"Mirai-sama, this is the wedding plan we prepared. We'll invite the leaders of Konoha's thirty-seven clans, the Fifth Kazekage, and the captain of the Security Corps."
Hyuga Mirai took the wedding outline from the federal officials, frowned slightly as he spread it out, and said in surprise, "Eighteen pages just for notes? Do we need to pay attention to all this?"
"This is a condensed version. The full details are in this booklet."
"I'll skip that," Mirai waved off. He couldn't understand how a simple wedding turned into a full book. If it weren't padded, these people were true talents.
"Has the war in the Land of Water ended?"
The official immediately entered work mode and replied, "We've captured the Daimyo's palace and Hidden Mist Village. Hidden Mist surrendered under the guidance of a former master, who later committed suicide. However, the village didn't resist, and the power transition was smooth."
"Small-scale rebellions still occur across the Land of Water, but under the Puppet Division's suppression, over 3,000 have been killed, and prisoners have increased to 7,000. Mirai-sama, it seems the southwestern mining area can't accommodate them all."
Mirai pulled out a project plan and tossed it to the official. "Then have them build roads. Add three railways within the federation: from Kawasuna District to Konoha, Tansaku Street, and Ryūchi District. All plans can commence. Send orders to the Land of Water battlefield commanders: leave no rebels alive, but don't capture indiscriminately."
The ninja world's development required manpower. Even with robots for labor, mineral resources had to be extracted first to mass-produce machines.
Until then, these prisoners were the best labor force. Even if only moving bricks, the federation would maximize their value.
Currently, the federation was still half-agricultural, half-industrial. After absorbing over ten thousand prisoners, whether for mining or infrastructure, manpower was urgently needed.
"Also, the position of Deputy Minister of Education has four candidates."
Mirai checked the list and confirmed: "All four are acceptable. Have Yamanaka Kaiichi and Hyuga Tokuma train in the federation for three months. Once familiar with the school system, they'll return to the Land of Fire to establish branch schools."
Now, ninja rosters were fully shared. Some federal appointments considered Konoha's ninjas, but those selected still had to understand the federation's governance and administrative principles.
Mirai then printed a roster of ten administrative staff and twenty teachers from the Ministry of Education and handed it to the official in front of him.
This official was almost Mirai's assistant, though still the third in the administration, with plenty of duties.
After discussing some matters, the official left with a pile of files, only to return shortly after with more.
"Mirai-sama, you haven't confirmed the wedding details yet. By the way, your new home is near your current residence, and there will be much to handle that day."
He had forgotten his original purpose amidst official matters.
Mirai sighed and waved him off. "Handle it as you see fit. I have no objections."
A thick wedding planning book was madness; Mirai had decided he'd send a clone to cooperate, while he took Ayaka Uzumaki and others to relax.
Still, he felt his workload growing. Even if Pakura wasn't back, all tasks shouldn't fall on him.
Mirai called another person, gave instructions on Security Corps expansion, and asked why he kept reporting to him.
Reluctantly, the man revealed it was the Kazekage's orders.
After learning this, Mirai smiled and summoned the federal press to spend the next two weeks reporting heroic deeds from the Land of Water battlefield: the Fifth Kazekage alone suppressing Hidden Mist, expanding territory by three thousand kilometers, and so on.
The media was under Mirai's control; all news within the federation was managed by No. 18.
For now, Pakura was the federation's hero. Even if she wanted to abdicate, no one would agree. Her word alone could draw hundreds or thousands to the Kazekage's office, urging her not to step down.
Mirai's residential area, aside from the Uzumaki and Uchiha Mikoto families, had no other residents. After confirming his marriage, the federation designated this zone as his private area.
It was secluded, quiet, and lightly developed. Mirai personally designed the house and built an underground lab. While smaller than the Roran or Tea Country labs, its usable space matched the Uzumaki Nation's testing base.
Upon return, Mirai found Kushina and Ayaka Uzumaki. One was struggling with a book. Upon seeing him, Kushina complained, "Your wedding plans are overly complicated! Memorizing all this is a headache."
"You're actually reading it seriously?"
Mirai glanced at Ayaka's book, saw simulated scenarios inside, and tossed it aside, saying: "Ayaka, don't bother. They've gone insane trying to showcase the merger of the two nations. Just send a clone to handle them."
Ayaka laughed like a crescent moon. "Alright, Mirai-sama."
"Do you want anything special to eat that day?" he asked, leading Ayaka upstairs.
"You… cooking yourself?"
"Sometimes, after eating enough fine food, you naturally start cooking."
They went upstairs, leaving Kushina alone on the first floor. After a while, she muttered "Damn it!" and returned home. She realized that being shown affection could be both sweet and bitter.
The southwestern mining area stretched over a thousand kilometers to Roran. Rich in minerals, its underground reserves were dozens to hundreds of times greater than the former Land of Wind, with more being surveyed. Even a century of mining wouldn't exhaust it.
Besides laborers and federal staff, prisoners comprised the remaining workforce.
Initially, many high-ranking ninjas resisted becoming lowly miners, a massive fall from grace.
Led by the Fourth Raikage, they still clung to pride and refused dirty work.
The federation's supervisors had a method: prisoners earned rations via points. No work, no food, leading to starvation.
The Raikage endured, but his loyal subordinates couldn't watch him starve. In a twenty-person dorm, a growling stomach would be humiliating.
So some Cloud ninjas worked nonstop, pooling points to feed the Raikage.
Ninjas had large appetites, and unlike civilian workers, exchanging points for extra meals was difficult—costing double points.
After two days of receiving food from his subordinates, the Raikage began working for points. Cloud, Rock, Mist, and Konoha ninjas observed; accepting gifts unconditionally would tarnish the Raikage's reputation.
With ninja Taijutsu, the Raikage earned points faster than others. Cloud ninjas trained in Taijutsu also worked the fastest among all prisoners.
The next day, at shift's end, the Raikage recorded his points and approached the local supervisor.
"What's the matter?"
The supervisor, an ordinary civilian, knew these miners were formerly enemies and feared the Raikage's intimidating presence.
Suppressing his anger, the Raikage asked calmly: "Can points be exchanged for medicine? My subordinates are sick and need treatment."
"No," the supervisor shook his head, then added, "Take sick people to the medical area. Medicine cannot be distributed privately, and no points are required."
After giving directions, the supervisor dismissed him.
The federation valued prisoners highly; losing a ninja to illness was a significant loss.
After delivering medicine to sick comrades, the Raikage rested, preparing for twelve more hours of work the next day. Without preserving his strength, he couldn't even earn food for his subordinates.
"Pitiful, Fourth Raikage," a voice echoed late at night. Other ninjas awakened as the space before them distorted and a masked figure appeared.
"Who's there?!"
Despite being unable to use Ninjutsu or Chakra, the ninjas drew on Taijutsu and shouted warnings. If the intruder was hostile, they could alert others with their lives.
"Once contending with the Yellow Flash for the fastest ninja, now the Raikage has fallen this far," Obito Uchiha murmured, observing his decline.
(End of chapter)
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