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"Hmm?"
As if sensing something, Sawara Kiri, who was at the conference table, suddenly looked up, his gaze confused as he stared at the sky, abruptly spreading his perception fully.
Noticing his movement, the ongoing meeting quietly stopped. Everyone present fell silent, silently looking in his direction.
Finally, Kakashi, who was standing beside him, lightly patted his shoulder and asked in a low voice:
"Sawara?"
Sawara Kiri then withdrew from that state of full perception and said with a smile to those around him:
"It's nothing, the meeting continues."
Only then did everyone present relax and resume the previous meeting topic.
They couldn't afford to be careless.
Since the internal meeting of the War Department a few days ago, this young man, who usually appeared as a warm and kind-hearted person, had used various pretexts to severely rectify the internal discipline and various requirements of the Konoha occupying forces in the Land of Wind. In half a month, the military court executed nearly a hundred people, all of whom were mid to high-ranking officers, with no shortage of Jonin among them.
After these swift and decisive measures were implemented, the military discipline of the Konoha occupying forces indeed improved significantly, but their perception of Sawara Kiri also began to become somewhat complex.
Recently, many people even reported to him with extreme caution.
In fact, this was also a result of Sawara Kiri's long-term lack of power within the Konoha high command.
The respect most Konoha Ninja had for Sawara Kiri was once more about their admiration for his peerless strength, which could bring them immense, previously unimaginable advantages on the battlefield.
However, once the war ended and this power was sheathed again, many people habitually overlooked it.
The reason those officers dared to challenge Sawara Kiri in the meeting room a few days ago was precisely due to this inertia thinking.
This was not because Sawara Kiri himself was overly gentle and forbearing, but because when he was in the Village, the kind of power he now possessed traditionally belonged only to the 'Hokage' position.
To prevent Tsunade from truly being sidelined, and to avoid his effective working hours increasing from one hour to over eight hours, Sawara Kiri was always happy to keep things easy.
Unfortunately, since arriving in the Land of Wind and beginning to take over various regions comprehensively, Sawara Kiri also had to start getting busy, transforming his invincible power into a Sword of Damocles for internal supervision, and even delivering a not-too-light, not-too-heavy blow.
Thus, many people finally realized.
Though heaven is high, the emperor is not far.
However, this was truly a last resort for Sawara Kiri; he had no lust for power and had always been a carefree person who would avoid responsibility if possible.
The reason he began to tighten control was entirely because governing an entire country was truly not something an ordinary person could do.
The end of the war with the Land of Wind was just the beginning.
In order to unify the Ninja World, Sawara Kiri's work plan was to treat all regions as his own property.
Therefore, as soon as the basic occupation of the Land of Wind was completed, he began to clear out residual forces in various places while simultaneously building up the Land of Wind.
The residual forces were Sunagakure's garrison troops left in various locations.
After the war ended, many of them hadn't even engaged in combat; they woke up to the news of the Village's surrender being broadcast throughout the Land of Wind. Naturally, they didn't accept this outcome.
Thus, in the boundless deserts and oases of the Land of Wind, they became rampant rogue Ninja bandits, even more ruthless than ordinary bandits when targeting Land of Wind merchant convoys. They referred to the merchants as 'Suna traitors' and 'betrayers' for surrendering and selling out the country, and whenever they encountered them, they would basically slaughter the entire team, causing endless annoyance to the Konoha occupying forces in various regions.
Construction, on the other hand, aimed to change the overall natural environment of the Land of Wind.
Sawara Kiri had heard many Hokage fans discuss similar plans in his previous life, such as the mountains separating the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind, restricting monsoons. Therefore, the plan was to break through the geographical limitations between the two countries, bring water sources to the Land of Wind, open up a lifeline, and benefit the people of both countries.
But talking about it is easy; actually doing it on the ground is much more difficult.
This current meeting was discussing the first phase of the Monsoon Project Plan for the Land of Wind and Land of Rain.
"...According to the exploration results, to penetrate the entire Yura Mountain Range and introduce the Monsoon from the Bay of Lightning in the north to completely change the existing environment of the Land of Wind, it is estimated that at least a clear strip, over three hundred kilometers wide and over two thousand kilometers long, spanning the three countries of Sky, Grass, and Rain, needs to be cleared from north to south."
"Given Konoha's current engineering capabilities, it is temporarily impossible to complete. However, as an alternative, the Engineering Department has put forth an initial plan aimed at opening a north-south wedge-shaped opening, introducing water from the Land of Rain by utilizing the terrain height difference, dredging canals, and connecting the three major oases of the Land of Wind, with a total estimated time of three to five years…"
At this time, not only were the Konoha occupying forces' high-ranking officials listening to the report in the meeting room, but also representatives from the Land of Wind who had recently been temporarily elected from various regions. Many of them were of noble birth, and one of them was even a direct relative of the former Daimyo of the Land of Wind.
Now, as they sat in their seats, listening to Mura Ibari's report, their eyes, which had just held a touch of sadness, were almost glowing.
Such an extreme, super-large-scale project, even in human history, was something the Land of Wind and Sunagakure had never even dreamed of, let alone attempted. But now, Konoha's people had just moved into various local offices and were already presenting them with such a grand vision.
If this project succeeded, regardless of the entire Land of Wind, these nobles, whose families relied on the major oases as their strongholds, would definitely soar to prosperity.
Even if Konoha's people were exaggerating, and they could only complete half or even one-third of such a project, it would still bring countless benefits to the local people of the Land of Wind.
After all, that was water.
In the Land of Rain, which borders the Land of Wind, water is so abundant it's annoying, to the point that the 'water source' is the culprit for not having many clear days throughout the year. Yet, in this desert-surrounded country, it is a crucial resource more precious than gold. The extreme predicament of water scarcity causes the entire Land of Wind, despite occupying an area almost equivalent to the Land of Fire, to have only three-tenths of its population.
The hardship within cannot be described by ordinary people.
If someone could bring them water, then let alone occupying the Land of Wind, they might even happily open their mouths to receive it if someone were to defecate on their heads.
It was precisely because he saw through this point that Sawara Kiri hastily launched such a colossal engineering project so soon after occupying the Land of Wind.
The results were also quite remarkable.
"Thank you so much, Sawara."
After the meeting ended, the young man named Kawahara, publicly claiming to be a relative within three generations of the former Daimyo of the Land of Wind, but actually his second son, excitedly grasped Sawara Kiri's hand and sincerely said, "As long as this project succeeds, my Kaze clan will accept any price, no matter what it is."
"We will certainly cooperate fully with all your actions!"
"Please, you must push this forward."
Sawara Kiri maintained his usual warm and amiable demeanor, saying kindly, "Please rest assured on this point. Now that the war is over, we are no longer enemies. A project like this, which can benefit the Land of Wind, is inherently helping ourselves."
"However, regarding the matter of dividing the country into provinces, which the Fourth Hokage submitted to the Daimyo a few days ago, I ask that you all consider it carefully."
"The changes in the Ninja World situation are not just about Konoha, but also about all of you."
"Since unification is unstoppable, then all of you should consider your own families, shouldn't you?"
The excited expression on the young man's face subtly paused, then quickly he smiled and said, "Sawara-sama is absolutely right, but the difficulty of implementing this matter lies not only with my father but also with the Council of Elders. I am also willing but powerless… Alas."
Noticing the subtle hint of evasion in his expression, Sawara Kiri's voice slightly paused, and he decided to give him a bit more information:
"Lord Kawahara, as the second son of the family, must surely know the difficulties of the world better. Looking back through the Daimyo clans of various generations, figures like yourself would generally be sent out to handle miscellaneous affairs in various regions after turning thirty, completely unrelated to state affairs."
"But after the country is divided into provinces, things will be different."
"Tsunade, understanding the hardships of the various clan's illegitimate children, established Advisory Councils in each province. Although the former nobility lost their territorial authority, they gained positions as councilors to discuss governance. Afterwards, provincial affairs will largely depend on them, which can quickly stabilize various regions and also promote the unification of multiple countries."
"Lord Kawahara, you must seize this opportunity."
Almost the instant he heard these words, Kawahara, who had just shown a hint of evasion, froze, staring directly at Sawara Kiri, his expression instantly changing.
Sawara Kiri, however, merely returned a knowing smile.
An open scheme, the Edict of Grace.
This was the stabilization plan Konoha had discussed before conquering the Land of Wind.
Unlike what ordinary people might think.
The greatest resistance the Land of Fire faced in conquering other countries was not actually the military strength of the various Ninja Villages, but rather the Daimyo and nobles of those countries who firmly supported the Ninja Villages and provided them with economic supplementary.
War is a continuation of politics; this holds true everywhere.
If the Daimyo of various countries still wanted to fight, they could actually continue to support a second and third Ninja Village to resist Konoha's rule.
Don't think of Ninja Villages as being so grand; even Orochimaru, with money, could single-handedly establish one in a small country in a few years. Essentially, they are just mercenary organizations that kill for money, at most varying in strength.
Conversely, Konoha, which has transformed itself into an independent, impenetrable kingdom through the economic and educational reforms pushed by Sawara Kiri, is an extreme rarity.
Therefore, they naturally had to apply the right remedy.
As expected.
Kawahara remained silent for a long time after hearing these words, even the initial feigned excitement on his face gradually becoming difficult to maintain. Finally, he helplessly uttered:
"Tsunade is truly brilliant."
"I understand now."
Clearly, this second son of the Land of Wind, who was among the first batch sent to contact Konoha, immediately understood Konoha's true objective.
However, an open scheme is an open scheme precisely because it is transparent and irresistible.
When he returned, what awaited the nobles of the Land of Wind was likely a political bloodbath.
However, this had nothing to do with Sawara Kiri.
All he wanted was the Land of Wind.
As for who specifically ruled the Land of Wind, he didn't care.
The only thing that made him regretful was that the Ninja World itself was still stuck in the feudal era; if it were a capitalist country, he would dare to jump in boldly.
Fortunately, his life was still very long.
With this step taken, Konoha's ruling position could be considered initially stable.
Watching Kawahara walk away, Sawara Kiri returned to the empty conference table, pondering his subsequent work.
Kakashi silently followed beside him, listening to every word of the conversation between Sawara Kiri and Kawahara. A thoughtful expression appeared on his still-young face.
He had learned a lot during this recent period.
Just as their matters concluded, Ebisu, who had been waiting outside for a while, immediately hurried into the room, his expression serious:
"Sawara."
"The Fourth Raikage has arrived at the front lines."
North, Fire and Lightning Countries front line.
Tall, thick coniferous forests spread like mist over the humus-rich black earth, and the cold, condensed air made one feel a chill entering their lungs with every breath.
Although it was also autumn, the climate of the Land of Lightning was almost completely different from that of the Land of Wind, making Namikaze Minato, who had only recently returned from the Land of Wind front, slightly uncomfortable.
He followed Jiraiya step by step, and behind him were the various operational personnel from the military. Even Uzumaki Kushina had put on a mask and was among the crowd. The group moved like birds, swift as shooting stars, constantly leaping and descending among the giant trees.
The results on the Land of Wind front came too quickly and too unusually, making the Fire and Lightning sides, who were still probing each other like in the previous major war, seem unnaturally slow in comparison. However, the actual progress was already quite rapid compared to the previous two major wars.
In just a month, the Fire and Lightning sides gradually transitioned from initial engagements to mutual raids. The intensity of the battles grew higher with each passing day, and trade along the long border between the two countries completely ceased. Everywhere, one could see sudden bursts of dust and fireworks, and skirmishes involving hundreds of people were quite common.
However, the news of the sudden demise of the Land of Wind clearly disrupted the battle rhythm of the Land of Lightning. From last month until now, the enemy's offensive has been noticeably several times more intense than usual.
However, the Raikage clearly hadn't lost his mind, nor had he presumptuously considered himself Sawara Kiri, abandoning his army and raiding alone. The battle lines of both sides were intricately intertwined from east to west, and the command of both the Raikage and Jiraiya could be described as utterly steady.
Unfortunately, there was a huge variable in this era.
"Swish—"
Just as Namikaze Minato was thinking, he saw Jiraiya suddenly stop, dropping from the treetop to the ground. He naturally picked up a handful of black earth and then lay on the ground to observe the traces around him.
"Sensei?"
Namikaze Minato looked at the ground beneath his feet, only able to discern very faint traces, like a common animal trail in the mountains.
"Aburame… who was it?"
"Come and see how many Chakra traces there are here."
Jiraiya, however, ignored his disciple's question and turned to call out to another tall, masked man in the command post.
"Yes."
Aburame Shibi silently bent down, and soon several uniquely shaped small black insects emerged from his sleeve, scattering in all directions to collect information remaining in the traces.
"It should be Kumogakure Anbu, or a small elite squad. The traces are very faint, but I, the great one, still discovered them." Jiraiya looked at the surprised expression on Minato's face, patted his shoulder proudly, "You kid, you still have a lot to learn from your Sensei!"
Hearing this, Namikaze Minato couldn't help but smile, "As expected of Jiraiya Sensei, a true master of intelligence."
"That's natural…"
However, just as they were laughing, Aburame Shibi's expression suddenly changed.
One of the insects in front of him suddenly let out a "buzz—" as if it had lost control, and then abruptly exploded.
Everyone around them was startled, only Aburame Shibi's expression tightened, and he loudly said:
"Jiraiya-sama, it's a Tailed Beast—"
The next moment, accompanied by a heavy roar.
A tall figure, like an iron tower, suddenly fell from high in the sky, heavily smashing a giant crater in front of everyone. His entire body was enveloped in lightning like a demon god, and his hair stood on end.
The Fourth Raikage looked forward and grinned.
"It's me!!"
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