In Konoha Village, in the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in the prime of his life, sat in a chair with his hands clasped under his chin, a state letter from the Land of Water placed before him.
Three years ago, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group, led by their teacher, went to Hidden Cloud Village to form an alliance. The Kin-Gin Brothers of Hidden Cloud Village rebelled, killing the Second Raikage on the spot and leading people to pursue Tobirama and his companions.
In a critical moment, Senju Tobirama used himself as bait, single-handedly drawing away the Hidden Cloud Village's forces. To buy more escape time for his Disciples, he gave up using Flying Thunder God to flee and ultimately died of exhaustion in battle.
Designated as the Third Hokage by Tobirama, the young Hiruzen Sarutobi was not yet the 'Professor of Ninjutsu' he would later become. His strength was insufficient to suppress the entire Village, and his background, seniority, and prestige were lacking. The major Ninja Families maintained ambiguous attitudes, and Danzo, unwilling to give up, constantly coveted the Hokage position.
Out of necessity, Hiruzen Sarutobi appointed Danzo as Hokage Advisor and authorized him to establish Root, which answered only to Danzo. Konoha's power reached a delicate balance. At this time, the Water Country Daimyo's visit to Konoha was of uncertain consequence.
"Someone, please summon the Hokage Advisor and the two Advisors."
"Hiruzen, what do you need us for?"
As soon as Danzo and the other two sat down, he eagerly asked.
"The Water Country Daimyo wants to come to the Land of Fire to buy grain and requests to visit Konoha along the way."
"Mitsuki Kōmei, in conjunction with Hidden Mist Village, slaughtered all the Feudal Lords of the Land of Water. He is dangerous, and I do not agree to him coming to Konoha." Utatane Koharu was the first to voice her opinion.
"I also disagree with letting him come. Root still has many things waiting for me to do. I don't have time to play house with a child."
"I think it's fine. The Village monitoring a normal person like the Daimyo is easy. The Village isn't short on grain, so we can sell it to him, and the Village also needs money."
"Alright, then let's agree!"
"You are the Hokage; what you say goes."
Although Danzo said this, he thought to himself, "Once I get Root up and running, I'll have a proper reckoning with you. You'll regret this day."
Mitsuki Kōmei was currently admiring the carriage he had purchased for thirty million points.
The carriage, crafted from excellent spiritual wood from a Cultivation world, was stable, sturdy, and had excellent sound insulation.
The interior decoration was extremely luxurious, with a fragrant wooden square table, exquisite incense burners, a faint tea aroma wafting from a zisha teapot, and a triple-sized bed made of carved golden nanmu.
Eight Dragon horses with Dragon Bloodline were entirely snow-white, without a single speck of impurity.
"Guo Er, isn't it beautiful? We'll ride this carriage to the Land of Fire, making countless people envious. We wouldn't have trouble selling it for a hundred million ryo."
Proximity to vermilion makes one red, proximity to ink makes one black. Mitsuki Kōmei had already learned to profit from price differences.
Three days later, he received replies from the Land of Fire and Konoha Village.
Mitsuki Kōmei summoned Kawa Wa and Go Kawa, two Jonin. "I'm going to the Land of Fire. Your safety is in your hands, no problem, right?"
"Mitsuki -sama, it's not appropriate for us to act outside our duties."
Kawa Wa immediately refused, thinking, "Last time you threatened me and made me kneel outside the door for three days. You still want us to protect you? You wish!"
"One million ryo each. It doesn't matter if you don't agree; it's no trouble to post an S-rank mission in Hidden Mist Village."
"We accept the mission."
Mitsuki Kōmei set off with Guo Er, Kawa Wa, a number of Chunin, and three thousand ordinary guards.
The group advanced grandly eastward, reaching the port before it was completely dark.
"Wow, is this the ship we're taking? It's so beautiful!"
"Mitsuki -sama is amazing, to be able to get such a fine ship."
Docked at the port was the pleasure boat Mitsuki Kōmei had purchased for three hundred million points.
The ship, 200 meters long, 32 meters wide, and 35 meters high, was adorned with lanterns, its bright lights illuminating the dim surroundings.
The ship was filled with various colored flowers—red, yellow, blue… a riot of colors, with various climbing flowers covering the hull. Standing on the ship felt like being in a sea of flowers.
The fragrance of the flowers wafted over, a blend of various scents that uplifted the spirits.
"All aboard! We depart tonight."
"Long live Mitsuki -sama! Riding this ship once, I feel my life is complete. Thank you, Mitsuki -sama!"
"You're right. On this trip to the Land of Fire, if anyone dares to provoke Mitsuki -sama, I'll fight them to the death!"
"We are willing to die for Mitsuki -sama!"
"We are willing to die for Mitsuki -sama!"
..."Die laughing? Guo Er, tell them to board quickly."
Mitsuki Kōmei entered the lowest deck of the ship in his carriage, arranged for dedicated personnel to care for the eight Dragon horses, and then took Guo Er to the upper deck.
The top floor of the eight-deck pleasure boat had only one room, exclusive to the Daimyo. In the flower-filled room, Mitsuki Kōmei stood behind Uchiha Guo, his arms wrapped around her waist, looking out the window at the guards moving about on the deck, enjoying the gentle sea breeze.
"Guo Er, do you like it?"
"I like it; it's very beautiful."
"Then later, we'll sail this ship to tour the entire Ninja World, seeing different sights and eating different foods."
"Okay! Young Master, whatever you say."
Hundreds of people slowly propelled the pleasure boat away from the port, heading towards Hidden Mist Village.
The Third Mizukage had been in a remarkably good mood recently. Taketori Rei had brought back four billion ryo, and having never fought such a wealthy battle, he immediately decided to add five thousand Ninja.
He now looked favorably upon Mitsuki Kōmei and had already sent people to welcome the Daimyo Manor entourage.
After three days at sea, the pleasure boat arrived at the port closest to Hidden Mist Village.
"You all wait on the ship. I'll be back tomorrow, then we'll depart for the Land of Fire."
"Welcome, Mitsuki -sama, to Hidden Mist Village as our guest. Your ship is truly magnificent and spectacular; few in the entire Ninja World can compare to it."
"Hahaha, building this ship only cost a billion ryo, it's nothing, nothing at all. Clan Chief Taketori, shall we go?"
Mitsuki Kōmei proudly stated the cost of the pleasure boat, then turned and boarded his luxurious carriage. His two-piece travel set made Taketori Rei incredibly envious, and tears of frustration flowed from the corners of his mouth.
He thought, "Damn this profligate wastrel! A dignified Daimyo wasting all his money on pleasure! No ambition, corrupt morals! When will I get to be so wasteful just once?"
The carriage slowly drove through the streets of Hidden Mist Village, drawing envious and curious glances from passersby.
"That carriage is too big and too beautiful! I wonder how many missions I'd have to do to buy one."
"Keep working hard. You could do missions your entire life and buy one wheel to pass down to your son as a Family heirloom."
"Mitsuki -sama, this way, please. The Mizukage-sama is waiting for you in the Mizukage Building."
Mitsuki Kōmei walked into the Mizukage Office, and the Mizukage actually opened his eyes!
"Thank you for your money; it solved Hidden Mist Village's urgent problem. As a token of my appreciation, you may choose one Genin to be your future guard."
"Mizukage, you are too kind. Without your help, where would I get the money to build a carriage and pleasure boat? Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Mizukage."
Mitsuki Kōmei looked at the hundreds of Genin gathered downstairs and indeed saw a familiar face.
"That one in the green clothes, with the scar on his face. He looks more agreeable."
"Alright, I'll send someone to inform him to prepare to leave with you tomorrow morning."
The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, after bidding farewell to the Mizukage and others, Mitsuki Kōmei departed Hidden Mist Village in his carriage.
"Hmph, just a useless person who only knows how to enjoy himself. I was worried he might unify the Land of Water and develop inappropriate ideas about Hidden Mist Village, but now it seems my worry was a bit excessive."
With his head resting on Uchiha Guo's lap, lying on his side on the bed, Mitsuki Kōmei stared at the young Ninja standing not far away.
"Yagura, your talent is good. Cultivate diligently, and the next Mizukage will be you."
Six-year-old Yagura looked bewildered; he truly didn't understand what the Daimyo meant.
"You may leave. Remember to Cultivate well. Other matters don't concern you for now."
Ten days later, the pleasure boat arrived at the Land of Fire port.