A breeze drifted past, carrying the stern reprimands of the female officials and stifled sobs.
Thirty-six stunning women were being taught court etiquette.
Some came from noble families, while others possessed fierce temperaments, yet under the female officials' reprimands, they struck all manner of alluring yet proper poses.
The sight was enough to stir any man's heart.
Yet it was also the most direct embodiment of power.
Chiba Ran watched calmly.
He liked beautiful women, but he liked the process of taming them even more.
Crushing their pride completely, then branding them with a mark that belonged solely to him.
That sense of satisfaction far surpassed mere possession.
But he knew that both beauties and pleasure came from power.
If the foundation itself wavered, everything would vanish.
Only by making the foundations of his authority ever more secure could he obtain more.
Beauty was merely an embellishment, a trophy.
He could not remain immersed in pleasure forever.
At that thought, the appreciation in his eyes quietly faded, and his imposing expression returned.
Chiba Ran drained the tea in his cup in one gulp, then slowly rose to his feet.
The etiquette official beside the screen had not even reacted before seeing the daimyo leave.
As though that scene, enough to make any man lose control, was merely roadside scenery in his eyes.
"My lord..."
The etiquette official hurried after him, a trace of panic in her voice.
Chiba Ran did not slow down as he said flatly, "Continue the training here according to protocol."
"In one month, I want to see results."
Then he cast the garden's spring splendor and the distracting thoughts in his heart behind him.
"Yes!"
The etiquette official knelt respectfully.
When she looked up again, the daimyo was already gone.
The pine incense still lingered in the study.
Chiba Ran changed back into his everyday clothes and sat down in his broad chair.
The desk before him was piled high with scrolls and documents, all sorted into neat categories.
At the very top were several highest-priority memorials that the steward had selected according to the rules Chiba Ran had established.
They were distinguished by sealing wax of different colors.
Red represented military intelligence.
Gold represented public welfare.
Black represented oversight.
Yet one scroll sealed with gold wax had an additional jet-black crow feather tied to it.
This was the highest alert he had established.
A crow-feather emergency report.
It meant the matter was urgent enough to potentially shake the foundations of the nation, giving it priority over all ordinary emergency reports.
Chiba Ran immediately picked up the scroll tied with the crow feather and opened it.
It read: Torrential rain has fallen continuously across the southern plains, causing rivers to flood. Several cities have suffered disaster, thousands of acres of farmland have been destroyed, and the number of victims has exceeded one hundred thousand.
His brows instantly furrowed.
The people's livelihood was the foundation of the nation.
Especially when he was about to take action against the shinobi system, a stable rear was of vital importance.
If more than one hundred thousand disaster victims were mishandled, they could stir up monstrous waves and ruin all his plans.
His brush descended, his handwriting decisive.
"Open the granaries for disaster relief and soothe the people's hearts."
"Order the Ministry of Works to immediately send personnel to the disaster area to oversee the construction of dikes. The necessary funds will be disbursed directly from the treasury. Local authorities along the route are not to delay or embezzle any portion. Violators will be executed immediately."
Only after handling this most urgent matter did he pick up the military emergency report sealed with red wax.
The report read: Bandits are causing trouble along the border of the Land of Rivers. Their leader is ruthless, and Rogue Ninja are suspected of being involved. The local garrison has failed several encirclement attempts and suffered heavy losses.
"Even a minor ailment dares to disturb my peace of mind."
He snorted coldly, killing intent suffusing the order he wrote.
"Order the local garrison to seal off all major routes and cut off their supplies."
"Also, send orders to Konoha. Command Minato to personally lead a Jonin squad in a joint extermination operation. They must be wiped out completely, and their heads displayed along the border."
It was a good opportunity to let the people of the Land of Fire see that even Konoha's Golden Flash had to obey the orders of Daimyo Manor.
Lastly, he picked up the impeachment memorial sealed with black wax.
It was the final investigation report into an old case: the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs had colluded with local officials to embezzle funds allocated for river repairs the previous year. The evidence was conclusive.
Part of those embezzled funds had been intended to reinforce the dam that had collapsed this time.
Chiba Ran immediately snorted. With national disaster at hand, such parasites were especially hateful.
He did not even write an instruction on the memorial, instead issuing an order directly.
"Hidden Guard."
"Your subordinate is here."
A Hidden Guard appeared silently, as though he had been standing in the shadows all along.
"Go arrest and interrogate this man." Chiba Ran's tone was calm. "Make sure he spits out everything he has swallowed over the years, principal and interest included."
"As for him, in three days, behead him at the collapsed dike in front of all the disaster victims."
"Yes." The Hidden Guard's reply contained only one word, yet it reeked of blood.
After handling all the urgent matters, the study returned to silence.
Only then did Chiba Ran relax somewhat.
He lightly tapped the desk, then seemed to recall something and walked over to the map of the Shinobi World, his gaze settling on the marker for Konoha.
He had already won over Konoha's hearts. The next step was to put a shackle around its neck.
He had prepared two measures for this.
The first was to establish a Land of Fire Mission Center and bring the authority to issue and assign all missions under state control.
If this step succeeded, it would mean grasping Konoha's economic lifeline.
That was merely the first step.
The second, and most crucial step, was the separation of military and civil administration!
"The Hokage should return to his proper role," Chiba Ran murmured, his gaze profound.
A blade's duty was to sharpen its edge, not to wallow in government affairs.
Konoha's internal affairs, from village planning and fiscal taxes down to neighborhood disputes, were all matters of governance.
How could they be managed by a group of shinobi who only understood killing?
When the time came, he would establish a Daimyo Manor Administrative Office in Konoha and take over all of Konoha's civil and public welfare affairs.
From then on, the Hokage would command the troops, while he commanded the Hokage.
No military operation could be undertaken without his permission.
And he would govern with one hand and command the military with the other, unifying the strength of the entire Land of Fire.
When both military and political power were in his grasp.
That would be true dominion over the world!
In truth, he had another arrangement, but it would require patient, gradual effort.
On the day he ascended the throne, he had made slight changes to its contents.
The reason he had added the term Will of Fire.
Was because he had to obtain the authority to interpret the Will of Fire.
It might seem unimportant, but its significance far exceeded the first two measures.
The current Konoha Ninja had all grown up listening to the Will of Fire.
No matter how high the daimyo's status or how great his authority, in their hearts, Konoha held a greater place than the Land of Fire.
He could subdue one generation with force, but he could not do so generation after generation.
Therefore, he had to obtain the authority of interpretation and instill a new Will of Fire into the new generation of shinobi.
This was of paramount importance.
Once these three steps were fully completed, the entire Land of Fire would truly be under his control.
After unifying the world, following this path would allow him to govern it more quickly and effectively.
It was simply that he had yet to find the right opportunity.
Chiba Ran had also considered using the Six Paths Power he possessed to force matters forward and accelerate the process of unifying the world.
But after thinking it over, he dismissed the idea.
Governing a great nation was like cooking a small fish. Being overly forceful and domineering would only drive everyone to unite against him.
Having gone through the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha had already been badly weakened and could not endure any further upheaval.
Even if he possessed heaven-reaching power, without Konoha as his blade, was he supposed to unify the world by himself?
If others resorted to guerrilla warfare, he would only be dragged down alive, exhausted from running everywhere.
He would certainly win, but all that would remain would be a shattered Land of Fire.
How would he enjoy himself then? How would he rule the world?
After all, rule required a sufficiently large population as its foundation!
So there was no rush!
He could not rush!
Chiba Ran took a deep breath, admonishing and consoling himself in this way.
Just then, an official suddenly requested an audience at the door. It was Asaba Toru.
After he entered, Chiba Ran asked, "Has there been any progress?"
Asaba Toru replied respectfully, "My lord, the first caravan departed this morning."
"Furthermore, the trade transfer station that both countries promised to jointly fund has begun site selection and surveying."
Chiba Ran burst into laughter. "Good, very good!"
This good news immediately dispelled much of the irritation caused by the earlier bad news.
First, the candidates for the consort selection had been preliminarily decided.
Then the trade arrangements had also progressed rapidly.
It left him feeling greatly pleased.
Before you continue