Chapter 42: Chapter 42- Peace at last
Samui POV
Get up early in the morning. Prepare hot water for master and his women. Clean the house. Go outside. Remove the dead and fallen leaves. Come back. Have breakfast with Mabui before washing the dishes. And a dozen more chores around the house before her daily work is finished.
It was… not the life she'd envisioned for herself but what else can you do when your home is razed to the ground and you're captured by the next god of shinobi.
The memories of Kumo's invasion surfaced in her mind once again and she forcefully pushed them back where they belonged. In the past.
No. There was nothing she could have done to alter the outcome, even if she had tried. Thousands of other shinobi had battled their attacker, all of them dead by the end.
She released a sigh as she polished the stone statues that adorned the house. Her mind wondered to what Mabui might be doing right now. Probably helping Ren-sama study her Heavenly Transfer Technique.
When she learned about Ren-sama's plan to create Fuinjutsu seals based on Mabui's Heavenly Transfer Jutsu, she had considered it an impossible venture. After all, if making such a seal was possible, then Kumo would've undoubtedly made it ages ago.
However, just two days later, Mabui informed her that Ren-sama had already developed a prototype Fuinjutsu seal capable of transferring an object from one seal to another within a radius of a few hundred miles.
Since that moment, she decided not to doubt Ren-sama ever again.
Her thought then drifted toward the 3rd Kumo resident in this house.
Yugito Nii.
The poor woman had been completely brainwashed by these people and now considered herself to be a part of Konoha. It was painful to watch, and served as a great reminder of what would happen to her if she ever harboured any treacherous thoughts against Ren-sama or this village.
She went over to polish the next statue and noticed one of the clones sitting in a nearby chair, engrossed in a thick and heavy tome.
As she begin polishing the statue, she made sure to bend over, offering the clone a clear view of her shapely fat ass.
Sure, it was just a clone but the clone would eventually share that memory with Ren-sama. Hopefully, he would gain enough interest in her body to alleviate her position from that of a lowly maid to a lover or concubine.
Yes, seducing a 7 year old boy was not something she'd imagined herself doing when she became a Kunoichi. But could anyone really blame her for trying the make the best out of a bad situation?
And bad as her situation currently was, it was still far better than the worst case scenario she imagined when she woke up in Konoha. And she was determined to make it better by seducing the next god of shinobi.
She'd already noticed his occasional glances at her 'assets' and knew that her plan was working.
Once he's old enough, she'll do her best to seduce him into impregnating her. And once that happens… her life would take a turn for the better. She was sure of it.
Of course, she could always try to run away from this place. But she doubted that she'll succeed. And even if she did, where would she even go? Better to stay here where her life was at least safe and stable.
After completing her work of polishing the statues, she decided to take a short break and went outside into the garden.
She walked over to the pool and saw a miniature 6 tails lounging on the grass, while a miniature 3 tails leisurely paddled within the water.
Seeing this sight still filled her with disbelief to this very day. Not only because those two were 'tailed beasts' but also because of just how adorable they looked.
If anyone ever doubted her claim of living in the home of the next god of shinobi, she would simply direct that fool toward these two mini Tailed Beasts.
The mini 2 tails was also pretty cute. But Yugito Nii has been out of the village on a secret mission for a while now and she had no idea when she'll return.
"Saiken-sama, Isobu-sama. Are any of you in need of my services?" She asked. The services they required mostly included giving belly rubs, back scratches, cleaning Isobu's shell, playing tag with them or bringing them delicious food to eat.
She wanted to make sure that she was well liked by the people in this mansion. If only so that they won't throw her away in case they didn't need her anymore. And despite their small size, she recognised that the tailed beasts were some of the most important 'people' in this place.
And they were so easy to please as well.
"Give me belly rubs." Saiken commanded imperiously, rolling around on the grass to expose his belly.
Her lips twitched in amusement but she followed his order and obediently sat beside him before gently rubbing his belly.
Saiken's content hums filled the area soon enough, the silence only being broken by the distant sounds of the spar going on in the distance.
She looked toward the Training ground near the lake, and saw Kakashi and Ringo-sama engaged in a spar. Both were enveloped in a blue-coloured chakra that she'd learned was the early stages of the Raikage's Lightning Cloak.
Kakashi had swiftly mastered the basics of Kumo's most revered Ninjutsu in the past few months, a feat that would've surprised her if she hadn't learned that Ren-sama had replicated the entire technique with just one glance at the 4th Raikage.
The ember of rage within her flared once again at the thought of the 4th Raikage, the foolish bastard who had plunged her village into a war that they had no hope of winning.
Ringo-sama was slower in learning that Jutsu, when compared to Kakashi, but she was making decent progress as well. Though, it would still take years of training before either of them mastered the Jutsu to a sufficient level.
"Samui-chan, once you're finished with Saiken, could I trouble you to bring me some dangos? " Isobu-sama asked, polite as ever.
"Of course, Isobu-sama." She replied, creating a Shadow Clone to fetch a plate of dango for the mini-tailed beast.
Perhaps one day, when she's in a better standing in this place, she could ask Ren-sama to teach her the Raikage's Lightning Cloak as well. She doubted she had the aptitude needed to learn that jutsu, but if she succeeded, then within a few years or decades, she could become an S-class kunoichi as well.
"Hey, Samui!" A cheerful voice greeted her and she turned around to see the only person in the house who greeted her with such enthusiasm.
"Shisui-san," she said with a polite bow as the young (but insanely strong) girl came and sat beside her, her hands coming over to tickle Saiken's belly until one of his tails slapped her hand away.
"Hey Saiken. Isobu. How are you to guys doing today?"
"I'm fine, thank you." Isobu replied politely.
"I was doing fine as well until you came along to bother me," Saiken groused, but there was no real heat in his voice.
"Hey! Don't be like that. Don't you want to play tag with me?" Shisui asked, her cheerful demeanour belying the fact that she was not just some random girl out in the streets, but an A-class kunoichi capable of defeating your average Jounin with just a look.
The fact that even a 10-year-old girl in this house was stronger than her, a Jounin, spoke volumes.
"No. I just want to be lazy right now," Saiken replied, eliciting a pout from the Uchiha girl. Shisui then turned to face her, the cheerful smile never leaving her face.
"Hey, Samui. Do you want to spar with me?"
"Oi. She's still rubbing my belly. Can't you see? Go find someone else to spar with you, troublesome brat." Saiken said dismissively, making her lips twitch in amusement.
She also shook her head. "I'm afraid I need to do a few more chores after this. Maybe later in the evening," she offered, and Shisui nodded in understanding.
"I'll see you later then," Shisui said with a huge smile before she Shunshined off to spar with Ringo and Kakashi, leaving her shaking her head in disbelief.
Really, what was it with these Uchihas producing monsters one after another? The girl was going to be an S-class kunoichi within a few years. There was no doubt in her mind about that.
Not that S-class kunoichis seemed all that rare anymore, not with there being four of them in this house alone.
Ringo Ameyuri, Mei Terumi, Pakura of the Sand, and Yugito Nii.
All of whom were defeated and brought here by Ren-sama so that he could marry them when he's old enough to do so.
And Shisui would probably join him as well once she's an S-class kunoichi and they're both old enough to do the deed.
A young man with five S-class kunoichis as his wives. She once again mused about the absurdity of it all.
At that moment, her Shadow Clone returned with a plate filled withe Dango and handed them over to Isobu who started eating them with relish.
"That's enough." Saiken told her, and she nodded before ceasing to rub his belly. Only to then watch with great amusement as Saiken went over to Isobu and stole some of his dangos, eliciting a play fight between the two brothers.
She shook her head and went back to the house, determined to finish her daily tasks as quickly as possible so that she could spar with Shisui and get some much needed pointers from her.
Just another day in the house of the future god of shinobi.
—————
Minato Namikaze POV
"—and with our victory, I announce a holiday of three days to mourn the loved ones we have lost and celebrate our victory over those who would see us fall and crushed under their boots." he proclaimed, eliciting cheers from the people of Konoha. With his speech concluded, he turned and made his way back to his office.
'About eight months.' He thought as he sat in his Hokage chair and gazed at the solemn faces engraved on the Hokage monument. 'The shortest Shinobi War in the History of the Elemental Nations, if it would even be classified as a Shinobi War by the historians.'
At that moment, Ren arrived at his window, tapping gently to request entry. He nodded and the boy entered the room, taking a seat beside him.
"Ren." He said softly. "Did you want something?"
"Nah. Just here to check up on you. And to tell you that I've already started working on improving my Irojutsu techniques to heal you."
He nodded, a sense of gratitude swelling within him for all the assistance Ren had provided.
"Thank you, Ren," he said, his voice catching slightly.
Ren shrugged casually. "Eh, no big deal," he replied. "But you seemed lost in thought when I got here. Anything on your mind?"
"Just thinking about this war. And how swiftly it ended." He said.
"Oh." Ren said, looking curious, so he decided to explain.
"The First Shinobi War lasted for two years. The Second for three years, and the Third for seven years. Given this pattern, many expected the Fourth Shinobi War to last even longer," he explained.
Ren shrugged at his words. "Maybe it would've, if we hadn't crushed all our enemies so swiftly."
"Yeah. That's true enough." He admitted, leaning back in his chair. "Did you know that this was the third Shinobi War I've fought in?"
Ren stared at him in surprise. "Really? I didn't know that you fought in the Second shinobi war as well."
"You wouldn't," he responded with a hint of amusement. "I was just a Genin back then, barely surviving the war. Unlike the giants like the Sannin and Sakumo Hatake who faced the major battles and became legends during that war, I was just a gnat doing my best to survive."
Ren nodded in understanding and maintained the silence, which was appreciated. Right now, he simply wanted to sit quietly and reflect on the past.
In the Second Shinobi War, he was a Genin and lost both his two teammates. In the Third, he was a Jounin and lost Obito, while almost losing Rin as well. And in the Fourth, he was the Hokage, and lost the trust of Jiraiya Sensei as well as his manhood.
While he acknowledged that he had suffered less in this war compared to others, it offered little solace in light of his current circumstances.
Now he only wished that he won't see another Shinobi War for the rest of his life.
However, it would be naive to believe that the ramifications of this war had concluded with its end. The war may have officially ended, but its impact had reshaped the global power dynamics, ensuring that they would grapple with its consequences for many years, if not decades to come.
At the moment though, his priority was to address the aftermath within his own village. This involved bestowing honours upon those who had made significant contributions to the war effort, providing financial support to the families of the deceased, and undertaking efforts to revive the economy from the impact of the war, and a thousand of other tasks.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Ren said, as he took out a scroll from within his Inventory and threw it at him.
He glanced at the scroll and paused as he read the text written at its surface.
Lightning Release: Chakra Mode Jutsu.
"That's…" his hand shook slightly as he held the scroll. "Isn't this the Jutsu used by the Third and Fourth Raikage? When did you figure it out?"
"A while ago." Ren said nonchalantly. "Kakashi and Ringo have already started learning it and are making good progress.You can anticipate Kakashi becoming a fully-fledged S-class shinobi by the time he reaches Twenty, perhaps even sooner than that."
"I see." He said, feeling a bit speechless. "Anything else you want to tell me?"
"No, not really," Ren replied. "Although I did plan to continue collaborating with Kushina and Rin Nohara to refine their Tailed Beast Mode. Perhaps I'll include Yugito Nii in the training regimen as well, while I'm at it. I even secured Kumo's training ground for that specific purpose."
"Yes… the giant turtle, right? Where is it right now?" He asked, wondering how Ren could've even stolen such a thing.
"Near the Land of the Whirlpool. That was the only place where I could keep it without other people learning about its location." Ren said and he nodded.
The powerful whirlpools surrounding that island kept ships and unwelcome visitors at bay. And they had served as a powerful deterrent against other major villages as well… until they hadn't.
"Very well. But I expect you to bring them back every evening or so. I don't want Naruko to forget Kushina's face after not seeing her for months." 'Like she did with me.' He thought somewhat morosely.
"That's no problem." Ren said "No, was there—" Ren was abruptly cut off by a loud knock on the door.
"Hokage-sama, Lord Third has come to meet you."
"Send him in please." He said and the Third Hokage entered his office, a deep weariness etched on the old man's face. The old man paused upon seeing Ren sitting beside him and gave the boy a soft smile before he took a chair and slumped down on it.
He almost felt bad about his decision to bring the Third back from his retirement and sending him out to the war, but he had been the best choice to lead their armies.
"Water?" Ren said, offering the old man a cup of water who gave a nod and gulped it all down.
He wondered if he should start giving water to his guests as well but decided against it. Shinobi were a paranoid lot and won't drink from an unknown source until they're absolutely sure that they could drink from it. And for good reasons as well.
He'd broken that basic code of a shinobi, by drinking the tea provided to him by Onoki, and look how that ended for him.
The Third must really trust Ren if he could drink a cup of water from him without any hesitation.
"Thank you, my child." The 3rd said before turning to him. "Though, brace yourself Minato. I bring bad news."
He nodded, having already anticipated this. "So I take it that the Fire Daimyo is not happy with us right now."
"Wait a moment. Should I be here for this meeting? I can leave if you want?" Ren said and he gestured for the boy to stay.
If anyone in Konoha didn't realise by now that he intended the boy to be his successor then that person was a fool.
"It's crucial that you grasp the power dynamics of our world, Ren, especially since your mere presence holds the potential to change it significantly," he remarked, earning an approving nod from the Third while Ren couldn't help but emit a groan of despair, eliciting chuckles from both of them
"Please, continue." He said to the Third Hokage.
"I guess there's no point in dancing around the issue, so I'll be direct. The Daimyo won't be giving us any financial support. Moreover, he has also imposed trade sanctions on us." The former Hokage said.
For a brief moment, confusion hung in the air... then fury swept in.
His face went absolutely still as he asked. "Pardon?"
"The Daimyo has decided that we've grown too powerful and is now actively trying to hinder our growth." Hiruzen said. "It seems that while we were out at war, he forged a secret alliance with the other Four Daimyos. All four of them, and their allies have put various sanctions against us.Even the Wind Daimyo, who once supported us, has redirected funds solely to his own Hidden Village."
"That's…" Preposterous, he wanted to say. But in truth, it was actually very reasonable.
Konoha and the Land of Fire weren't friends. They were allies of convenience. Konoha was the rabid dog that the Daimyo could use to scare other countries into submission.
Only, now the dog has grown too powerful, and the Daimyo was doing his best to pull at the leash in an attempt to regain control.
Not realising that the dog could turn around and bite his head off at any moment.
"That is not good." He decided to say in the end. "Due to the war, we are already short on funds. And now this."
"It's nothing that we cannot endure. Konoha has gone through far worse before and come out of it stronger." The Third said and he wasn't wrong either.
If they tighten their belts, then they can definitely endure this.
The problem was… he wasn't the Third Hokage. He wasn't a pacifist. If someone hurt him or his village, then he wasn't going to take that lying down. No, he was going to hurt them back.
And the Daimyo was definitely hurting them now. Maybe not directly but this was a clear attempt at weakening Konoha. One that he won't take lying down.
A part of him just wanted to go to the Capital of the Land of Fire and separate the Daimyo's head from his neck. However, he restrained himself from acting on his initial impulses and instead pondered the situation carefully.
He recalled all rumours recently brought to him Rumours circulating around that said that Konoha would now go on to conquer all the other hidden villages and become the emperor of the entire world.
And he would be dishonest if he claimed that the notion hadn't crossed his mind. However, conquering other villages necessitated subduing the kingdoms in which they resided.
To conquer those kingdoms, one must first establish their own kingdom. And to achieve that, he would need to seize control of the Land of Fire—an ambition he hadn't entertained... until now.
But conquering a Kingdom was not going to be easy. Far from it, in fact. Even with all the power he had at his command, it was going to a long and messy affair. And he had no doubt in his mind that he would have to put down multiple rebellions even after conquering the Kingdom.
'Should I do it?' He thought to himself, and the answer came immediately.
The Daimyo was no friend of theirs. And even if they removed this Daimyo, there was no guarantee that the next Daimyo would be their friend either. It was better for the long run to just remove the Daimyo and put their own puppet in place, or take the entire Land of Fire for themselves.
And conquering the Kingdom seemed like a better deal in the long run, even if it'll cause far more trouble in the short run.
If he were truly committed to seizing control of the Land of Fire, meticulous planning would be neeeded. The sheer magnitude of preparations required would demand months, if not years, to execute, particularly given the dire state of Konoha's current economic situation
Furthermore, there was the looming possibility of failure, however improbable it might appear at present.
And even if they did succeed, something like a Hidden Village taking over their Kingdom has never been done before and he had no idea how it would turn out for them in the long run.
"Is our village's financials really that bad?" Ren asked, bringing him out of his dark thoughts.
"It's... a complex situation," the Third responded on his behalf. "Traditionally, the Fire Daimyo has been our main financial supporter, offering us numerous contracts to safeguard their key economic and trade hubs. You must have observed this firsthand during your assault on the Land of Lightning."
Ren nodded thoughtfully as the Third elaborated, "The Fire Daimyo contributes roughly 30% to our economy, while the nobles contribute around 20% annually. The remaining 50% comes from merchants, foreigners, and civilians."
"So... we are looking at a 50% loss in income without the support of the Daimyo and the nobles?" Ren asked.
"Not completely. Some of the nobles don't have their own armies so they can't afford to not hire us. And despite his words, the Daimyo's people will also give us some fundings under the table to continue some of the more important missions. But yes, a significant part of that 50% would be lost to us." The 3rd explained.
"And how long can we sustain working with just 50% of our usual funding?" Ren asked. And the Third looked at him to answer this question this time.
He did a few mental calculations and came up with an easy enough answer.
"For about One year. Two or even Three years if we tighten our belt. But after that point we'll have to start doing underhanded deals to get by." 'Or attack the Daimyo himself and take over the Land of Fire and its entire economy.' He thought.
"And... do we truly need to rely on external support to maintain our economy?" Ren inquired.
"What do you mean, Ren-kun?" He asked.
"I mean, couldn't we develop our own products or offer unique services that traders and nobles wouldn't be able to resist, instead of solely focusing on protecting their lands and caravans?" Ren asked
"And what would these products or services be?" He asked.
"I don't know. What are the advantages we have? We can sell Fuinjutsu seals to wealthy nobles. We can cut and sell timber by cutting some of the trees surrounding our village. Or we could establish our own trading company by investing in ships or caravans."
'And this is where Ren's inexperience shows.' He thought with a sigh. But it was understandable as despite his power, Ren was only a Seven year old child.
"Firstly, we already sell any surplus Fuinjutsu seals we manage to produce. However, due to the scarcity of Fuinjutsu experts and the high demand for these seals within our own ranks, excess stock is rare," he elaborated. "Secondly, the trees surrounding our village serve not only as a protective barrier but also hold cultural significance for many traditional clans in Konoha. Harvesting them for timber would no doubt offend many of the traditional clans in Konoha. And I have no wish to do such a thing. Third, the idea of buying ships and caravans is not bad either. And I might look into it. But I'm not sure just how much profit such a venture would bring us, if any at all."
"Then why don't we create more Fuinjutsu experts?" Ren asked.
"Pardon?"
"I propose we initiate Fuinjutsu training for students at the Academy and offer incentives to those displaying talent in the field. This would cultivate a pool of Fuinjutsu experts over time, allowing us to receive a percentage of their sales when they distribute seals beyond our village," Ren suggested. "Moreover, there's no need to resort to logging the trees surrounding Konoha. We can utilise the Hashirama cells we possess to cultivate new trees, establishing a sustainable timber industry."
"That's..." He pondered the potential drawbacks of such a plan. While he did identify a few challenges, the overall feasibility of the plan seemed promising. The primary concern, however, was the time it would take to see tangible results from investing in Fuinjutsu experts. Even if they began immediately, it would likely be years, if not decades, before they reaped the rewards of this investment.
Regarding the timber industry, while it's true that there are numerous Wood Industries globally, none can rival the quality of wood crafted by the First Hokage. Although the timber produced from Hashirama Cells may not be identical to the original, it still surpasses ordinary wood by a significant margin and would sell for a lot of money.
"Possible." The 3rd said. "It's definitely possible. Some of the traditional clans might still protest but they can be placated."
"Yes, it's definitely possible." He nodded before looking at Ren once again. "Ren-kun. Do you have any other ideas on how to increase Konoha's wealth?"
"A few, yes." Ren said before he thought of something and brought out a large stone and put it on his table.
He noticed the many Fuinjutsu seals carved into the Tablet and raised his eyebrow. "What is this, Ren-kun?"
"I've named it the Road Maker, and its function is as straightforward as its name suggests: it constructs roads," Ren explained. "I've heard that typical shinobi structures tend to deteriorate once the chakra sustaining them dissipates. So, drawing upon my understanding of Earth Release Ninjutsu, I integrated it into this Fuinjutsu Stone," he continued. "Now, all you have to do is place the stone on stable ground and infuse it with chakra. The result will be a 3-meter by 20-meter stretch of solid stone road that will endure for decades, if not centuries."
He licked his lips as he realised the significance of such a product. "And how many of these stone tablets can you produce?" He asked.
"As many as you want. A single Shadow clone can create a dozen of these in a day. And I can create hundreds of Shadow Clones.However, I would request a 10% share of the profits derived from the use of these Road Makers."
"We'll have to test these out first. But if does work…" He trailed off, thinking about Konoha shinobi bringing roads to the entire world, and getting rich while doing that. "Ahem… any other ideas, Ren-kun?"
"We could begin by training additional Medical Shinobi and establishing hospital branches in major cities," he proposed. "By offering their services to affluent nobles and wealthy merchants in neighbouring areas, we could generate a substantial income."
He took out a notepad and jotted it out. He would have to talk with Lady Tsunade about this but with the war having ended, their medical staff won't have as much work anymore. It was… doable. Probably.
"Any other ideas?" He asked.
"Sure, here," Ren replied, retrieving another stone tablet from his Inventory. He couldn't help but wonder just how many stone tablets this kid had stashed away in there.
"What is this?" He asked, not even studying the Fuinjutsu seals this time.
While he considered himself a Fuinjutsu Master, Ren's level of expertise seemed to surpass his own to such a degree that none of the seals made sense to him.
"I created it by studying Mabui's Heavenly Transfer Jutsu. With two of these tablets, you can transfer an object placed on one to the other within a range of a few hundred kilometers," Ren explained. "This tablet is still a work in progress, but I believe that once I'm finished, I'll be able to send objects from them to anywhere in the world. Just imagine it: with an array of these devices, we could instantly transport anything from anywhere to any other place in the world."
"We would easily dominate the Shipping Industry." The Third said, his tone cautious. "However, we would also make a lot of potential enemies in doing so.We must exercise extreme caution in deciding if and how to utilise these tablets."
"Agreed." He said and before looking at Ren once again. The boy looking more and more like a gold mine the more he talked to him. "Do you have any other ideas, Ren-kun?" He asked.
"Yeah, I got a dozen more. You wanna listen to all of them."
He brought out his pen and notebook. "Yeah. You can say that." Then he thought about something. "Though, before we get to that, I have a proposal."
"And what's the proposal?" Ren asked, looking at him warily.
"How about you become my Fourth Advisor, Ren-kun." He asked sweetly.
"Yeah, no thanks." Ren replied immediately.
—————
AN: A day in the life of a maid living in Ren's home.
And a day in the life of the Hokage.
As mentioned earlier, the war has reshaped the global power dynamics. Old alliances have dissolved while new ones have emerged. The Fire Daimyo, who was already wary of Konoha's growing power has now become a clear enemy, causing financial troubles to Konoha.
But Ren already has his own plans on how to address these problems.
Let's see how things will evolve from here on out.
That's it for this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed reading it.
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Have a nice day.
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