Journey to the Hidden Sand Village

Upon hearing this, Mitokado Homura's face showed a slight startle, and he was quite surprised. He thought to himself:

"Is the Hokage planning to rule the Land of Fire? This is terrifying! This isn't just stealing from our boss, this is killing our boss! Our Konoha's reputation in the Shinobi World will be ruined!"

Nara Shikadai frowned slightly, and said in great surprise, "Hokage- sama, is our Konoha planning a rebellion and directly attacking the Land of Fire? If so, the reputation of our Bandit Village is truly well-deserved."

Utatane Koharu, didn't say a word, just looked completely bewildered, and thought to herself:

"The policy of one village per country, established by the First Hokage, does seem to have many unreasonable aspects. If Konoha were to rule the entire Land of Fire, the immense wealth of that country would directly flow into our Konoha, which would be an unimaginable fortune."

Looking at these people, all of whom seemed hesitant, Qingcheng thought to himself, "They haven't robbed enough; they haven't fully experienced the joy that wealth brings. I'm a Hokage who succeeded through a coup, and I'm a naturally Evil Uchiha. I don't care if they're bosses or not; I just love robbing these bosses."

Qingcheng then said with a serious expression, "The Land of Fire's annual tax revenue reaches over 100 billion. Even if our Konoha sends out the Fat Water Squad and the Konoha Police Force, we still can't plunder all of this wealth. Only by continuing the war and completely controlling the Land of Fire can our Konoha enjoy such wealth."

Then, Qingcheng nodded again and said with a serious expression, "The fighting strength of the Land of Fire consists only of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, the entire Fire Temple, some retainers, and some wandering ninjas. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire has long since stopped trusting us Konoha Ninjas, otherwise he wouldn't be secretly developing his power. He already has the idea of replacing us."

Konoha also dispatched a large number of ninjas to establish themselves throughout the Land of Fire. Privately, they spread propaganda about the Fifth Hokage's power and the beauty of Konoha, claiming that Konoha didn't need to pay taxes—a fact widely acknowledged by the common people of the Land of Fire. The aim was to gradually diminish the loyalty of the common people of the Land of Fire to the Daimyo.

This plan has been in effect for three and a half years. Villagers throughout the Land of Fire have long known that the Fifth Hokage is the God of Shinobi World, possessing the compassion of the First Hokage. Konoha is the most excited village, possessing the greatest power; they believe that if they move to Konoha, they will no longer have to pay taxes to the Daimyo.

Many ordinary people even hoped that if Konoha ruled the Land of Fire, that would be wonderful. With the Hokage's strength, he would surely be able to transform the Land of Fire into the most ideal and beautiful country.

Some commoners in the Land of Fire were already fantasizing that if the Hokage were the daimyo of the Land of Fire, then no one would have to pay taxes. The Land of Fire's taxes were far too high; if bandits stole the taxes, they would collect them again—it was outrageous!

Upon hearing the Hokage's words, Nara Shikadai began plotting in his mind to conquer the Land of Fire without bloodshed.

Qingcheng looked at Shikadai, who was deep in thought, and said with a serious expression:

"I've already devised a plan to deal with the Daimyo. After I resolve the Hidden Sand Village incident, I'll take the Police Force members to the Land of Fire to visit the Daimyo. Then, I'll use Genjutsu to control the Land of Fire and force him to abdicate, passing the position to me. What you need to do is secretly eliminate the opposition, and then have all the Konoha Ninja mobilize and take over the cities of the Land of Fire."

Upon hearing this, Shikamaru Nara nodded immediately, his face filled with admiration, and said, "Hokage -sama, your plan coincides perfectly with mine. I will continue to devise a plan to make it even more perfect."

Qingcheng then said to Mitokado Homura, "When Tsunade and the others return, tell them I'm going to Hidden Sand Village to make a killing there and replenish the losses of Konoha."

Upon hearing the last sentence, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu immediately broke out in a cold sweat, both looking utterly panicked.

Mitokado Homura said with a look of utter terror, "Hokage -sama, why don't you wait for Tsunade to return and talk to him yourself? Last time I was punched out of the Hokage Building, and if it happened again, I feel I might die here. If I die in the Hokage Building, it would be a loss for Konoha."

Utatane Koharu, looking quite shaken, quickly interjected, "Yes, yes, Hokage -sama, you have no idea that Tsunade can perform an over-the-shoulder throw. Last time, she did that to me, and if it weren't for the Uchiha Enhancement Vaccine in my body, I might have been killed by Tsunade!"

Nara Shikadai immediately called out, "Hokage -sama, I have other matters to attend to and must take my leave."

After saying that, Nara Shikadai turned around and quickly left the Hokage's Office, unwilling to face the unreasonable Tsunade. He recalled how the Hokage Building had been rebuilt several times over the years, each time by Chakra Enhanced Strength.

As someone with an IQ of 200, Nara Shikadai knew all too well how terrifying an emotionally unstable woman could be. And this woman, in particular, was incredibly powerful, so he dared not get involved for even a moment.

Watching Shikamaru Nara flee in a panic, Qingcheng said awkwardly, "Tsunade is really going too far. How could she be so cruel to my Konoha High Command? I'll definitely teach her a lesson next time."

Immediately afterward, Qingcheng said to Mitokado Homura, "Elder Homura, don't be afraid. When you see Tsunade, tell her I'm leaving now. The Hidden Sand Village needs my help; it's a very urgent matter. She's a well-behaved and sensible woman; she certainly won't get angry."

Having said that, Qingcheng used the Flying Thunder God Technique again, and with a whoosh, he left Konoha and headed towards Hidden Sand Village.

Mitokado Homura stared in astonishment at Qingcheng's sudden disappearance, then called out, "Hokage- sama, why don't you teach Tsunade a lesson first before heading to the Land of Wind? Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll return to find me paralyzed."

Utatane Koharu, watching Qingcheng leave, shook her head and said in a panic, "He himself is afraid of the unreasonable Tsunade, and now he's just running away, leaving this violent girl with us. How are we supposed to talk to her?"

Mitokado Homura said with a worried expression, "Let's see how Tsunade is feeling. If she's in a good mood, we can talk to her slowly."

Utatane Koharu, immediately nodded and said seriously, "That's right. If she's in a bad mood, we won't say anything."