Visitors from Other Nations

At the same time

The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning.

"... Has Yuan Yusheng lost his mind?!"

The furious roar pierced through the eaves of the corridor, startling the servants below who all lowered their bodies and dared not utter a sound.

The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning slammed the secret letter in his hand onto the table, causing the teacup to jump and spill tea onto the expensive silk cloth, leaving a dark stain.

"Giving Ninjas such great power? Special Administrative Region? Ha!"

He stood up and paced back and forth in the magnificent hall, his wide sleeves rustling with each movement.

"Even if the Ninjas are riddled with internal conflicts, they can't be this arrogant! It's utterly foolish! Does he want to die? Does he want to be trampled on by those lowly Ninjas?!"

The Envoy who delivered the message sat kneeling in the corner with his head bowed, saying nothing.

But the fleeting contempt in his eyes was almost overflowing.

Hmph, what a short-sighted fellow, just as his Daimyo says.

If Ninjas are only seen as weapons, then they will only ever be good at making weapons.

But if you treat them as human beings, they can unleash a thousand times more power.

This guy simply doesn't understand that.

He kept his head down, suppressing all his emotions, until the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning finally stopped roaring and waved at him impatiently.

"Step back!"

The Envoy bowed respectfully and then quietly withdrew.

Turning the corner of the corridor, away from the center of the rage, he finally raised his head and let out a long breath.

The voice of the Daimyo could be faintly heard behind him, as he summoned his advisors to discuss countermeasures.

The Envoy silently twitched the corner of his mouth.

What are they discussing? Sending Envoy to the Land of Fire to find out? And then what?

Even if you understood it, you short-sighted people wouldn't dare to take the plunge.

As expected, Yuan Yusheng is the best!

He exhaled and quickened his pace, leaving the magnificent yet suffocating mansion.

The same scene played out in the royal cities of the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Water within a few days.

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind frowned, read the intelligence report over and over again three times, and finally threw it on the table with a cold snort.

"The Land of Fire... you've got some nerve."

Unlike the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, he didn't fly into a rage. Instead, he remained silent for a long time before saying to his kneeling subordinate, "Send Envoy. Take a few Ninja with him. Remember, don't send the famous ones. Even if you have to hire more Genin, avoid that."

The subject accepted the order and departed.

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind sat alone in the empty hall, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest.

Ninja.

Those... guys hiding in the shadows.

If the Land of Fire truly grants them land and recognition, then what's next?

Will the Ninjas from the Land of Wind also want to join?

He frowned, suppressing the thought for the time being.

The Daimyo of the Land of Water didn't react strongly.

The Land of Water is separated from the mainland by the sea, and the changes in the Land of Fire are not yet within its reach.

But he still sent Envoys.

"Go and see," he said calmly, "See what they're up to."

And the Land of Earth...

Iwagakure.

He sat there inexplicably in the cave, with the same intelligence reports that had been received by the other Shinobi Villages laid out in front of him.

He had been watching for a long time.

So long that even the disciples around him shifted uncomfortably.

"Teacher?"

Wu raised her head and looked at the thirteen-year-old boy.

Ōnoki. His personal disciple. He was short in stature, but his eyes held a fierce, indomitable spirit.

"Ōnoki," he said silently, his voice low, "There's something I need you to do."

Ōnoki immediately straightened his back. "Please speak, teacher!"

Wu paused for a moment, seemingly considering his words.

"Over in the Land of Fire... something has happened in Konohagakure." He briefly explained the matter of the "Special Administrative Region," then looked into his disciple's eyes, "The Daimyo of the Land of Earth is sending Envoy to the Land of Fire to investigate. He will be Jonin guards."

"I understand." Ōnoki nodded. "Does the teacher want me to go with him?"

"Yes."

Wu stood up, walked to the entrance of the cave, turned his back to his disciples, and looked at the gray sky outside.

"But the Daimyo won't send any named Ninjas. He's afraid... afraid that we Ninjas, seeing the Land of Fire, might develop some inappropriate thoughts."

Ōnoki remained silent. He understood the meaning behind his teacher's words.

The Daimyo needed Ninjas as bodyguards because there were ronin, wandering Ninjas, and bandits on the road.

However, the Daimyo did not trust the Ninjas, fearing that they would be misled by the success of the Land of Fire and demand the same treatment upon their return.

Therefore, the Ninjas sent must be "inconspicuous".

Ideally, it should be the kind that you wouldn't feel sorry for if it died.

"You are my disciple." Wu turned to look at Ōnoki, "But in the eyes of outsiders, you are just a brat. A brat who has no reputation yet."

Ōnoki pursed his lips.

"Go with the Envoy, keep a low profile, observe more, listen more, and speak less." He added, "When you return, tell me, and tell our leader, Lord Ishikawa, what exactly happened in Konoha."

Ōnoki nodded vigorously.

"Yes, teacher."

Wu looked at him, reached out, and gently patted the top of his head.

Be careful on the road.

Three days later, the Envoys from the Four Great Nations set off one after another.

They came from different directions, along different routes, but were heading towards the same goal.

The Capital of the Land of Fire.

And Konohagakure, deep in the forest east of the Capital.

The group included richly dressed noble Envoys and taciturn Ninja guards.

Among those Ninjas Genin from Kumogakure, Anbu candidates from Sunagakure, ordinary Chunin from Kirigakure, and a thirteen-year-old, small-statured kid from Iwagakure who tried hard to make himself less conspicuous.

Ōnoki blended in with the Land of Earth's forces, keeping such a low profile that people almost forgot he existed.

He would occasionally look up and gaze into the depths of the forest.

He was full of anticipation for this trip.

One week later.

Izuna squatted on the low wall at the edge of the Training Ground, listlessly resting his chin on his hand.

The afternoon sun was warm and pleasant, making people feel drowsy.

A few Ninjas were doing basic training in the Training Ground, and the sounds of fists and feet cutting through the air and Kunai hitting the bullseye could be heard intermittently.

"Ugh--so boring."

He let out a long sigh.

I've been incredibly bored these past few days.

Hashirama and the others were busy at the Hokage Building Hashirama, the Uchiha Clan Compound elders were having a meeting in the fields, the children had been taken away to do chores, and even the few brats who usually clung to him were nowhere to be seen.

The Ninja Academy is still on hold because the children are all extremely busy, and even if he goes to the school, not many children will come to attend at this time.

But thanks to their enthusiastic efforts in building Konoha, he, the number one lazy bum in Konoha, was forced to go back to work several times.

It's truly thought-provoking.

But today! I absolutely will not go back as easily as I did last week!

Then, on a whim, that familiar, semi-transparent screen unfolded before his eyes.

Shitty Map.

This is the name he gave to this feature.

Although the system only showed a map, Izuna felt that the name was extremely fitting.

After all, this thing is really inhumane; it even marks where people go to the toilet.

The map slowly unfolds, with detailed contour lines spreading out like ripples, clearly marking every terrain feature, including mountains, rivers, forests, and roads.

Green dots of light moved slowly across the area of Konoha; they were his clansmen and villagers.

Izuna casually fiddled with the map, sliding from the Hokage Building to the Commercial Street, and then from the Commercial Street to the village entrance. It was just the same old thing over and over again.

So he narrowed down his search and decided to see if there were any interesting places within the Land of Fire.

For example, find out where Black Zetsu is.

Then his fingers stopped.

On the edge of the map, near the border of the Land of Fire, several groups of lights are slowly moving.

Izuna squinted and zoomed in on that area.

Four groups of light spots.

Coming from four directions.

Each group has about six or seven people.

The symbols are: [Envoy of the Land of Wind], [Envoy of the Land of Lightning], [Envoy of the Land of Earth], and [Envoy of the Land of Water].

Izuna raised an eyebrow slightly.

The Four Great Nations.

At the same time, they sent Envoys, and judging from their direction of movement, they were all heading towards the Capital of the Land of Fire.

Izuna stroked his chin.

It seems they've received the news.

The agreement regarding the "Special Administrative Region" between the Land of Fire and Konoha.

He could almost picture the reactions of those Daimyo.

First came confusion, then bewilderment, and finally anger and vigilance.

"Why should Ninjas be treated as equals to us?"

"Why should those lowly people who only know how to ambush from the shadows have the right to own their own land and enjoy autonomy?"

Has the Daimyo of the Land of Fire gone mad?

Izuna smiled silently.

The nobles would probably say this: People who are used to being high above others will inevitably feel anger and resentment when they suddenly find that those they used to look down on have stood up.

But interestingly...

His gaze swept over the four groups of lights, lingering for a moment on a few of the names.

Ōnoki.

The future Third Tsuchikage.

Several other groups also included familiar surnames, such Yuki and Yotsuki.

Although he didn't know them yet, those surnames and clan names told him that these people would be the core figures of the major Shinobi Villages in the future.

"Interesting," Izuna said softly.

He didn't see a single figure, but the future heir was quietly mixed in among them.

This shows that the nobles were on guard against the Ninjas, while the Ninjas were trying their best to find a way out.

This is roughly the current situation.

The nobles wanted to know, "Why would the Daimyo of the Land of Fire agree to this system?"

Ninjas wanted to know was, "What methods did Konoha use to transform Ninjas from tools into landowners?"

Izuna tilted his head, staring at the slowly moving specks of light.

They are traveling at a fast pace; the fastest of them should reach the Capital in about three or four days.

After arriving in the Capital, they will stay for a day or two to exchange views with the high-ranking officials of the Land of Fire.

Then they'll definitely ask to come and visit Konoha.

Whether it was the Daimyo's order or their own will.

In other words, at most one week.

A week later, Konoha will welcome its first batch of foreign visitors.

Excellent. It's a good opportunity for those high-ranking nobles to see, and for those Ninjas mixed in with the ranks to see, what kind of life Ninjas can lead.

Then he suddenly realized.

Etc.

I'm back to work!

Izuna's expression gradually froze.

"Ahhh—" he sighed, looking up at the sky, "I'm such a big idiot!"

A crow, startled by the mournful cry, took flight from a tree not far away.

Then open your mouth:

"Idiot, idiot, idiot--"

Izuna picked up a small pebble with a blank expression and flicked it with his finger.

The pebble hit the crow precisely, and the crow crashed, but the echo of "idiot!" still lingered in the air.

"... Even the birds bully me."

Izuna jumped down from the low wall and dusted off his clothes.

Oh well, I'm just destined to be a hard worker, there's nothing I can do about it.

Go back to work.

Speaking of which, Hashirama's Appointment Ceremony Hokage was also scheduled for the day the Daimyo of the Land of Fire came to visit.

Oh my gosh~ I'm really looking forward to everyone's reaction when my speech is read aloud~