"Do you think I'll be lenient or go easy on you because of some so-called 'face-saving project'? Or do you naively believe I'd be harsh on my own people for the sake of saving face?"
Uchiha Kō stared blankly at the crowd before him, a cold smile playing on his lips.
His voice was cold and tinged with mockery, sending a chill down the spines of everyone present.
Immediately afterwards, Uchiha Kō Earth Flow to the group of mine slaves. His steps seemed heavy, as if each step was treading on the hearts of everyone.
When he reached the group of miners, he suddenly stopped, then slowly squatted down to look them in the eye.
His gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on the miner who had initially unleashed his malice.
Uchiha Kō's eyes were exceptionally sharp, as if they could pierce through a person's soul.
He stared at the other person silently, without saying a word, yet he exuded an invisible pressure.
After a while, Uchiha Kō's smile widened, and he said softly, "You may not know, but I'm not like Sarutobi Hiruzen, nor am I like your leaders who have to swallow their grievances. All that talk about the image of a great nation, about not deigning to bother with them, is just self-deceiving excuses."
Upon hearing Uchiha Kō's words, the faces of the several mine slaves turned deathly pale, and the images of the two Lord Raikage suddenly flashed through their minds.
After each failed operation, the two Lord Raikage would say similar things, which made the miners deeply question their village's leaders.
However, Uchiha Kō's words resonated like a morning bell and evening drum in the hearts of the miners. His voice was firm and powerful, revealing an unquestionable confidence and determination.
"You're wrong," Uchiha Kō continued. "From the moment I became Hokage, I have never compromised with anyone. I will not blame myself for those insignificant things like saving face, nor will I abandon my principles to please others."
His gaze swept over everyone present, his sharp eyes seemingly able to pierce through their souls.
"In my eyes, everyone I have is the best. If a conflict arises, it must be the person who is conflicted with them who has the problem." Uchiha Kō's words were resounding and irrefutable.
These words flowed like a warm current into the hearts of the Konoha Ninja who guarded the mine slaves.
These Konoha Ninja never imagined that their Lord Hokage would value them so much and trust them to such a profound degree! Their eyes gradually welled up with tears of emotion.
With a thud, they all knelt down in unison, as if driven by a powerful force. Respect and loyalty shone on every face as they shouted in unison, "Lord Hokage, your wisdom is unparalleled! We are willing to serve Konoha and Lord Hokage to the very end, even unto death!"
This sudden turn of events shattered the hopes of the mine slaves who had initially held onto Uchiha Kō and believed he would improve their conditions.
Their faces turned ashen, and they stared at Uchiha Kō in terror, as if they were seeing a horrible demon.
Uchiha Kō's lips curled into a mocking smile. He waved his hand casually and said, "Those who want to continue working, sign here; those who don't, get out of here immediately! Your wages will be settled right away, not a penny less! Don't think you're so great, the Kumogakure doesn't stop functioning without you!"
His voice, though not loud, was full of authority, sending chills down one's spine.
The miners looked at each other, none daring to utter a sound. They knew that Uchiha Kō was not joking; if they didn't sign, they would likely lose their jobs immediately.
Seeing this, Uchiha Kō sneered and continued, "You really think you're something special? You think you're some great hero of Kumogakure? Let me tell you, Kumogakure can function perfectly well without you, and the people of Kumogakure can still live happy and peaceful lives!"
Having said that, he stomped hard on the Kumogakure miner who had unleashed malice, pinning him to the ground without any mercy.
His foot landed squarely on his wound, causing him to struggle and roar. No one in the crowd dared to plead for him; from that moment on, their belief in a loyal subject crumbled.
The so-called backbone and integrity they once had vanished, and they began to re-evaluate whether everything they had done was truly worthwhile! They began to reflect on their treatment after becoming miners.
Uchiha Kō looked at the mine slave at his feet with mockery in his eyes. This is it? You think you're worthy of his attention and are dissatisfied? I haven't even dealt with you for neglecting my Konoha's mining plans, and you're already dissatisfied with us!
About five minutes later, Uchiha Kō kicked away the miners at his feet and scanned the crowd. "Alright, now tell me your thoughts, who will stay and who will leave?"
The miners from Kumogakure present all hung their heads like wilted eggplants, not one daring to stand up and say they wanted to quit.
After all, after their observation and comparison, they all knew perfectly well that compared to the high-risk life of the ninjas, mining here was simply a pleasure.
Here, they not only get to eat delicious food every day, but they also receive very good treatment.
More importantly, the wages here are almost the same as those of the ninjas outside who live on the edge of a knife every day!
They even have two days off each week, allowing them to relax and get some rest.
Such working conditions would have been incredibly difficult to find even back in the Kumogakure!
Uchiha Kō stood to the side, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.
He was secretly pleased with himself, because he had achieved his goal.
He spoke without changing his expression, "Since no one wants to leave, I'll pretend I didn't see what happened today. However, the punishment still applies. From now on, for the next month, all your weekends will be canceled, your workload will double, but your salary will remain the same. If anyone has any objections, feel free to voice them; after all, Konoha values democracy very much."
As soon as he finished speaking, all the miners lowered their heads again in unison, and some even knelt down with a thud.
They said in unison, "We will obey the Lord Hokage's orders. We will work even harder to atone for our sins, and we hope the Lord Hokage will investigate!"
Uchiha Kō glanced at them, a smirk playing on his lips. "Since that's the case, let's get to work. Stop looking so long-faced!" The miners, hearing this, immediately forced smiles and shouted, "Long live Uchiha Kō! Long live the Lord Hokage!"
Uchiha Kō turned to his men and said in a friendly tone, "Everyone, Konoha's demand for iron ore is huge going forward. If possible, I hope you can increase manpower and speed up the mining operation!"
The Konoha Ninja all spoke up, saying, "Don't worry, Lord Hokage! We still have many prisoners; we can definitely expand our operation!"
"That's right, Lord Hokage. Since you've given the order, I'll bring out twice the number of prisoners to work tomorrow!"
Looking at his adorable subordinates, Uchiha Kō nodded inwardly. As expected of the most loyal ninjas of Konoha, their resolve and insight are beyond the reach of ordinary people!
"Now take me to the warehouse where iron ore is usually stored!" Uchiha Kō said.
The ninja who had just angrily brandished his whip stepped forward and personally led the way for Uchiha Kō. Uchiha Kō was happy to see this and followed behind him, heading towards a cave.
As they reached the cave entrance, Senju Nawaki yawned and announced, "Password!"
Uchiha Kō chuckled, "Nawaki, you're asking for a beating, aren't you? You dare ask me for a password?"
Upon hearing Uchiha Kō's voice, he immediately perked up, opened his eyes, and saw Uchiha Kō looking at him with a mocking expression.
"Sister, brother-in-law! You, what are you doing here!" Senju Nawaki stared wide-eyed at her brother-in-law.
"This is a long story, I'll tell you later. Right now, I need to extract the iron ore from Kumogakure to research new weapons. This matter concerns the future of Konoha!" Uchiha Kō wasn't exaggerating.
Senju Nawaki realized the seriousness of the situation, so he nodded and said, "Brother-in-law, come with me." With that, Nawaki led Uchiha Kō into the warehouse.
Soon after, Nawaki led Uchiha Kō to the depths of the mine.
There was a door deep inside the mine. Senju Nawaki took the key out of his pocket and inserted it.
Then, with a gentle twist, the door began to tremble, and then slowly opened.
Then Senju Nawaki picked up a torch from the wall and led the way.
Uchiha Kō followed closely behind, while the ninja who was leading the way knew his mission and job well, so he stopped at the doorway and turned to look outside the cave.
He will stay here until the Lord Hokage finishes what he needs to do!
Uchiha Kō walked into the warehouse, which was extremely dark. Even with Senju Nawaki holding a torch, the situation inside remained unclear.
Uchiha Kō activated his Chakra, and his eyes unknowingly transformed into the shape of six- Tomoe rings.
His eyesight had doubled, allowing him to see clearly what was inside.
As they ventured deeper into the Senju Nawaki, Uchiha Kō saw large, neatly arranged blocks of iron ore and already processed refined iron.
Senju Nawaki secured the torch and then said, "Brother-in-law, this is where the Kumogakure has set up its iron mine. How about it, isn't there a lot of it?" He said with a smile.