Toki of the Land of Birds, the Daimyo Completely Ensnared

"That's more like it. If you don't increase the budget, how am I supposed to spend this money?" Naruto said seriously. "Even if you're trying to save me money, my people still need to eat."

"If you don't reach out and take it, how will the people who work for you take it? You need to understand this principle, clarify your thinking, and quickly join this relationship."

"If people can't earn money, why would they be willing to spend it? Now that we are in a period of war, people have low expectations for the future, and if they can't earn money, they will naturally choose to spend less."

"Think about it, we're doing business with no capital, and we have plenty of funds on hand. The common people certainly don't know that. But there are always smart people among the people who will try to figure out the strength of Amegakure."

"As for how to figure it out, it's simply a matter of judging from the money flowing out of our hands. So don't be afraid of exceeding the budget, add as much as you can."

Konan was ashamed, thinking to himself that he had actually said something like "a business with no capital" without batting an eye. Stealing money from other countries to support his own small nation—was he some kind of genius?

"Okay, I understand," she replied, but then hesitated and said, "The Land of Land of Rain is too small. Even if we equip the Amegakure, we can only protect ourselves at best."

"No matter how much money we spend, if we offend the Three Great Nations, we simply cannot withstand their deep-penetration strategy. Regardless of winning or losing, the Land of Rain will be riddled with holes."

"So, I understand equipping Amegakure, but why include the Land of Rain? I'm not saying we don't need to care about the Land of Rain, it's just that..."

Naruto knew what Konan was trying to say: even the richest person shouldn't spend money like that. The Land of Land of Rain small; if the armies of the Three Great Nations marched in formation, they could easily wreck it.

If we can't come up with a way to withstand the crushing force of the Three Great Nations, building asphalt roads will be useless; it will all be a waste of time and effort.

"But we have to do it no matter what, right?" he thought for a moment and said, "While holding the heartland of the Land of Rain is secure, it can only ensure our own safety."

"But we can't keep hiding like this forever. Nagato and Yahiko are dead, but their wishes remain. Shouldn't we, the living, do what we can?"

For some reason, he originally wanted to say that he had his own way. But when the words were about to come out, he habitually added a few layers of "friendship village" buffs before saying them.

Although I don't know what these buffs are for, I'll stack them if I can, just in case they have a miraculous effect. After all, the Shinobi World loves this.

Get lost.

As he thought this to himself, he turned his head and was stunned to see that Konan's eyes were red. He couldn't help but think to himself, "Could I really be a genius?"

"Thank you," Konan said, wiping away her tears and sniffling.

He said it was okay, patted Konan's shoulder lightly, and thought to himself, "I'm a fucking genius, invincible."

"On the other hand, it's not entirely hopeless," Naruto said seriously, then suddenly changed the subject, "If the land isn't big enough, why not just rob the Three Great Nations?"

"We're going to rob him?" Konan was a little surprised, wondering if Naruto was drunk.

"What's wrong with taking it?" Naruto said nonchalantly. "The Five Great Nations are currently forming an alliance to fight the White Zetsu. They don't have time to look back."

"Furthermore, even if those Three Great Nations win, wouldn't they still have to pass through small countries like the Land of Grass, the Land of Birds, and the Land of Rivers on their way back?"

"The Land of Grass has been taken. Now there are only the Land of Birds, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of the Falls left. I happen to have some connections with the Daimyo of the Land of Birds, so let's try diplomacy first before resorting to force."

"I also have some connections in the Land of Earth, Iwagakure will most likely cede some land to them. The situation is similar in the Land of Wind; they will be able to acquire some land."

"The Land of Fire isn't a good fit. Although I'm connected with Konohagakure won't give it to me willingly. I can only try to find a way to make them give it back on their own."

Konan was shocked, looking at Naruto with a bewildered expression, thinking to herself, "How come this guy seems to have connections with everyone? Just how many people does he know? How come he's connected to the Three Great Nations and several smaller countries?"

"Will this really work?" Konan asked in surprise.

"It can be done," he said confidently. "Don't be afraid of spending money. Just get the job done. You can get more money when you run out, but once an opportunity is gone, it won't come again."

"Aren't you worried about the situation in Konohagakure?" Konan asked.

"We can't worry about that now. Let's get our business done so that there will be fewer wars in the Shinobi World in the future." Naruto said firmly. "Wars only come every few years, and this is our only chance."

"Um."

~~

The Land of Birds.

This is just a small, poor country with little to no resources, and it has a long history of being a kingdom. None of the Three Great Nations wanted to touch the Land of Birds, since they only needed to pass through it.

Naruto, however, did not want them to pass through, wanting to be a thorn in the side of the Three Great Nations.

The Land of Rain is weak, the Land of Birds is impoverished, and the Land of Grass is in chaos. The shadows of Three Great Nations may well be behind it all, but regardless, the key is to unite them.

With that thought in mind, Naruto entered the Capital City of the Land of Birds.

After a fifteen-minute wait, Naruto finally met the Daimyo of the Land of Birds, the once arrogant and domineering Toki who had been slapped by him several times. Now, she seemed to have grown even more beautiful.

"Naruto Uzumaki? Long time no see." Toki was dressed in the colorful robes of Daimyo, wearing a tall hat, with light makeup on her face, and a pair of rather large breasts...

For a moment, Naruto forgot her name and decided to call her Little Watermelon for now. After all, they'd been through some serious trouble, so a nickname wouldn't hurt.

Little Watermelon smiled brightly, her red lips pressed into a thin line.

"How did you come to the Land of Birds? It's been six years, and you've finally come. You probably haven't even read a single letter you sent to Konohagakure."

Naruto didn't speak, but glanced at the guards on either side of her. They understood, dismissed the guards, and told them that Naruto was a distinguished guest of the Land of Birds.

He didn't know if they were noble or not, but he did know that the Land of Birds's daily expenses were quite high. What was even more critical was that they simply couldn't afford the war expenses.

"I've come here today to tell you something, one is good news and the other is bad news. Which one would you like to hear?" he said.

"Is there more bad news?" Toki asked, looking puzzled.

"The bad news is that you won't be able to become Daimyo. The Land of Birds is going to be annexed by the Land of Rain, and there's no room for negotiation. If you don't agree, war will be imminent."

Upon hearing this, Toki's expression changed drastically.

"War?"

"Yes."

"But why? Our Land of Birds has never been wealthy, so why would the Land of Rain want to attack us for no reason? And Naruto, aren't you from Konohagakure?"

"Can't we betray them temporarily? Why are you making so many questions?" Naruto's attitude was lukewarm. He had no interest in paying attention to the Daimyo of a small country, and besides, Toki hadn't left a good impression on him.

If it weren't for Little Watermelon, he wouldn't have said so much nonsense.

"And the good news?" Toki asked, looking somewhat nervous. She finally realized what Naruto's purpose in coming here was: to annex the Land of Birds.

"The good news is that the Land of Rain provide financial support to the Land of Birds, and together with the Land of Grass, they will establish a vertical defense belt to jointly resist the invasion of the Three Great Nations."

"Simply put, it is a deep alliance between the Land of Rain, the Land of Grass, and the Land of the Falls."

"But wouldn't that be tantamount to handing over control of the Land of Birds?" Toki took a step back. "I'm afraid it's difficult for me to make this decision on my own."

"You are the Daimyo, what can't you decide?" Naruto's tone suddenly softened. He took a few steps forward and very naturally pulled Toki to sit down next to him.

"Besides, your brother was the previous Daimyo, Land of Birds was his life's work. Now that you have inherited your brother's last wish, can't you see the Land of Birds's predicament?"

"The nobles have completely seized control of the interests of the Land of Birds, indulging in pleasure and lacking ambition. If you have been the Daimyo for six years and still cannot control the Land of Birds, it means that you have not reached the level of governance your brother once achieved."

"Since you can't control it, the Land of Birds is actually still in the hands of those nobles. The ordinary people are suffering terribly, so why are you so obsessed with the Land of Birds?"

"This is not a one-sided takeover, but a deep alliance. You may not understand what a deep alliance means, so I can explain it to you."

Naruto stared at her and slowly began to speak.

"We've already eliminated those uncooperative people from the Land of Grass in just one day. What we need is for the Land of Birds to be 100% under our control, but we don't want ownership of it. We can leave governance to you."

"Do you understand what I mean? We're handing this over to you, so those nobles can't get involved. As for how you cultivate your confidants, that's your business. We just need the results."

"The alliance means that the Land of Birds also has an obligation to cooperate. This is only beneficial to you now, and you should be well aware of that. Moreover, in the long run, it is also a good thing for the development of the Land of Birds."

"Small countries will never rise to prominence if they don't unite. You should understand the principle of 'if the lips are cold, the teeth will perish'."

Toki seemed somewhat at a loss; she had originally come to see Naruto happily. Six years had felt like a very long time to her, with endless official duties every day.

Daimyo was not as easy as she had imagined. Although the Land of Birds was not large, many institutions were controlled by nobles, and it was common for them to hold positions without doing any work.

Those piled-up tasks were ultimately deemed unmanageable and required the Daimyo's personal attention for a safe outcome. In short, it was all because they were taking advantage of Toki's lack of resources.

Daimyo about her? She has no soldiers, no money, and doesn't even handle taxation. She's just a figurehead, spending her days processing official documents.

Toki looked guilty and lowered her head as she spoke.

"I don't really have any power. I just handle some affairs every day. I'm too busy to have any time to manage the village."

"It's alright, you're Daimyo, right?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah." Toki looked up, not quite understanding what Naruto meant. "I am Daimyo, that's true, but I'm just a figurehead. They've sidelined me."

"Leave professional matters to the professionals. As long as you agree, those nobles from the Land of Birds will agree," Naruto said after thinking for a moment.

"I'll offer them a deal they can't refuse, don't worry."

Toki was stunned. She didn't know what Naruto's unavoidable condition was, but she could guess from his few words that it was definitely not a friendly tactic.

"I"—her eyes revealed a look of confusion.

"Toki, you don't want to disappoint your brother, do you?" Naruto leaned down and put his hand on her shoulder, his gaze sweeping over the Little Watermelon. "Times have changed. It's time to make the right choice, or continue to numb yourself and sink into depravity, coldly watching the Land of Birds decay step by step."

"Fight back and take back what's rightfully yours. After all, what are those nobles anyway?"

His voice seemed to have a natural allure as he spoke softly.

"Now that chaos has begun, the Land of Birds, confined to a corner, may not feel it, but the world outside has already changed. The nobles of the Five Great Nations are powerless to protect themselves, like meat on a chopping board."

"Besides, the nobles of a small country like the Land of Birds, how much power do they have? Can they Jonin muster a hundred Jonin? Hmm? Two hundred, five hundred, a thousand, ten thousand?"

"Can they really do it? They throw lavish parties Tenten and are just bullies. They think they can live a peaceful life by keeping a few dogs? They're dreaming."

Their faces were very close, and Naruto's voice grew lower and more urgent, guiding the young girl toward a different path in life.

Like the whispers of Evil God, it bewitches his followers, leading them step by step closer to their true selves.

"If your brother were still alive, would he watch you be bullied by them? You've lost all your dignity as a Daimyo, what future do you have? Nod now."

"I'll help you kill them all, rob them of their wealth, and pour it all into the Land of Birds's treasury. It's really not difficult to do all this; just nod your head."

"Is it really possible?" Toki looked somewhat dazed. She thought of her deceased brother and the injustices she had suffered over the past six years, and her fists clenched.

Little Watermelon stood up and nodded firmly.

"You're right, deal with them!"

Naruto grinned, a silent smile playing on his lips. This was the chaos of the world. The Shinobi World was on the verge of exploding; there was no time to take it slow. He needed to deal with the nobles and move forward to unite the people.

If the money isn't enough, add more, until it's enough to move people's hearts.

Toki made this decision, which also meant that she would rely entirely on Naruto, and that everything she would have in the future would depend on this man.

Naruto was pleased, reached out and pinched the Toki, and said with a smile.

"You'll see the results by tomorrow night."

The next day.

Toki suddenly opened her eyes in her room, and could vaguely hear a chaotic noise coming from afar. She got off the bed barefoot and stepped onto the floor.

I tiptoed closer to the curtains, squinted my eyes for a moment to adjust to the light, and then saw Kakkō burning in a noble palace not far from the Capital City of the Land of Birds.

"Is this what chaos looks like? It's insane." Toki gripped the curtains, her heart pounding. "So the Land of Birds is actually so vulnerable. It's truly..."