At the orders of the shinobi leading Kumogakure's contingent, the civilians headed to the square one after another, grumbling inwardly. They were not the only ones there; shinobi from other villages who had been monitoring Kumogakure were also present.
Realizing this could be important intelligence, they dropped what they were doing and made for the square. If the information proved valuable enough, they would get it back to their villages even at the cost of their lives.
Gradually, more and more people gathered in the square. Their numbers naturally could not compare with the Hundred-Clan Shinobi Nation or Konoha, but they far exceeded those of the small countries-or what Uchiha Mu had started with. This was a major nation, after all.
Uchiha Mu did not have to wait long before the lead shinobi came up to him. "Everyone still alive in the village has been gathered."
"Good. Sorry for the trouble." Uchiha Mu smiled. Though he could crush any resistance through sheer strength, he still did not want the Happiness Level required by the system to drop.
Uchiha Mu then followed him to the square. Looking at the densely packed crowd below, he saw that most bore at least a few wounds and looked dispirited. They had not had a full meal in some time.
Kumogakure was at war, and it had squeezed out every bit of money it could. Uchiha Mu took a deep breath and spoke evenly. He did not deliberately raise his voice, yet it carried across the entire square.
"Hello, everyone. I know some of you resent being called here while you're rebuilding your homes, so I won't take up too much of your time. I'm Uchiha Mu, leader of the Hundred-Clan Shinobi Nation."
The chatter in the square died away. They had never expected the