"Good, good. Clan Head Masaki, you may go and rest."
The Daimyo's grin was almost splitting his face from ear to ear.
Masaki Uchiha left with a look of melancholy on his face.
The hall was now completely empty, and the Daimyo no longer had to hold back.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
His triumphant laughter rang on and on.
Masaki Uchiha had just rejoined his clansmen when he faintly heard the Daimyo laughing nearby. He couldn't help laughing too.
I'm waiting for the right moment. What are you waiting for?
The more he thought about it, the happier he became.
His fellow clansmen were left completely bewildered.
A few days later.
It was the same place.
And, once again, there were no unrelated people around.
But the atmosphere was clearly different.
"Masaki, I mean, when I first met you, your name sounded familiar."
"I didn't realize you were the 'Scourge Ninja' famous throughout the Ninja World. No wonder you're so handsome."
The Daimyo's attitude had clearly changed. He even called him Masaki now, and was complimenting him.
He was obviously much friendlier.
Of course. A shinobi who commanded fear throughout the Ninja World was about to become one of his own.
Anyone would be too excited to sleep.
Well, anyone except Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others.
"Your Excellency, you flatter me."
"I am only slightly renowned. Everything I do is for the Land of Fire."
Masaki Uchiha was just as respectful as he had been before.
Good.
He had the right mindset.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was very pleased with Masaki Uchiha's attitude. He really was different from the Uchiha described in the rumors.
He wasn't arrogant or overbearing.
He'd make a good "blade" in the future.
"Masaki, after having a few days to think things over, have you changed your mind?"
Masaki Uchiha said solemnly, "My mind has never changed. I only wish to devote myself to the Daimyo and the Land of Fire. I have no other intentions."
"Good. Then I accept the Uchiha Clan's offer of allegiance."
As soon as the Daimyo finished speaking, Masaki Uchiha looked so excited he could barely contain himself.
Seeing this, the Daimyo was even more pleased.
Young people really were young people.
A tiny favor was enough to get him this excited.
He couldn't keep his composure.
Still, being young was good. Young people were easy to control.
"Your Excellency, I have a request, though I hesitate to make it. I hope you'll grant it."
"Oh? What is it? Let's hear it."
Masaki Uchiha took a small booklet from inside his clothes and handed it to the Daimyo with an embarrassed look.
"This is the Uchiha Clan's financial statement. Please help the Uchiha."
Masaki Uchiha's voice was full of urgency and helplessness. After speaking, he bowed to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
The Daimyo took the booklet and opened it. The corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
The booklet clearly documented the Uchiha Clan's current financial situation. Every page was filled with deficits.
No wonder they wanted to pledge allegiance to me. They were on the verge of bankruptcy.
The Daimyo rubbed his forehead. "Masaki, the Uchiha Clan's financial shortfall is quite large."
Masaki Uchiha quickly replied, "Yes, Your Excellency. The Third Great Ninja War left the clan with enormous expenses. We're almost unable to cover them anymore."
"I just took over as clan head and was ready to make a fresh start, but I never expected..." His voice brimmed with heart-rending grief.
The Daimyo knew exactly how that felt.
When he first took the throne as Daimyo of the Land of Fire, he'd also been ready to make a fresh start, only to find that he had no say in anything.
Konoha was in charge of all foreign wars. The Daimyo only had to pay the bills.
It had been so frustrating. Who was the Daimyo here, anyway?
Without military power, he couldn't even raise his voice.
Even Danzo dared to talk back to me.
So the Uchiha Clan wanted to pledge allegiance because they were out of money.
But that was fine. It was only money, and I had plenty of it.
I could afford to support one little Uchiha Clan.
"I'll give you the money to pay off your debts within a week. You understand what comes after that."
The Daimyo winked at Masaki Uchiha as he spoke.
Suppressing his revulsion, Masaki Uchiha kept up his excited expression. "Thank you, Your Excellency. I will never forget your kindness!"
It was a shortfall of 3 billion taels, and he'd handed it over just like that. The Daimyo really was rich.
Masaki had worried that asking for so much would scare the Daimyo, but he'd given up that sum in the blink of an eye.
If only I'd put down a higher number.
What a miscalculation!
Still, since the Daimyo was so generous,
Masaki would let him make a dignified exit in the future.
That would be a fitting way to repay his kindness.
Some might say that made him ungrateful.
Here are two examples to make it clear.
[Striking down the landlords]
[World War II Germans hesitating]
I can't say any more.
Most of the money held by the "noble" class had been extracted from ordinary people.
Masaki Uchiha was simply getting it out of their hands sooner.
In the future, that money would be taken from the people and used for the people.
As someone raised under the red flag, it was only right to overthrow all feudal slavery.
"Still, could you find the Uchiha Clan a way to make money, Your Excellency?"
"We can't keep relying on Your Excellency's handouts to get by."
Masaki Uchiha looked as if he were only thinking of the Daimyo's interests. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire burst into laughter.
"You really are greedy, just like me. I like it!"
"From now on, the Uchiha Clan will be eating with me. I'll make sure you have all the women and money you could want!"
"But don't ever make the same mistake as Hashirama Senju. Otherwise, there won't be a place for you in the Ninja World."
His final words sounded like both a reminder and a warning.
What had Hashirama Senju done?
He had established the one nation, one village system in the Ninja World. (The key point.)
He had distributed the Tailed Beasts to deter the various nations and prevent them from starting wars so easily.
Unfortunately, war broke out as soon as he died.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was making himself perfectly clear: don't be like Hashirama Senju. Be like Uchiha Madara instead.
Madara's plan had been to unite the Ninja World, but Hashirama Senju had stopped him.
So the Daimyo now shared Madara's ambitions. His words had also hinted at his dissatisfaction with the one nation, one village system.
"Rest assured, Your Excellency. The Uchiha Clan will devote ourselves to the Land of Fire until our dying breath!"
Masaki Uchiha thumped his chest as he assured the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
"Good. Go see the Grand Minister later. Take my token and tell him I sent you. Have him choose a business for you to run."
As he spoke, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire took out a ring and tossed it to Masaki Uchiha.
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
Masaki Uchiha caught the ring and hurriedly stood to thank him.
"That's enough. Go see the Grand Minister first. We'll discuss the rest when I summon you."
"Yes, I'll take my leave." Masaki Uchiha immediately rose to go. With his head lowered, he faced the Daimyo and backed toward the door step by step. Only once he reached it did he turn and leave.
Seeing this, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire nodded in satisfaction.
Good.
He was as respectful as ever.
Still, he'd have to test him from time to time in the future.
Give him an occasional warning, so he wouldn't get any ideas of his own.