Ming Jing was considering a possibility: how feasible would it be to kill the Daimyo here and install a new ruler? The guy in front of him had no sense of his proper place at all!
"Mr. Ming Jing, if you were put in charge of the Land of Fire, what would you do? How would you deal with those refugees and bandits?" The Daimyo took a bite of dessert, revealing a blissful expression before asking casually.
The Daimyo was really straightforward! Ming Jing sighed inwardly, then gathered himself and said, "As you put it, the Land of Fire is currently facing five problems: Natural Disaster, bandits, refugees, miscellaneous taxes, and corrupt officials. The most urgent matter is disaster relief. We cannot allow the refugee population to grow."
"Whoa!!!" The Daimyo looked at Ming Jing with utter delight. Was the Daimyo some kind of expression master?!
"As expected of Mr. Ming Jing! My retainers discussed this for days without reaching a conclusion, yet Mr. Ming Jing identified the crux of the matter in just a few words. You are truly amazing!"
Oh, really?! Amazing my ass! Any middle school student in China would know this stuff!
"You flatter me, Daimyo." Seeing the Daimyo's wholehearted admiration, Ming Jing could only shamelessly accept it.
"Decided!" The Daimyo slapped his fan shut and pointed at Ming Jing. "Mr. Ming Jing, you will manage the Land of Fire!"
What?!
Ming Jing was stunned stiff.
There had to be something wrong with the way he was hearing this. Who just handed a whole country over to someone else to manage so easily?
Ming Jing closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, the Daimyo was still sitting there with a satisfied expression. This guy was apparently quite pleased with the wild idea he had just come up with!
Ming Jing sighed and said, "I am truly grateful for Your Excellency's trust, but I have no experience in governing a country. I am also still young, and I fear I cannot bear such a great responsibility. Please seek someone more qualified."
"No, no, no. Age is not a problem." The Daimyo shook his head, his expression serious. "No one is born knowing everything. From the way Mr. Ming Jing immediately identified the key issue, it is clear that you are a man of genuine talent. I would be at ease leaving the Land of Fire to you. I believe you can do it!"
That sounded awfully sincere!
Ming Jing stroked his chin. Was he really some unprecedented genius? He had casually written two books and somehow gained a whole crowd of brainless fans. Still, managing the Land of Fire sounded like the work of a chancellor! Becoming chancellor and enjoying the admiration of countless people? That did sound pretty exciting! More importantly, the plot had not even begun yet. It would not be bad to play at being a chancellor for a while! Should he cosplay Zhuge Liang when the time came? Or Zhang Juzheng? Chen Ping would be good too! Di Renjie, Kou Zhun, and Fang Xuanling were all figures with both looks and brains!
No, no, no!
Ming Jing suddenly remembered that he had come to this world with a mission. He had to defeat Tsukuyomi and prove that The Goose Illusionary Book was the number one genjutsu! And in the Naruto World, Tsukuyomi's strongest form was the "Eye of the Moon" from Shippuden—a ridiculously powerful, wide-area genjutsu that could only be avoided by hiding beneath Uchiha Sasuke.
Wait!
Naruto would be sixteen during Shippuden, while he was only three now. That meant Ming Jing had thirteen years to play around! Honestly, compared to charging into the front lines and fighting, Ming Jing preferred staying in the back and using the plot to scheme against people!
"How about this?" Seeing that Ming Jing had yet to respond, the Daimyo raised the stakes once more. "I can promise you that I will never go against any decision you make. I will honor every agreement we make, and without your consent, I will never interfere recklessly with your work!"
Ming Jing could not help looking at the Daimyo in surprise. With those three conditions, it would be effortless for him to strip the Daimyo of all real power!
But Ming Jing would never trust the Daimyo completely. China had long held the saying, "Serving a ruler is like living beside a tiger." He did not believe the Daimyo would still honor those promises when certain times came. Still, there was one thing he wanted to understand. "I would really like to know: why does Your Excellency trust me so much?"
The Daimyo thought about it very seriously, then answered with an equally serious expression, "A feeling!"
Ming Jing's gaze said it all: Daimyo, did your brain short-circuit?
"My, my... Mr. Ming Jing, that look is rather hurtful." The Daimyo covered his eyes with his fan.
It was wonderful that the Daimyo actually understood his look! Ming Jing grumbled inwardly, then sat upright and said, "I am still grateful for Your Excellency's trust, but as a ninja of Konoha, I must follow the rules of ninja!" What a tactful and easy-to-understand refusal!
"Hmm..." The Daimyo narrowed his eyes in thought. Suddenly, he tapped his fan against his palm and beamed again. "I have an idea. Mr. Ming Jing, you cannot escape. You should start thinking about how to help me govern the Land of Fire! Hahahaha..."
Ming Jing froze slightly and carefully recalled what he had just said. Damn it all! He had already guessed the Daimyo's plan.
Seeing Ming Jing's annoyed expression, the Daimyo said with a grin, "It seems Mr. Ming Jing has already guessed what I am thinking, so I shall not disturb you further! Please guide me well from now on! Ohohoho..." With that, the Daimyo rose and left the Kurama Clan with a strange laugh.
Seeing her Young Master's vexed expression, Tsukishiro Yuexi asked curiously, "What happened, Young Master?"
"I dug a hole, then jumped into it myself." Ming Jing sighed. After adjusting his mood, he asked, "How is Hinata? Yakumo has not been bullying her, has she?"
"No. Miss Yakumo and Miss Hyuga are getting along quite well!" Tsukishiro Yuexi said gently. Ming Jing looked up at Yuexi, who tilted her head cutely, her face full of confusion.
"Tell the kitchen to prepare more ingredients. We may have guests tonight." Ming Jing shifted his gaze away from Yuexi and spoke slowly.
"Understood." Tsukishiro Yuexi nodded and went to notify them.
There was a reason the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had come to Konoha. Meeting Ming Jing was one reason; the other was to meet the Third Hokage. After all, the Raikage had openly spoken of war, so as the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, he naturally had to show concern.
By the time he reached the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage was already waiting at the entrance. The Daimyo emerged from a palanquin that looked like a small roadside shrine and greeted the Third Hokage warmly. "It has been a long time, Third Hokage."
"Welcome to Konoha. It has indeed been a long time, Daimyo." The Third Hokage bowed slightly to show his respect, then stepped aside and gestured with one hand. "Please come inside so we may speak."
The Daimyo did not stand on ceremony and entered the Hokage Building first. After looking around, he could not help asking, "Hmm... Third Hokage, why not ask Mr. Ming Jing to design and renovate the Hokage Building? The decor here is quite ordinary!"
"Hehe... I am an old man, so I am rather nostalgic. Leave the new things for those who come after us to fuss over." The Third Hokage smiled kindly, as though he could never tire of looking at this place.
"Do not say that. The Third Hokage is still young!" The Daimyo offered a bit of flattery. Having worked together for so many years, the two knew each other fairly well.
"I shall accept your kind words." The Third Hokage calmly accepted the flattery. Once they entered the office and sat down, they got to the point.
The Daimyo asked first, "Has the matter with the Land of Lightning been settled? There will not really be a war, will there?"
"It has been handled. There will be no war." The Third Hokage shook his head.
The Daimyo sighed in relief. "That is wonderful. This is the first piece of good news I have heard today. I hope the Hokage can grant me the second piece of good news!"
"Please speak, Daimyo." The Third Hokage neither agreed nor refused. An old fox never made promises lightly.
"Well, I hope the Third Hokage can lend Mr. Ming Jing to me for a few years." The Daimyo smiled casually, unbothered. He did not believe the Third Hokage would refuse him.
"Lend?" The Third Hokage was slightly taken aback. How exactly was he supposed to interpret that word?
The Daimyo nodded. "Mr. Ming Jing is currently a ninja of Konoha. I am issuing a special mission here: Konoha is to send Mr. Ming Jing to assist me in governing the Land of Fire. Let this special mission be rated SSSS!"
"What?!" The Third Hokage was genuinely shocked this time. He stared blankly at the Daimyo. Sending a ninja to govern a country—only the Daimyo could come up with such an absurd idea!
"Ahem..." The Third Hokage recovered and said, "Daimyo, Ming Jing is still young and is also a ninja. I fear he may be unequal to the task of governing a country!"
"No, no, no." The Daimyo shook his head repeatedly and said with a serious expression, "Mr. Ming Jing will definitely give us a surprise!"
Are you sure it will be a surprise and not a shock??
The Third Hokage silently glanced at the smug Daimyo. He understood now: this Daimyo had hit a wall with Ming Jing, so he had turned his crooked schemes toward him instead. Yet the Third Hokage could not refuse, because the Daimyo really was following ninja rules.
What had been going on lately? Why did everything feel like it was going wrong? The Third Hokage gloomily gained a few more age spots...
Before you continue