After the first snowfall, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and thirty-three clan leaders sat in the council hall, their robes still adorned with unmelted snowflakes. The snow outside made their faces appear pale, but it couldn't hide the warmth in their eyes—since the reconstruction plan was launched three months ago, Konoha had become completely different. They were there not only to hear about the progress but also to seek reassurance.
"Let me start with some good news." Tsubasa took out a report and flipped through it. "The first phase of residential development in Inner Village has already built twenty residential complexes. At this rate, all residents of Konoha can move into the Rune Complex before the end of the year. Residents who moved into the Fuwen Complex earlier are already enjoying the benefits. However, I want to remind everyone that there are two things that need extra care: the rune faucets and the rune barrier around the entire building. Currently, only I know how to draw these two runes. If you damage them, I won't have enough time to repair them. Of course, if you insist on me repairing them, it will cost three million taels of silver each time. I hope everyone will inform the villagers."
He suddenly looked at the Inuzuka Clan, "Last month, Tora Inuzuka trained a group of rat summoning beasts. Yesterday, they showed off their skills at the training grounds. The giant rats were even able to use simple Earth Release techniques, and Tora Inuzuka could even coordinate with the summoning beasts to use Genjutsu. They will definitely be formidable in the future. The village will remember his merit; he is the first person in the six clans to achieve results."
Inuzuka Clan said awkwardly, "But nobody wants rats. The Konoha all dislike them. They can't be sold, and they eat and reproduce a lot. The scale is small now, but in the future, the resources they consume will bankrupt the Beast Taming Department. What use are they?" Everyone burst into laughter. Inuzuka Clan was quite helpless.
Tsubasa laughed, "I don't believe there's any spirit beast that's useless. We just haven't discovered its good points yet, or nurtured them. Rats are excellent at digging holes, gathering intelligence, detecting danger, and even searching for medicinal herbs in the mountains."
I hope you will focus your attention on other aspects and not just on developing combat capabilities. In my opinion, rats are very useful, and since they can reproduce, they can be mass-produced. A swarm of thousands of rats can kill a ninja, not to mention that they are also summoning beasts and can release low-level Ninjutsu.
Inuzuka Clan's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and the other chiefs were also very interested. The daimyo of the Land of Fire waved his fan and said, "Inuzuka Clan, our daimyo prefecture is ordering a batch of rat summoning beasts." The other chiefs also made their own orders.
Tsubasa smiled and said, "Daruma, you can discuss the summoning beast reservations privately. What I want to talk about next is that over a thousand ninja from the Land of Land of Whirlpools will be joining Konoha after the New Year. Make sure to prepare them well and avoid any xenophobic behavior, as they will be Konoha villagers as well. They will also be the main force of the Rune Sealing Department. I believe everyone already understands how important the Rune Sealing Department will be, so I won't emphasize it again. Therefore, I hope everyone can welcome the Uzumaki Clan with friendliness."
Uchiha Tomioki laughed and said, " Hokage, don't worry. We'll need their help a lot in the future, so how could we possibly offend them? My Konoha Military Police Force will definitely ensure their safety and well-being."
Tsubasa smiled and said, "I hope everyone will pay more attention to political affairs and produce results as soon as possible. Now let's talk about military matters. Recently, I've received confidential reports from various parties that different countries have made some moves. Everyone, please share your opinions."
The Land of Fire Daimyo, his knuckles white as he gripped his teacup, looked at Tsubasa and said, "A few days ago, a scout from the Land of Rain reported that the Sunagakure of the Land of Wind had added 30,000 troops to its border, claiming it was a 'winter training exercise'—nobody believes that. I'm here today mainly because various countries have been making unusual moves, and I wanted to see what your plans are, Hokage." Before he finished speaking...
Uchiha Tomioki slapped his knee heavily. "That's right! Last month, the Earth Ninja of the Land of Earth robbed three caravans from our Land of Fire. If the Anbu hadn't arrived in time, the goods and the carts would have been stolen." The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became heavy, and the air in the hall seemed to have cooled down.
"Our Konoha has just changed its Hokage, and so many people have left. We're already severely weakened," Shikaboshi Nara said. "What if those wolves seize the opportunity... Sigh, Konoha can't afford another war right now. We have to be careful. It would be best to negotiate." Upon hearing this, several people lowered their heads. The catastrophe of the First Shinobi World War was too terrible. The village was attacked and burned down to only half its original size. Even now, beneath the foundations of the rebuilt village, there are still uncollected bones.
Uzuki Clan echoed, "Now is not the time to start a war." The other chiefs also nodded in agreement and began whispering among themselves, discussing how to negotiate peace.
"Look up, everyone! I've received news that the Land of Lightning is also amassing troops, and even those from our Konoha, led by the Sarutobi Clan, have occupied the Land of Rice Fields and are now gathering troops on the border! The Shinobi World War could break out again!" Tsubasa suddenly stood up. When everyone looked up, they saw him slamming his hand on the table, glaring at them fiercely, and roaring, "Are you scared?"
Uchiha Tomioki laughed and said, "At worst, we'll have a battle. My Uchiha can wipe out an entire army."
The other clan leaders remained silent. The entire Konoha only had 100,000 ninjas, while the enemy outnumbered Konoha tenfold. How could they possibly fight? Only the madness of the Uchiha Clan could muster the courage to fight!
Tsubasa sneered, "How can ninjas fear war? Everyone here probably decided to stay because they trust Konoha's strength. Now I'll analyze why Konoha isn't afraid of any provocation. This time, it's still four armies threatening the Land of Fire's border."
Tsubasa glanced at the clan leaders and said, " The Azure Dragon Corps Commander has already led 10,000 troops to the border to monitor the Land of Lightning's army. They brought my summoned beasts with them, and I can Reverse Summoning at any time to provide support. So this army is nothing to worry about."
The Land of Wind's small-scale skirmishes were intended to test the Land of Fire's attitude. Masataka Hatake already led 10,000 troops to the Land of Rain's border to monitor the Land of Wind. With the Land of Rain as a buffer, the Land of Wind would never dare to rashly invade the Land of Fire; at most, they would only plunder some supplies from the Land of Rain. Therefore, they were not a cause for concern.
Uzumaki Lady Mito's Vermilion Bird Corps is more than enough to keep an eye on those traitorous families of the Sarutobi Clan in the Land of Rice Fields.
Uchiha Naori leads the Black Tortoise Corps to keep an eye on the Land of Earth. The Konoha Military Police Force guards the base, Kirin Corps is ready to provide support at any time.
"Finally, there's my strength. I'm just waiting to see which country dares to invade the Land of Fire first. I can destroy an entire country by myself," Tsubasa said confidently. "Since I broke through to the Sage Realm, I haven't encountered any rivals. I'm planning to destroy a country to intimidate the entire Shinobi World."
He pointed outside the hall and continued, "My demand is that you be as assertive as possible in diplomacy, forcing them to strike first. We will only insist on not being the first to start a war. Everyone must remember the principle that those who act justly will find many supporters, while those who act unjustly will find few. However, if any country cannot resist sending troops to attack the Land of Fire, I will personally take action to annihilate them. I also hope that we will not hear any talk of peace talks in the future. We will only accept surrender, not peace talks."
Gasps of astonishment filled the room. The Daimyo, watching Tsubasa effortlessly quell the conspiracies of various nations in their wars, felt a sense of satisfaction. This son-in-law was truly remarkable! Even Hashirama didn't possess such domineering presence back then.