"Konoha can no longer afford such high reparations."
Senju Tobirama let out a long, weary sigh as he spoke. The lines on his normally stern face seemed deeper than usual. The recent war had drained Konoha's resources far more than he had anticipated. Supplies were stretched thin, the treasury was under immense pressure, and the political tension between the Land of Fire and the Hidden Mist Village was only growing worse.
He paused for a moment before continuing, his voice calm but heavy with concern.
"Furthermore, what the Hidden Mist truly wants may not necessarily be money. From what I have observed over the past few days, their demands may lie elsewhere."
The attendant standing in the room looked puzzled.
"What exactly do you mean, Hokage-sama? If they are not demanding money, then what could they possibly want?"
Senju Tobirama leaned back slightly in his chair and folded his arms as he contemplated the situation.
Based on his careful observations, the Hidden Mist Village had shown a very particular pattern in their recent operations. Their actions were calculated and methodical. They did not behave like a village that was desperately seeking wealth. Instead, their strategies seemed to focus on something far more fundamental.
After a moment of silence, Tobirama finally answered.
"Population," he said slowly. "They want a large amount of population."
The attendant blinked in surprise.
"Population?"
For a brief moment, the man seemed confused. Then suddenly, his face relaxed, and a smile appeared.
"That's good news."
Senju Tobirama stared at him in disbelief.
The attendant spoke casually, almost dismissively.
"If they only want some population, then that is nothing to worry about. They are simply asking for a group of lowly commoners. The Land of Fire has an abundance of people. Giving them away will not affect us much."
The room suddenly felt silent.
Senju Tobirama's eyes widened slightly as he looked at the attendant. For a moment, he even wondered if he had misheard.
Could it really be that the attendant of the Daimyo—the very person responsible for assisting the ruler of the Land of Fire—did not understand the value of population?
The importance of population was something Tobirama understood very clearly. Without people, a country would lose everything.
Population was the foundation of national strength.
Why had Uchiha Su gone to such extreme lengths to capture civilians from the Land of Fire? Why had he been willing to endure public condemnation and accusations simply to abduct ordinary people?
The answer was simple.
Population was the most valuable resource a nation could possess.
A large population meant greater tax revenue for the country. It meant stronger economic activity and more productive labor. Farms would produce more food, markets would flourish, and the national treasury would grow.
More importantly, a large population meant more potential ninjas.
Among thousands of children, some would inevitably possess extraordinary talent or rare abilities. These individuals would eventually join the ninja village and strengthen its military power.
In the long term, population determined whether a village would rise or fall.
Yet the attendant standing before him seemed to treat it as if it were a worthless commodity.
Before Tobirama could say anything further, the attendant spoke again with a cheerful tone.
"Hokage-sama should have mentioned this earlier. If we had known they only wanted population, we would not have argued for so long. All this arguing has only strained our relationship."
Hearing those words, Senju Tobirama felt a sinking sensation in his chest.
The hope he had been holding onto slowly faded.
The attendant continued speaking as if nothing was wrong.
"I can return now and report this to the Daimyo. If the Hidden Mist only wants population, then it will not be difficult to satisfy them. Even if we add a little war compensation on top of that, it will still be acceptable."
"This will weaken the foundation of the Land of Fire…" Tobirama began to say.
But before he could finish his sentence, the attendant had already turned around and left the Hokage's office.
The door closed with a soft sound.
Senju Tobirama remained seated at his desk, staring silently at the empty doorway.
There were still many things he wanted to say, but the opportunity had already passed.
For the first time in a long while, the Hokage felt a deep sense of helplessness.
Miwacho
Meanwhile, far away in Miwacho, negotiations had reached an important milestone.
Uchiha Nami and Hiruzen Sarutobi had finally reached a preliminary agreement after several rounds of intense discussions.
According to the agreement, the Land of Fire would compensate the Land of Water with one hundred thousand civilians.
In addition, they would pay ten million ryo as war reparations.
Of course, the agreement still required approval from Senju Tobirama and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Only the Daimyo had the authority to mobilize such a massive population transfer.
After finalizing the terms, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with a serious expression.
"Since the negotiations have reached a conclusion, the Hidden Mist forces must withdraw from the Land of Fire immediately."
Uchiha Nami remained calm as she listened to his request.
Her expression did not change at all.
"This is only a preliminary agreement," she replied.
"We have not yet seen the compensation that you promised. The Hidden Mist will only withdraw after the population arrives safely in the Land of Water and the war reparations are fully delivered."
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly.
He understood very well that the Hidden Mist currently held the advantage.
If Konoha's western army—nearly ten thousand ninjas—were to move eastward, the situation could change instantly.
But at the moment, those forces were still tied down elsewhere.
Furthermore, the eastern region of the Land of Fire had already been looted extensively by the Hidden Mist. Yet despite the looting, it still remained a vast and valuable territory.
Asking the Hidden Mist to withdraw immediately was nothing more than wishful thinking.
After a moment of silence, Hiruzen sighed.
"In that case, I will return to Konoha and report the situation to Hokage-sama. We will complete the agreement as quickly as possible."
Soon afterward, Hiruzen Sarutobi departed from Miwacho together with the three young ninjas accompanying him. Without wasting any time, they began their journey back to Konoha.
Hidden Mist Headquarters
After Hiruzen left, Uchiha Su called Uchiha Nami to discuss the next stage of their plans.
"How many people have we transported so far?" he asked.
Uchiha Nami consulted her records before answering.
"Approximately one hundred and fifty thousand people have already been relocated."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"Now that the immediate threat of war has disappeared, we can devote all of our forces to this operation. Before the final agreement is completed, we should be able to transport at least another fifty thousand people."
A smile appeared on her face as she calculated the numbers.
"Combined with the one hundred thousand people that Konoha will be forced to give us, the Hidden Mist will gain three hundred thousand people from this war."
She looked at Uchiha Su with excitement.
"And the most important point is that all three hundred thousand people will be directly under our control—not under the Daimyo's authority."
Uchiha Su spread his hands with a satisfied smile.
"I am truly looking forward to seeing what kind of changes three hundred thousand people will bring to the Hidden Mist."
Three hundred thousand people meant food production, labor, trade, and growth.
Their arrival would transform the Hidden Mist completely.
New farms would appear. Markets would expand. Villages would be built. Industries would grow.
The impact would be nothing short of revolutionary.
At that moment, Uchiha Nami suddenly remembered something.
"Young Master, there is another matter."
"Go ahead," Uchiha Su said.
"The successor to the Daimyo of the Land of Water has already been chosen. It is the eldest legitimate son of the former Daimyo."
She continued explaining.
"Recently, the Mizukage sent a message inviting you to accompany him to the capital of the Land of Water to attend the succession ceremony."
"The ceremony will take place in one month."
Uchiha Su nodded thoughtfully.
"I see."
Then he suddenly said something unexpected.
"I think my previous actions were a little crude. After reconsidering things carefully, I believe there is a better approach."
Uchiha Nami remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"Our Uchiha Clan possesses exceptional genjutsu abilities," he explained.
"In fact, the most efficient method would be to control the Daimyo through genjutsu. That way, we could achieve our goals quietly."
He smiled faintly.
"When the Daimyo is no longer useful, we can simply discard him."
Uchiha Nami did not interrupt.
Such matters were beyond her authority to comment on.
Uchiha Su continued speaking calmly.
"Controlling the new Daimyo will work just as well."
He paused before giving another order.
"After Taira Ryōsei attempts to assassinate the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, send someone to ask whether the Daimyo requires Uchiha guards."
"A powerless Daimyo would certainly need protection."
Uchiha Nami nodded and wrote down the instruction.
Although she did not fully understand the purpose of this plan, she trusted Uchiha Su's judgment.
In truth, Uchiha Su had already considered the situation carefully.
If the Daimyo of the Land of Fire experienced an assassination attempt, his trust in Konoha's protection would weaken.
At that moment, the appearance of loyal Uchiha guards from the Hidden Mist would seem extremely appealing.
From the Daimyo's perspective, foreign guards could sometimes be more trustworthy than local forces.
History had proven this many times.
In ancient Rome, emperors relied on foreign soldiers to serve as their personal guards.
Similarly, the Ottoman Empire trusted the Janissary corps—soldiers who had no local family ties and depended entirely on the ruler.
The logic was simple.
Foreign guards had no political alliances within the country. Their loyalty depended entirely on the ruler who employed them.
For the Daimyo, such guards would feel safer.
Uchiha Su leaned back in his chair and smiled to himself.
"I really am a good person," he said jokingly.
"The evil Senju Tobirama wants to assassinate the Daimyo of the Land of Fire."
"Meanwhile, the Uchiha—who remain loyal even after leaving Konoha—are preparing to protect the Daimyo."
For a moment, he even felt slightly moved by his own "kindness."
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