Hidden Leaf Village,
Aburame Shiken was discussing something with Nara Shikaku.
"No, if we wage war like this, the losses will be too severe. Even if we win in the end, we won't have enough manpower left to govern afterward."
Nara Shikaku spoke with deep concern.
Right now, the biggest issue facing Hidden Leaf Village in unifying the ninja world wasn't strength—it was population.
Strength could still be improved through equipment, drugs, Secret Techniques, and all kinds of other methods. But population was a hard number. There was no shortcut for that.
It took twenty-three or twenty-four years for a person to fully grow up.
The ninja world moved at a faster pace overall, but even then, it still took sixteen or seventeen years before someone could shoulder the responsibilities entrusted to them by the village.
"Shikaku, have you ever considered that we don't necessarily have to use only Konoha's people to govern? I once heard an old saying: once you enter the pass, there will naturally be scholars who argue in your favor."
The moment Aburame Shiken said that, Nara Shikaku immediately sat up straight.
Then he asked with complete seriousness:
"What does that mean?"
Aburame Shiken nearly stumbled.
Come on, man, if you don't understand, don't pretend like you do. That totally caught me off guard.
"To put it simply, let's use the Land of Earth as an example. After we defeat it, we don't kill off all the nobles. We leave that group alive and continue letting them enjoy wealth and privilege. Once they realize their lives haven't been affected, they'll naturally start speaking for us and explaining our actions."
"In the end, for the sake of protecting their own wealth and status, they'll desperately work to maintain stability for us."
"Oh, now I get it. But what if they have strong principles? What if they'd rather die than work for us?"
Nara Shikaku understood immediately. From the perspective of human nature, Shiken's plan had a high chance of succeeding.
But what if they encountered the type who refused to bend no matter what, the kind willing to die for their country?
"Then it's even simpler. If the head of a noble family has too much backbone, kill them. Then ask their descendants. Don't even ask the direct heirs—ask the branch families. Whoever agrees to pledge loyalty to us becomes the next family head. After all, if we never showed up, those branch family members might never have gotten that position in their entire lives."
"And even if every single person in that noble family would rather die than submit, we could still just grab some random beggar off the street and make them the family head."
"How many citizens of the Land of Earth have actually seen the nobles ruling above them with their own eyes? Dragons do not dwell with snakes—those words exist for a reason."
After explaining his current method for accelerating governance, Aburame Shiken leaned back slightly.
This kind of rule might not be particularly stable, but first they needed to establish control in name.
And besides...
"Hehehe."
"Shiken, what are you laughing about?"
"Nothing."
Aburame Shiken quickly suppressed his grin.
After all, he still had his ultimate trump card: dragon-slaying arts.
"I still think your method of rule isn't stable enough."
"Then do you have a more stable solution?"
"Yes. But we don't have enough people."
"Then we'll go with my method for now. Time is limited. If we don't strike soon, then in another decade or so, the Tailed Beasts will revive, and the number of variables will increase."
"There's still over ten years left. Why are we in such a hurry?"
"I estimate it'll take over ten years, but shouldn't an excellent strategist always leave room for error?"
"That makes sense."
After Nara Shikaku replied, Aburame Shiken quickly shifted to the next topic.
"Forget that for now. Next issue—do we have any way to rapidly increase our combat power?"
"The Hero Water that Ryoha brought back from Takigakure is one option."
"Use that carefully. Issue a small amount to each combat unit member, but unless it's a life-or-death crisis, they absolutely must not abuse it. Anything else?"
"Other than that, the ten-shot repeating crossbow from the blueprint you gave us last time has already been successfully developed."
"The Repeating Crossbow."
...
"Kisame, you're clearly a ninja from Kirigakure. Why did you defect to Konoha?"
Now a chunin who had joined the ANBU, Uchiha Itachi looked utterly confused.
Wasn't loyalty supposed to be the defining trait of a ninja?
Was it really okay to switch sides this openly?
At the moment, Kisame had only just arrived in Hidden Leaf Village and still hadn't been granted a free movement permit.
As a result, he could only walk around certain open areas under Uchiha Itachi's supervision.
Hearing Itachi's question, Kisame paused slightly.
Yeah...
Why had he betrayed Kirigakure and come to Konoha?
He still remembered that stormy night.
Fresh from killing his superior, Fuguki Suikazan, and obtaining Samehada, Kisame had been filled with confidence and ambition.
Then he met the one person he would never forget for the rest of his life.
One slash.
Just a single slash.
And the sword used against him had merely been an ordinary ninja blade.
The kind you could find everywhere in Kirigakure.
Yet with that completely ordinary blade, his wrists and ankles were severed in an instant, pinning him viciously to the ground.
At the brink of death, he saw the side profile of the man who attacked him.
"Tengawa? Hahaha... so you were after Samehada all along too? But that's fine. In this false ninja world, dying early might not be such a bad thing."
After saying that, Kisame closed his eyes and quietly waited for death to arrive.
But Uchiha Kamito, disguised as Tengawa Kōjin, hesitated.
With a single strike, he could end Kisame's life and complete the mission Shiken assigned him.
But this scene felt strangely familiar.
He knew the answer to this problem already.
And if he didn't follow through, it would bother him mentally.
So he lowered his voice and said:
"You despise the falsehood of this ninja world, don't you? Then why not come with me and witness the real ninja world instead?"
Hearing that, Kisame opened his eyes.
"The real ninja world? But I don't even know who you are. How could we speak of truth?"
At those words, Uchiha Kamito removed his disguise.
"First time meeting you. Let me introduce myself—Uchiha Kamito, Chief of the Konoha Police Force."
Kisame's pupils shook violently.
Then, after Uchiha Kamito treated him with some basic medical ninjutsu, he brought him back to Konoha.
"Thinking about it now, that decision really was pretty stupid."
Kisame laughed self-mockingly.
Even after thinking about it a thousand times, ten thousand times, he still couldn't figure out how he had ended up following him back.
Uchiha Kamito: Having the answer first before solving the question really is way too satisfying. And the reward for getting the right answer is one Kisame Hoshigaki.