Ever since leaving the Shikkotsu Forest, Danzo had been moving around the Land of Wind. Whenever his body had absorbed enough energy, he would head to the Kingdom of Roran.
From time to time, he also contributed to the Land of Wind's environmental transformation policies, using Wood Release to improve the land's condition...
He had created many new oases.
Now that the Land of Wind was in a semi-closed state, it had completely stabilized.
Under the overall management of Yakushi Nonō, with the assistance of Pakura and Kamimi Ikawa, everything was proceeding in an orderly manner.
Bandit purges, environmental transformation, population statistics, civilian resettlement, and the training of new shinobi...
Everything was running smoothly.
"Lord Danzo, the population of the Land of Wind is still too sparse..."
"The teams responsible for environmental transformation need a significant number of Earth Release and Water Release users..."
"We should prioritize developing the southern coastal areas, as they have great potential for trade and commerce..."
Nonō systematically reported on the current situation in the Land of Wind and outlined plans for the future.
As Root continued to support the Land of Wind, it was also reaping enormous benefits in return.
Economically, Root had effectively monopolized both the export of the Land of Wind's unique mineral resources and the import of essential goods such as food and daily necessities. The sheer profit from this trade alone brought in billions every month.
By controlling the exclusive rights to the Land of Wind's rare minerals, Root had further solidified its covert influence across the shinobi world.
At the same time, all of Sunagakure's stored jutsu—be they regular, secret, or forbidden—had now become part of Root's arsenal.
Root had even begun cultivating its own puppet masters and shinobi skilled in poisons.
Among the three parties, Root functioned more like a headquarters, with the Land of Wind and Sunagakure as its subsidiaries.
Despite their close ties, the three entities remained distinct—a structure Danzo had established from the very beginning.
Outside of Root's assigned personnel, very few within the Land of Wind or Sunagakure even knew of Root's existence. To the general public, it simply appeared that the Land of Wind was undergoing massive reforms with remarkable success.
The nation's tax revenue had increased several times over compared to previous years.
"Nonō, you've done an excellent job. You can handle these matters as you see fit."
Danzo had long lost interest in micromanaging such affairs.
Improving his strength, occasionally visiting the capital or Sunagakure—wasn't that a much better way to spend his time?
If not for Nonō's insistence that he return to the Land of Rivers periodically, he might not have come back at all.
Nonō smiled gently at Danzo.
"Then, Lord Danzo, would you care to explain the 1.5 billion ryō funding for Sunagakure that you promised to Pakura?"
Though she maintained her usual warm and gentle demeanor, Danzo could clearly sense the questioning behind her words.
"Pakura gave me a secret technique. That 1.5 billion is simply the price I paid for it," Danzo said with a completely straight face.
"Lord Danzo..." Nonō called softly, her gaze still fixed on him.
Her respectful posture, coupled with the modest and delicate beauty of her nun's attire, only made the situation more difficult to handle.
That gentle yet unwavering gaze was simply too much.
Danzo had no choice but to concede.
"Alright, alright, it won't happen again."
The real reason? Sunagakure's development was far slower than that of the Land of Wind, which frustrated Pakura to no end. After much pleading—and after Danzo had completely taken advantage of her—he had finally agreed to allocate the funds.
"Lord Danzo, please don't do this again," Nonō said helplessly.
"...The southern region of the Land of Wind is in need of many shinobi. Let's allocate this 1.5 billion as an employment fund for Sunagakure's ninjas instead."
Seeing how smoothly Nonō arranged everything, Danzo couldn't help but think: Pakura had paid a price for this funding, and if things played out like this, she might just explode with anger.
"You tell her yourself. She listens to you," Danzo said, tossing the problem to Nonō.
For some reason, both Pakura and Kamimi Ikawa, who were normally bitter rivals, got along quite well with Nonō.
Back when Pakura had adamantly refused to accept Sunagakure, Nonō had spoken to her about something—after which Pakura obediently remained in the village, fully dedicating herself to its development.
Nonō shot Danzo a glare, feeling that ever since he had changed bodies, he had become increasingly unreliable.
"Here is the detailed information on the tailed beasts gathered over the past year..." she said, still fulfilling her duties despite her exasperation.
What Nonō didn't realize was that in the past, when Danzo had been burdened with an aged and frail body, he had no energy for anything beyond strengthening himself and managing affairs.
But now, things were different. Every time he visited the capital, he enjoyed an emperor's treatment...
And whenever he went to Sunagakure, he could always take the opportunity to "console" Pakura...
Danzo saw his time and energy as limited, so he had to prioritize among administrative work, keeping his subordinates in check, and strengthening himself.
Without hesitation, he chose the latter two.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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