Newlywed Days and the New Ninja Village

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, October arrived.

As expected, snow began to fall over Nightview City.

Located at the border between east and west, it was easily affected by the eastern climate and entered winter early.

However, because there were enough heating facilities, no one had frozen to death in many years.

Thus, a faint humming vibration could be heard in many parts of the city. Those were the heating facilities beneath the city in operation.

It was during this season that a ninja village called Konoha was quietly established in the Land of Fire.

With the full support of the Land of Fire's daimyo, news of it quickly spread throughout the Ninja World.

In the name of the ruler of the Land of Fire, the Land of Fire's daimyo formed an alliance contract with Konoha called One Country, One Village.

Under the terms of that contract, the nation's military defense gradually began to consolidate under Konoha.

As the founders of Konoha, the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan swiftly persuaded many ninja clans to join Konoha.

Some of those ninja clans were famous, while others were unknown. Yet because of their sheer number, they became a formidable force after merging into Konoha.

Afterward, allied ninja clans such as the Sarutobi Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Nara Clan, and Akimichi also readily joined Konoha after a secret discussion with Hashirama Senju, the head of the Senju Clan.

After that, the Inuzuka Clan, which possessed a heritage of secret techniques, came to join them by reputation.

By then, aside from a few ninja clans such as the Hyuga Clan that were still observing the situation, nearly all had gathered in the ninja village called Konoha.

The upheaval in the Land of Fire during this period shocked the daimyos of other countries, who had been watching the situation.

Soon, every country dispatched delegations to the Land of Fire's capital to visit its daimyo. They wanted to find out what exactly the Land of Fire intended to do.

The Konoha ninja village founded by the Senju and Uchiha Clans had absorbed one ninja clan after another from the Land of Fire and would take charge of its national defense... Such an appalling development filled the daimyos of other countries with fear.

Could the Land of Fire be planning to declare war on every nation and ignite a great war across the Ninja World?

To the north of the Land of Fire lay the directly neighboring Land of Night. As its shogun, Yayoi naturally followed the trend and sent a delegation to the Land of Fire's capital for a diplomatic visit.

However, because the distances between the various countries and the Land of Fire differed, the Land of Fire's daimyo directly announced that an official meeting would be held in the capital half a month later for the sake of convenience.

The heads of the Senju and Uchiha Clans would also be invited to attend.

At once, the pressure on every nation mounted.

They hired powerful ninja to protect their diplomatic delegations while fully sealing their borders, preparing to join forces and strike the Land of Fire first if anything went wrong.

Whether the Ninja World would sink or not was uncertain, but the Land of Fire would certainly be the first to go under.

No matter how strong Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were, could they defeat the entire Ninja World?

"It really was established..."

Yayoi murmured as he looked over the intelligence reports continuously flowing in from the Land of Fire.

He had been paying close attention to developments in the Land of Fire lately. Whenever anything significant happened, he had the intelligence agents infiltrating the country send Konoha's information back immediately.

Although he had long known that this would happen sooner or later, now that it was truly upon him, he still felt a suffocating pressure.

This was the unstoppable current of the times... More precisely, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were the ones driving the arrival of this era.

To resist this era was to resist the wills of those two men.

Madara Uchiha's strength alone was enough to judge what level Hashirama Senju stood at.

After all, in the war between the Senju and Uchiha Clans, the Uchiha Clan had been the loser.

Hashirama Senju's power was no weaker than Madara Uchiha's.

Without question, the strength of those two stood above the tide of the age.

"Dear husband, you look awful. Did something bad happen?"

Kicho saw Yayoi sitting in the corridor of the inner courtyard, something he rarely did, holding a letter in his hand with obvious emotion on his face.

As she passed by, Kicho became curious about what the letter said that could cause such a strong reaction from Yayoi.

It had already been a month since she married into this place.

No matter how unfamiliar they had been at first, after a month of intimate time together, she had roughly grasped Yayoi's personality, preferences, and daily habits.

Though he appeared gentle and easygoing, he was actually a man with an extremely strong and domineering sense of self-will.

Kicho could see that even in bed.

During this period, every night, she had been the one under his control.

Furthermore, because of his confidence in his own strength, her husband could handle many difficulties with composure.

He was a ninja who could swiftly calm his chaotic thoughts and make the right decision even in a crisis.

"It's the Senju and Uchiha Clans. They established Konoha and signed a One Country, One Village contract with the Land of Fire's daimyo. They have also successfully invited many ninja clans to join them. At present, the military unification of the Land of Fire is already an unstoppable trend."

Yayoi did not hide anything in response to his wife Kicho's question.

He concisely explained the various major events that had recently taken place in the Land of Fire.

"A ninja... village? What is that? A village where ninja live?"

Kicho blinked in confusion.

This new term felt utterly unfamiliar to her.

The alliance between the Senju and Uchiha Clans had already begun before she married into the Land of Night.

But for those two clans to establish some ninja village... it sounded rather inexplicable.

In this era, ninja usually operated by clan. Even when clans formed alliances, they still drew clear boundaries and ensured their independence.

Yet a ninja village did not sound like that at all.

Moreover, Yayoi had mentioned that even more ninja clans had already joined this ninja village called Konoha.

The Senju and Uchiha Clans were already powerful enough. If even more ninja clans joined them...

Rather than astonishing news, it sounded more like a horror story.

"It's far more complicated than that. In any case... all we can do now is wait calmly."

Yayoi rubbed his brow, took Kicho's fair and delicate hand, and had her sit beside him so he could feel her presence close to him.

Kicho did not mind at all. After all, they had done far more intimate things countless times over the past month.

There was no part of her body that held any secrets from this man.

She took the letter from Yayoi's hand, her pure white eyes swiftly scanning its contents.

There was not much written in it, but what it revealed was utterly shocking.

The so-called One Country, One Village contract in particular seemed more like a new system that separated military and political affairs.

Under this system, future daimyos would be responsible for the nation's economy and political authority.

Military matters, meanwhile, would be transferred to ninja villages, allowing ninja villages that had gathered large numbers of ninja to take responsibility for national defense.

Ninja would live and develop together by village, allowing the various clans to break down their isolation and merge. Furthermore, to ensure the development of ninja villages, the nation would allocate a certain proportion of funds every year as military investment.

In short, the benefits of such development were obvious at a glance.

But everything had two sides, and the risks were equally present.

After all, with so many ninja clans gathered together, would they really not explode into chaos?

One had to know that quite a few ninja clans had shared blood-deep grudges before this.

Kicho found it difficult to imagine that this group of ninja clans could truly coexist peacefully.

"It's a very novel idea, but it's hard to predict how long this contractual system can last. Still, one thing is obvious: a Conference of Nations that will determine the fate of the Ninja World will soon take place in the Land of Fire."

Although the letter did not mention any meeting in the Land of Fire, Kicho's sharp instincts told her that a Conference of Nations was inevitable.

With such enormous upheaval within the Land of Fire, it was impossible for the other countries not to feel threatened.

If the Senju and Uchiha Clans mishandled what came next, they might truly trigger a great war across the Ninja World.

Before, it had been conflict between clans. But now that nations had entered the game, the scale of war would inevitably rise to conflicts between countries.

What followed would certainly affect the entire world.

"You're quick-witted, Kicho. I didn't expect you to realize that so soon."

Yayoi glanced at Kicho in surprise.

With a little reasoning, it was not difficult to realize that the Land of Fire would hold a Conference of Nations. Anyone with a little insight could reach that conclusion after thinking carefully.

The difficult part was making such a prediction after only one glance. Being intelligent was one thing, but what was rarer was such keen political instinct.

"Do you see me as such a foolish woman, dear husband?"

Kicho playfully pinched Yayoi's cheek, her eyes taking on an annoyed look.

"No. Rather, you're remarkably smart and adorable, which exceeded my expectations."

"Smart is smart. What does that have to do with being adorable?"

Kicho released Yayoi's cheek and placed her hands on her hips.

Seeing Kicho standing with her hands on her hips, openly dissatisfied and angry, Yayoi could not help but smile.

Perhaps he laughed too hard, because his cheek suddenly twinged with pain, making him hiss and draw in a breath.

As Yayoi rubbed the cheek Kicho had pinched sore, he spoke resentfully. "You really showed no mercy at all."

"If I only pinched you for show, wouldn't it look like we were flirting?"

"We're husband and wife, and there's no one else around. Flirting is fine."

"To say something so excessive to your young wife in broad daylight... You really have a thick skin."

"So that means I can be excessive at night?"

Hearing Yayoi's shameless words, Kicho rolled her eyes, though an inexplicable sweetness rose in her heart.

Whether she had merely gone along with things in the beginning or passively accepted them, at least for now, she did not dislike this man who indulged her somewhat.

"Still, it's gotten so cold lately. Dear husband, could you warm my hands?"

As she spoke, Kicho gently blew on her hands, which had turned pale from the cold, hoping to bring herself a little warmth.

"Of course."

Naturally, Yayoi would not say something so unromantic as, "Use chakra to ward off the cold."

His wife was acting spoiled like this, so of course he had to indulge her wishes.

Thus, he wrapped Kicho's small hands in his broad palms.

She also nestled affectionately against his broad chest. Her washed black hair carried a faint, alluring fragrance that lingered in wisps around Yayoi's nose.

Not only was her scent bewitching, but she was soft in his arms as well. Yayoi felt as though he were holding a soft, warm brazier.

Perhaps because she was too comfortable, the girl in his arms soon began breathing steadily. Curled up like a small animal, she fell soundly asleep in Yayoi's embrace.

The Conference of Nations in the Land of Fire officially began at the end of October.

Not only the traditional Five Great Nations, but newly established countries such as the Land of Night, as well as small countries that had once been insignificant in the Ninja World, all sent important figures to attend this Conference of Nations.

Anyone could see that regardless of its outcome, this meeting would shape the future fate of the Ninja World.

The conference lasted an entire month and did not officially end until nearly December.

Throughout that period, letters constantly traveled between the delegations and their respective nations. Representing the wills of their countries' supreme rulers, they held discussions with the Land of Fire's daimyo. At the same time, they learned about the various changes within the Land of Fire and began considering whether the ninja village system was a path toward order.

That was right. No one wanted war.

Even the daimyos had grown endlessly weary and tired of this long, chaotic Warring States era.

Many weak nations had even been coerced by ninja clans within their borders into endless battles, leading to the destruction of their countries and families.

Many nations had disappeared in war, only for new regimes to emerge afterward.

The Land of Night was one such example, but not the only one.

In such an era, even great nations worried that their regimes might one day be destroyed.

That was precisely why the Land of Fire's daimyo had decided to cooperate with Konoha, founded by the Senju and Uchiha Clans.

The prototype of the One Country, One Village system was born in such a context.

Since ninja possessed the strongest violence, then let the ninja settle down and abandon their old employment relationships.

Let the ninja establish an order united with the nation, eliminating internal warfare while ensuring national stability and providing the country with powerful protective strength.

The Land of Fire, which had already begun its transformation, was not the only one to see the benefits behind such a system. The daimyos of the other four great nations saw them as well.

As daimyos of great nations, they were already the most powerful political authorities within their countries. The ninja who had previously cooperated with them were likewise the strongest ninja groups in their nations. Otherwise, they could not have remained secure in their positions as daimyos.

Thus, after the Conference of Nations ended, the small countries aside, which worried that the unknown future might bring instability to their rule—

The other four great nations acted very quickly, holding secret meetings overnight with the strongest ninja groups in their countries and establishing deep cooperative relationships.

Clearly, great nations with strong resistance to risk had completely widened the gap in initiative between themselves and the small countries. While the smaller nations still hesitated, they had already efficiently organized their domestic forces.

This was only natural. In chaotic times, every great nation's daimyo was an ambitious ruler.

Useless rulers and rulers of the Conservative Faction simply could not hold the position of daimyo.

Thanks to this, the organizational power of great nations in this era was unimaginably terrifying. Once an order was issued, action followed efficiently and swiftly.

Compared to the great nations preparing enthusiastically for major changes and the small nations filled with worry, the Land of Night continued doing what it needed to do after a few minor disturbances.

Land of Fire, Konoha.

Though it had not been established for long, this enormous town had already taken on a considerable form.

The village was surrounded by the great forest at the heart of the Land of Fire, with several broad roads artificially carved out around it.

Tall walls of wood and stone, large enough to enclose the entire massive village, were also being rapidly built by countless craftsmen.

Naturally, the ninja had contributed as well.

Though ninja did not understand fine construction, they had plenty of strength and methods, greatly accelerating the village's formation.

At the foot of a huge cliff north of Konoha stood a rather tall circular building.

Inside a meeting room on the highest floor, a white-haired man dressed in black ninja clothing—Tobirama Senju—stood with his arms folded, leaning halfway against the window.

"You said Hokage!? You're being far too reckless, Brother. How can such a position be handed over so casually? I understand why you want to recommend Madara as Hokage. But this is not something you should decide alone. You should know whose efforts allowed those ninja clans to join us so smoothly. Besides, even the daimyo recognizes you as the one who should become Hokage."

Tobirama could not help frowning at his elder brother Hashirama Senju's naive and reckless idea.

Saying that Madara should become Hokage was outrageous no matter how one looked at it.

Hokage—the ninja who possessed that title would become the leader of Konoha.

He would also serve as the stabilizing pillar that calmed the turbulent hearts of the various ninja clans.

Among the ninja currently in Konoha, Tobirama did not believe anyone besides his brother Hashirama could bear that title.

"But I already promised Madara..."

Hashirama was not wearing combat ninja attire. Instead, he wore a loose set of casual clothes as he sat in a chair nearby.

Faced with his younger brother's harsh words, Hashirama could not help trying to argue.

"This is merely your personal opinion. The ninja who came to join us all know who made the greatest contribution to this village. Since we have established a village, we can no longer use the standards from Father's era to decide our leader. High prestige and the ability to unite everyone are also essential qualities of a leader. Brother, you are the ninja most capable of uniting everyone. That is an undeniable fact."

Of course, great strength was also an important reason.

But if that were the case, those ninja clans would not have joined so readily. Their reason for believing in him was that he possessed both compassion and mercy, as well as a leader's decisiveness and sense of responsibility.

If it had been Madara Uchiha, then even with his immense strength, those ninja clans would rather have died than joined peacefully.

Ninja clans were not afraid of death. Tobirama had seen far too many weak clans fight until their very last member, dying without ever surrendering.

Strength alone was not enough to completely win over ninja clans that did not fear death.

In the end, all they would gain was a shattered Land of Fire.

"Besides, even the Uchiha Clan understands this. Within the Uchiha, they all agree that you, Big Brother, should become the village's leader."

Tobirama's words directly crushed Hashirama's idea, leaving him speechless.

He had not known any of this.

He had thought that, as clan head, Madara would be the one most respected by the Uchiha Clan.

"Madara became the Uchiha Clan's head because he was the strongest. But you became the Senju leader and earned your clansmen's trust for more than just your strength. Your tolerance and compassion are the key factors in uniting both our clansmen and outsiders."

At first, he had worried whether conflicts would arise after the other ninja clans joined.

But now, Tobirama felt that he had worried too much.

Hashirama's strength allowed the various clans to sit down and negotiate calmly.

And his tolerance and compassion gradually made the ninja clans lower their guard.

Konoha had been built so smoothly because neither of those qualities could be absent.

"Gahahaha, am I really as good as you say, Tobirama?"

At Tobirama's words, Hashirama burst into laughter and scratched his head sheepishly.

Seeing Hashirama suddenly grinning like an idiot, a vein bulged on Tobirama's forehead. The fingers pressed against his arm twitched with the urge to use Water Release to knock some sense into him.

It would be even better if he could change that habit of always grinning foolishly.

"Ugh." Tobirama sighed and said wearily, "Anyway, this discussion ends here. The meeting is about to begin. Also, Big Brother, be a little more serious. Stop sounding so humble whenever you speak to people."

"Ah, then what should I do?"

"Just don't talk. I'll speak for you when the time comes."

"Well, actually, I think..."

"Shut up! I don't care what you think!"

Tobirama's loud roar made Hashirama's body shudder instinctively, and he shrank his neck.

Oh no, I made Tobirama angry again.