Making Money Was Nothing Compared to Scamming Subsidies

Hozuki Shingetsu's plan to win the Daimyo's favor was actually quite simple: make a flattering biographical film.

There was a widely circulated saying in his previous life: "Doing more is no match for saying more, and doing well is no match for writing well." It was basically an unwritten rule for workplace promotion.

Among people who started work at the same time, some could dress up the little bits of miscellaneous work they had done as all manner of arduous and critical tasks. Those with high emotional intelligence and good relationships with their superiors were often the first batch to get promoted.

The Shinobi World was no different.

The reason the Daimyo bore such deep hostility toward Kirigakure was, in the end, because when the Second Mizukage had taken office, he felt Kirigakure had offended his dignity by acting without first seeking permission. In that case, couldn't they simply restore his pride for him?

How?

A biographical film that recorded the Daimyo's journey of growth and struggle from every conceivable angle, showing how he led the Land of Water from weakness to strength and from poverty to prosperity, with a particular emphasis on His Excellency's wisdom, might, and imposing grandeur. Could that not make the Daimyo feel Hozuki Shingetsu's utmost sincerity?

No?

Then raise the stakes!

They could focus on disparaging the Daimyos of the other nations, emphasize the harsh international situation facing the Land of Water, highlight the earth-shaking changes before and after the Daimyo took office, and, if that still was not enough, add a few racy scenes that the common people loved to see!

After all, people in their position sought nothing more than two things: benefit while alive and a name after death.

As the Daimyo of the Land of Water, his worldly benefits had already reached their limit unless he could unify the Shinobi World. But there was much more room to maneuver when it came to his posthumous reputation. Throughout history, unless a Daimyo had truly accomplished something irreplaceable, how many of them were remembered?

There was no need to look far. What had the previous Daimyo of the Land of Water done? Who even knew?

And just as the unremarkable current Daimyo of the Land of Water was worrying about the reputation he would leave behind, such a film arrived right at his doorstep. From then on, the people of the Land of Water could look upon his glorious achievements through film. Who would not be dazzled by that?

As for whether that was actually the truth... who cared? How many of the things people promoted were true anyway?

When the Daimyo was overjoyed, how could he possibly cut Kirigakure's military budget? With one move, both problems would be resolved. Was that not perfect?

As for whether Ren might find another excuse afterward to block the Foreign Affairs Department's funding... sorry, but Hozuki Shingetsu could shove both hands into his pockets and loudly tell Ren, "Why rely on village allocations when scamming state subsidies is so much better?"

With such a film as a foundation, Hozuki Shingetsu only needed to casually mention at the right moment that he wanted to polish another masterpiece for His Excellency's sixtieth birthday. They had sufficient manpower now, but were just a little short on funding. Would the Daimyo not generously open his purse?

From one point, he could expand to the whole picture. Given the current Daimyo's reputation for loving to show off, would he not take the initiative to promote the film throughout the Shinobi World? When the Daimyos of other nations saw it, they would surely think, Huh? This thick-browed fool who has never done anything worthwhile gets a film like this, so how can we, who have actually accomplished things, not have one?

Hozuki Shingetsu could then take the opportunity to establish several offshore film companies and quietly reveal that they could outsource work to the original production team behind the Land of Water Daimyo's biographical film. Would the money not come flying into his hands?

After all, what wealthy and powerful people loved most—and feared most—was comparison. If others lacked what they had, then comparison was inevitable. And if others had what they lacked, the other side would surely force them into comparison.

So this was the proper way to break into film in the current Shinobi World.

However, this plan was not something he could reveal to outsiders. Thus, outsiders could only see Kirigakure's current star figure walk out of the Mizukage Office with a sour face. Then, with the Mizukage's deliberate publicity, everyone learned of the difficult problem currently facing the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The other matters were manageable, but military funding truly concerned everyone in the village. Someone immediately could not sit still and went to Hozuki Shingetsu to confirm the situation. After receiving an affirmative answer, every department erupted in cries of despair. They all racked their brains to keep their own budgets from being cut, trying to figure out how to make someone else's department take the blow.

But after thinking it over, they realized none of them were easy targets. If one department rushed to spend its budget to create the illusion that its expenditures were too large to cut, another department would immediately report it for misappropriating public funds. If one department hastily launched numerous new projects in an attempt to create a fait accompli and bind the village into continuing its funding next year, another department would dare to come right to their door and steal their account books.

In short, after everyone had fought one another for a while, they suddenly realized there was another department that could be targeted: the Foreign Affairs Department. No one had paid it much attention in the past, and when funding had been plentiful, no one cared. Moreover, after Hozuki Shingetsu took charge of the Foreign Affairs Department and achieved such remarkable results, everyone had subconsciously overlooked it.

But in times like these, who cared about anyone else? Better a fellow Daoist die than oneself. The Foreign Affairs Department only had a few people anyway. Couldn't the Hozuki Clan, with its vast resources, simply pay the difference out of pocket? Coupled with a little jealousy, everyone unceremoniously turned their spearheads toward the Foreign Affairs Department.

Still, they were clever enough not to come at it head-on. Instead, they used praise to destroy, loudly touting the Foreign Affairs Department's achievements. They said things like, "Whenever the Foreign Affairs Department acts, the Shinobi World falls into chaos, resulting in an excellent international environment for Kirigakure. Next year, we only need to maintain the status quo." Or, "The Foreign Affairs Department's frequent actions have caused the Shinobi World to show faint signs of targeting Kirigakure, so it is recommended that they keep quiet for the next few years."

Their purpose was simple: their own budgets could not be cut, and if cuts had to be made, then the Foreign Affairs Department should be cut!

"A rabble!"

After receiving the secret report, Hozuki Shingetsu sneered, utterly unconcerned by these petty clowns.

Funding? Only incapable people depended on superior allocations to survive. Those people only knew how to stare at the few buns in the pot and calculate back and forth. If they wanted to eat and drink well, how could they manage it without flexible minds?

He shook his head and began organizing his plans for the coming period.

The situation in the Shinobi World was now unpredictable, and war could break out at any time. The Continental Balance Strategy had already begun to show results. Yet when combined with Kirigakure's actual circumstances, this Continental Balance Strategy was completely different from the one in his previous life.

According to Hozuki Shingetsu's vision, the purpose of the Continental Balance Strategy he employed was to make the other four great nations, including the Land of Fire, believe that Kirigakure lacked strength and could only rely on such schemes to maintain its presence.

In other words, he would expose their "weakness" through high-profile propaganda, using that to conceal their covert recovery and development. Ideally, he wanted to leave every nation with the impression that Kirigakure had no ambition for expansion whatsoever, but feared invasion by other countries and therefore desperately stirred up trouble throughout the Shinobi World.

If that impression could be successfully established, then Hozuki Shingetsu's goal would be achieved.

Well, judging from the results so far, everything was proceeding smoothly.

Besides that, there were still more than two months until the New Year. The most urgent matter was naturally to go to the Capital and meet the Daimyo. During this period, Hozuki Shingetsu intended to have the film crew carefully polish the movie according to the script he had provided.

As a crucial part of Hozuki Shingetsu's plan, whether the situation could be turned around depended entirely on this film. So it definitely could not be rushed like the previous Twelve Years a Slave. The filming techniques, costumes, makeup, and set design all needed to be refined with greater care.

Fortunately, one advantage of making films in the Shinobi World was that there was no need to look for actors. Whatever kind of actor they wanted, a single Transformation Technique could produce one, saving even the trouble of makeup. Combined with genuine ninjutsu special effects, Hozuki Shingetsu could already imagine the Daimyo's expression when he watched Daimyo's Elegance.