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A gentle breeze blew, carrying the strict admonishments of the female officials and suppressed sobs.
Thirty-six stunning women were being taught court etiquette.
Whether they came from noble backgrounds or possessed fiery temperaments, they now struck various alluring yet proper poses under the female officials' stern guidance.
This scene would undoubtedly stir any man's heart.
Yet, it was also the most direct manifestation of power.
Arashi watched calmly.
He liked beautiful women, and he liked the process of taming them even more.
To completely crush their arrogance, then brand them with his unique mark.
This sense of satisfaction far surpassed mere possession.
But he knew that both beauty and enjoyment stemmed from power.
If the foundation of that power were shaken, everything would disappear.
Only by making the foundation of his authority more stable could he gain more.
Beauty was merely an embellishment, a trophy.
He could not constantly indulge in pleasure.
As this thought crossed his mind, the appreciation in his eyes quietly faded, and his face regained its sternness.
Arashi drained the tea in his cup in one gulp, then slowly rose.
The etiquette official by the screen had not even reacted before seeing the Daimyo's departing figure.
It was as if the scene, which was enough to excite any man, was just a roadside sight in his eyes.
"My lord..."
The etiquette official hurriedly followed, a trace of panic in his voice.
Arashi's steps did not falter, and he said indifferently, "The training here should follow the rules."
"I want to see the results in a month."
Then he cast aside the garden's spring beauty and the distracting thoughts in his mind.
"Yes, Daimyo-sama."
The etiquette official knelt respectfully.
When he looked up again, the Daimyo's figure had already vanished. Inside the study, the scent of pine incense lingered.
Arashi changed back into his casual clothes and sat in the large chair.
On the desk before him, scrolls and documents were piled high, categorized and neatly organized.
At the very top were several highest-priority memorials, filtered by the butler according to the rules he had set.
They were distinguished by different colored seals.
Red represented military intelligence.
Gold represented people's livelihood.
Black represented oversight.
However, a scroll sealed with a golden seal had an additional black crow feather tied to it.
This was the highest alert he had established.
Crow Feather Urgent Report.
It meant that the matter was so urgent that it could shake the nation's foundation, and its priority superseded all regular urgent reports.
Arashi directly picked up the scroll with the crow feather attached and unrolled it.
The scroll read: Continuous heavy rain in the Southern Plains has caused rivers to overflow, affecting several cities, destroying thousands of acres of farmland, and the number of disaster victims has reached over one hundred thousand.
His brows furrowed instantly.
People's livelihood was the nation's foundation.
Especially at a time when he was about to make drastic changes to the ninja system, a stable rear was crucial.
If over one hundred thousand disaster victims were not handled properly, it would be enough to trigger a massive wave, causing all his plans to fail.
His brushstrokes were decisive, and his handwriting firm.
"Open granaries for disaster relief and appease the people's hearts."
"Order the Ministry of Works to immediately dispatch personnel to the disaster area to supervise the construction of dams. The necessary funds will be directly allocated from the national treasury. Local officials along the way must not delay or embezzle, violators will be immediately executed."
After dealing with this top priority, he picked up the urgent military report with the red seal.
The report read: Bandits are causing trouble on the border of the Land of Rivers. Their leader employs ruthless tactics, and it is suspected that rogue ninja are involved. The local garrison has failed in several encirclement campaigns and suffered heavy losses.
"A minor ailment, yet it vexes the heart."
He snorted coldly, his written directive imbued with killing intent.
"Order the local garrison to blockade all vital routes and cut off their supplies."
"Additionally, send a message to Konoha, ordering Minato Namikaze to personally lead a Jonin squad to assist in the annihilation, ensuring total elimination and displaying their heads along the border."
This would also show the people of Hi that Konoha's Yellow Flash must also obey the Daimyo Manor's orders.
Finally, he picked up the impeachment memorial with the black seal.
It was the final investigation report for an old case. The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs colluded with local officials and embezzled funds for river repairs last year. The evidence was conclusive.
Part of the embezzled funds was supposed to be used to reinforce the dam that had now burst.
Arashi immediately snorted coldly. In times of national crisis, corrupt officials were especially detestable.
He did not even make a written annotation on the memorial, but directly gave an oral command.
"Shadow Guard."
"Your subordinate is here."
A Shadow Guard appeared silently, as if he had always stood in the shadows.
"Go and apprehend this person for questioning," Arashi said calmly. "Make sure he coughs up everything he has swallowed over the years, principal and interest."
"As for him, three days later, at the breached dam, in front of all the disaster victims, execute him."
"Yes."
The Shadow Guard's reply was only one word, yet it was filled with a bloody scent.
After handling all urgent matters, the study returned to silence.
Arashi finally relaxed a little.
He lightly tapped the table, then, as if remembering something, walked to the map of the ninja world, his gaze falling on the Konoha marker.
Having brought Konoha to heel, the next step was to place a set of shackles upon it.
He had prepared two strategies for this.
One was to establish the Land of Fire Mission Center, centralizing all mission issuance and allocation rights under national control.
If this step succeeded, it would mean gaining control of Konoha's economic lifeline.
This was only the first step.
The second step, and the most crucial one, was the separation of military and government.
"Hokage, it is time to return to your origin," Arashi murmured softly, his eyes deep.
The duty of a blade is to sharpen its edge, not to indulge in political affairs.
Konoha's internal affairs, from village planning and fiscal taxation to neighborhood disputes, all belonged to political matters.
How could they be managed by a group of ninja who only understood killing?
At that time, the Daimyo Manor's Konoha Political Affairs Office would be established, fully taking over all of Konoha's civilian and political affairs.
From then on, the Hokage would command the military, and he would command the Hokage.
All military actions, without his permission, were not to be taken lightly.
And he would govern with one hand and command the military with the other, unifying the strength of the entire Land of Fire.
When both military and political power were in his hands.
That would be the true reign over the world.
In fact, he had another arrangement, but this arrangement required patient effort.
On the day of his ascension, the content of the arrangement was slightly altered by him.
The reason for adding the term "Will of Fire" was that he absolutely had to obtain the interpretive authority of the Will of Fire.
This might seem unimportant, but its significance far exceeded the previous two points.
The current Konoha ninja had all grown up hearing about the Will of Fire.
No matter how high and mighty the Daimyo was, in their hearts, Konoha's status was greater than that of Land of Fire.
He could subdue one generation by force, but he could not do so for every generation.
Therefore, obtaining the interpretive authority and reinjecting a new Will of Fire into the new generation of ninja was crucial.
This point was of utmost importance.
When these three steps were completely accomplished, the entire Land of Fire would truly be under his command.
After unifying the world, following this path would allow him to manage the world faster and better.
However, he had not found a suitable opportunity yet.
Arashi had also considered using his Six Paths power to forcefully advance and quickly enter the process of unifying the world.
But after careful consideration, he dismissed the idea.
Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish, being too rigid and overbearing would only force everyone to unite and resist him.
After the Third Ninja World War, Konoha was already severely weakened and could not withstand any further turmoil.
Even if he had immense power, if he lost Konoha, this blade, would he unify the world by himself?
If others resorted to guerrilla warfare, he would be completely worn down and fall into a desperate state of constantly rushing about.
He would definitely win, but he would also be left with only a ruined Land of Fire.
How could he enjoy himself then? How could he reign over the world?
After all, governance requires a sufficiently large population as its foundation.
So, no rush.
He could not be anxious.
Arashi took a deep breath, admonishing and comforting himself in this way.
Just then, an official suddenly requested an audience at the door. It was Asaba Toru.
After he entered, Arashi asked, "Is there any progress on the matter?"
Toru respectfully replied, "Reporting, Daimyo-sama, the first batch of merchant caravans departed this morning."
"And the trade transit station that the two countries promised to jointly fund has also begun site selection and surveying."
Arashi burst into laughter. "Good, very good."
This good news immediately dispelled much of the vexation he had felt from the earlier bad news.
First, the initial selection of concubine candidates was complete.
Then, the trade arrangements were also progressing rapidly.
This greatly pleased him.
(To be continued.)