Unexpected

The Daimyo was, in name, the ruler and king of a nation. He controlled the Land of Fire's taxes, territory, policies, and everything else that came with "power."

The shadow of a ninja village might wield enough force to destroy a city, but by law, he could not officially take office without the Daimyo's approval.

If the Daimyo was the monarch on the throne, then the shadow was the general holding the army's seal of command. However strong the general was, he still had to obey the monarch... at least, that was how it worked on paper.

Yet for the ruler of a nation, the Daimyo had one particularly absurd trait: he was an ordinary man who could not fight at all.

Naruto genuinely wondered why most people in the Ninja World had no real grasp of what ninjas could do.

Had none of those people in power heard the stories? Forget legends like Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara. Even the ordinary shadows of other nations could unleash disasters that reshaped the land with ease.

The Daimyo might not even be able to hold a kunai steady. Yet that very man sat in the grandest chair in the Land of Fire, using the harshest words to berate Satsuki to her face.

It was only in a letter, but no one had ever addressed Satsuki in terms that amounted to berating her to her face before.

"If it were Old man Third or Master Jiraiya, they might try talking to the Daimyo and negotiating terms," Naruto said idly.

"Old man Third might give in outright, or he might take the long way around and wear him down. Master Jiraiya would probably write a long reply first..."

"So—" He looked at the woman seated behind the desk, curious and indulgent. "What will