The next morning
The Uchiha group, having finished their preparations, headed for the Daimyo Palace.
The Daimyo was watching a dance when he saw the attendant enter to deliver a message. Realizing something was up, he immediately dismissed the dancers.
"Lord Daimyo, the Uchiha Clan Head requests an audience." The attendant bowed his head with utmost respect, not daring to look at the Daimyo seated above him.
Hearing that the Uchiha Clan Head had come to visit, the Daimyo assumed it was Uchiha Fugaku. "Let him in."
"Yes." The attendant backed toward the entrance one step at a time, only turning around once he reached the door.
Before long, Masaki Uchiha appeared in the doorway.
At a glance, he saw the man seated on high. The man had no trace of chakra, was somewhat fat, had a pale complexion, and an utterly ordinary face.
He clearly either indulged himself too much or was suffering from some illness.
The former was probably more likely. After all, how many Daimyo had died of illness?
How could someone like that be the Daimyo?
A real man should...
Masaki Uchiha asked himself silently.
Seeing that the visitor was an unfamiliar Uchiha, the Daimyo furrowed his brow. "Who are you?"
At the Daimyo's question, Masaki Uchiha promptly answered, "I am the newly appointed Uchiha Clan Head, Masaki Uchiha."
His use of the word "subject" was particularly clever.
As everyone knew, the Ninja World had a system of one country, one village.
The highest authority over the ninja was the village's Kage, while the highest authority over the country was the Daimyo.
Nominally, the Kage was also subject to the Daimyo's rule, but in practice, the ninja of each village recognized only their Kage, not the Daimyo.
Hearing Masaki Uchiha refer to himself as a subject, the Daimyo immediately began to suspect something. He raised his folding fan to cover his face, concealing his expression.
Still, he pretended to be surprised and asked, "Oh? Has the Uchiha changed Clan Heads?"
That name sounded familiar, though. He thought he had heard it somewhere before.
"Yes, Lord Daimyo. The former Clan Head, Uchiha Fugaku, is now the deputy director of Konoha's Police Force."
Masaki Uchiha spoke with such respect that no one could find fault with his manner.
Anyone who saw him would think he held the Daimyo in the highest regard.
It also indirectly showed that Uchiha Fugaku was safe and still held a high-ranking position.
After all, when a Clan Head changed so suddenly in the Ninja World, blood was usually shed.
Seeing that Masaki Uchiha knew how to behave, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire asked casually, "Clan Head Masaki, what brings you here today?"
At the Daimyo's question, Masaki Uchiha answered respectfully:
"I heard that Lord Daimyo was preparing to recruit the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire. I was concerned that ninja of unknown identities might slip in and threaten your safety."
"So I came to protect you. Please don't take offense."
"If it pleases you, I have a few candidates for you to choose from. This is simply a gesture of my loyalty."
Listen to the things Masaki had said: he was concerned for the Daimyo's safety and had brought people to protect him.
Anyone would be pleased to hear that, especially when the offer of protection came from the renowned Uchiha ninja of the Ninja World.
Although the Uchiha Clan had a poor reputation in Konoha, and its members looked down on others, there was no denying their strength.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was no exception. His eyes had narrowed into slits.
"It's rare to see Clan Head Masaki put so much thought into this. I'll gladly accept your gesture of loyalty."
Then he thought that Masaki Uchiha must have some other reason for coming.
But he still pretended to be sending him away and said, "If you have nothing else, Clan Head Masaki, you may leave."
Old fox. Did he think he could just take my people for free?
And then just walk away after getting everything he wanted?
As if it were that easy.
Masaki Uchiha suppressed his displeasure and respectfully said, "Lord Daimyo, I came here today to report something important. Please dismiss any unrelated personnel."
Here it comes at last. Let's see what kind of game Masaki Uchiha is playing.
The Daimyo set down his folding fan, his expression turning serious. "If it's important, then I agree."
"Everyone, leave!"
At the Daimyo's command, all the attendants filed out of the hall in an orderly manner, closing the door behind them.
There was no need to worry about the Daimyo's safety.
The Ninja World wasn't so crazy yet.
Besides, the Uchiha Clan Head was still in there.
"Lord Daimyo, I am here today as a representative of the Uchiha Clan."
"We pledge our loyalty to you."
"I have always believed that the Land of Fire can have only one jewel, and that is you, Lord Daimyo."
"Konoha should be directly governed by the Daimyo, rather than being administered by an appointed Kage."
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was stunned by Masaki Uchiha's words, but the shock soon gave way to elation.
Even a founding clan of Konoha wants to pledge its loyalty to me. It seems my plan to make the Land of Fire speak with one voice can still move forward.
That's right. Establishing the Twelve Guardian Ninja was the first step in this plan, and also a way to test Konoha's attitude.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire had long wanted to unify the entire Land of Fire, but the one-country, one-village system made it difficult to act openly.
So he had made the first move to test Konoha's reaction.
He hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise, but he still needed to find out what had caused the Uchiha Clan to want to join him.
"Clan Head Masaki, I'd like to ask what led you to this idea."
Seeing how carefully the Daimyo was handling the situation, Masaki Uchiha chuckled inwardly. He'd taken the bait.
If the Daimyo had no such intentions, his first response would have been to throw me out.
But now he's asking me a question. It looks like the odds of my plan succeeding just went up.
"These are my sincere thoughts. After living in Konoha for so long, I've realized that an invisible divide exists between the Land of Fire and Konoha."
"This is a serious problem. Konoha's ninja introduce themselves as ninja of Konoha, not as ninja of the Land of Fire."
"If this continues, Konoha will become a country within a country, which would be even worse for the Land of Fire and the Daimyo."
"To eliminate this divide, I believe the only way is for the 'Hokage' and the Daimyo to be one and the same person."
Those were some of Masaki Uchiha's genuine thoughts. As for who would be the Daimyo and who would be the Hokage, well, that was hard to say.
Interesting. No wonder they're a clan that produces "madmen."
I never imagined someone like this existed. Heaven really is helping me.
The excitement in the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was practically spilling from the corners of his mouth.
But to play it safe, he decided to keep Masaki waiting overnight.
Safety first.
Who knew whether Masaki Uchiha might be bait put forward by the Hokage's faction?
He would investigate first, then make a decision.
"Clan Head Masaki, let's leave it at that for today. I'll summon you again in a few days."
Seeing that the Daimyo had dismissed him, Masaki Uchiha knew his plan was secure.
The Daimyo simply wanted time to investigate.
But before leaving, he still needed to give him one last push.
So he pretended to speak in a hurry:
"Lord Daimyo, the Uchiha Clan is willing to brave fire and water for you, and will never hesitate!"