" Kagetsu Qi, we meet again. Do you want me to tell you that in the history of the Land of Fire, the only ninja who could be invited to an audience by a daimyo are the successive Hokage?"
Inside the Daimyo's Residence, the man known as the Feudal Lord of Fire lords of different states smiled as he watched a boy dressed in Konoha Ninja attire in front of him, listlessly fanning himself with a paper fan that barely stirred anything.
Incidentally, this big spender from Konoha emphasized the word "invite" heavily, fully demonstrating that he wasn't as magnanimous as Qi had imagined...
Faced with this deep resentment, Qi could only give a dry laugh; after all, he was now working for the Land of Fire.
"I wouldn't dare trouble you, sir. What are your orders?"
Even so, he could easily guess what Feudal Lord of Fire was thinking. After all, Feudal Lord of Fire's determination had been fully demonstrated by the reinforcements a few days ago, and he himself had been taken directly back to Daimyo's Residence by those reinforcements.
At that time, the reinforcements from the Land of Fire that arrived on the battlefield were not from the Konoha Ninja Army, but from the Prefecture Army of the Land of Fire Land of Wind!
A mere thousand-strong allied force from the three major villages was defeated swiftly by the thousands of the Prefecture Army. With the top fighters from the three villages trapped by the experts from Konoha and Sunagakure, the combined forces of the two Prefecture Army wiped out almost all the ninja below the Jonin level from Cloud Ninja and Rock Ninja. The absolute advantage of the Prefecture Army over the ninja army in terms of grassroots combat strength was fully demonstrated. What particularly opened Qi's eyes was that this was the first time he had ever seen the Prefecture Army's fighting style.
The Land of Fire's Prefecture Army formed a sword formation with infantry, surrounding the enemy on three sides and blocking the other. The soldiers wielded thick-backed, unsharpened swords. A single slash would cause the entire area to explode in flames. The close-range explosion was enough to kill or maim the enemy. Meanwhile, the excess Fire Style energy was absorbed by the seemingly heavy but actually light thick armor they wore and stored back in their unsharpened swords for the next round of attacks.
The Land of Wind's Prefecture Army, entirely composed of cavalry, pursued the enemy fleeing through the only gap using mounted archery. The range of their wind arrows was terrifying; a single volley was like a full-scale barrage of fire...
In contrast, the ninjas of the three major villages were unable to compete with the Prefecture Army the Kumogakure and Iwagakure forces because their top fighters were tied up with the Konoha and Sagara villages. Most of the ninjas from Cloud Ninja and Rock Ninja became cold, mangled corpses. The only exception was Kirigakure, where the Prefecture Army did not attack the Mist Ninja at all, allowing them to escape...
Qi Suo's determination as the Feudal Lord of Fire is naturally reflected in this. Clearly, in order to achieve his idea of having Qi establish a clan, he is willing to endure even the attack on Kirigakure by Konoha.
Of course, the appearance of the Land of Wind's Prefecture Army also concerned Qi. Although the Land of Wind's Prefecture Army escorted the Sunagakure ninja back home after completing their mission, it was clear that the two daimyo intended to elevate the alliance, which originally existed only between Konoha and Sunagakure, to the national level. If this were to happen, it would likely be the first national-level alliance since the establishment of the Five Great Nations. The Five Great Nations, which had previously maintained a policy of non-aggression, would probably enter a new phase, and war might no longer be limited to the ninja villages themselves...
This is not good news for Qi Lai. A Shinobi World war is dangerous enough. If it really escalates to the national level, it's not impossible that the five Kage would personally go to the battlefield. That would deviate even further from the original story. His original understanding of the Hokage manga would be meaningless on this platform.
Whether he was overthinking it or not, President Qi felt that Feudal Lord of Fire's series of actions and behaviors, completely different from the original work, seemed to have started with their last meeting and Huo Daming's demand that he establish a clan...
"What are your orders?"
The Feudal Lord of Fire had no time to concern himself with the myriad thoughts swirling in Qi's mind. At the moment, he was only showing his displeasure at Qi's perfunctory response. In his mind, Qi's establishment of his clan would be a golden opportunity for the Land of Fire to seize the chance to overtake the other nations militarily. If they missed this opportunity, who knew when the next Feudal Lord of Fire would come...
"Can't you just be honest? Don't try to Danzo like this!"
He even stopped fanning himself, his face filled with disappointment and frustration...
"..."
Qi scratched his head awkwardly. It was clear that Feudal Lord of Fire's patience was almost gone. Fortunately, he was no longer resistant to this kind of thing. On the contrary, in some ways, he was even more anxious than Feudal Lord of Fire.
But he knew that in negotiations, whoever gives in first bleeds, and to prevent his clan from becoming another Uchiha, he would never be the first to speak.
However, not giving in first doesn't mean we can't speak. Can't you see that the Feudal Lord of Fire in front of us is practically breathing fire from his head...?
"Daimyo."
After thinking for a moment, he said,
" The Konoha Village is currently holding the second round of voting for the Fourth Hokage. As you know, as Jonin, I need to get back as soon as possible."
"Hmph... that's a good reason!"
The Feudal Lord of Fire sneered, but he finally acknowledged that Qi's method was clearly intended to drag things out. After all, the final round of voting was his vote, and as the Feudal Lord of Fire, he was equally concerned about who would become the Fourth Hokage.
"But remember, once the Fourth Hokage is chosen, you can't back out. Once I've reached an agreement with the Feudal Lord of Water, you must set off. Neither Konoha nor the Land of Fire has time to waste!"
He gave Qi a cold look.
"Don't think that the relationship between the ninja village and the Daimyo's Daimyo's Residence is one of subordination. The existence and strength of this country depend on the extent to which both sides fulfill the terms of the agreement. You and your clan are under the jurisdiction of Konoha Village's Daimyo's Residence. Don't think you know the truth just because you listened to a few words from that old Uchiha bastard. The Uchiha like to overcomplicate things, which is why they've ended up in this predicament. If you learn from them, you'll become the second Hyuga Clan sooner or later!"
He opened his fan with a "whoosh," fanned himself, and slowly returned to his usual harmless demeanor.
"Nobles manage civil affairs, and ninja villages manage military affairs. If we must, there is no true king in this country. Although I am the daimyo, I am merely a representative of all the nobles in the Land of Fire. Your Kage is the same. The nobles' fiefdoms and the fighting power of the ninja clans, combined, constitute the country."
At this moment, half of his face was hidden under the paper fan. The upper half of his face, which was not covered, had a pair of eyes filled with indifference. Although those eyes reflected Qi's figure, Qi had a feeling that the Feudal Lord of Fire was not looking at him, but at the entire Land of Fire, the Daimyo's Residence, and the Konoha Village's joint ruling system.
"You may leave now. I'll give you one more month. After one month, you must set foot on the land of the Land of Water!"