Makiya took the report with curiosity and found that it actually involved the nobles of the Land of Earth.
The Land of Demons shared a border with the Land of Earth, and the nobles living near the border were well aware of the events happening within the Land of Demons.
The recent explosion in the Land of Demons had been massive; even from within the Land of Earth, one could see the giant mushroom cloud rising into the sky. Every time Moryo went on a rampage, it created quite a scene, but this time was significantly larger than any historical record.
After the conflict, the Land of Demons was bound to enter a recovery phase, and the Priestess's power was nearly exhausted. Taking advantage of this, the Land of Earth's border nobles invaded the territory to pillage the population for slaves.
The weakened Land of Demons was unable to resist; in the past, they had always endured such things in silence.
"Nobles, huh..." Makiya frowned and flipped to the last page. As expected, the author was a member of the Ashiho clan.
The Land of Demons also had its own nobility. While the Priestess stood high above to contend with Moryo, the Ashiho clan responsible for governing the country was the most prominent noble family, with various local lords ruling beneath them.
In essence, this was merely a slave-raiding war between the nobles of the Land of Earth and those of the Land of Demons.
The lives of commoners weren't even considered. The nobles only cared about their property losses and hoped the Priestess would step forward to uphold justice for them.
Handing the report back to Miroku, Makiya shook his head. "My view is that it's just dog eat dog. Neither side's nobility is worth a damn. But this is your country; how you handle it is your call."
Miroku blinked. "What if you were the one ruling the Land of Demons?"
"Me?" Makiya let out a soft chuckle. "If I were in charge, things would be much simpler."
Though Makiya's smile was quite bright, Miroku inexplicably caught a scent of blood. It was as if she were seeing mountains of corpses and seas of blood before her eyes. She subconsciously swallowed. "Much simpler... meaning?"
"This is an invasion." Makiya pointed at the report. "I would kill the Land of Earth's nobles first, then deal with the ones at home. My country has no need for maggots like the nobility. Beneath me, everyone would be equal. All people would be equal in dignity, while the economy would be determined by merit and strength."
True equality didn't exist in a world of supernatural powers. Those with superior talent and lineage were destined to enjoy better resources. Rules were established by the strongest; as long as you can crush all opposition, any system is possible.
From a certain perspective, Nagato's ideas were actually correct, but he wasn't strong enough. Hashirama had been strong enough back then to suppress the entire ninja world, but after founding the village, he and his close friend Madara Uchiha drifted apart and eventually clashed. After the Battle at the Valley of the End, Hashirama mourned his friend, fell ill from depression, and died young. It was truly a tragedy.
"Kill the Land of Earth's nobles?" Miroku's breath hitched. "That would definitely invite retaliation, wouldn't it?"
"Doesn't matter. Whoever dares to come for revenge, I'll just kill them all. If that doesn't work, I'll take a trip to Iwagakure and leave their heads rolling and blood flowing like a river. I'll shake them so hard their brains rattle and slice their earthworms in half—vertically. It all comes down to strength in the end." Makiya spread his hands. "You do what your power allows. If I could beat up aliens, the ninja world would have been at peace long ago."
According to the plot of Boruto, the Otsutsuki clan still had masters, and some could even travel through time. Makiya wasn't sure which version of the world he was in, so he didn't get too ahead of himself.
Honestly, he hoped his world was the 'Shippuden Clean Edition,' without all the messy business from Boruto.
"Aliens?" Miroku was confused by Makiya's words, but she understood the core message: gauge your strength; if you can't win, you should back down when you need to.
With a mix of emotions in her heart, Miroku stole a glance at Makiya. This man was incredibly powerful; if only he were truly the sovereign of the Land of Demons.
During his stay in Miroku's palace to study Moryo's power, Makiya had agreed to protect the capital as a trade-off. He didn't plan on interfering with anything else.
Miroku left with the report. He didn't know how she'd handle it. Small countries had no human rights in the face of great powers; the nobles of the Land of Demons would likely have to swallow their grievances.
Miroku didn't go far. She stood silently outside Makiya's door, lost in thought. Finally, she turned to look back, wishing she could see through the wooden door at Makiya before reluctantly departing.
She was thinking about how to let Makiya take over the Land of Demons. The array covering the entire country was already in effect, and Moryo's power was being artificially gathered and controlled. As long as the array remained, Moryo would never be able to accumulate enough energy to revive.
In a way, Makiya had already taken over the Priestess's duties; he just hadn't realized it yet, or perhaps he didn't care.
The days of researching Sage Art flew by. In the blink of an eye, Mikoto's belly had grown quite large, and it was becoming difficult for her to move. The child's movements in her womb were becoming more and more obvious.
In late July, Makiya suddenly received an urgent message via ninja hawk, summoning him back to the Uchiha clan immediately. The clan leader's wife was about to give birth to their second child. As a high-ranking member of the Uchiha, it was best for him to be present.
Makiya bid farewell to Miroku and flew back to Konoha on his sword. When he reached the Uchiha estate, he saw Fugaku pacing around anxiously.
Fugaku, who had been stationed on the front lines for years, had clearly aged quite a bit. His skin was rough and dark, and his nasolabial folds had deepened significantly.
In a corner of the main courtyard, Makiya saw the clan leader's eldest son. Itachi Uchiha was standing in the corner, his eyes filled with concern.
The rising star, Shisui Uchiha, was standing next to Itachi, saying something. He was likely comforting the nervous boy.
"Master Makiya! It's Master Makiya!"
"Master Makiya has returned."
"Master Makiya, what mission have you been on lately? We haven't seen you in the village for so long. Share some inside info with us!"
"Shut it! As a ninja, don't go poking into other people's missions! Careful, or the Anbu will take you away for questioning!"
"What's the problem? Master Makiya is the Hokage's Advisor. Who in the village dares to provoke the Uchiha now? The Anbu? Don't make me laugh."
"..."
Makiya frowned and walked up to the clansman who had spoken so flippantly, his voice stern. "Since you chose to be a ninja, follow the rules. It has nothing to do with whether I am the Hokage's Advisor. Do you understand?"
He knew this man; he usually liked to act overbearing in front of the villagers.
"Master Makiya... I..." The man shrank back, his mouth opening as if to make an excuse.
"Hmm?" Makiya glared at him, his voice growing sharper.
"I'm sorry, Master Makiya!" The man immediately stood at attention and lowered his head. "I spoke out of turn. I shouldn't have been asking about your mission."
"Go to the Military Police Force later and turn yourself in for punishment."
Makiya waved his hand, and the man fled as if he had been granted a reprieve.
Go to the Military Police Force to be punished? What a joke. The Police Force were all their own people. Whether or not he was punished and how would just be a matter of a few words.
Makiya's expression was grim. Not long after Minato Namikaze was elected Hokage and he himself became the Hokage's Advisor, many people in the Uchiha clan started getting cocky. Their egos were reaching for the sky; looking down on others with their noses in the air was just the start of their overbearing behavior.
It wasn't that there were no normal people in the Uchiha, but they were far too few. Most Uchiha were obsessed with their bloodline and looked down on everyone else.
There was a reason why the Uchiha had such a bad reputation in the village. While the policies of the Second and Third Hokage were one factor, the Uchiha themselves were indeed not very likable.
Unless someone was a masochist, who would want to be friends with a bunch of chuunibyou types who looked down on everyone?
"Makiya, don't be so hard on our kin," the Great Elder Setsuna Uchiha said as he walked over with a smile. "The boy was just being careless; there's no need to take it so seriously."
Makiya shook his head. "There are laws to follow, and violations must be punished. This is the latest decree the Fourth Hokage issued just a few days ago. The new ninja regulations have been in effect for some time now; he broke them knowingly."
After their conversation back then, Minato had carefully considered Makiya's advice and felt that many things in Konoha were too vague. Whether something was a violation and how strictly it was punished depended entirely on the whims of those in power, which created a lot of corruption and shady deals.
To change the status quo, Minato had invited the various clan heads to establish the 'New Ninja Regulations,' which detailed every possible situation a ninja might encounter along with the corresponding rewards and penalties.
Privately, Minato had even joked with Makiya that if he ultimately failed to bring back Tsunade and didn't punish her according to the rules, would that count as the Hokage and Advisor leading the charge in breaking the law?
Makiya told Minato not to worry. Tsunade's location had already been found, and she was currently being persuaded. She had already tentatively agreed to return to Konoha.
Minato was willing to carry out bold reforms, and Makiya was happy to cooperate with him.
It was worth noting that the person with the highest medical skills in Konoha at the moment was Makiya. Therefore, at Minato's urging, he also served as the Director of the Konoha Hospital until Tsunade returned to take over the role.
Under Makiya's hands-off leadership, the Konoha Hospital was thriving. It was clear how much it had declined before. Makiya's theoretical knowledge and practical experience were both immense; just a little bit of what he shared was enough for the medical ninja there.
Regarding Makiya, many within the Uchiha clan were starting to feel dissatisfied, believing that after he became the Hokage's Advisor, he didn't give the Uchiha any special policy treatment and was a traitor to the clan.
This sentiment was only held by a minority, but it was real.
A cry rang out from the clan estate. The sound was very loud and clear, reaching everyone's ears even from a distance.
"Congratulations, Clan Leader! It's a boy!" The midwife hurried out to deliver the good news. Fugaku's tense expression finally relaxed, and joy lit up his face.
He was a traditional, strong man who valued pride. You could tell from how he threw the young Itachi onto the battlefield; his mindset was also somewhat problematic.
Everyone stepped forward to offer their congratulations, offering one auspicious wish after another. After all, words were free, and it was better to leave a good impression on the leader.
The name 'Sasuke' had been decided by Fugaku long ago. Back then, to curry favor with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, he had used the name of Hiruzen's father for his own son.
Unfortunately, Hiruzen had stepped down abruptly, and since the name had already been announced, Fugaku thought it over and decided it wouldn't be right to suddenly rename his son after Minato, so it stayed the same.
After the complex ceremonies were finished, the sky had already grown dark. Makiya recalled his mission and decided to go talk to Tsunade again.
Minato's request was one thing, but regarding the development of Sage Mode, which involved many meridian flows, Makiya also wanted to discuss it with Tsunade.
There was nothing left to investigate in the Land of Grass. Makiya had secretly flown into the underground tunnels, and within his soul perception, not even a single hair of a White Zetsu remained; they had disappeared completely.
Tsunade was bound to find no useful clues. The whereabouts of the mysterious Wood Style ninja were a mystery, and continuing to hang around the Land of Grass was just a waste of time.
Although flying on a sword was fast, Makiya had a more convenient method.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
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