The Daimyō's emotions were extremely complicated.
On one hand, there was the relief of having survived a calamity.
When Hiruzen had fallen silent, he had truly thought that he would die here today…
But on the other hand, his heart felt stifled.
The Daimyō was not a fool. He knew that this was, of course, Hiruzen intimidating him.
Yet he had no good solution…
At most, he could create obstacles in fiscal and nominal matters, quietly making things unpleasant for Konoha.
Though it would not achieve any great effect, it would at least vent the resentment in his heart.
The Daimyō consoled himself this way.
"Danzō, bring over the 'Sage Region Pills,'" Hiruzen said calmly.
Danzō stepped forward. Without a word, he placed an exquisitely crafted box on the table.
He then stood behind Hiruzen, still wearing that sinister expression.
The Daimyō clicked his tongue inwardly.
A vicious tiger is fierce—but the one who can control the vicious tiger… is even fiercer.
"Daimyō-dono, Koharu and Homura should have spoken to you already, correct?"
"This combines the specialties of the Three Great Sage Regions. It is a health supplement specially formulated by Mito-sama and Tsunade…"
"It is so late and you are still working. You must be very fatigued…" Hiruzen said softly as he placed the box before the Daimyō.
The Daimyō's heart skipped a beat.
This looked like he was about to poison him…
But after calming down, he felt that if Hiruzen truly wanted to act against him, there would be no need to go through such trouble.
"Then I thank the Hokage-dono for his concern." The Daimyō forced himself to steady his breathing, his voice gradually no longer trembling.
A trace of appreciation flashed through Hiruzen's eyes.
In fact, this too was part of his evaluation…
A puppet—or rather, a spokesperson.
Obedience was only one aspect. Being a fool would not do.
Hiruzen's main energy was still focused on Konoha and on strengthening himself.
He could not personally shoulder every matter of the Fire Country.
What he needed was control over the overall direction.
There was no need to nitpick over details; in reality, problems rarely have perfect solutions.
The Daimyō lifted the lid of the box.
A wisp of white mist suddenly billowed out, faint yet present, drifting across the tabletop and spreading into a hazy veil.
Inside the box lay three finely crafted off-white pills, each engraved respectively with the patterns of a slug, a snake, and a toad, their lines classical and elegant.
On the inner backboard of the lid, the Konoha crest and a flame totem were interwoven in openwork carving. Between them, faint landscape imagery was hidden, as though clouds and mist slowly flowed along the carved lines.
Though the entire box was made of inexpensive quartz, after polishing, its texture was translucent, possessing an air of refined nobility that surpassed ordinary fine jade.
"This is!" The Daimyō instantly cast aside his doubts.
Just from its appearance alone, it was certainly no ordinary item!
Hiruzen smiled faintly. "Please."
Without further suspicion, after a moment of consideration, the Daimyō swallowed the one engraved with the snake.
The first taste was cool and faintly bitter; once it washed over his tongue, it turned into a mellow, rich sweetness.
Between bitter and sweet, it seemed to contain some hidden subtlety.
After Tsunade's repeated adjustments, even though the medicinal ingredients themselves were not precious, the moment the medicinal power dissolved, a swift sense of comfort spread from his throat, flowing through his limbs.
The Daimyō's exhaustion actually seemed to dissipate, strand by strand, along with the wisps of white mist curling above the tabletop.
Only his mind grew increasingly clear and calm, without the slightest trace of drowsiness or sluggishness.
Those joints that would often ache faintly on ordinary days felt as though they had been soaked in warm water; the soreness and swelling sensation quietly receded, leaving only an indescribable lightness and comfort.
Hiruzen smiled and said nothing.
To reconstruct chakra's value anchor from "violence" to "nourishment"—even if it was only just beginning—was already enough to be called a dimensionality-reduction strike.
This effect did not mean much to shinobi.
What plagued shinobi were the hidden ailments and chronic injuries born of years of war, not the depletion brought by lack of exercise and indulgent pleasure.
But for people like the Daimyō, it was exactly right.
"This… Hokage-dono, this must surely be a divine medicine bestowed by the sages of the Sage Regions, right?" The Daimyō widened his eyes and, with utmost care, immediately closed the box.
He was afraid the medicinal effect would drift away into the air along with the curling white mist.
A trace of guilt rose in the Daimyō's heart.
Although Hiruzen's actions had indeed, objectively speaking, broken the balance between the Daimyō and the Hokage…
He had still come over in the middle of the night, and he truly had shown sincerity…
Such a holy treasure!
"The raw materials are indeed gathered directly from the Three Great Sage Regions, but the process was developed entirely in-house by Konoha," Hiruzen said with a chuckle.
"Daimyō-dono, take a guess—how much do you think we can produce?"
"How much? Tens, a hundred or so?" the Daimyō ventured a guess. "Could it be… over a thousand!"
"Thirty-six thousand pills," Hiruzen replied in an even tone.
That number was the result after Tsunade and Orochimaru revised the formula and streamlined it.
Originally, it would have been even more.
But Orochimaru believed that having these nobles take it three times a month was enough—there was no need to increase the frequency.
A long-lasting aftertaste would feel more mysterious.
And slightly increasing the infusion of medical chakra would also better train the production squad.
Naturally, Hiruzen adopted that suggestion. He did not like micromanaging; when it came to professional matters, he listened to the specialists…
The Daimyō was shocked.
"Taken three times a month—thirty-six pills a year—this output can supply a thousand people."
Hiruzen said softly, "The capable great nobles of the Land of Fire and the central bureaucrats—those numbers should match up with this figure, right?"
"They match," the Daimyō answered in a low voice. In that instant, many thoughts flashed through his mind.
For those nobles, the effect of these Sage Region Pills would surely trigger a scramble!
And Konoha, which produced the elixir, would certainly receive tremendous support from them…
This is bad!
"One pill, sold for one hundred thousand ryō—is that expensive?"
"Not expensive." The Daimyō shook his head instinctively, his gaze somewhat despairing.
For a noble, the annual cost would only be three million six hundred thousand ryō.
For the top thousand great nobles of the Land of Fire, that was not difficult to afford; it could even be called a necessary rigid demand.
"The tax revenue of the Land of Fire falls far short of the wealth hoarded by the nobles…"
"The richer they become, the poorer the Land of Fire becomes. The common people below live worse and worse. The country's agriculture and manufacturing are affected, which in turn affects Konoha's war potential in a chain reaction."
Hiruzen said with a sigh, "So I have to find a way to draw out their money."
"What do you think?"
The Daimyō pressed his lips together and nodded weakly.
These were ironclad facts; there was nothing to argue.
"For the first batch, I will sell them more cheaply—use a low price to break through the nobles' psychological defenses and seize the market."
"After the second year, anyone who wants to buy will have to obtain qualification according to quotas…"
"Only those whose territories allow their residents to live in peace and contentment, whose industries are flourishing and whose populations are prosperous, will be qualified to purchase these 'Sage Region Pills'…"
"They must govern properly! If, after taking the 'Sage Region Pills,' they become more energetic only to torment people for pleasure and affect industry and agriculture, that would be committing a sin…"
The Daimyō let out a sigh and closed his eyes. "Hokage-sama, please don't let me feel any pain later."
Hiruzen had thought things through too comprehensively.
So much so that the Daimyō felt that if Hiruzen wanted to become Daimyō, he might encounter some obstacles—but taking that seat would only be a matter of time.
"What are you talking about?"
Hiruzen bumped his shoulder.
The Daimyō opened his eyes, and what came into view was Hiruzen's trademark hearty smile: "How to set the quotas, determine which nobles are qualified to purchase, assess their territories, and establish efficient distribution and settlement channels—that still depends on you, Daimyō-dono…"
The Daimyō's pupils trembled.
So… he wanted to cooperate with him?
The Third Hokage truly was a generous and upright man!
If he were Hiruzen, he would have chosen to eliminate himself—even if that was not the optimal choice…
Power possesses a natural tendency to expand.
Yet Hiruzen could restrain that desire, considering matters only from the standpoint of benefiting the Land of Fire?
And under such circumstances, he could still address him as "Daimyō."
The thick sense of human warmth within it made the Daimyō's nose grow slightly sour.
In truth, Hiruzen chose to cooperate with the Daimyō not only because the internal cost-benefit ratio of replacing him was too low.
There were also external reasons—harvesting the Land of Fire alone was not enough. If he was to harvest, he would harvest the nobles of the entire shinobi world together…
In this matter, he needed the Daimyō to lead the nobles in sincerely promoting it for him.
As Hokage, he could hardly host banquets and summon foreign nobles in person.
But the Daimyō was different. These people were, in fact, all connected by marriage and blood, somewhat like the Kaguya and Hyūga clans…
"You should be a few years older than me…" the Daimyō said in a low voice. "You see, addressing each other as '-dono' and '-sama' truly feels too distant…"
Hiruzen smiled with narrowed eyes. "Indeed. Then how should we address each other to seem closer?"
"May I address you as Hiruzen-ani?" the Daimyō asked with genuine sincerity.
"Of course that is fitting."
Hiruzen draped an arm over the Daimyō's shoulder and said with a smile, "Otōto, what does the title of sovereign add to me?"
"I have but one wish: that you and I—the Hokage and the Daimyō—be two sides of one whole, draw out the ryo that the nobles would rather let rot than take out, lash them with the whip of quotas, and develop the Land of Fire…"
"There is no point in making money from the poor."
"If we are to profit, we profit from the rich—and make them bring the poor along to become wealthy together…"
"That is interesting, don't you think? This is something none of the past rulers of the Land of Fire have ever achieved!"
The Daimyō took a deep breath. "Hiruzen-ani, since you think highly of me, then let's do it together!"
"Good Otōto!"
Hiruzen and the Daimyō clasped hands firmly. "With the two of us united in heart and strength, in this Land of Fire, is there any combination stronger than us?"
"Impossible—absolutely impossible!" the Daimyō shouted. "None can stop us!"
And behind them—
Danzō watched the scene expressionlessly.
Go on, keep talking…
He wondered just how many people Hiruzen had said similar words to.
Wasn't it agreed that the two of them were the strongest duo…
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