The Strange Monk

The fact that the Fire Daimyo himself came to Hidden Leaf Village proves that the friendship between Leaf Village and the Daimyo's Court's mansion is unbreakable and will reach new heights.

On Blue Star, right under the emperor's nose, in the most virtuous place, any random old man or woman on the street can chat with you about five thousand years of history.

The Hokage world is similar, except there's an additional ninja village.

Although the villagers only had a superficial understanding of the Ninja World, the relationship between the ninja village and the Daimyo's Court, and relied on various unreliable anecdotes for information, it didn't stop them from giving their opinions and making pronouncements.

That's enough to leave outsiders completely stunned.

Don't ask, because you don't understand the depth of the world's number one ninja village. We Leaf Village people don't lie to the world.

Even if someone doesn't know anything about yarn and just makes things up, the villagers of Leaf Village still understand the significance of a daimyo's personal visit.

Their joy was genuine and heartfelt.

For Fire Daimyo, this was an unprecedented experience.

Daimyo's Court was a place with a strict hierarchy. Inside and outside the palace, apart from the ministers, Fire Daimyo could hardly see anyone else's expression.

Even when traveling incognito, the common people of Daimyo's Court would quickly avoid him on the street—those who made a living in Daimyo's Court had very sharp eyes.

He understood the people's sentiments; Fire Daimyo had long since stopped believing in this stuff.

Although he is a famous figure, he wouldn't dare to utter a single word without having thought it through a dozen or twenty times in his mind.

Hidden Leaf Village was different; here, he felt that Gilgamesh's boasting was perfectly acceptable.

He even had the urge to grab anyone and go clubbing with them.

"Leaf Village is really nice..." Looking at the enthusiastic villagers on both sides of the road, Fire Daimyo felt genuinely happy.

As a daimyo, he only saw people's hearts, but the hearts of people in the Daimyo's Court cannot be seen with the eyes.

"Your Highness, this is your first time visiting the village. You must find it fascinating. In terms of prosperity, Leaf Village cannot compare to the Daimyo's Court," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile.

"Although it's bustling, it lacks your spirit." Fire Daimyo waved happily to the villagers on both sides of the road, he really liked this feeling.

The people of Leaf Village are very free, unlike the lifeless atmosphere of Daimyo's Court.

However, the people of Leaf Village are very organized; even without an organizer, they will spontaneously maintain order.

A city like this, with people like these, should be ruled by Hokage whose surname is Senju Clan or Uchiha Clan.

As for the dark side of Leaf Village, the Fire Daimyo thinks it's not dark at all, but simply adorable.

The human heart is inherently contradictory, complex, and unpredictable, and it is especially difficult to test. Leaf Village is already very clean; it can be called a Pure Land.

In the eyes of the Konoha, this Fire Daimyo was, as rumored, a kind and approachable ruler who was very friendly to the people and did not put on airs.

This made them even more excited and enthusiastic.

It was in this atmosphere that the Fire Daimyo walked into the Hokage Building.

The Daimyo's Court's forces were properly arranged by Leaf Village, so he didn't need to worry about them.

This pomp and circumstance was for the lords along the way to see; not all of them could enter Leaf Village, and the vast majority needed to stay in the camps set up for them by Leaf Village.

It's impossible for them all to enter; a sudden influx of nearly ten thousand migrants would be detrimental to public security.

When the Hidden Leaf Village is present, it makes a clear distinction between how the Daimyo and other nobles are treated.

After all, nobles are certainly high-quality customers, but daimyo are allies.

With tens of thousands of people, who knows what kind of monsters and demons have infiltrated the group?

The Fire Daimyo, however, was very interested in the Hokage Building.

He visited the government affairs hall on the first floor and the Hokage Room and related institutions on the top floor.

We went up to the rooftop.

They also went to the Ninja Academy next door.

The students at the Ninja Academy were equally curious about the Daimyo. It wasn't unusual to see the Hokage at the Ninja Academy, but seeing the Daimyo was an extremely rare treat.

Of course, the Fourth Hokage was an exception; he wasn't often seen at the Ninja Academy.

The students were very satisfied; it was buy one get one free, so it deserved a good review.

It was a joyous day, and everyone within the high walls of Hidden Leaf Village was very satisfied.

As for those outside the wall, only they know whether they're enjoying it or not.

That night, the Fire Daimyo settled down comfortably in Hidden Leaf Village. In his words, since he had come out for the first time, he wanted to enjoy the experience. As for the Daimyo's Court, it was being managed by a trusted retainer.

That night, the lights in the Hokage Building stayed on all night.

The administration department is working overtime again.

There's no way around it; organizing elections is their job. The votes have already been cast, and they're responsible for counting them and producing the final results.

However, they felt a little lonely tonight because the Fourth Hokage wouldn't be keeping them company while they worked overtime.

This is actually a bit unusual.

They just thought that many people probably wouldn't get a good night's sleep tonight, so they felt quite at peace with themselves.

And in this village, the most attention-grabbing person right now is Fire Daimyo.

He moved into the Uchiha Clan Compound openly and confidently, under the watchful eyes of many.

As an old ninja clan, the Uchiha Clan also have a reception building in their clan territory.

It's not like the old Kirigakure).

It is a proper reception building.

This thing was completely abandoned for a long time. To put it bluntly, during the Third's rule, it became a symbolic building, just for show. As the Uchiha Clan became incredibly wealthy and their relationship with the village improved, it was renovated again.

Even so, very few people had the opportunity to live there.

Fire Daimyo's move-in finally gave this building a chance to be used properly.

Accompanying the Fire Daimyo were his personal attendants, and originally there were also guards, about a hundred people, the kind who would protect the lord around the clock. But even if all these guards were tied together, they couldn't defeat a single Uchiha Clan with Mitsudomoe.

So the Fire Daimyo gave his guards a day off. The Uchiha Clan was very particular about this; in addition to arranging a security team including several Uchiha Clan members with Mitsudomoe, they also had Uchiha Shingen and Uchiha Shisui serve as the Fire Daimyo's left and right protectors.

For Fire Daimyo, this is really exciting.

So instead of sleeping properly that night, he had his attendants set out tea for him and then invited the Uchiha Shingen and Kongo duo into the tea room for tea.

When Uchiha Shingen and Uchiha Shisui entered the tea room, the Fire Daimyo had already bathed, was wearing a yukata and eating cookies.

He ate with great relish.

This was the first time Uchiha Shingen had ever seen such a carefree and lively Fire Daimyo.

"Shingen, come on, come on, let's eat together." Seeing Uchiha Shingen's Fire Daimyo, he waved vigorously, while his gaze also fell on Uchiha Shisui.

This was the first time that Uchiha Shisui had met the Fire Daimyo.

His face betrayed his surprise; Fire Daimyo's style was completely unexpected.

"Your Highness, you look remarkably well." Uchiha Shingen knew the true nature of this family and wasn't particularly surprised.

Rather, the Fire Daimyo I knew before was so serious; that wasn't his true personality.

The daimyo family has always been special compared to other noble families.

For example, that famous man back then was eccentric and unconventional in his youth, with a straightforward personality. He was not bound by social status and liked to play with ordinary people.

Once he became a prominent figure, he became a rational, autocratic, and strictly self-disciplined person.

"I'm in a good mood, so I should drink," Hokage laughed Fire Daimyo. "But the day you become Hokage is just around the corner, so let's have tea today. By the way, I also need to tell you about Madara's message."

Chapter Six: The Strange Monk

"Your Highness, did Clan Chief Madara appear before you merely to deliver a message?" Uchiha Shingen asked.

Uchiha Madara shouldn't be such a roundabout person.

"That's true." Fire Daimyo couldn't help but recall the scene at that time.

Uchiha Madara's meeting with him went unnoticed by anyone.

The Fire Daimyo never expected to have the chance to meet this person who had formed an alliance with the God of Shinobi and his grandfather.

The Senju of the Forest, Uchiha Clan, and Daimyo families are all long-established and powerful clans in this land, though they belong to different professions.

The survival of the family is paramount; different professions do not preclude interaction between them.

Intermarriage among nobles was common, and even ninja clans of the Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan had kinship ties with nobles.

In this world, there are ninjas who want to live a peaceful life eating tribute rice, and there are also nobles who yearn for the path of Chakra.

Families with a rich history do not lose their composure because of a momentary outstanding figure. They always prioritize how the family will survive in times of difficulty. Since ancient times, no family has ever survived. The disbandment of the Senju Clan proves this point.

The Daimyo family did try, but they couldn't persuade them to stay; the Senju Clan were determined to leave.

While the Uchiha Clan was also in decline, the Daimyo clan was also making efforts.

The Uchiha Clan's actions outside of Leaf Village were often aided by the Daimyo's family.

This was precisely the purpose of the three parties forming an alliance in the first place.

If I'm doing well today but you're not, then I'll help you. If I'm not doing well tomorrow, then I'll rely on you to get through the difficult times.

"His demeanor as the number one Uchiha Clan back then was truly admirable," said the Fire Daimyo. "The alliance between our three clans was also signed by the Madara clan leader. Passing on his message was just a small favor, nothing serious."

"Understood, please tell me, I'm listening," said Uchiha Shingen.

"Well, actually, I didn't quite understand." The Fire Daimyo said quite seriously, "Firstly, the Madara Clan Chief asked me to congratulate you on your upcoming appointment as Hokage. He thinks you're very capable and have earned the Hokage title for the Uchiha Clan."

At this point, Fire Daimyo pulled a small leather notebook out of his pocket.

Obviously, it would be difficult for him to recite it directly; Uchiha Madara probably spoke in fragmented sentences at the time.

Uchiha Madara, when not in a hostile situation, actually talks quite a lot.

It's also possible that his thinking is too jumpy, and he likes to jump from one thing to another.

In Fire Daimyo's memory, this person suddenly appeared by his bedside, and before he could finish being shocked, after babbling on and on, turned and left.

Luckily, he's no longer known as a noob but as a seasoned veteran. Shocked as I was, I still remembered what he said and quickly copied it into my notebook.

Flipping through his notebook, Fire Daimyo told Uchiha Madara another sentence left behind by Uchiha Shingen.

"Clan Chief Madara said that a strange monk told him something interesting, which you might encounter as well. Also, he wants half of the Two-Tails 'Chakra."

Fire Daimyo closed the notebook.

The statement was only one sentence, but Uchiha Madara said more than one sentence at the time; this is his summary.

"A strange monk..." Uchiha Shingen fell into deep thought.

He didn't care at all about the Tailed Beasts.

This content offered no surprises whatsoever, and was far less captivating than the so-called strange monk.

As a pure Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Madara completely looked down on monks and samurai.

Yes, this refers to the samurai of the Land of Iron who fight using Chakra.

Well, Uchiha Madara has a strong aversion to traditionalism.

Monks and samurai are very ancient professions in the Hokage world.

Especially samurai.

Uchiha Madara regarded those semi-compatriots in the Land of Iron who used Chakra but insisted on the path of the samurai as idiots.

In reality, the Warring States period was a process in which ninjas gradually replaced samurai, eventually driving samurai out of the marketplace.

Those who persisted in their samurai profession under such circumstances were seen by Uchiha Madara as stubborn and inflexible losers.

If samurai were seen as old-fashioned and Uchiha Madara, and monks as useless idiots and a waste of food, then they were simply worthless snacks.

It could make Uchiha Madara hear what the other person was saying and even relay the message back.

This "strangeness" is definitely not the kind of "strangeness" that normal people understand.

"It sounds...surprising," Uchiha Shingen said. "Given Madara's personality, he shouldn't do something like this."

"Oh? I thought this was some kind of code within your Uchiha Clan." Fire Daimyo didn't think much of it.

He put away his notebook and began talking about things that interested him.