Daimyo of the Land of Fire!

Konoha.

Senju Clan compound.

"Chiba."

"What do you plan to do next?"

Shikaku Nara's tone was extremely respectful.

Now that he had made his decision,

he would not regret it and began considering what came next.

Chiba did not answer immediately.

He leaned back against the broad wooden chair, his fingers lightly tapping the tabletop.

"Tap, tap, tap."

The monotonous sound echoed through the silent hall.

"Shikaku."

"Do you know why my teacher is called the Princess of the Land of Fire?"

After a moment,

Chiba curled his lips into a brief chuckle.

Shikaku Nara froze for a moment.

He did not understand why Chiba had shifted the subject to Tsunade.

But he did not hesitate and immediately began reviewing the intelligence on Tsunade.

As Konoha's strategist, such information had long since been etched into his bones.

"Because of her lineage."

"Lady Tsunade's grandfather was the First Hokage, Lord Hashirama Senju, known as the God of Shinobi."

"Her grandmother was Lady Mito Uzumaki, the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, who came from the Land of Whirlpools."

"Beyond her status within the village,"

"Lady Tsunade also holds an extremely high position in the Land of Fire."

"Her maternal grandfather was the previous Daimyo of the Land of Fire."

Very quickly,

Shikaku Nara sorted out his thoughts.

Upon hearing Shikaku Nara's words,

Aburame Shibi beside him leaned forward slightly.

Shisui Uchiha also widened his eyes, as though he had grasped a crucial clue.

"Lady Tsunade's father was the eldest son of the First Hokage."

"And her mother was the previous Daimyo of the Land of Fire's most favored eldest princess."

"In other words, the current Daimyo of the Land of Fire is Lady Tsunade's biological uncle!"

Shikaku Nara spoke faster and faster.

As his words fell,

the entire hall sank into deathly silence.

Even Shikaku Nara's eyes widened, and his breathing became hurried.

He finally understood what Chiba meant.

No shinobi village, regardless of how powerful its military strength was, could exist independently of its country.

The village needed the Daimyo to provide enormous military funding and supply allocations.

Even the Hokage's appointment had to receive the Daimyo's final seal of approval.

If the Daimyo did not nod, the Hokage's position would lack legitimacy.

"Lord Chiba."

"You mean... the Daimyo Palace!"

Shikaku Nara's voice carried excitement he could barely suppress.

If the Daimyo of the Land of Fire publicly declared his support for Chiba,

then Chiba would possess absolute moral legitimacy!

When that time came,

Sarutobi Hiruzen's prized orthodox standing would crumble in an instant.

The Daimyo could simply declare that the Konoha High Command had failed in its duties and forcibly remove Sarutobi Hiruzen from the position of Hokage.

"A very clever deduction."

"Before I returned to Konoha, I had already asked my teacher to go to the capital."

"By now, she should have met that Daimyo uncle of hers."

"If nothing unexpected happens, the Daimyo Palace's envoy will arrive in Konoha within a few days at most."

Chiba snapped his fingers in satisfaction.

He looked at the three Konoha elites before him and made no attempt to conceal his plan.

"This... this..."

Shisui listened from the side, his heart surging with emotion.

He had originally worried that Chiba might cleanse Konoha through violent slaughter.

But now it seemed that Chiba not only possessed overwhelming strength, but also flawless political finesse.

Taking the Hokage's position without shedding a drop of blood.

The damage to the village would be reduced to the absolute minimum.

Aburame Shibi nodded as well.

This truly was a perfect plan!

"What a perfect move."

"What the Third generation cares about most is his perfect image in the eyes of the villagers."

"Once the Daimyo Palace publicly condemns him for indulging Danzo and causing Konoha's decline, his reputation will be completely ruined."

"..."

After receiving Chiba's affirmation,

Shikaku Nara also breathed a sigh of relief.

He had already begun planning the coming war of public opinion in his mind.

As soon as the Daimyo's official document arrived,

the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans could immediately activate their hidden channels and guide the villagers' emotions.

By then,

Sarutobi Hiruzen would have no chance to turn things around!

Meanwhile,

as he watched the relieved expressions on the three men's faces,

a deeply concealed glint of coldness flashed through Chiba's eyes.

The Daimyo?

In Chiba's eyes,

the so-called Daimyo was merely an ordinary man.

In a world where mastering chakra allowed one to destroy heaven and earth,

what right did an ordinary man have to stand above shinobi?

Chiba held nothing but contempt for such a twisted political structure.

The only reason he had Tsunade ask the Daimyo to intervene was to disgust Sarutobi Hiruzen.

He would use the rules Sarutobi Hiruzen obeyed most faithfully to slap him in the face.

That was the most devastating way to strike at someone's heart.

As for those nobles of the Daimyo Palace?

If they truly believed they could control Chiba with a single document,

then they were gravely mistaken.

If that Daimyo ever dared to meddle in Konoha's affairs or attempt to squeeze its military funding,

Chiba would charge straight into the Daimyo Palace without hesitation.

That was Senju Qianye.

He did not believe in the Will of Fire. He believed only in absolute strength and control.

"Enough."

"We'll end things here tonight."

"Go back and make your preparations."

"The moment the Daimyo's envoy arrives, we will take over Konoha completely."

A few minutes later,

Chiba waved his hand and dismissed them.

The three men immediately rose to their feet.

They gave Chiba a shinobi salute, then quietly withdrew from the hall.

The night grew deeper.

A cold wind swept through the treetops.

Near the Capital of Land of Fire, thousands of miles away,

a bonfire blazed fiercely, driving away the late autumn chill.

Beside the fire,

Tsunade carried a massive jug of sake.

She tipped back her head and took several large gulps.

"That damn brat!"

"I'm obviously the teacher here!"

"How dare he order me around in that tone and make me run errands like this!"

The next moment,

Tsunade drew on the alcohol and complained loudly.

On a tree stump not far away,

Shizune was grilling several river fish.

Tonton, the pet pig, lay at her feet, making contented little snorting sounds.

Hearing Tsunade's complaint,

Shizune could not help covering her mouth as she laughed.

"Lady Tsunade."

"Stop pretending you don't care."

"Who was it that dragged me onto the road overnight the moment she heard Chiba's plan?"

After a while,

Shizune handed the grilled fish to Tsunade, her eyes full of teasing.

Tsunade snatched the fish away and took a viciously large bite.

"Quit yapping!"

"I just..."

"I just didn't want to see that idiot go off and get himself killed alone."

Tsunade chewed the fish, muttering indistinctly.

In truth, she knew better than anyone else.

Chiba did not need her protection at all.

Thinking back to a few days ago,

Chiba had activated Perfect Sage Mode before her.

That pure and terrifying Natural Energy still made Tsunade's heart palpitate whenever she thought about it.

It was a realm that even her grandfather, Hashirama Senju, had spent an enormous amount of time mastering.

And Chiba,

after cultivating for merely two years, had completely surpassed those who came before him.

That brat truly possessed the capacity to change the entire Ninja World.

The glory of the Senju Clan was finally about to reappear through that brat.

As an elder of the Senju Clan, how could Tsunade possibly refuse to support him?

"Half a day's journey more."

"We'll reach the capital."

"Shizune, get some rest early."

"Tomorrow morning, we'll enter the city and meet that troublesome uncle of mine."

At that,

Tsunade's gaze sharpened.

No matter what, she had to persuade the Daimyo and obtain the edict to dismiss Sarutobi Hiruzen.

It was time for Konoha's rot to be torn out by the roots.