"I couldn't put your works down," the daimyo said, patting a stack of books on the table. "The writing is absolutely marvelous."
The enthusiasm in his voice was genuine. After all, Kain had been meticulous in selecting the novels he presented to the daimyo.
"Kain-san, is there something you need today?"
Kain didn't bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point. "Your Majesty, I have recently established a newspaper in the capital. Its main purpose is..."
Kain explained the functions of the newspaper and the resources he required. The daimyo listened attentively, considering the proposal.
To him, it sounded similar to the official notices regularly issued by his office, albeit with a broader reach and more diverse content.
"A newspaper office—how interesting," the daimyo remarked, closing his fan and smiling. "So, Mr. Kain, you would like my support for your newspaper office under the authority of the Daimyo Prefecture, to assist in collecting more news about ninjas?"
The daimyo paused briefly before continuing, "How about this: I will appoint you as the Minister of Publicity for the Land of Fire in the name of the Daimyo Mansion. This will allow you to collect information under the official authority of the Land of Fire. However, you will need to provide a copy of any ninja-related news to the daimyo's office. The rest, you may handle as you see fit."
A short while later, Kain was respectfully escorted out of the daimyo's mansion by samurai guards.
As he walked away, he couldn't help but smile. The daimyo of the Land of Fire clearly didn't grasp the true threat posed by ninjas.
From their discussion, Kain could tell that the daimyo was wary of ninjas and quickly realized the potential value of the newspaper.
By offering his support, the daimyo had ensured a degree of control over the operation, but in doing so, he had also elevated Kain to an official position, drawing him into their noble ranks.
To the daimyo, Kain's status as a literati made it easy to treat him as an equal. Granting him a government title was a way to bring Kain into their fold.
However, the daimyo's influence was weak—his authority over ninja villages amounted to little more than political maneuvering and attempts to undermine their power.
Real control was beyond his grasp, and it was clear he hadn't fully anticipated the implications of Kain's plan.
"Official support is enough," Kain thought to himself. "With this backing, even Sarutobi Hiruzen won't have a valid reason to oppose me in the future."
Satisfied with the outcome, Kain made his way to the newspaper office. He handed the official documents from the Daimyo Mansion to the editor-in-chief and instructed him to make several copies.
These would serve as press credentials for staff during interviews and investigations.
Kain lingered in the capital for a while longer before receiving a reply from Aya.
"It's been almost two months," Kain muttered as he unrolled the scroll. "Aya's progress isn't too slow, but she's clearly being methodical."
Aya, accustomed to ninja methods, still used scrolls instead of letter paper—a habit that Kain found amusing.
The report detailed her recent expenditures: nearly 100 million ryō spent over two months. Most of the money had gone toward acquiring houses, shops, and fields previously owned by a noble family.
It seemed that some time ago, the noble landowner had planned to move his family to the Land of Fire. However, their wealth was limited, and without anyone willing to take over their local assets, the relocation had stalled.
Aya's timely intervention had allowed her to purchase their holdings at a favorable price.
After learning about Aya's actions, Kain reached out to the nobleman directly. Following a series of discussions, the nobleman agreed to sell all his assets and relocate his family to the inland region, where he planned to purchase new property.
Interestingly, the reason behind the nobleman's decision was indirectly linked to Kain's activities.
The man had been involved in the tea trade, but his business took a turn for the worse when several of his noble partners were killed by an unfamiliar group that recently arrived in the area. This conflict spiraled, leading to the deaths of three nobles in the Land of Tea.
The nobleman's estate, located just a day's journey from the Land of Tea, had once enjoyed a peaceful environment.
Now, chaos threatened to spread to his doorstep, and his family faced the danger of extermination. Out of fear, the nobleman wasted no time seeking Aya and selling all his holdings.
But for Kain, this was just the beginning. The southern peninsula of the Land of Fire was home to nearly seven noble families. To establish a proper domain, Kain needed to acquire all their assets. Leaving even one outsider in the area would feel like a loose end.
Aya would continue working on this expansion. Kain trusted her implicitly and wouldn't delegate the task to anyone else unless she herself was unable to negotiate further.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu had proven invaluable to Kain's operations. During the last raid on Konoha Village's frontier ninja stronghold, Kakuzu had only taken two mission rewards, but he had grumbled about it to Kain, insisting that with more time, he could have completely dismantled Konoha's border defenses.
Kakuzu had effectively become Kain's "black glove," handling much of the dirty work. Thanks to his efforts, Kain's casinos had operated safely within the Land of Fire for several years without interference.
However, Kakuzu's ruthlessness had recently drawn the ire of Konoha. After killing too many people in the Land of Fire, he was hunted by Konoha's ninjas and forced to retreat to other countries to take on bounty missions for a time.
Kain knew Kakuzu's actions were excessive. If he didn't lay low, Konoha would continue sending stronger ninja after him. At this time, the legendary Sannin were still active in Konoha.
If Kakuzu became too reckless, he risked facing an opponent capable of killing even someone as skilled as him.
….
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