I can sacrifice anything (seeking recommendations, collections, powering up for love)

"Masaki Uchiha, what exactly is the situation between the Uchiha and the Daimyo right now?"

As soon as Minato Namikaze sat down, his expression turned stern.

"Although I believe you would never betray Konoha, getting entangled with the Daimyo is something no previous Hokage could tolerate."

"Don't you think you owe me a proper explanation for this?"

Masaki Uchiha poured a cup of tea for Minato Namikaze without haste and said, "The Fourth Hokage should know that the war has only just ceased, yet Kumogakure has still not signed a peace treaty with us. That is the first point—the risk of war remains."

"From the start of the war until now, Konoha's disability allowances and death benefits have not been fully paid out. That is the second point—we cannot guarantee the enthusiasm of those who will participate in future battles."

"We had no objections to signing peace treaties with the other ninja villages, but as the victor, Sarutobi Hiruzen actually waived all reparations, causing the compensation and subsidies that we Konoha ninja were entitled to to vanish into thin air. That is the third point—it is unacceptable."

"The various ninja clans within the village must continue to survive, and my Uchiha clan is no exception. To put it bluntly, without money, we cannot develop. That is why I set my sights on those with wealth."

"And who in the Ninja World has the most money? The Daimyo!"

"If I don't ask him for money, should I ask you? Do you have any?"

Masaki Uchiha's words left Minato Namikaze speechless, as they were the plain truth; the village's financial operations were indeed in dire straits.

It wasn't that they hadn't asked the Daimyo for funds, but the Daimyo had deliberately made excuses to refuse, all to force the Hokage—the highest military authority in the Land of Fire—to submit to him.

What could be done?

They had no choice but to let the ninja who had sacrificed for Konoha suffer for a while.

This had led to a vicious cycle.

Without money, they couldn't train ninja, which led to losing external wars, and losing meant even less money to train ninja.

The Ninja World didn't rely on forced conscription; it relied on training ninja, and only one in dozens or even hundreds of people possessed the talent for it.

If there is no money, how can these ninja be trained?

This brought them back to the initial problem—money!

If the Third Hokage hadn't waived the reparations back then, perhaps he wouldn't have been able to take the position himself. Sigh, what a mess this is. Minato Namikaze felt a sense of dejection.

Seeing that Minato Namikaze remained silent, Masaki Uchiha pressed his advantage: "And even then, I had to swallow my pride and beg the Daimyo for that!" His words were laced with a sense of bitterness.

Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze's expression shifted; he had not expected someone as proud as Masaki Uchiha to lower himself to such lengths.

"Masaki Uchiha, I never imagined you had sacrificed so much for Konoha. Thank you for your hard work." Minato Namikaze straightened his expression and asked, "Then what is it that the Daimyo actually wants?"

"What the Daimyo wants is for there to be only one 'King' in the Land of Fire!"

Minato Namikaze was stunned into a daze.

The so-called 'King' can be simply understood as: the one in charge.

According to the one-village-one-country system, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire is one 'King'.

The Hokage of Konoha is another 'King', nominally under the authority of the Daimyo.

But in reality, all of the Land of Fire's external wars are handled by the Hokage, and the Daimyo has no way to command the ninja of Konoha.

This makes the Daimyo wonder: I spend so much money every year supporting these ninja, and you tell me they don't answer to me?

Doesn't that make my spending a complete waste?

Of course, the Daimyo is no fool; during times of war, the flow of money cannot be cut. If the funding were severed and an enemy nation invaded the Land of Fire, the one who would suffer the most would still be the Daimyo.

Therefore, taking advantage of the fact that the war has largely ended and Konoha has just appointed a new Hokage, it would be remiss of him not to squeeze Konoha now.

"Impossible! The one-village-one-country system was established by the First Hokage; it is an ironclad rule!" Minato Namikaze frowned and retorted loudly, "If the one-village-one-country system is destroyed, then both you and I will be sinners of Konoha!"

"That is why I feigned submission, all to help us weather the immediate crisis. My reputation is of no consequence; as long as Konoha thrives, I am content," Masaki Uchiha said with an air of indifference.

However, the slight tremor in his shoulders betrayed his inner turmoil.

Seeing this, Minato Namikaze softened his tone and said, "I know of your sacrifices, but the Daimyo's idea is simply unrealistic."

How is it unrealistic, my little sunshine?

In the future, there can only be one person in charge of the Land of Fire and Konoha, and that person is me.

Masaki Uchiha remained firm in his heart, but his face remained impassive. "I understand. That is why I used Kakashi to invite you here—to discuss how to earn the Daimyo's money to develop Konoha."

I knew I wasn't wrong about you, Masaki Uchiha.

For the sake of Konoha, you are just like me; you are willing to sacrifice everything.

Minato Namikaze felt very satisfied with Masaki Uchiha's stance.

"I have already spoken with the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans about joining the Police Force, as we discussed last time."

"Since this matter with the Daimyo has arisen, I am thinking of having them join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization you created as well. What do you think?"

Masaki Uchiha was ecstatic, as he was one step closer to his plan, but he feigned a look of hesitation. "I have no objection to them joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, but I worry about whether it will affect the normal operations of Konoha."

"After all, it will require drawing away quite a few of their personnel."

Minato Namikaze laughed heartily. "The small and medium-sized ninja clans that joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are doing just fine; it will be even less of a problem for the three great clans of Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi."

Masaki Uchiha's eyes darted as if he had thought of something. "In that case, I will arrange for someone to deliver the quarterly profits to you personally."

"Alas, I am the Hokage now; it is inconvenient for me to accept money."

"Then I shall gift the money to your wife. After all, your child will be born soon, and there will be no shortage of expenses then."

Both men felt they had achieved their goals for the day, and with the knots between them untied, the atmosphere grew increasingly warm.

"In that case, I will support you for the position of Jonin Squad leader when the time comes and cast my sacred vote for you."

"Then I thank the Fourth Hokage in advance." Masaki Uchiha was in high spirits, reaching out to shake Minato Namikaze's hand. "For Konoha!"

After seeing Minato Namikaze off, Masaki Uchiha returned home.

Suddenly, his mind stirred.

[Summoning Jutsu]

"Poof."

A small white snake appeared abruptly before his eyes.

Immediately following, Orochimaru's signature raspy voice emanated from the snake's mouth: "Masaki-kun, the experiment you entrusted to me has made progress. If it is convenient, you may come to see it now."

It seems Orochimaru has finished his work.

The title of the Ninja World's leading scientist is well-deserved.

Truly, a double blessing has arrived today.

After confirming with Orochimaru that he would arrive shortly, Masaki Uchiha took his guard unit and headed toward Orochimaru's laboratory.