Ch. 261God Tree Fruit
Key plot points and events
- Gentō enters the Earth Daimyō’s hall and uses his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and Yin Release: Heart Divergence to place the drunken daimyo under his control, ordering him to obey.
- A month later, Gentō arrives at a gathering of the Land of Earth’s nobles with Itachi, Shisui, and Uchiha Anbu. He announces that the country will be absorbed into Hidden Xuan Village.
- The controlled daimyo publicly claims he is unfit to rule and abdicates in Gentō’s favor. When a noble accuses Gentō of using genjutsu, the daimyo denies it, and the man is removed by the Anbu.
- Surrounded and intimidated, most nobles agree to register their holdings and cooperate. Mabui oversees the transfer of their property and authority.
- Over the following month, the takeover proceeds with little large-scale resistance. Some nobles are imprisoned or stripped of their titles, while ordinary people experience modestly lower taxes and improved security.
- As Gentō reviews the new territory’s finances, Itachi reports that the God Tree on Hōzuki Island has borne fruit. Gentō immediately prepares to go there and consume it.
Character developments and interactions
- Gentō demonstrates a blend of coercion and calculated governance: he secretly controls the daimyo, then presents the annexation as a voluntary abdication. He offers cooperation to compliant nobles while using Anbu to suppress resistance.
- The Earth Daimyō appears to endorse the transfer, but his apparent willingness is the result of Gentō’s genjutsu.
- The nobles move from outrage to submission once they see the daimyo’s support and realize the Anbu have sealed the hall. The elderly dissenter openly challenges Gentō but is taken away.
- Mabui handles the practical side of the takeover, recording nobles’ lands and businesses and coordinating the administrative transition.
- Itachi serves as Gentō’s trusted subordinate, accompanying him during the announcement and later bringing the news about the God Tree fruit. Gentō’s excitement at the report suggests the fruit is a major personal objective.
Significant themes
- Power and legitimacy: Gentō’s conquest is presented as a lawful abdication, though it rests on mind control and force.
- Cooperation under intimidation: Nobles retain some privileges if they comply, while dissenters face imprisonment or dispossession.
- Pragmatic rule: The transfer is largely bloodless, and ordinary people benefit from slightly lower taxes and better public safety, even as political control changes hands.
- Ambition and transformation: The God Tree fruit represents the next step in Gentō’s pursuit of greater power.