Chapter 91: The Plan
In theory, the Feudal Lord was the true leader of the nation, while the Hidden Hot Water Village was merely the military organization representing the Land of Hot Water.
It was the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, who proposed that ninja should be completely subordinate to a nation, ending the era where shinobi and nobles had a simple mercenary-client relationship that had lasted for countless years.
In the original story, Kael knew that the Kage of the Five Great Nations could communicate with each other without even reporting to their nominal superior, the Feudal Lord. It seemed the Feudal Lords had absolutely no ability to restrain the actions of their hidden villages.
At the time, Kael had found it strange. How could the highest leader of a country have no corresponding military power? Why were national wars decided entirely by the Kage, and the deployment of troops solely at the Kage's discretion?
Furthermore, whenever a Great Shinobi War broke out, these Feudal Lords, who held both wealth and power, would collectively disappear, as if they didn't exist in the Shinobi World. Yet, after the war, they would suddenly pop up. If the village won, they would distribute pensions and increase funding. If the village lost, they would slash the budget and even scold the Kage to their face—just like what happened with the Hidden Sand...
The Feudal Lord of the Land of Wind was the only one in the original story who dared to confront a Kage head-on, though he seemed to fade into obscurity later.
From that perspective, it seemed the Feudal Lords existed solely to serve the hidden villages and had no real status.
But after Kael truly integrated into the Shinobi World and took the seat of the Hidden Hot Water's Leader, he realized that the situation with the Great Nations was the exception, not the rule.
Everywhere, one truth remained eternal: Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun!
Applied to the Shinobi World, the saying became: Truth only exists within the blast radius of a Tailed Beast Bomb.
The Hidden Hot Water Village had maybe two or three hundred "guns," and Tailed Beasts were out of the question. And the Feudal Lord wasn't as defenseless as Kael had assumed. At the very least, Kael could sense faint chakra fluctuations coming from behind the screen where the Feudal Lord sat!
And that wasn't even counting the samurai class, seemingly buried by history, guarding the noble estates.
The meeting between lord and subject was simple; mostly just a formality to get acquainted. For the most part, Jade did the talking while Kael listened.
Before long, they emerged from the palace.
Kael was left with one overwhelming impression: Does the Feudal Lord really distrust ninja this much?
The Thunder-Wind Eagle lowered its head, and Kael drifted lightly onto it. He looked down expressionlessly at Jade and the Fire Country official, who were still exchanging reluctant farewells.
A cold sneer touched his lips.
"The Feudal Lord doesn't trust the Hidden Hot Water at all, yet this guy acts like they're best friends. That's a skill in itself."
After a few more minutes, Jade was finally helped over to the Thunder-Wind Eagle by Saburo and the other ninja.
As the saying goes, a dog threatens others based on its master's power. Although Kael's summons weren't naturally arrogant, their status in the village had risen with Kael's ascension. They didn't need to bow and scrape to ordinary ninja.
However, Jade was clearly an exception, as he was someone even their master, Kael, respected deeply.
So, the Thunder-Wind Eagle automatically lowered its body, allowing the two ninja to help Jade onto its back before spreading its wings and soaring into the sky.
In the sky.
"Kael, do you find those high-and-mighty nobles and the Feudal Lord annoying?"
Sitting on the eagle's back with nothing else to do during the flight, Jade asked Kael. He looked at the young man with a smile, his deeply sunken eyes reflecting a wisdom that had seen through everything.
Kael had no intention of hiding it from the old man. He turned and nodded slightly.
Jade gave a helpless, bitter laugh and sighed. "We've known each other for four or five years now. I like to think I understand you. You look easy-going and approachable, but you have a mind of your own, and your temper... well, it's not exactly mild."
"But there is one thing this old man must advise you on: you must maintain a good relationship with the Feudal Lord! As the Leader of the Hidden Hot Water, you are the bridge between the village and the country. To put it bluntly, the livelihood of our three hundred shinobi and ten thousand civilians depends on the Feudal Lord. If he's unhappy, he can't fire you, but he can slash our budget or use other means to make your life as Leader impossible. So, Kael, you must remember my words. Work hard to maintain our relationship with the Feudal Lord..."
The wrinkled, aging Jade continued to advise Kael earnestly. Kael nodded occasionally, appearing to take the words to heart, but his mind was elsewhere.
The ANBU doesn't have any ninja proficient in Genjutsu. I wonder if there are any in the wider village. I'll have to ask Toneri and Tanabe later... Kael muttered internally.
He was already planning for the village's development, and controlling the Feudal Lord via Genjutsu was part of that plan.
If I want to break the Hidden Hot Water's current stagnation, the first thing I need to do is break the Feudal Lord's economic stranglehold! Without that, development is impossible. And the best way to do that without bloodshed, without causing a stir in the Shinobi World, is undoubtedly Genjutsu. It's a pity my summons don't have a technique like Kotoamatsukami; otherwise, this would be much simpler...
The first thing Kael did upon returning to the village was to summon Tanabe Kaze and Watanabe Toneri.
The Hidden Hot Water Village didn't have a formal administration building like the Hokage's office. With so few ninja, the Leader didn't have much administrative work, so there was no dedicated office. Kael followed suit and called them directly to his home.
"A Genjutsu ninja?"
Hearing Kael's request, both men frowned. They exchanged a look, and a petite figure flashed through both their minds simultaneously.
Watanabe Toneri spoke hesitantly. "If you mean a ninja who specializes in Genjutsu, we don't really have one. But if you mean a ninja who knows Genjutsu... there is actually one in the village."
"Oh? Who?" Kael's face lit up.
"Jonin Hakuun!" Tanabe Kaze said with certainty.
Kael frowned slightly. He knew Hakuun (White Cloud). She was the only female Jonin in the village. Their only interaction had been a minor disagreement back in Freyal City.
Although he wasn't familiar with her, Kael didn't have any other choice. He looked at Toneri and Tanabe.
"Go and ask her to come here."
"Yes, Captain!" Tanabe shouted, his face full of dutiful zeal.
Suddenly, he felt a slap on the back of his head. He looked at Watanabe Toneri in confusion. "Why did you hit me?"
Toneri looked at him, exasperated. "It's 'Lord Leader' now!"