Real Shinobi World
Land of Fire
Inside the majestic palace, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire gently waved his folding fan, his brow furrowed as he watched the earth-shattering battle unfolding in the Heavenly Screen. Every clash between the Nine-Tails and Susanoo seemed to shake his authority as a secular ruler.
"These ninjas... have they become this powerful?" he murmured to himself, his fan unconsciously stopping in his hand.
The advisors around him exchanged glances, and one of them, an elderly one, bowed and said, "My lord, since the time of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, the power of ninjas has far surpassed that of ordinary people. But now..."
"But now, even teenagers can easily destroy a city!" The daimyo slammed his folding fan shut, his voice filled with barely concealed anxiety. "Our samurai legion, which we've invested so much in training, is nothing but a joke in front of them!"
Inside the council chamber, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire slowly lowered his folding fan, his fingertips tracing the jade inlaid on the rim of his cup, his gaze fixed intently on the scene of the ongoing battle against the backdrop of the Heavenly Screen outside the window.
"Fortunately..." he suddenly spoke, his voice tinged with relief, "The current Hokage is Princess Tsunade."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the several high-ranking officials standing nearby all changed.
"Your Highness is wise." The chief advisor bowed slightly, his white beard trembling slightly. "The bloodline of the Senju Clan certainly makes them more discreet than those commoner ninjas."
The daimyo nodded slightly, his fingertips tapping out a regular rhythm on the table. He recalled his meeting with Tsunade in the capital years ago. Although that legendary female ninja had a fiery temper, the sense of responsibility that shone in her eyes when she spoke of the relationship between Konoha and the Land of Fire was genuine.
"Send an order to the Finance Ministry," the Daimyo suddenly sat up straight, the dark patterns on his brocade sleeves gleaming in the candlelight, "This year, the budget for Konoha will be increased by 50%."
"Fifty percent?" The Finance Minister nearly overturned his calculations. "Your Highness, this might strain the Northern defenses..."
"The Northern Territory?" The daimyo sneered, pointing to the image of the Nine-Tails rampaging across the Heavenly Screen. "Do you think our walls can stop such a monster?"
The room fell silent.
The head attendant promptly presented a bamboo scroll. "This is the latest intelligence from the Anbu. After Orochimaru's attack on Konoha, Lady Tsunade is rebuilding the medical system..."
"Send another thirty palace physicians to support us." The daimyo interrupted, then narrowed his eyes as if suddenly remembering something. "Wait, I remember Princess Tsunade is a gambler? Go check which casinos she owes money to recently and have the Ministry of Internal Affairs handle it secretly."
The senior officials exchanged glances. Such a gesture of goodwill was truly rare in the history of the relationship between daimyo and their shadows.
"Your Highness," the military advisor hesitated, "Such generous Konoha might lead other ninja villages to..."
"You think I care about Konoha?" The Daimyo suddenly raised his voice, snapping his folding fan shut. "I'm trying to appease those monsters who can move mountains and fill seas!" He lowered his voice, "Hashirama Senju could build a village, Madara Uchiha could destroy a country. And those two brats in the Heavenly Screen now..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Tailed Beast Bomb exploded in the Heavenly Screen, its blinding light illuminating the Daimyo's pale face in every detail.
"Go and do it." He waved his hand wearily. "Also, send Princess Tsunade a tea set in my name—the same Yōhen Tenmoku Bowl that was presented as tribute last year."
After everyone had left, the daimyo stood alone by the window. The moonlight cast a long shadow of him, perfectly overlapping with the silhouette of Susanoo in the Heavenly Screen. He suddenly remembered his grandfather's dying words:
"Remember, we don't rule a country... we rule a playground for monsters."
Land of Wind
"Summon all military advisors immediately!" The Daimyo of the Land of Wind slammed his fist on the table, his elegant sleeves sweeping over the teacup. "We must find a way to control the ninjas!"
A bespectacled strategist cautiously advised, "But sir, since the establishment of the ninja village system, our cooperation with Sunagakure has always been..."
"Cooperation?" Da Ming sneered, "You call this cooperation? They possess the power to easily overthrow a country, yet all they need is for us to allocate military funds annually? This is clearly—"
He swallowed the words back as they reached his lips, because the Heavenly Screen was currently displaying an extremely exaggerated battle scene between Naruto and Sasuke.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind stood before the throne, gazing at the battle scene in the Heavenly Screen, and suddenly stopped uttering the command he was about to give.
He slowly turned around, his wide brocade sleeves drawing an arc in the air, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials who were holding their breath in the hall.
"I've heard..." His voice was deep and slow, carrying the authority of a superior, "Recently, Baki and Chiyo of Sunagakure are preparing to nominate that young man named Gaara to succeed Kazekage?"
The close advisor standing nearby immediately stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Highness. According to information from Sunagakure, they do indeed intend to groom Gaara to become the Fifth Kazekage."
The daimyo thoughtfully stroked the jade ring on his thumb, recalling the image of the red-haired boy in the Heavenly Screen manipulating sand to confront the Impure World Reincarnation Madara Uchiha —though young, he already possessed the demeanor of a great general.
"That's the boy who appeared in the Heavenly Screen a while ago..." Daiming nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. "To be able to stand firm in a battle of that level, that's quite impressive."
He suddenly raised his hand, interrupting the Finance Minister who was about to speak, "This year's budget will be increased by 20% for Sunagakure."
A murmur of discussion immediately filled the hall. The Finance Minister looked troubled. "Your Highness, the desert trade route's tax revenue for this year has not yet been collected..."
"Do as I say." The daimyo glanced at him indifferently, a look that immediately silenced the minister. "Sunagakure has had a tough time these past few years. Now that they've chosen Kazekage with potential, we should naturally show our support."
He descended the steps, his gold-embroidered boots clicking silently on the carpet. "Also, isn't that Gaara the Fourth Rasa's child? Prepare some gifts and send someone to visit him."
As they reached the palace gate, the daimyo suddenly stopped and, without turning around, added, "Tell Baki that I will visit Sunagakure in two months. I hope to see a new look for the Sunagakure."
As the heavy palace gates slowly closed, the ministers exchanged bewildered glances. Everyone understood that behind this sudden generosity lay a sense of apprehension and compromise with the absolute power manifested in the Heavenly Screen.
That night, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind stood alone on the star-gazing platform, gazing in the direction of Sunagakure for a long time without saying a word.
On the wall of a secret room unknown to anyone, a new portrait of Gaara was hung, with the following label:
"Key observation target, hazard level: controllable"
This great man, who ruled this desert kingdom for decades, knew better than anyone else:
In the age of ninjas, the art of politics lay not in control, but in guidance.
Land of Water
"Investigate!" The Daimyo of the Land of Water ordered the ninja lurking in the shadows, "Check Mei Terumi has made any unusual moves lately!"
"Reporting, sir," the ninja knelt on one knee, "The Mizukage has been doing well lately, except for complaining about his unsuccessful blind dates."
The daimyo of the Land of Water suddenly trembled as he held the celadon teacup, spilling a few drops of tea onto his sleeve embroidered with ocean waves.
"Is she still complaining about blind dates?" Daimyo's lips twitched as he put down his teacup, the table clinking slightly. "With her Boiling Release technique that can Boil Release Susanoo?"
The ninja standing to the side knelt on one knee, his voice tinged with embarrassment beneath his mask. "Yes... yes. According to the Anbu, the Mizukage scared away three noble young men the day before yesterday. One of them fainted on the spot after seeing her use Lava Release to prune the bonsai..."
Daimyo sighed, his gilded armor gleaming in the candlelight. "I remember the general's son we arranged last time..."
"He ran away, Your Highness," the old steward added in a low voice, "He said he'd rather guard the most remote reef outpost..."
An eerie silence fell over the hall. The faint sound of the sea fog horn, characteristic of Kirigakure, drifted from outside the window, making the atmosphere even more subtle.
"That's enough." The daimyo suddenly slammed his hand on the table, the coral beads jingling. "Send down the order: get the list of this year's newly promoted noble youths... no, he paused, a glint of light in his eyes, "... Mizukage the list of the nephews and nieces of those old fogies who are always contradicting the council to the Mizukage."
The chief advisor choked on his words: "Your Highness, I'm afraid..."
"By the way, tell Mei Terumi," the daimyo said with a meaningful smile, "Just say... these are all outstanding young people who volunteered to serve the country. If a few of them are accidentally melted down during matchmaking..." He stroked the short sword at his waist, "Consider it cleaning up the parasites for the Land of Water."
The maids lowered their heads, suppressing their laughter, and the candlelight cast the daimyo's cunning shadow onto the screen painted in the style of the Land of Water.
That Night - Mizukage's Office
Mei Terumi stared at the dozen or so scrolls of portraits of suitors that had suddenly been delivered, her veins bulging. "These old bastards... do they really think I'm a furnace?!"
Land of Lightning
A bolt of lightning struck outside the window, illuminating the main hall of the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning in the Land of Lightning. The Daimyo sat upright on his throne, his fingers rhythmically tapping the armrest, each soft sound seemingly resonating with the distant thunder.
"What's the Raikage been up to lately?" His voice was deep and resonant, like a storm brewing.
The intelligence officer, kneeling in the hall with his forehead pressed to the ground, reported, "Your Highness, in addition to carrying out the elite troop deployment agreed upon at the Five Kage Summit, Lord Raikage has recently doubled the training intensity of Kumogakure."
"Oh?" The esteemed man raised a thick eyebrow, his gilded Forehead Protector gleaming coldly in the lightning. "Explain in detail."
"Yes!" The intelligence officer presented the scroll with both hands. "Two hours of Lightning Release resistance training will be added every morning; Chunin and above must participate in actual combat. Also..." He swallowed hard. "The Lord Raikage himself has been frequently visiting the Thunder Valley lately, supposedly... attempting to train by drawing upon natural lightning."
A sudden silence fell over the hall, broken only by the increasingly heavy rain outside the windows. Suddenly, the daimyo burst into laughter, the sound causing the wind chimes on the beams to jingle, "Good! This is the spirit of my Land of Lightning!"
He rose and strode to the window, lightning dancing on his resolute face. "Compared to the flashy Kekkei Genkai of other countries, we, the ninjas of Kumogakure, should use the most violent lightning to shatter everything!"
As he turned, the daimyo's cloak fluttered in the wind. "Send word! This year's supplies for Kumogakure will be delivered three months ahead of schedule, with an additional batch of Chakra- conducting metal."
The Chancellor of the Exchequer hurriedly stepped forward. "Your Highness, this expenditure will affect the southern fortress..."
"A fortress?" The daimyo waved his hand decisively. "With that kid Aina here, Kumogakure is the most impregnable fortress!" He suddenly lowered his voice. "Can't you see the monsters from the other villages in the Heavenly Screen?"
Land of Earth
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth surveyed his silent courtiers and suddenly laughed, "Gentlemen, shouldn't we be thankful... at least these monsters are still willing to take on quests and earn money?"
An old minister, wiping away cold sweat, said, "Your Excellency is wise. Moreover, according to historical records, ninjas rarely interfere in secular politics..."
"Because they simply don't value our little bit of power!" The daimyo raised his glass with a self-deprecating laugh. "Come, a toast to the ninja masters! May they forever be addicted to killing each other!"
Outside the window, a fallen leaf drifted past the gilded eaves, while the two figures in the Heavenly Screen continued their earth-shattering battle. The powerful and wealthy finally realized a truth:
In this world, true power always coexists with strength.
All they could do was continue to play the role of "employer" in the shadow of these monsters.