Upon hearing this news, Black Zetsu gasped and said, "I understand!" Then he burrowed underground and headed towards the Fire Temple. Uchiha Kō stared at the floor where Black Zetsu had disappeared, lost in thought.
He wasn't worried that Black Zetsu would betray him and instead throw himself into the arms of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. Black Zetsu was a part of Otsutsuki Kaguya's soul, knew all of Otsutsuki Kaguya's memories, and, like Otsutsuki Kaguya, hated Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
The reason is. "Ōtsutsuki Isshiki is too ugly!" It's really strange that this wisp of soul power, over time, has developed its own subjective personality and mistakenly believes that it is the son of Otsutsuki Kaguya.
Uchiha Kō shook his head, then gave Tsunade on the next steps, before pulling her into a tight embrace. "Wife, after this is over, the Ninja World will usher in true peace. Then, things won't be so tense anymore!"
Tsunade pressed her face against Uchiha Kō's and said softly, "Be careful. Rou Rou and I are waiting for your return." After saying that, she pushed Uchiha Kō away and then straightened the wrinkles in his clothes.
These are all things that Uchiha Kō easily overlooks. Now that he's going to Kumogakure to mine iron ore, he naturally needs to be mindful of his image while traveling. After everything was settled, Tsunade smiled and said, "Go! My Lord Hokage!"
"Wait for me, my Hokage wife!" After saying that, Uchiha Kō kissed Tsunade's red lips. After a long while, Uchiha Kō turned around, formed a hand Hand Seals with his right hand, and activated the Flying Thunder God.
A golden light flashed, and Uchiha Kō's figure disappeared from the villa. Tsunade looked worried; her husband had done so much for the Ninja World and for Konoha.
If possible, she wanted Uchiha Kō to rest and not be so tired, always thinking about the Ninja World.
Kumogakure
Uchiha Kō appeared at the village mine of Kumogakure, where many Konoha Ninja were guarding it. They stood tall and dared not slacken their guard. They had a belief in their hearts: to serve the Lord Hokage with their lives, even at the cost of their lives.
Originally, this place was of paramount importance to Kumogakure. Uchiha Izuna naturally recognized its importance to Kumogakure, so he ordered that the ninjas who originally guarded the mines in Kumogakure be laid off and replaced with his own people. He also ordered that 70% of the iron ore harvest be stored in the warehouse every day, and the remaining 30% be given to Kumogakure to maintain daily life and weapons needs.
The Ninja World is now at peace, the demand for weapons has greatly decreased, and everyday ironware can be used for a long time, so the people and ninjas of Kumogakure have no complaints.
Uchiha Kō's appearance immediately drew the attention of all the ninjas. The Konoha Ninja below shouted, "Who goes there! How dare they come to the Konoha Iron Mine!"
One of the Hyuga ninjas activated his Byakugan, looked up, and upon recognizing Uchiha Kō, quickly exclaimed, "Everyone, stop! The Lord Hokage is here! It's the Lord Hokage!"
Upon hearing what the Hyuga ninja said, the other ninjas immediately knelt on the ground, respectfully addressing him as "Lord Hokage!"
Uchiha Kō smiled and then landed in front of the Hyuga ninja. The Hyuga ninja looked up at Uchiha Kō with burning eyes. This was the man who had quelled the chaos in the Ninja World for a thousand years in just one week, and the four great hidden villages were thus unified.
It opened a new chapter in the history of the Ninja World. Now, the whole world belongs to Konoha, and all nations pay tribute. Every single event of its kind is worthy of being recorded in history!
"You've all worked hard. As Konoha, you're relegated to guarding the iron mine!" Uchiha Kō didn't expect them to know too much, so he focused on appeasement.
"It's not hard work, it's not hard work at all. Serving Konoha, nothing is hard work!"
"Lord Hokage, have you come to see us?"
"Lord Hokage, how is Konoha doing now?"
Seeing the ninjas asking all sorts of questions, Uchiha Kō smiled, then found a rock and sat down. Seeing this, the Konoha Ninja surrounded him, while only two or three continued to guard the iron mine and watch the mine slaves from Kumogakure work.
However, their eyes were filled with resentment. Why was it that while they were guarding the mine, the others were able to chat with the Lord Hokage? They even lashed out with whips whenever they saw a slave slacking off.
The slave's eyes were filled with humiliation and hatred, but he dared not look at the Konoha ninjas. The victors are kings, the losers are villains. They were the remnants of the Fourth Raikage's old forces. When they resisted Uchiha Izuna's army, they also killed many Konoha ninjas.
Being alive is already a blessing; as for hatred...
Although Uchiha Kō was talking to everyone and answering all their questions, he sensed a power of hatred emanating from the mine slave.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at the mine slaves. He wouldn't criticize his own people for the sake of so-called face. So, after answering everyone's questions, Uchiha Kō stood up and walked towards the ninja wielding the whip.
The Konoha Ninja wielding the whip paled. Could it be that Uchiha Kō had seen him whipping the slave? Oh no, oh no, it's all my fault. I lost control of my emotions. I hope the Lord Hokage won't punish me!
As he pondered this, the whip-wielding ninja closed his eyes, large beads of sweat beginning to pour from his brow. The other ninjas held their breath in suspense, both for him and for themselves.
This kind of thing happens frequently in the mines. It's not that the Konoha Ninja like to wield their whips, but rather that these remnants of the old village are always slacking off, and if this continues, it will affect Konoha's mining plans!
They were fed white steamed buns and lavish meals of fish and meat every day, yet they were all adept at shirking their duties and cheating.
In order not to affect the targets set by their superiors, these kind-hearted Konoha Ninja were forced to become strict supervisors.
They were frequently beaten and verbally abused.
Uchiha Kō walked up to the whip-wielding ninja, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Well done!"
This stunned all the Konoha Ninja and slaves present, and the whip-wielding ninja looked at Uchiha Kō in disbelief.
Uchiha Kō snatched the whip from his hand, gripped it tightly, aimed at the slave who had just unleashed his malice, and lashed out with it.
Snap!
"Ouch!" The slave's flesh was torn off by the whip, blood gushing out, his face contorted in pain, as he lay on the ground groaning.
Seeing this, the other slaves put down their work and wanted to check on their companions, but Uchiha Kō lashed out with his whip seven or eight more times.
slap slap slap slap slap slap slap
The slaves who were whipped suffered at least bulging veins and red marks, while the most severely injured had their flesh torn apart and collapsed on the ground groaning incessantly.
This action not only terrified the slaves so much that they wet themselves, but even the Konoha Ninja gasped in shock.
Their Lord Hokage was truly ruthless, but they only dared to say it secretly in their hearts. After all, no village leader wanted to be seen as cruel in the eyes of their village's ninjas.
The slaves' eyes were filled with fear and hatred. If it weren't for the order from the person in front of them, they would still be high-ranking ninjas, the ninjas who were superior to others in any village restaurant!
It's all his fault, it's all because of this Uchiha Kō! He's the one who made them fall into the lowly profession of mining slavery!
Ignoring their hostility, Uchiha Kō slowly spoke, "Has Konoha ever shortchanged you in terms of food, clothing, and other necessities?"
Most of the miners shook their heads, but the hatred in their eyes did not lessen; they remained fixed on Uchiha Kō.
"Has Konoha ever made you work day and night without rest?" Uchiha Kō asked again.
The miner's eyes were filled with confusion, and his gaze darted away. "No."
"Has Konoha ever withheld your wages or holidays because you were miners?" Uchiha Kō asked again.
These three rules were established before he ordered the conquest of the Ninja World, and he would execute anyone who violated them.
Now that he's asking them questions, he's giving them a chance. If the Konoha Ninja really did these things, he'll apologize to them, and he'll punish every single Konoha Ninja present.
However, after asking these three questions, the miners all lowered their heads. They had fish, meat, steamed buns, and rice for three meals a day, and their work hours were divided into day shifts and night shifts. They also had two days off every week, and their wages were even higher than those of the miners in their Kumogakure back then.
They suddenly realized that the Konoha Ninja hadn't really mistreated them all this time!
Uchiha Kō sneered, "I don't think so! If you do, you can say so, and I'll kill him with my own hands, and I'll also whip his superiors ten times!" After saying that Uchiha Kō looked at the mine slaves, his eyes showing no emotion.
All the mine slaves bowed their heads. They usually prided themselves on being ninjas of Kumogakure, loyal to the Kumogakure, only to end up like this. They were the righteous ones, while Uchiha Kō were invaders and evil.
But today, Uchiha Kō revealed all the benefits and details, and they seemed to feel that this kind of life wasn't bad at all. They had two days off every week, and their salary was even comparable to that of the ninjas.
Humans are just like that; they always feel dissatisfied and uncomfortable with their lives, and never appreciate what they have. Only when someone better than them appears and points out all this do they finally wake up.
The Konoha Ninja breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Uchiha Kō's words. They had originally thought that the Lord Hokage would rebuke and reprimand them to save face, and they were prepared for that.
But to everyone's surprise, when Uchiha Kō saw all this, instead of teaching them a lesson, he stood with his own people and attacked the mine slaves.
Moreover, they didn't violate a single one of the rules that Uchiha Kō just mentioned; they followed every single one because they are Konoha ninjas with the magnanimity of a great village. Because they are Konoha Ninja, they must abide by the Hokage's rules. Because they are Konoha Ninja, they would disdain such petty acts as withholding money or vacation time!