Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 148 The Selection of the Great Celebrity is Established

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the letters with a bitter smile on his face.

Those famous figures were all reminding him not to show favoritism, but in reality, weren't they all secretly recommending their own preferred candidates?

Of those so-called daimyo orphans, very few actually have the bloodline of the daimyo. Most are merely collateral relatives of the previous daimyo, or even distant relatives with no real connection whatsoever.

Behind them stood the daimyo of the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, the Land of Thunder, and the Land of Water, as well as several powerful clans from the Land of Fire.

"Lord Hokage, what should we do?" Nara Shikaichi asked.

He was the newly appointed acting head of the family, but he was not very strong and his intelligence was relatively average in the family. In fact, he was pushed out by the family to take the fall.

"We're not going to do anything," Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. "It's not our place to get involved. Let them try to earn it themselves."

"But……"

"Shikaichi, we're just ninjas. We only need to do our duty. Notify ninjas across the country that those who haven't returned should do so as soon as possible. Dealing with those tedious administrative tasks will only wear us down. We're ninjas; our priority should be missions and our strength..."

He paused, then continued, "Our primary task is to defend the country and prevent chaos, nothing more."

"Now, we'll show them." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was weary: "We'll all withdraw until a new daimyo is chosen. That's the rule, and that's the bottom line."

The selection of the new daimyo lasted for more than a month.

Various forces engaged in open and covert struggles, forming alliances and counter-alliances, staging a series of dramatic events right under Konoha's nose.

The only saving grace was that everyone adhered to an unwritten rule: assassinations using ninjas were forbidden. The reason given was that "ninjas should not interfere in the affairs of mortals, otherwise they would incur the wrath of the gods."

Yes, the mass disappearance of Daming Prefecture and all its nobles and wealthy merchants has been classified as divine retribution.

That was because the ninjas were involved in the affairs of the daimyo, so the gods punished them.

As for the truth, everyone knows it, but the common people believe it without a doubt, and even some nobles and merchants who have a deep faith in the gods believe it too.

Daimyo and nobles are the descendants of gods, their representatives on earth. Mortals should revere them, and ninjas should not lay a finger on them.

Some people ask, why does the god punish daimyo instead of ordinary people, let alone ninjas?

Isn't that a contradiction?

But the people who raised this question soon disappeared.

The struggle between candidates for the title of Daimyo of the Land of Fire is no less intense than the struggle between ninjas, and is even more brutal. One wrong move and your entire family will be wiped out, leaving no descendants behind.

Each of them shines brightly in their respective territories, striving to prove their legitimacy to the greatest extent possible.

They even went so far as to lower themselves to get close to, care for, and win over ordinary people they would never have bothered to befriend, in order to gain more support.

The chaos in the Land of Fire truly began from this moment. As for the so-called Konoha funds, they could only be distributed after the Daimyo had made a final decision.

Meanwhile, the other major nations and ninja villages simply sat quietly on the sidelines watching the show, while each ninja village secretly accelerated its own development.

They seized the opportunity to take away a large number of missions belonging to Konoha. They knew very well that such opportunities would not come often. Once the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was confirmed and the chaos in the Land of Fire was restored, Konoha would return to its dominant position.

For a time, the ninja world, whether ninjas or nobles, was plunged into a near-frenzied infighting.

Just as the various daimyo candidates in the Land of Fire were vying for power, Ryuji Ida, who was far away, sent a letter to Shisei Aburame.

The letter stated that the six great families of the Gold Exchange wished to cooperate with them and elect a daimyo from the Land of Fire whom they preferred.

Ryuji Ida asked Shisei Aburame whether they should take action and join the six major families in recommending their own daimyo for the position.

Aburame Shisei, who had been conducting experiments, shook his head after seeing the letter and then replied, "Ignore it."

The relationship between the nobles and ninjas of the Land of Fire is deeply intertwined. The reason why the six great clans have been able to endure for a thousand years is because they live in the shadows. Once they try to come ashore, destruction awaits them.

As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, Aburame Shisei really wanted to see what it would be like to let ninjas take control of the government.

Unfortunately, this is simply impossible, especially in the Land of Fire.

Even if the ninjas of Konoha wanted to, the other major powers would not allow it.

Moreover, if Hiruzen Sarutobi truly had that kind of determination, he wouldn't have relied so heavily on the ninja clan in the first place.

At this time, the daimyo of all the major powers would certainly do their utmost to keep a close watch on Hiruzen Sarutobi, and would never allow him to interfere in any political affairs or taxation. This was a tacit understanding among the daimyo, and also a shared understanding among the noble class of the ninja world.

In their eyes, ninjas are only fit to be henchmen, tools to be manipulated. They must never be allowed to realize that there are things they can control, and that they can do and manage certain tasks.

Daimyo and nobles hold supreme power, and governing a country requires considering far too many things. Ninjas, on the other hand, only need to focus on honing their ninjutsu and improving their strength. This is the 'right path'.

Several months later, the turmoil in the Land of Fire finally came to an end.

Ultimately, a remote nobleman with virtually no powerful connections was chosen as the new daimyo.

His only advantage is that it's acceptable to all parties. In other words, no one is satisfied, but there's no strong opposition either.

Of course, this famous person is not without background.

He is a descendant of the previous daimyo, and also a descendant of the Senju clan, who are involved in both business and politics.

With the support of these two noble bloodlines, plus the commoner Senju clan, the new daimyo's position is secure.

He was not a puppet of any power, nor did he allow the Konoha ninjas to interfere with his rights.

The other powerful figures were quite satisfied with this—that was enough.

After the news spread, congratulatory letters from the daimyo of the four great nations arrived again, praising Hiruzen Sarutobi's fairness in their words.

But everyone can see that it was just empty talk.

The real issue is that Konoha has once again become marginalized in the political affairs of the Land of Fire.

In the dungeon, Danzo Shimura sat there squarely, watching as the door opened wide and Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly walked in.

"Sarutobi, you were wrong this time. You missed your only great opportunity."

"Danzo, your ambition is too great. You have never thought about what kind of consequences your actions will bring to Konoha."

"Heh, I don't know. I only know that doing this will make Konoha stronger. Hiruzen, what exactly is it that has worn away your courage?"