
Starving commoners, watching rice seedlings trampled, could easily riot.
But after a flood…
There would be no crops left to protect.
No resistance left to speak of.
"After the dam bursts," Makoto continued, his voice cold and composed, "I don't want to see any disaster victims starve to death."
"They are all future workers for my factories."
Takahashi felt a chill.
"Akatsuki Ninja Village's ninjas will oversee everything."
Makoto looked directly at him.
With just one glance, he saw through Takahashi's thoughts completely.
In a world where capital was beginning to flow freely and the old order was collapsing, people like Takahashi—and those behind him—were far from innocent.
If there was an opportunity to hoard grain and manipulate prices, they would not hesitate for even a second.
Makoto would not allow it.
According to his plan, this disaster would be used to monopolize vast land resources, allowing Arasaka Company to expand at terrifying speed.
Flood the fields.
Buy the land.
Immediately plant mulberry saplings.
Expand production within the year.
As for the flood itself…
Earth Release and Ice Release would "coincidentally" appear at key points, blocking the worst of the waters.
Akatsuki ninjas would arrive in time as saviors, rescuing the suffering masses.
After all—
Ninjas don't farm.
These lands still needed people to work them.
Of course, there would be casualties.
Some unfortunate souls would inevitably lose their lives.
At that point, Makoto could only pray that the Sage of Six Paths would bless them.
There was no such thing as a perfect solution.
The Ninja World was chaotic.
And Makoto had never claimed to be a good person.
In times like these, people as "kind-hearted" as him were already rare.
Realizing his intentions had been seen through, Takahashi Tengwan did not dare argue further. He nodded repeatedly.
"Lord Kage is truly benevolent," he said sincerely.
Then he suddenly remembered something.
"Lord Kage… wouldn't this be too deliberate?"
"It might be exposed."
Makoto smiled faintly.
"Deliberate?"
"Our hundreds of Akatsuki ninjas merely happened to pass by."
He shrugged.
"Do they have proof?"
"This was done by Takigakure."
---
One Week Later
Capital of the Land of Fire
The Lord of the Land of Fire sat alone in his tea room, holding a warm cup of tea as he quietly observed the garden outside.
Late autumn.
Golden leaves covered the ground.
The gentle sound of flowing water echoed softly in his ears.
As he grew older, he increasingly enjoyed moments of solitude like this. Whenever he had free time, he would sit here for an entire afternoon.
To others, it was unbearably boring.
To him, it was rare peace.
His mind gradually emptied, as though his soul itself were being cleansed.
"If only human hearts were as clear as this tea," he sighed softly.
Being the Lord in this era was no easy task.
Times were changing.
Almost overnight, ninjas had begun to stir, seeking to break free from shackles worn for thousands of years. The trend toward ninja unification was becoming unstoppable.
Even farmers and merchants—once obedient—had begun to look upward.
The great nobles, supposedly loyal, continuously harmed the nation's interests, siphoning wealth into their own hands.
Human hearts were difficult to read.
Great loyalty could conceal treachery.
Great treachery could masquerade as loyalty.
Who could truly be trusted?
He didn't know.
But years of rule had taught him one thing.
"There is no eternal loyalty," he murmured. "Use people while they are capable. Discard them when they are not."
"Balance… is everything."
"Neither loyalists nor traitors can be allowed to become too strong."
"And above all—beware the ninjas."
Just then, an attendant entered quietly.
"Your Highness, the Elder has arrived."
The Lord nodded slowly.
"Let him in."
Moments later, the Elder entered and knelt.
"Your Highness…"
The Lord waved his hand gently.
"Dispense with formalities. Sit. Taste this year's Shifeng Longjing."
But the Elder did not rise.
Instead, he pressed his forehead firmly to the floor.
"Your Highness… something terrible has happened."
The Lord's expression changed instantly.
"What happened?"
The Elder trembled as he produced several intelligence reports.
"A large dam in northern Fire Country has collapsed, affecting three counties."
"The entire Qinghua Family… was wiped out overnight."
The Lord's hand tightened around his teacup.
"The Qinghua Family?"
Shock spread across his face.
That family's history predated even the founding of the Land of Fire.
Their status was only half a step below his own.
If this matter exploded—
The entire country would be shaken.
"Who did this?" he demanded.
"Punish them. Whoever is responsible must pay the price!"
The Elder hesitated.
"At the scene… traces of Takigakure ninjas were found."
"But… I suspect Akatsuki Ninja Village."
The tea in the Lord's cup rippled.
Slowly, he closed his eyes.
Then, after a long silence—
"Let Konoha investigate."
"Let ninja villages investigate ninja villages."
"Let ninjas fight ninjas."
The Lord opened his eyes.
Balance had been restored—at least for now.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)