On the other side, Naruto had already arrived at the capital of the Land of Fire at noon using the Gate of the Underworld and had been lying in wait in a corner of the Daimyo's Mansion.
He waited from noon until nightfall before finally seeing the Daimyo return to his residence.
Fortunately, the Daimyo hadn't taken time out of his busy schedule to go out for entertainment. At the moment, the Daimyo looked somewhat exhausted, likely planning to return home to rest.
From the moment he entered the gate, the Daimyo was surrounded by a protective entourage of over fifty people. They formed a thick wall of flesh, shielding the frail Daimyo tightly.
The biggest difference between the nobility of the Land of Fire and the Shinobi and commoners was their extravagance… utterly shameless wealth.
Before the emergence of Shinobi, the nobles of the Land of Fire had carved out their own territories and ruled as warlords. Behind closed doors, they were absolute local tyrants, amassing vast fortunes.
They commanded countless subordinates, divided into military officers and retainers. In peacetime, aside from production, their main activity was waging war… seizing land and population for their masters.
Later, as Shinobi appeared, the more powerful nobles gradually annexed other factions by relying on Shinobi. From then on, the Five Great Shinobi Nations began to take shape.
Eventually, the strongest Shinobi rose from the chaos of war, each establishing their own clans. These clans gained status among the nobility, no longer mere mercenaries who could be bought with money alone.
Later, Hashirama founded the Shinobi Villages, and from then on, Shinobi had their own power structures.
The authority of the Land of Fire's nobility was further weakened. Fearing that Shinobi would seize their wealth, they proposed a hiring system.
The Shinobi Villages would govern themselves, while the Land of Fire would be managed by the nobility. Each year, the Land of Fire would provide sufficient funds to maintain the villages' operations.
Since Shinobi spent most of their time training and had no energy to govern the country, they readily agreed. This way, they wouldn't even have to worry about financial management.
The flaw in this system was that the nobility of the Land of Fire controlled the economic lifeline, giving them significant influence over political discourse.
Whether the Hokage could speak loudly depended on their strength.
For example, when dealing with the Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama, the nobility's attitude was one of fawning, 'whatever you say goes, you're the boss'.
With the 'Uchiha Slayer', Senju Tobirama, the nobility's attitude was one of fearful respect. Tobirama was notoriously domineering, short-tempered, and extreme in his methods.
The nobles of the Land of Fire couldn't wait for Tobirama to die so they wouldn't have to live under the constant threat of his blade.
After Hashirama and Tobirama's deaths, the nobility suddenly realized that the newly appointed Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, didn't seem like an unreasonable brute.
So, the nobles began reasoning with him, presenting facts and discussing interests, 'Ah, we're all civilized people now. The days of violence are over… let's sit down and talk.'
When Konoha suffered defeats in war, the nobility, as financial backers, naturally grew resentful after pouring money in without seeing returns. Sandaime Hokage, knowing he was at fault, resigned as Konoha's leader.
The noble council then decided to appoint the Yondaime Hokage, the 'Yellow Flash', Namikaze Minato… the fastest man in the Ninja World.
Yondaime Hokage proved capable. Despite being a civilian Shinobi with no clan background, he managed to secure his position as Hokage with the help of external factors.
The nobility soon realized that the Fourth Hokage was a man who valued personal connections. Delighted, they thought, 'He doesn't talk about interests, only feelings… perfect!'
Who would've thought that after generations of Hokage, the once untouchable leaders could now sit at the table drinking and chatting with them? They could even force him to drink, and he'd have to smile and finish it.
Refuse? Bastard! Are you looking down on us nobles?
Later, when Sandaime Hokage returned to power, with the war, that money-burning machine, over, Konoha slowly recovered. Through mission fees within the Land of Fire, the village achieved financial balance.
Without war, the village could sustain itself… so what use were the nobles? Of course, they were still useful. War had only ended, not vanished forever.
The nobles were there to bleed when necessary, funding war expenses or rebuilding the village after attacks. That money had to come from them.
But even as they kept paying, Konoha wasn't incapable of covering costs, so the nobility's status couldn't compare to before.
It wasn't exactly controlling the economic lifeline… more like holding the vast majority of the Land of Fire's economy.
Times kept changing, technology advanced rapidly, and the reason the nobility still existed was because Shinobi still existed.
As long as there was war and conflict among Shinobi, someone had to govern the nation and provide funds.
Right now, Naruto was short on money. So the first people he thought of, aside from the dead Gato, were these nobles. If he was tight on cash, borrowing a little from them shouldn't be a problem, right?
As for when to repay… if the borrower was Uchiha Sasuke, then this money would never need to be repaid. After all, a Missing-nin's money wasn't really money, was it?
'Currently, Sasuke was the last surviving member of the Uchiha Clan, branded a Missing-nin. But lately, there had been no news of him… it was almost as if he'd vanished.'
'This wouldn't do. The Uchiha Clan's glory must be upheld… by me.'
In a flash, Naruto transformed, now appearing exactly like Sasuke Uchiha. This Transformation Technique was truly a wonderful thing. Plus, since Naruto knew Sasuke well, every movement and gesture was perfectly replicated.
Even if Karin were here, she wouldn't be able to tell the difference at a glance.
Meanwhile, the real Sasuke had just met Kabuto.
"Long time no see, Sasuke."
At this time, Kabuto had already transformed into his dragon-like form, the snake heads on his tail looking terrifying. His half-human, half-monstrous appearance disgusted Suigetsu so much that he turned his head away, unable to stand the sight.
Only the oppressive aura radiating from Kabuto kept Suigetsu from saying anything, 'Out of sight, out of mind… just listen to the voice.'
"Hn." Sasuke responded indifferently, his eyes like stagnant water, showing no surprise at Kabuto's new form.
For a moment, Kabuto felt a strange sensation, but his expression and gaze remained unchanged.
He recalled the scene years ago when Sasuke had walked out of Orochimaru's hideout in the Land of Rice Fields. His demeanor had been just as cold then.
He remembered that evening, rushing back to the hideout long after the Living Corpse Reincarnation should have ended. Yet the cave was eerily silent, with only faint flickers of light.
Before he could even enter, Sasuke had emerged from the dim passage… cold-eyed, dark-pupiled, his chest exposed, a sword at his waist.
Back then, Sasuke had looked down on everything, his gaze at Kabuto as if he were an insect, not even deigning to draw his blade. He had coldly told Kabuto that he had taken everything from Orochimaru.
Just as he had intended, he had succeeded.
Years had passed since then. Kabuto had heard much about Sasuke… how he had joined Akatsuki, only to vanish after its collapse.