The Dust Settles

Two days later, in the Royal Capital [Rie Yestej].

Despite being the capital, apart from the bustling main street, the rest of the roads were poorly maintained and riddled with potholes. The surrounding low, dilapidated buildings bore witness to the Re-Estize Kingdom's decline, like fading shadows in the afterglow of a setting sun.

Uchiha Rai wandered through the streets and alleys, marveling at everything he saw and heard.

The most notorious of these is a criminal gang known as "Eight Fingers".

Drug trafficking department, slave trade department, Security Department, assassination department, theft department, financial department, gambling department, smuggling department.

Hearing this, it's not hard to imagine that [Eight Fingers] has undergone many years of development, and its industry has reached a level of sophistication, scale, and conglomeration.

The ruling class did not take swift and decisive measures to eradicate this evil force that relied on exploiting the lower classes; instead, it allowed it to flourish. It is no surprise that the true leaders of [Eight Fingers] are the noble groups who control the power of the Re-Estize Kingdom.

(Just as the daimyo of the old era parasitized the ninja villages, sucking their blood and eating their flesh, these worthless nobles and the evil forces they kept were also feasting on this Re-Estize Kingdom.)

(I can't understand the actions of this Re-Estize Kingdom's King. If it were the Leader, he would have killed all this trash and filled the pit long ago!)

Uchiha Rai stood on a rooftop, gazing into the distance at the heart of the Royal Capital, where a castle built atop a hill stood— the Royal Capital [Ro-Lente Castle].

More than twenty giant circular towers are connected by city walls, forming a double line of defense, protecting the ancient building that still shines with gold but cannot hide the marks of time.

"Lord Lei, we have taken over all the armed forces in the native Royal Capital, leaving only the native King and his three princes and Princess."

Seeing the Jonin his clan complete their mission, Uchiha Rai remained calm and began making arrangements.

"Clean up the trash in the darkness; we can't let His Leader see the filthy, stinking ditch."

"As for the royal family, let them die knowing the truth, and await His Leader's decision."

Having decided the fate of this indigenous royal family, Uchiha Rai headed towards the next major city.

These past few days, he's either been killing people or on his way to kill them, which has ignited a fire within him. His Sharingan gleamed with a deep, cold light—he'll just vent it on his so-called [Eight Fingers].

"I hope that the infamous Eight Fingers, who treats human life like dirt, can give me my fill!"

Uchiha Rai's cold whispers echoed in the air above the rooftop.

In the afternoon, upon receiving the message in the Konoha leader's office, Uchiha Takeyasu's gaze lingered for a moment on the dignified and elegant Mito Uzumaki, who was leisurely sipping her tea, before turning to the document she handed him—<Report on the Appointment of Garrisons in the Nine Cities of the Otherworld Re-Estize Kingdom>.

"The appointment is largely settled, and it can be announced this afternoon."

The report requested a large number of Combat Ninja and a small number of auxiliary management Life Ninja. Although the number was large, it was not a critical matter for Konoha, which currently ruled the Ninja World.

After closing the report, Uchiha Takeyasu looked at Mito Uzumaki with a lifeless gaze. "But isn't the distribution of the Uchiha Clan mentioned by Madam Mito in the report a bit excessive?"

"Fifty Uchiha Jonin, two hundred Uchiha Chunin, plus Uchiha ninjas from another continent—this is going to drain the Uchiha Clan dry!"

Since Uchiha Takeyasu became the Ninja World Head of State, the entire Konoha no longer distinguishes between registered ninjas and clan ninjas. All of them are under the unified management of the Military Affairs Department, and the number of Combat Ninja has exceeded four thousand, of which four hundred are Jonin!

To put it in perspective, among the Heroic Domain the other continent, there are more than twenty who are at the Kage Level or above.

Furthermore, the proportion of Uchiha among the Kage Level is so exaggerated that it's almost half.

Uchiha Shikata Uchiha Three Heroes, and two other Uchiha who advanced using Flame Release: Uchiha Naori, Uchiha Hikari, Minamoto Kaori, or you could say Uchiha Kaori, plus Uchiha Takeyasu, make a total of ten, not including the Tailed Beast controlled by the Uchiha.

"With great power comes great responsibility—isn't that something His Leader often says?"

Mito Uzumaki put down her exquisite teacup, glanced at Uchiha Takeyasu, whose face was hidden behind his tea-drinking expression of reluctance, and said calmly.

"Furthermore, doesn't His Leader often praise the Uchiha forged in blood and fire? Without the tempering of battle, how can they continue to improve?"

"But this is too much."

Like collecting cards or hoarding goods like a hamster, Uchiha Takeyasu was a little reluctant to send all these Uchiha to another continent at once, and complained.

"I also plan to let them have more babies, to create another baby boom."

"Give birth again? Do women of the Uchiha Clan have no human rights?"

Now it was Mito Uzumaki's turn to glare. "In these three years, the entire Uchiha clan has doubled in population, while my Senju Clan is still barely surviving."

"Who told Senju Tobirama to have your young and strong men fought to the death with Kumogakure, wiping out most of them?"

Uchiha Takeyasu had no interest in sympathizing with the Senju Clan's plight. He glanced at them and said, "Madam Mito has no right to criticize the Uchiha. The Uzumaki Clan's population growth rate is also top-notch!"

The entire Konoha is now ramping up its baby-making efforts. In the context of the great development of the Ninja World and the conquest of other continents, all ninja clans are not short of money or resources, but they are short of manpower.

It's a very simple principle. You can't see anything now if you don't have children, but in ten or twenty years, the other family will have seven or eight ninjas, while your family will only have one or two.

Among people of equal social class, it goes without saying which faction has a better future when one or two ninjas rise to power, compared to seven or eight.

Excluding those overpowered ninjas, more people mean more power, more power means more resources, more power and strength, and thus more children.

If this cycle continues, the strength of the Konoha ninja clans will experience explosive growth, and in the future, each clan may have three thousand ninjas like the Sarutobi Clan.

Nowadays, it's quite common for a male ninja to marry two or three wives.

Many people are even asserting that they are looking up to the great Ninja World Head of State!

This left Uchiha Takeyasu amused and exasperated. Upon returning home, he was subjected to "juicing" punishment by his three wives and two lovers—a happy yet rather "painful" experience.

"The whirlpool is the whirlpool, Senju are the Senju; how can they be confused?"

Mito Uzumaki was certainly aware of the developments in her hometown, and while she was happy, she couldn't help but sigh.

"Tch, who in the entire Ninja World doesn't know that the Senju and Uzumaki are one family?"

Uchiha Takeyasu's tone carried a hint of disdain, then his gaze shifted between Minako Uzumaki and Mito Uzumaki as he spoke seemingly casually.

"Of course, the Uchiha Clan also hopes to form a closer alliance with the Senju and Uzumaki clans, but I wonder about Madam Mito and Minako..."

"Cough cough!"

"No nonsense allowed in the office!"

Minamoto Kaori tapped the table beside him; her blood-red eyes, so beautiful they almost made Uchiha Takeyasu see his own death reflected in them.

"Fine, I won't tell you then."

Uchiha Takeyasu muttered softly, but quickly put on a smile again, "It's expected that my family will have a new baby this month."

"Naori one, Kaori one, get Hikaru one, and if they were twins, that would be even better."

"Darling, don't say embarrassing things in the office!"

Minamoto Kaori shyly covered half of her face with the documents, but a faint joy could be seen in her bright, doe-like eyes.

"Then congratulations in advance to Your Leader."

Mito Uzumaki rubbed her forehead, a hint of barely perceptible disappointment in her voice.

"I'll definitely invite everyone to celebrate then."

Uchiha Takeyasu said with a chuckle, glancing almost imperceptibly at Minako Uzumaki, as if to say, "You too, you have to give me a lovely baby."

"Since His Leader is personally setting an example for Konoha's reproductive efforts, I'll share some recent statistics from the Civil Affairs Bureau."

Minako Uzumaki, who was in charge of the Civil Affairs Bureau, smiled slightly and took out a document to read aloud.

"The month before last, Konoha welcomed the birth of 1,500 newborns. Last month, that number increased to 1,600, and this month, even with a conservative estimate, there will be at least 1,400. Currently, Konoha's total population is rapidly approaching the 800,000 mark."

"With the continuous influx of immigrants meeting Konoha's standards, it is projected that by the end of the first year of the Ninja World, Konoha's total population will reach one million. Once the outer city's third district is completed, we must immediately begin planning the outer city's fourth district, which can accommodate one million people."

"The population growth rate is so rapid?"

Mito Uzumaki knew that Konoha was developing rapidly, changing almost every day, but he didn't expect it to be this exaggerated.

She couldn't help but recall Konoha during the reigns of Hashirama Senju and Senju Tobirama, a world apart from the present.

"Madam Mito, this is just the change brought about by population. Konoha's economic development has undergone earth-shattering changes."

Minamoto Kaori, who is in charge of the Finance Bureau, put down the documents that were covering her face, and a hint of pride appeared on her fair and clean face.

"At present, Konoha's economic output is almost comparable to that of the entire Land of Fire in the past. Whether in commerce or agricultural production, it has achieved complete self-sufficiency."

"With the increasing number of Life Ninja continuing to explore the land, Konoha's economy is growing exponentially every year. In addition, with Darling's teleportation array, even if Konoha's population expands to two million now, Konoha can still supply itself comfortably."

"Konoha's rapid development is a good thing, but with more people, your workload will also increase."

Under Mito Uzumaki's "You're just stating the obvious" gaze, Uchiha Takeyasu rested his chin on his hand, looking at Minamoto Kaori and Minako Uzumaki, thinking about how both of them were getting pregnant, and how their work would be a troublesome matter.

There were still a ton of things to deal with on the other continent, which made him say, "If the Finance Bureau and the Civil Affairs Bureau are short-staffed, then we should add more people. We should double their staffing levels."

Minamoto Kaori and Minako Uzumaki nodded, and then Minako Uzumaki, thinking of her own situation, spoke up.

"Your Leader, the Civil Affairs Bureau is currently under considerable workload. Architectural planning tasks are taking up most of the Civil Affairs Bureau's working hours."

"Staff members of the Civil Affairs Bureau have to work overtime every day to cope with the increasing workload. Considering the future development plans for the four outer urban districts, the workload will likely increase further."

Minako Uzumaki paused for a moment, then offered her own perspective.

"While increasing manpower can temporarily alleviate this pressure, I believe a more long-term and effective solution is to separate the task of architectural planning from the Civil Affairs Bureau and establish a new specialized agency to be specifically responsible for architectural planning, so that everyone can specialize and improve overall work efficiency and quality."

"I know about this. Minako will be in charge of another construction bureau, and the position of director will be given to the Hyuga Ashidana Clan Head. He has the Byakugan 'Byakugan vision ability, which allows him to see the overall layout of buildings."

"Understood, Your Leader."

Having made his decision, Uchiha Takeyasu looked at Minako Uzumaki, who was nodding, and continued speaking.

"Minako, could you please summarize the current specialized tasks within the Civil Affairs Bureau and see if they need further breakdown? The same goes for Kaori's side."

"As the population grows, departmental tasks need to be further subdivided, and talent in various fields needs to be reserved and trained."

Mito Uzumaki looked thoughtful and quickly said, "It looks like the Military Affairs Department will need to add a few new positions as well."

"Madam Mito, please speak."

Uchiha Takeyasu's eyes flickered, recalling the previous "Report on the Appointment of Troops to the Nine Cities of the Otherworld Re-Estize Kingdom," and he vaguely guessed Mito Uzumaki's thoughts.

"Although the continental teleportation array tightly connects the Ninja World with the other continent, there is still an endless ocean separating them, as well as hostile forces on all sides. The Ninja Army stationed there should be given the authority to adapt to changing circumstances."

As Mito Uzumaki pondered, she slowly said, "This right to adapt to changing circumstances should include the right to engage the enemy, defend, suppress, and even expand."

"With such extensive power, isn't Madam Mito afraid that the local garrison will act recklessly?"

Upon hearing this, Minamoto Kaori frowned instinctively. Every day when they ate at home, Uchiha Naori would talk about official business, many of which involved the wicked deeds of ninjas.

The same rice feeds all kinds of people. There is only one great saint like Naruto Uzumaki. Most people are Sasuke Uchiha Shikamaru Nara, who is honest and dutiful and adheres to his ninja duties. And there Mizuki, a ninja who wants to vent his ambition but is incompetent.

Therefore, entrusting power to the leader in charge of the Ninja Army is undoubtedly a test of a person's character, and sometimes, a person's character cannot be tested at all.

The best approach is to prevent people from having the opportunity to test their character.

"Lady Kaori need not worry too much. The staff of the Military Affairs Department should also be increased accordingly, and two staff members should be assigned to each garrison. One will be responsible for providing advice to the garrison commander, and the other will be responsible for exercising supervisory power."

Mito Uzumaki's explanation failed to convince Minamoto Kaori, who pressed on, saying, "If the staff and the garrison commander collude to deceive their superiors, the consequences could be even more severe."

Mito Uzumaki remained calm, unmoved by Minamoto Kaori's composed demeanor, and slowly said, "Lady Kaori is right, but don't forget the Leader's Sharingan."

"Whenever something defies common sense, and the explanations from the garrison commander and his staff fail to convince the Military Affairs Department, then we'll bring out the Leader or Lady Hikaru. Faced with the Mangekyō Sharingan, even a Kage Level expert would have to fall for it and reveal the whole truth."

"What if the one who gets into trouble is also Mangekyo Uchiha?"

The most important matters of state are sacrifice and war.

The daimyo were swept into the dustbin of history because they lacked their own military power. Knowing this, Minamoto Kaori was unwilling to see any major problems occur in her husband's empire.

Her persistent questioning made Mito Uzumaki frown.

Faced with the increasingly aggressive approach of Minamoto Kaori, Minako Uzumaki stepped forward at the opportune moment and said calmly, "If Lady Kaori is saying this, then by not granting the commander of the garrison on the other continent the authority to make decisions according to circumstances, can you ensure that the commander will not harbor any disloyal intentions?"

"Mrs. Minako, you don't need to say that. I'm just stating the facts."

Minako Uzumaki's words were perfectly clear to Minamoto Kaori, so she didn't bother to argue about the rhetoric.

"I'm just stating the facts now, giving the local Ninja Army leader the authority to adapt to changing circumstances. This will not only allow the Ninja Army Ninja Army act according to the situation and seize fleeting opportunities, but also enable them to take various measures to deal with dangers."

"An opportunity to gain personal profit, or an escape that abandons the interests of Konoha?"

The two women's gazes met in the air, like two bolts of lightning flashing across the room. Uchiha Takeyasu, who was right in the center, quickly waved his hand.

"Alright, we all care about Konoha, there's no need to be so confrontational."

"Then please make the decision, Your Leader."

As soon as Mito Uzumaki finished speaking, the three women's gazes fell on Uchiha Takeyasu.

The Leader coughed, cleared his throat, and prepared to treat everyone fairly.

"Madam Mito and Minako are right, and Kaori is also correct."

Under the three women's slightly disdainful yet somewhat unconvinced gazes, Uchiha Takeyasu continued speaking.

"Giving the Ninja Army leader the authority to adapt to changing circumstances is feasible."

Under the delighted gazes of the two women with swirling vortexes, Uchiha Takeyasu explained to Minamoto Kaori, "In addition to the supervision of the staff team, we also need to implement an irregular rotation system for the Ninja Army leader and the staff team."

"In this way, the possibility of the leader and the staff colluding can be greatly reduced, and the captains of the various squads under the Ninja Army leader will not blindly follow the Ninja Army leader."

"Finally, in the event of an emergency, after the Ninja Army leader exercises his authority to respond to the situation, Konoha headquarters will send people to question the squad leader, staff officer, and leader separately."

"With such strong safeguards in place, there's no chance of anything going wrong."

As Uchiha Takeyasu explained, although Minamoto Kaori still felt it was somewhat inappropriate to hand over power to the Ninja Army, she acquiesced since the head of the family had said so.

At worst, he could quickly acquire Six Paths level combat power, and even if the lower-level Ninja Army wanted to rebel, he could suppress them with a single hand. This idea was deeply rooted in the teachings of Uchiha Takeyasu.

Those ninjas, all marked with Yachihoko, couldn't make a ripple.

"The area where the Ninja Army is stationed shall be designated as a military region, and the garrison leader shall be designated as the military region commander."

"[Rei Yestege] Northwest border of the Re-Estize Kingdom, [Ye Asenaar] Fortress City, [Northwest Ninja Army], Defense Council Nation, Military Commander Uchiha Naka, Suspended total number of Konoha personnel: 500 Combat Ninja, two staff officers."

"[Rei Yestege] Southeast border [Ye Lantier] fortress city stationed [Southeast Ninja Army], to defend against the Slane Theocracy to the south and the empire to the east. Military region commander Uchiha Baru, suspending the total number of Konoha's five hundred Combat Ninja, two staff officers."

"[Rei Yestege] Royal Capital [Central Ninja Army] is stationed in the capital, serving as the military headquarters of the Ninja World, ready to support the [Northwest Ninja Army] and [Southeast Ninja Army] at any time. The military commander Uchiha Rai. The total number of Combat Ninja in Konoha is suspended, with a staff of four."

Under Mito Uzumaki's unwavering gaze, Uchiha Takeyasu unhesitatingly took the lion's share and then divided the remaining profits among himself.

"The selection of the deputy commander of the military region, the staff officer, and the various team leaders will be left to the Military Affairs Department for discussion. After the discussion, the candidates will be submitted to the Secretariat Department for filing."

"I understand, Your Leader."

Mito Uzumaki considered the ninjas of the Senju of the Forest and decided to bring the elderly Senju Mukai Senju back into the world, as well as Momoka Senju, who was famous for her Genjutsu and had married into the Uzumaki Clan. She also planned to find a Kage Level from the Uzumaki Clan and have the three of them stationed in the three major military regions.

The Senju Clan cannot be absent from the Ninja Army.

(This is also a good thing for your darling.)

With the commanders of the three military regions all being Uchiha Clan, military power became more centralized, Minamoto Kaori was naturally happy about.

However, those three didn't have much interaction with Uchiha Takeyasu, so she planned to send one of her four personal guards into each of the three military regions to collect daily intelligence.

One should not harbor thoughts of harming others, but one must be wary of others.

Thinking of this, Minamoto Kaori couldn't help but recall her father, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Since the reform of the Ninja World, the Minamoto Clan clan of the Land of Fire had quite sensibly become officials related to the imperial family.

Although he could no longer act with the same arrogance as before, out of respect for her and with his former resources, he quickly became a powerful and wealthy merchant in the region, living a peaceful and happy life. Continuing to use his Uchiha guards to monitor him was already a waste of resources.

"As for the Rogue, monsters, and non-human groups within the Re-Estize Kingdom [Ri Yestiger], as well as the intelligence gathering on neighboring countries, these will be treated as mission assignments."

"Let the Combat Ninja aren't part of the military region handle it. The Re-Estize Kingdom also has Adventurer's Guild. The adventurers aren't generally very strong, but they can serve as guides and basic recruits without much trouble."

Uchiha Takeyasu's words made Mito Uzumaki nod in understanding, and then she asked, "Once the military personnel are confirmed and arrive, Your Leader, do you need me and Shikata Shifang to take turns going to the other continent to oversee things?"

Mito Uzumaki's question made Uchiha Takeyasu.

Having the Minister of the Military Affairs Department stationed on the alien continent has obvious advantages: it gives the Ninja Army a leader and boosts morale.

The downside is the same: the Minister of the Military Affairs Department sitting in any military region is the greatest suppression of the power and prestige of the military region commander.

"Not for now. The Re-Estize Kingdom isn't very strong. Three military regions are enough to deal with the surrounding threats. If we send someone too powerful, I'm worried about unexpected consequences."

Amidst the three women's questioning gazes, Uchiha Takeyasu revealed information about the Great Toad Sage, startling the three women.

"Even the Sage of Six Paths and his brother couldn't defeat the Dragon Emperor from another continent?!"

"Your Leader, isn't the conquest of that other continent impossible?!"

Mito Uzumaki, who had planned to continue pouring the Senju Clan's meager resources into the project, suddenly had second thoughts.

"Darling, how about we take control of the Re-Estize Kingdom from behind the scenes and stop sending out Ninja Army!"

"The potential profits might be slightly less, but the advantage lies in safety."

Minamoto Kaori, standing to the side, also clenched her fists nervously. Eighty percent of her husband's family's wealth was on another continent. If they were to suffer a catastrophic disaster, it would probably take decades to recover.

"Look how scared you are!"

Uchiha Takeyasu smiled and reassured everyone, "Don't worry too much. Under the Sage of Sage of Six Paths ' attack, it's impossible for that Dragon Emperor to be unharmed. Even if she has strong vitality, her condition is certainly not as strong as it was in her prime."

Uchiha Takeyasu remembered that in the original work, it was this Dragon Emperor who summoned the players. Among them, the player guild known in later generations as the [Eight Desires Kings] brought out World Item, which interfered with the underlying rules of magic in the other continent, causing the Origin Magic to be interrupted from the Dragon Orb, and even leading to a fierce battle with the Dragon Orb, ending the Dragon Orb's rule over the other continent.

The remaining True Dragon Lord, though powerful, is highly unlikely to personally risk his life against the Ninja Army, which has no surpassers, namely, Super Kage beings.

"Faced with the Ninja Army we've deployed, they'll most likely send out their subordinates to probe. As long as the Six Paths level doesn't show themselves, if they don't want to lose the initiative, they'll definitely stay hidden in the shadows."

"Moreover, there are teleportation arrays within the military region, and the commander also possesses my Flying Thunder God Kunai. If, at a crucial moment, the enemy dares to bully the weak, that will be my time to slay the dragon!"

Uchiha Takeyasu's calm yet confident words echoed in the office, easing the emotions of the three women.

"However, to prevent them from being shameless, I would like to ask Madam Mito and Minako, along with Clan Head Ashina, to see if they can develop a seal for danger perception."

"If a ninja encounters an insurmountable danger, the Flying Thunder God Kunai he carries will automatically activate, teleporting the wearer to a safe location."

"Is such Sealing Jutsu technique even possible?"

Upon hearing Uchiha Takeyasu's account, Mito Uzumaki and Minako Uzumaki exchanged a glance, but did not reply immediately, both falling into deep thought.

After a moment, Mito Uzumaki said, "I can't guarantee that, but we will do our best to do it."

"It's all up to human effort. If you have any questions about spatial techniques, feel free to come to me."