Uchiha Kokuya was dead, but the chakra samurai were still active. It seemed that having lost their leader, they were all following previous orders. Thinking about it, it was still heartbreaking. Living like that seemed no different from White Zetsu. Fumori Masaki declared, "Let them rest in peace."
Shimura Danzo and the others remained there to continue eliminating the chakra samurai, while Fumori Masaki returned to the capital. Uchiha Kagami, whose physical condition was extremely poor, also returned to the capital to recuperate.
"The rest is up to you and Hiruzen," Fumori Masaki told Shimura Danzo before leaving. Seeing the other party promise to eliminate all the chakra samurai, he nodded slightly.
Upon returning to the capital, Fumori Masaki informed the anxious crowd of Uchiha Kokuya's death. The officials were all excited; the news of Uchiha Kokuya's demise brought them a sense of relief. If not for maintaining appearances, they might have jumped for joy in celebration.
The Daimyo's residence received the news simultaneously. The Daimyo immediately slumped into his chair, his thoughts complex. For Uchiha Kokuya, the traitor, he wished to tear him into a thousand pieces, so he felt no sympathy for his death. However, he secretly harbored some hope that Uchiha Kokuya would inflict some severe losses on Konoha Village, or trigger an invasion by other countries. That way, Konoha Village wouldn't be able to exert too much pressure, and his own family could retain more power.
The Daimyo knew he would inevitably have to abdicate; otherwise, he couldn't provide an answer to others. But he could never agree to the terms proposed by Konoha Village, because that would strip his descendants of all their power. Such consequences were extremely serious, and he dared not agree!
However, Uchiha Kokuya's death now seemed to have caused no particularly great losses to Konoha Village. He was dealt with by just two people, and the remaining chakra samurai were not a concern. As for other countries, it was even less likely for them to intervene at this time.
Must he really relinquish his family's power to the joint leadership of Konoha Village and other influential nobles? How could he possibly agree to such a thing? Yet, the most terrifying thing was that this situation seemed unavoidable. The Daimyo was furious; he never imagined he would have such a helpless moment, even in the past, he hadn't felt such powerlessness.
In those days, Princess Chihime would visit to explain the situation to the Daimyo. The Daimyo was resentful of his younger sister, feeling she was betraying the family, and once questioned her sense of shame.
Princess Chihime, however, claimed that this was to preserve a sliver of the family's vitality. In the coming era, the monarchical autocracy the Daimyo hoped for might increasingly lose popular support. If a good solution wasn't found, what awaited them might be utter disaster.
"Your so-called 'good solution' is to hand over the power that our family has inherited for generations to others?" the Daimyo asked, looking heartbroken.
"There's no other way. If we're unwilling to relinquish power now, what we lose in the future might not just be power," Princess Chihime sighed softly. "What my brother fears, in truth, is the impact on the family's survival after losing power. Many people think this way."
"Since you understand, why are you still acting as Konoha Village's lobbyist?"
"Because the coming era is different. The Hokage wants to create a country where the strong do not bully the weak, and the weak do not envy the strong. Although the path will be very long, and I might not live to see it, as long as we can embark on that path, even if we only walk a short distance, it will be better than now. I firmly believe this," Princess Chihime said earnestly.
"Words are just words. Whatever he says, it is?" the Daimyo sneered.
"That's why supervision from other forces is needed. This is also why the Hokage wants to establish the supreme law and have everyone obey it. Anyone who violates it becomes an enemy to all. This is just the beginning; it also includes the division of power, the establishment of corresponding oversight bodies, and so on," Princess Chihime replied.
To ensure Princess Chihime would cooperate with Konoha Village's policies, Fumori Masaki conveyed many of his ideas to her, explaining them very clearly. Princess Chihime agreed with all of them. She had always been involved in the revival of the Ninja Sect, and compared to the always high and mighty Daimyo, she had a clearer understanding of popular sentiment.
If the Daimyo insisted on preserving his family's autocratic power, even if he abdicated, a situation like this confrontation with Konoha Village might reoccur in the future. At that time, due to changes in circumstances, the balance of power would also shift, potentially leading to an even more terrifying civil war than this one.
By then, even the power of the common people would erupt, and the outcome might not be the same as this time; the Daimyo's family might even be swept into it.
In this matter, Fumori Masaki drew upon his experiences from his previous life and deliberately exaggerated the severity to Princess Chihime. Although the reality might not be as dire, it didn't prevent Princess Chihime from considering it in that light.
The Daimyo shook his head slightly; he couldn't agree with this point. Unlike his progressive sister, he was still a feudal monarch and quite stubborn. He could accept his own abdication, but he couldn't comprehend anything else.
However, the situation wouldn't change because of the Daimyo's incomprehension. After Fumori Masaki returned, the political situation in the Land of Fire had stabilized. Other local lords could now spare time to come to the capital and take measures to pressure the Daimyo.
News of the end of the Land of Fire's civil war reached other countries. The allied nations were all very happy, as this meant the Southern Alliance would not disintegrate. The strongest allied nations—the Land of Wind, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Waterfall—all sent congratulatory letters to the Land of Fire on the conclusion of the civil war.
The northern countries, however, were not so pleased. In less than half a month, the civil war in the Land of Fire had been quelled, and even Uchiha Kokuya was dead. They hadn't even made any significant moves, so how could they be content?
However, their discontent was useless, because the political situation in the Land of Fire had stabilized. If they were to truly engage in war, they would inevitably concentrate their forces, including their allies. This was a loss no single northern country could bear alone, and no one was yet ready for a full-scale war between the South and the North.
In Kumogakure, the Third Raikage regretfully shook his head and said to Sora, "Masaki's actions are really fast. We didn't even have time to plan anything against the Land of Earth."
"Onoki has reflected somewhat; he won't be so easily fooled," Sora said. Kumogakure had not been idle in these days, making various arrangements against the Land of Earth, but the wily Onoki had smoothed over each one.
Compared to the Third Raikage, Onoki's thinking might not be as open, but years of experience had made him an old fox. Facing Kumogakure's various subtle temptations, and after the lessons of the previous war, his actions had become even more cautious. He was indeed not so easily fooled.
Now the Third Raikage had other ideas, wondering if he could support the emerging forces within Iwagakure, primarily the liberated Iwa shinobi. These individuals might clash with Onoki, and if a civil war also broke out there in the end, that would be very pleasing.
However, there wasn't such a good opportunity for activity right now. After learning of the civil war's end, the Third Raikage focused on other developments within the Land of Fire. According to reports from intelligence agents operating in the Land of Fire, Konoha Village seemed to be taking special measures, but they couldn't find out the details for a while.
Judging from the clues in the intelligence, the Third Raikage felt that Konoha Village might be pressuring the Daimyo's office. As for what they were pressuring for, it was easy to guess: they were certainly making the Daimyo's office give up more power.
This move was within the Third Raikage's expectations, because the Daimyo's office's pressure had led to such a civil war in the Land of Fire. If it were him, he would certainly prevent the same situation from happening again. However, his relationship with the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning was particularly good, so such a situation was unlikely to occur.
However, the Third Raikage never expected that while he guessed Konoha Village was pressuring the Daimyo's office, the content of that pressure still came as a surprise.
This was two months later. Fumori Masaki and the others, who had stayed in the capital for a long time, finally returned. Upon their return to Konoha Village, the Daimyo's office and Konoha Village jointly issued an agreement, and this agreement shocked everyone. The Daimyo's office stated that it would formally cede power to Konoha Village and the local lords for joint governance. From now on, the Daimyo, as the monarch of the country, would only act as a symbol of the nation, becoming a de facto figurehead.
This situation truly surprised everyone. The act of sidelining a Daimyo was not unprecedented in the history of the ninja world. Not to mention the distant Warring States period, there was an example in this very era: the Land of Rain.
All matters, big and small, in the Land of Rain were decided by Hanzō the Salamander, the leader of Amegakure. The Daimyo merely acted as the official announcer of declarations. Although the methods differed from Konoha Village's, the achieved effect was consistent.
However, this was because the Land of Rain was just a small country, with weak noble forces, and Hanzō the Salamander was one of the very few strong individuals who could contend with the leaders of the Five Great Ninja Villages. His formidable military strength and the weak noble power were what brought about the current situation.
The Land of Fire was different. Its territory was particularly vast, and its noble forces were powerful. If all the influential nobles were included, even with Konoha Village's new ninja tools, there would still be considerable losses. The outcome might still be victory, but the entire country would be plunged into chaos.
And facing the vast territory of the Land of Fire, Konoha Village alone couldn't manage it. They would inevitably have to cooperate with the nobles to compensate for the shortage of administrative personnel. The Land of Rain also had the same problem in this regard, so Hanzō didn't excessively pressure the Daimyo. However, due to the size of the Land of Fire, the problem was proportionally more severe, leading to a more balanced power dynamic between the ninja village and the nobles.
For a country like the Land of Fire to have its Daimyo's power jointly managed by a ninja village and local lords was indeed a first since the end of the Warring States period, and it was even backed by a definite signed agreement. The relationship between Hanzō of the Land of Rain and its Daimyo, however, was merely an unspoken understanding, without a concrete agreement.
According to the agreement, all political affairs would be decided by representatives from Konoha Village and the local lords. The Daimyo would cede all power, retaining only a portion of his family's private soldiers and family territories, and maintaining economic capabilities. In exchange, all crimes committed by the Daimyo would no longer be prosecuted.
"Unbelievable, that Daimyo of the Land of Fire actually agreed to such terms," the Third Raikage said with some emotion, but he also understood that this was the trend of the situation within the Land of Fire, not something that could be decided by one person's will. Since it was Konoha Village and other local lords jointly taking over power, it naturally had the support of those other lords.
Currently, all the local lords in the Land of Fire had good relations with Konoha Village. Those with poor relations were eliminated in the civil war. As for nobles whose relations were neither good nor bad, they were more or less implicated due to being coerced by the Daimyo's office, and naturally, they couldn't oppose Konoha Village.
It was precisely because of this that the special situation within the Land of Fire came about. According to intelligence reports, Konoha Village seemed to be taking further steps to solidify this situation, aiming to formally establish it in law.
The Third Raikage was surprised by such a move, and his mind immediately became active. Now that the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was facing such a situation, Konoha Village seemed to be planning to establish an even more stable political structure. He had a premonition that this might be something with a profound impact on a country.
Because of Konoha Village's actions, the Daimyo of every country might develop doubts about their own nation. The Land of Wind, part of the Southern Alliance, goes without saying. The Land of Water, far from the continent, need not worry. That leaves the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth as the two countries that will be affected.
The Third Raikage felt that, given his good relationship with the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, there was no need to take such an extreme path as Konoha Village. They could learn valuable things from Konoha Village, but not go overboard. Kumogakure did not have such conflicts with the Land of Lightning.
As for the Land of Earth, the Third Raikage felt he could work on that. While the old man Onoki was cunning, he would appear powerless when faced with a major trend. This was not something that could be completely stopped by any scheme. Although this civil war in the Land of Fire did not lead to further unification of the northern countries, Konoha Village's new initiative might just achieve it.
After making his decision, the Third Raikage ordered the intelligence agents in the Land of Fire to thoroughly gather information, meticulously organize all the details, and send them to Kumogakure. This would influence Kumogakure's future policies.