The system of governance in the ninja world had always been deeply unhealthy, some might even call it grotesque.
Ninja villages wielded the highest level of military power within their nations, yet they held virtually no real authority. These armed organizations relied on taking on outside missions just to make ends meet. Even then, the earnings were insufficient, and they depended heavily on funding from their daimyo. In fact, even the selection of a village's Kage required the daimyo's approval.
It wasn't inherently wrong for political leadership to oversee military operations. However, this arrangement necessitated integration. Politics and military affairs had to be entwined, working hand-in-hand.
The ninja world's system wasn't like that at all. The daimyo and ninja villages operated as entirely separate entities, with little to no interaction. Yet, one entity could legally command the other, creating a glaring contradiction.
The truly absurd part? No one seemed to notice anything wrong with it. Even the most powerful villages accepted the daimyo's authority without question.
This status quo persisted until Aoba's arrival.
Aoba's reforms in Konoha introduced a groundbreaking change: commercialization.
Leveraging Konoha's military might as a backbone, Aoba started with the Kado Shipping Group, branching out into global free trade while backing various agents who gained control over mines in the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and smaller neighboring countries.
By engaging in both trade and resource extraction, Konoha became self-sufficient within just a year. They had more money than they could spend.
The cornerstone of Konoha's rapid expansion, its increasing population and influence, was its wealth.
With financial independence, Konoha began distancing itself from the daimyo. In the past, compliance with the daimyo's orders was rooted in necessity as they needed the daimyo's funding. But now, with financial freedom, Konoha's leadership realized something crucial: they didn't need the daimyo at all. In fact, life was better without his interference.
While the general public might not grasp the full scope of these changes, some sharp observers noticed a key difference: it had been a long time since anyone in Konoha had mentioned the daimyo.
The daimyo, however, wasn't entirely clueless. Despite decades of decadence, some among the nobility were still astute enough to sense danger.
They had noticed Konoha's growing independence and issued the order to support the Hidden Cloud against the Akatsuki, it was a blatant loyalty test to determine if Konoha was still under their control.
It's worth noting that the daimyo wasn't entirely without military power. Besides the Twelve Guardian Ninja, the Fire Daimyo also maintained a private force of ninja.
This force wasn't particularly strong; the daimyo treated ninja as mere tools and didn't invest heavily in them. While these ninja were loyal, their combat abilities were mediocre at best.
However, the nobility, unaware of their shortcomings, believed their ninja forces to be formidable and even strong enough to rival the villages. Thus, despite sensing Konoha's growing autonomy, they still dared to challenge it.
In the Hokage's office, after the meeting adjourned, only Aoba and Tsunade remained.
"What's your plan? March over there and wipe out the Fire Daimyo?"
"Not right away," Aoba replied. "Eradicating the daimyo would destabilize the Land of Fire.
"While they've become irrelevant to ninja operations, they're still deeply intertwined with the country's political, economic, and social systems. A sudden collapse could lead to widespread chaos."
"You know," Tsunade said, her gaze thoughtful, "sometimes I think you're an odd one, Aoba. You're one of the strongest ninjas in the world, yet your focus is so often on the common people."
"Maybe it's because I came from the bottom," Aoba replied.
"Fair enough," Tsunade conceded. "You're practically a hero to every civilian ninja."
"Heh, that just means I haven't done enough yet," Aoba said with a smile. "The ninja world has been suffocating under its rotten systems for too long. If we want real change, we need a historic reshuffling of the deck. The good news is, that day isn't far off."
Tsunade looked at him quietly, her gaze shifting to something softer, even a little flirtatious.
This was a rare look for Tsunade, who was usually the epitome of a strong and capable leader. Even in her private moments with Aoba, she usually took the lead, though Aoba always ended up turning the tables.
But as Aoba grew stronger and accomplished more, their relationship began to subtly change.
When Tsunade first got involved with Aoba, it was out of disappointment with Jiraiya and her own loneliness.
Jiraiya had disappeared without a trace after her return to Konoha, leaving Tsunade completely disheartened.
At the same time, while Tsunade had healed her emotional scars and regained her youth, she couldn't quell the loneliness in her heart.
Then, along came Aoba... Strong, brilliant, rational, and undeniably attractive. Naturally, he caught her attention, and their relationship blossomed.
At first, she saw him as little more than a way to fill the void, a fleeting distraction.
But over time, something shifted.
This time, she didn't fight it.
Inevitably, they ended up entangled once again in the office.
Later, Aoba left the office and made his way to the outskirts of Konoha, to the Uchiha clan's compound.
Recently, the residential area in the Uchiha district had seen an influx of new residents, it was Mei Terumi and her followers, seeking refuge in Konoha.
They had attempted several times to infiltrate the Hidden Mist to investigate what was happening there. But with Madara and Black Zetsu controlling the Mist, their efforts were futile.
After repeated failures, Mei reluctantly called off their attempts. She now understood that the odds of rebuilding the Mist Village were slim.
The only thing Mei Terumi and her group could do now was to protect the skilled Hidden Mist shinobi under her command, hoping for a distant, uncertain chance in the future.
Currently, they had rented some housing in the Uchiha compound and even started taking on missions under the banner of Konoha ninja to earn money.
There was no other choice... Renting accommodations cost money, and providing for nearly a hundred people's food, shelter, and other daily needs was also expensive. For now, they could only bury themselves in work, leaving the dream of restoring the Hidden Mist Village on hold.
When Aoba arrived at their residence, only Mei Terumi and a small handful of Hidden Mist shinobi were present; most of the others were out on missions.
"Aoba-san, what a rare guest," Mei Terumi greeted, serving him tea. Although she appeared calm on the surface, inwardly, she felt uneasy.
The current state of the ninja world was extremely precarious. Wherever Mei and her people went, they would likely meet an unfortunate end. Konoha was one of the few places that could offer them protection without immediately trying to exploit or harm them.
The good news was that Aoba hadn't shown any intention of driving them away. The bad news was that some issues were unavoidable.
"Mei Terumi-san," Aoba began, "I have a mission for you to consider."
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Currently on Chapter 252 - The Missing Hashirama