After defeating Kumo's force of four thousand ninja, Soushu Hyuga's mobilized ninja force had also suffered significant losses. Aside from the wounded, he now had only about seventeen hundred ninja remaining, nearly half of whom were clan-affiliated ninja temporarily conscripted during wartime and placed under his command.
Therefore, in truth, the only forces Soushu could directly control were his veteran subordinates from the Northern Border Defense Force—those who had remained through repeated personnel rotations and battlefield experience.
Among these veterans, due to the unit rotation system previously proposed and implemented by Sakumo Hatake, all remnants of the original Hokage-aligned faction had been completely purged. Those who voluntarily stayed were mostly long-serving clan ninja and martial-faction members drawn by reputation and prestige.
Though their overall strength wasn't particularly impressive, Soushu still valued them highly. After all, no matter how powerful an individual might be, one always needed followers to handle menial or exhausting tasks—otherwise, it would severely damage one's standing.
The decision not to interfere in the ceasefire negotiations with the Lightning Daimyo was similarly based on a realistic assessment of his own power, hence why he hadn't recklessly involved himself.
However, the current situation in the districts across the Land of Lightning was now very different!
Especially in the central and southern districts, three Kumo battalions had moved southward before the war to reclaim lost territory and conduct widespread crackdowns against disruptive black-market ninja and ronin, resulting in a significant stabilization of local public order.
Yet since Konoha and Kumo remained officially at war, and most of the former regional noble guardians had perished amid uprisings and rampant rogue ninja activity, the noble heads residing at the Daimyo's court were unwilling to return to their estates amid the ongoing conflict and reestablish governance. As a result, military rule by Kumo ninja had essentially taken over administration in central and southern areas.
After Soushu defeated Kumo's forces, these regions effectively entered a state of power vacuum. However, after several rounds of warfare, most of the ambitious figures lurking within the civilian population and underground factions of the Land of Lightning had already been eliminated. Therefore, social order would remain relatively stable for the short term without major disruptions.
In such a situation—without a strong centralized ninja force or any prominent local powers capable of uniting public opinion—it became the perfect time to exploit resources aggressively!
Therefore, once determining the current mission objectives for his ninja force, Soushu began dividing up territorial control.
"The southern five districts and ten central districts—altogether fifteen cities in total. Even if we deployed every last operative we have, each district would only get about a hundred agents—far too few for fine-grained tax collection or comprehensive suppression operations," explained Soushu as he unrolled a map of the Land of Lightning and laid out his plans to the assembled Jonin. "With time short and the workload heavy, we need to zero in on the key question: How do we extract maximum value?"
"If anyone has suggestions or opinions that are feasible and practical, please speak freely!"
Looking at the expectant Jonin assembly, Hyuga Soushu wore a very amiable smile: "Please rest assured, I hate nothing more than making unilateral decisions. There will absolutely be no retaliation or suppression!"
The Jonin assembly remained silent.
If they actually believed such irresponsible nonsense, they wouldn't deserve their rank as Jonin.
Moreover, Hyuga Soushu had always been known for his iron-fisted decisions. He had never had anything to do with taking advice humbly. Therefore, the Jonin naturally took it as their superior's hollow gesture of inclusiveness, so they simply ignored him and waited for instructions.
"Since everyone has no objections, perhaps we can hear my suggestions now!"
Satisfied with the Jonin's silence, Hyuga Soushu pressed on: "Among these fifteen districts, the southern districts were either reduced to wastelands by war or completely emptied out by the Ninja Force headquarters. Therefore, I plan to designate five southern districts as a unified military administration area under our direct control."
The Jonin assembly naturally had no objections.
Since it would be a militarily controlled zone directly administered, that meant everyone would receive a share of the proceeds, simultaneously indicating that the ten central districts containing the most lucrative resources...
"As for the ten central districts, they shall be divided into five tax regions each consisting of two districts, with each region managed by a senior Jonin responsible for cleansing and taxation collection."
As soon as Hyuga Soushu finished speaking, the Jonin assembly immediately burst into murmurs.
At this point, they roughly understood what Hyuga Soushu meant.
As the logistical source for the Ninja Force, all revenues from the military administrative region would go to the collective treasury. As for those ten central districts, they would be split into five territories where each Jonin could make their move!
In other words, this meant "the more you work, the more you gain!"
Even some usually indifferent Jonin couldn't help but feel excited at this point.
"These five tax regions will be allocated based on the principle of fairness and justice through the tax farming system."
Hyuga Soushu raised both hands, motioning for quiet while smiling: "The Jonin who promises to pay the highest amount of taxes to the Ninja Force collective treasury will obtain the corresponding tax farm commissioner position, along with being entitled to mobilize up to two hundred Ninja from headquarters for assistance. Half of the collected tax revenue would be directly shared among the Ninja Force itself, meaning even those not personally participating in local tax collection operations would still benefit!"
"Honorable Leader Soushu is wise!"
Now the Jonin assembly had no choice but to praise Hyuga Soushu.
In their view, this system was absolutely brilliant!
Ruthless Jonin could bid for tax collection rights while those unable to act harshly could still enjoy passive income; although ultimate earnings might differ, at least everyone received their share — for Ninja accustomed to earning money through mission execution alone, this was truly a golden opportunity dropped from the sky!
Although this tax farming collection would surely cause great damage to the Land of Lightning's ten central districts, no ambitious Ninja, particularly those bold enough to volunteer for tax farming management rights, would genuinely care about such consequences.
As for those remaining Jonin who still retained slight morality or made relatively moderate tax promises, they could peacefully wait for their deserved portion to smoothly land in hand.
All in all, this was indeed a decision pleasing to everyone!
"Since none of you have objections, we'll proceed with the bidding at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. You jonin can use the remaining time to contact each other in advance and form teams, so we don't waste time organizing after the bids are finalized."
Hyuga Soushu very considerately lifted the communication restrictions within the ninja forces.
Although in theory the management rights for the five tax regions would be determined through competitive bidding, Soushu had no intention of establishing a real democratic system. After all, where there are tenders, collusion and predetermined selections naturally arise. Those things were totally normal and completely expected.
Moreover, Soushu already had his preferred candidates in mind.
Among the five managerial positions: one would go to a Hyuga jonin and another to a Uchiha jonin, securing interests for these foundational allied forces; one would be allocated among veteran combat ninja from various clans under his command as recognition for their bravery; one would be granted to martial faction ninja who actively pledged loyalty, demonstrating appreciation for their commitment; and the final position would be reserved for someone with Border Forces background, showing consideration for old comrades.
This arrangement ensured everyone got their slice of the pie.
Just as Soushu was carving up the proverbial pie, Hatake Sakumo's negotiations were going surprisingly well.
The demands from his loyal ninja were actually quite simple - they insisted on receiving substantial compensation from the Lightning Daimyo, essentially war reparations!
Different from direct village allocations, Sakumo's supporters wanted the payments coming directly from the Lightning Daimyo himself rather than being filtered through the village (which everyone knew would take its cut first). With the village treasury widely known to be strained, and the Hokage faction currently facing severe budget constraints, this mutual distrust forced the relatively conscientious Sakumo to request an uncomfortably large sum in front of the Lightning Daimyo.
"The purpose of our ninja force entering your domain was solely to quell the chōteki rebelling against legitimate authority and threatening peace within your noble and sacred territory. We humbly apologize should our actions have caused any disturbance."
After completing this formal defensive preamble, Sakumo's face slightly reddened as he hesitated before continuing, "While eliminating these threats to peace, our unit suffered significant losses. Combined with our heavy ongoing responsibilities, regrettably we couldn't adequately alleviate your concerns or resolve pressing issues. We respectfully ask for your understanding."
Sakumo doubted if these words meant anything, or how the courtiers would even respond. Still, he went ahead and played his trump card, "Based on these actual circumstances and difficulties, I sincerely request that Your Majesty consider our sacrifices made for the common good of the Five Great Countries, our long-standing friendly relations between nations, and the efforts of us Konoha ninja traveling far distances to protect righteousness and eliminate aggressors."
"State your demand directly."
The Minister of State finally snapped, interrupting Sakumo's diplomatic detours regardless of the current setting.
"Eight billion ryō!"
Sakumo Hatake gritted his teeth and finally revealed his exorbitant asking price.
This figure actually had historical precedent - previously when Konoha's ninja clans traveled together to Kyoto to meet with aristocratic families and petitioned the daimyo to allocate one hundred billion ryō from the imperial treasury, the sum was later jointly divided between the ninja clans and the aristocrats.
Sakumo Hatake's supporters generally believed that if the Fire Daimyo could allocate one billion, and the Konoha Ninja Clans as well as various courtiers could split eighty million among themselves, then the Lightning Daimyo, as a lord of one of the Five Great Countries, should certainly be able to come up with at least eighty million. Moreover, this huge sum wasn't meant just for a select few; every single ninja who fought in the battle would get their share. That was exactly why all the Konoha Jonin stationed near the Lightning Country's Kinki region supported Sakumo Hatake's move to go straight to the Daimyo, no matter which faction they belonged to.
Even those ninjas from the Hokage's direct faction had initially intended to refuse, but the issue was that the amount of money involved was simply too tempting!
Of course, this figure was merely an idealistic target proposed by the Konoha Jonin participating in the battle. During their internal strategy discussions, they had already set a minimum limit: if the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning and his noble class maintained a firm stance and insisted on further negotiations, the additional compensation amount could be appropriately reduced to three-quarters of the original proposal—sixty million would suffice.
After all, a ninja's life wasn't about gentle pleasures like drinking tea, writing poems, or admiring flowers—it was built on real combat and conflict. Various types of combat resources, such as ninja tools, rare medicinal herbs, and invaluable secret scrolls containing priceless jutsu techniques were all essential for maintaining and boosting a ninja's combat power, each requiring substantial financial backing for acquisition or development.
Thus, for ninjas, they deeply understood the importance and endless consumption of wealth, never believing that accumulating excessive riches was unnecessary.
"What about payment via Kinka issued by the Lightning Country?"
The Minister of State spoke once again, even showing some eagerness.
"Agreed!"
Sakumo Hatake first showed surprise, then immense joy!
But immediately after, he felt regret—was his initial offer too low?!
He should've gone all-in from the start and asked for one hundred million!
Especially since they weren't offering paper currency as expected, but rather Kinka coins, which functioned as universal hard currency and equivalents!
Sakumo Hatake was practically dizzy with joy—this was just too good to be true! Even the Fire Daimyo hadn't been so generous!
"Given this, seven days should suffice."
"Within three days!"
Before the Minister of State could finish speaking, the Lightning Daimyo directly interrupted him. The allocated compensation period was instantly shortened from seven days to within three!
"Your Highness, your wisdom is beyond compare!"
Hatake Sakumo's loud proclamation came straight from the depths of his heart, filled with sincere admiration!
Thus, the special reward of no less than eighty million was easily obtained. Whether it was Hatake Sakumo—who had no idea just how wealthy the Daimyo truly was—or the Lightning Daimyo and courtiers who feared the might of the Konoha Ninja Forces like terrifying beasts, both sides felt they'd scored a huge win. In the end, everyone felt satisfied and content!
Although Danzo had traveled without rest or pause on his mission as the appointed envoy, the journey from Konoha to the Lightning Daimyo's court still took nearly two full days.
Such was simply unavoidable.
Because Hyuga Soushu's Ninja Force controlled vast territories across the fifteen districts of the Land of Lightning's southern and central regions, Danzo, who already had long-standing grudges with his longtime rival, wanted to avoid being intercepted midway by his greatest enemy and suffering a natural death like drowning or dying from exhaustion. So he deliberately took a detour through the Land of Iron, entering the eastern territories of the Land of Lightning. Only after circling a long way around did he finally arrive at the Kina Region.
After reaching an agreement with the noble courtiers, Hatake Sakumo immediately returned to the camp and announced the good news that he had been bestowed generous gifts and rewards by the Lightning Daimyo.
A thunderous cheer broke out across the Ninja Force headquarters. Passionate chants such as "May Lord Sakumo reign forever!" rang out continuously. This sight made Danzo, who had just arrived outside the camp with ill intentions, feel deeply uneasy.
The first impression this scene gave Danzo was that after leading troops to thoroughly defeat Kumogakure, Konoha's greatest enemy, Sakumo's prestige had now risen to its peak, and he had won the hearts of many people!
For Konoha's F4 — a group of elite leaders — who originally maintained their internal authority through propaganda, it felt as if they were stripped of their very influence!
However, Danzo was still one of the top leaders in Hidden Leaf Village. Quickly, he concealed the coldness on his face, contorted his face into a forced smile, and walked toward the joyfully celebrating but now neglectful Ninja Force headquarters.
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