The integration of the two daimyo factions was, in some ways, simple yet also troublesome.
It was simple because the upper echelons were aligned in purpose, and the primary shinobi forces raised no objections. The so-called integration was little more than piecing together a patchwork, like assembling a platter of disparate dishes.
It was troublesome because the process was plagued by an endless stream of petty issues—everything from job assignments to resource allocation to interpersonal conflicts. Nothing went entirely smoothly.
These matters, though minor, could not be ignored. Each required careful resolution.
While the shinobi forces of Reito Castle were primarily led by the Akimichi Clan, they weren't the only ones present. Relying solely on the Akimichi's numbers would be insufficient to sustain a daimyo's rule. After all, while elite shinobi held greater value and could play pivotal roles, a daimyo always needed less exceptional individuals to handle the grunt work.
Undoubtedly, those miscellaneous shinobi who wished to remain in Kawagenkoku would need to join the Firefly Organization. Otherwise, they'd have to leave.
As a result, many people—especially mid-level captains and lower-ranking managers—found themselves swamped, barely touching the ground in the past few days.
Fortunately, these trivial matters didn't reach Hane Genma. His focus remained on the bigger picture.
And what was the bigger picture? Controlled chaos, with everything trending toward progress. Once the initial friction smoothed out over time, the Firefly Organization would still be the Firefly Organization.
When the Fuma Clan first joined, weren't there similar minor issues? And now? The Fuma Clan was diligently forging weapons for the organization.
With the addition of another shinobi clan to the Firefly Organization, Uchiha Nanami's foresight and actions proved their worth. The headbands she designed were now coming into play.
In Kikyo Castle's keep, the acting lord, Date Toyosaka, was savoring a meal while humming a tune.
Exquisite dishes filled the table before him, their vibrant colors and tantalizing aromas teasing his senses. Several strikingly beautiful maids knelt nearby, attending to his every need with meticulous care.
Life had been good for Date Toyosaka lately. Though he was something of a puppet, he wielded no small amount of political power. In truth, it wasn't inaccurate to say Kikyo Castle was under his governance.
As long as he avoided clashing with the local shinobi organization, he effectively held the authority of a daimyo without the title. Sure, there was always a vague sense of being controlled from above, but compared to his days as a minor lackey under the previous daimyo, Date Toyosaka was far better off now.
But at that moment, three shinobi entered the room.
Their unannounced arrival startled Date Toyosaka so badly he nearly dropped his chopsticks. A flood of ominous thoughts surged through his mind.
Kikyo Castle had just undergone one coup—were they now facing a second? Damn those shinobi, never keeping their word!
He struggled to maintain his composure and studied the three intruders. Their attire wasn't uniform, yet they all wore identical headbands he'd never seen before.
Two of them he recognized as members of the Fuma Clan. The third, unusually burly, looked like a shinobi from the rival Reito Castle.
The scene nearly sent Date Toyosaka's upper digestive system into shutdown and his lower one into overdrive.
Strangely, though, the three shinobi stopped a short distance away and knelt on one knee.
What did this mean? Reito Castle hadn't attacked and defeated them? Had Reito Castle surrendered instead?
He'd guessed only part of the truth.
Then, the burly shinobi spoke, "Lord Date, Kawagenkoku has now been unified. You are now a vassal of Daimyo Shimizu Kisuke. If you wish to retain your current position, you must accompany me to Reito Castle immediately to swear your allegiance."
In those fleeting minutes, Date Toyosaka's emotions swung like a rollercoaster.
Wait—when had Kawagenkoku been unified? Didn't unification imply Kikyo Castle's downfall? But Kikyo Castle hadn't fallen.
How had he suddenly become a vassal to that Shimizu kid? Why hadn't there been any prior indication?
Who am I? Where am I? Is this still Kikyo Castle?
Regardless of his tangled emotions, without the Firefly Organization's support, he had no choice but to follow orders and head to Reito Castle.
If he could prove his loyalty to the daimyo, he might theoretically retain his position. After all, with no shinobi forces of his own, he could hardly stir up trouble. Obedience was his only option.
Under these circumstances, having a local govern a local was the best way to maintain stability.
Thanks to Lord Hane Genma, this trip might even lead to a promotion for Date Toyosaka—from "acting lord" to full-fledged "castle lord." It wasn't impossible.
This wasn't the path he'd envisioned, from castle lord to daimyo, but a promotion was still a promotion, wasn't it?
In any case, Date Toyosaka had fulfilled his historical role. Whatever happened next was no longer Genma's concern.
At that moment, Genma had just finished inspecting the organization's internal restructuring, combat unit assignments, and deployment distributions. He was on his way back to the office with Uchiha Nanami and Akimichi Kigetsu, who had recently been reassigned.
"You seem a bit obsessive, don't you?" Nanami remarked casually as they walked. "Always dividing departments, defining roles, and then filling them with shinobi?"
Genma didn't quite grasp her point. "What's wrong with that?"
Assigning roles before selecting personnel seemed perfectly logical to him.
Nanami shook her head. "In most shinobi clans, there aren't fixed 'positions.' When a task or need arises, shinobi are dispatched as required."
Her words made Genma pause. It wasn't that shinobi clans were less organized or more haphazard; his approach to internal structuring was less like a traditional clan and more akin to the later shinobi villages.
Was he innovating or subconsciously plagiarizing? Well, call it innovative plagiarism.
"It sounds like the clan approach isn't bad," Genma admitted. "My method might be a bit redundant."
Despite his words, he had no intention of backtracking. The clan structure might suit the current era, but that era might soon become obsolete.
Nanami nodded, unable to say which approach was superior. She chalked it up to Genma's personal preference.
"By the way, do we really not need to relocate to Reito Castle?" she asked.
"No need. The two towns aren't far apart, and we've only just finished construction here. There's no reason to move. Besides…" Genma paused. "I get along well with Daimyo Shimizu. We could even be friends. But if we moved to Reito Castle, we'd be too close, and I'm afraid he'd feel suffocated."
After all, the saying "familiarity breeds contempt" held some truth.
With the organization's personnel redistributed, Reito Castle's leader remained Akimichi Jinsei, but his forces were no longer solely clan members. They now included Fuma shinobi and former Hanemiya shinobi.
In this setup, Genma could control Reito Castle's military strength without needing to hover nearby. This left a necessary buffer between himself and the daimyo.
Akimichi Kigetsu listened quietly to their conversation. Though he felt their dialogue lacked a touch of respect for the daimyo, their open and unreserved attitude was refreshing.
He hadn't expected the topic to shift to him.
Nanami understood the value of distance in maintaining harmony, but she also knew distance could breed disconnect. She nodded hesitantly. "I just wonder if Clan Leader Jinsei can secure enough funding."
"Have some faith in him," Genma replied, half-teasing. "Now's the perfect time for military buildup. As Kawagenkoku's sole sun, where else would Daimyo Shimizu Kisuke allocate funds if not to our organization?"
Genma wasn't worried about military budgets. He turned to Kigetsu. "By the way, Kigetsu-san, does the Akimichi Clan have ties with the Yamanaka or Nara Clans?"
With the merger complete, what came next? Naturally, more mergers.
Kigetsu looked up, puzzled by the sudden shift in topic but quick to respond. "The Yamanaka and Nara? Our Akimichi Clan has relatively friendly relations with them. In fact, we've collaborated on certain missions before."
The two clans' scale and survival strategies in the shinobi world were somewhat similar to the Akimichi's, making them naturally inclined toward cooperation or alliance due to complementary abilities and shared circumstances.
Reflecting on their current situation, Kigetsu had a flash of insight, realizing what Genma was getting at.
"In fact, because our past collaborations went so smoothly, some forward-thinkers in the three clans considered forming a tri-clan alliance. But due to various concerns and opposition within each clan, the idea fizzled out."
So, even without Genma's involvement, the "Ino-Shika-Cho" trio would likely have formed eventually.
Still, the issue remained: many could see the benefits of clan alliances, but how to unify collective interests without harming individual ones? It was a daunting task.
An alliance required clans to cede a portion of their interests to the collective. Only after taking that first step could the alliance offer returns—a classic case of sacrificing for the greater good, which was easier said than done.
The leap from independent clans to a unified alliance was nothing short of revolutionary. Polite negotiations alone wouldn't cut it. Only overwhelming force could forge the tightest bonds.
Yet force alone wasn't enough. Striking the right balance was a feat perhaps only a god could achieve—a "God of Shinobi" included.
Genma was pleased with Kigetsu's answer. Truthfully, he wasn't in a rush to absorb the Yamanaka or Nara Clans. The organization hadn't even fully integrated the Akimichi yet. Expanding too quickly, swallowing too much at once, risked choking—or worse.
Still, planning ahead never hurt.
"Kigetsu-san, what do you think of the relationship between those two clans and the secular powers backing them? Or rather, how strong is their dependency on their respective daimyo? Does the Akimichi Clan have any insights?"
"Their dependency…" Kigetsu pondered, offering a broad assessment. "It's much weaker than our Akimichi Clan's ties to Reito Castle, but stronger than the Firefly Organization's former relationship with Kikyo Castle."
"I see. So they can deploy their combat units with relative freedom," Genma mused, grasping the situation. While immediate absorption of the Yamanaka and Nara wasn't on the table, that didn't mean he couldn't form an Ino-Shika-Cho of his own.
"What do you think about our organization hiring a few Yamanaka and Nara shinobi long-term? Is that feasible?"
"Long-term hiring?" Kigetsu blinked.
"Yes, ideally lifetime contracts," Genma said. "No need to answer right away. Take your time to think it over."
To be fair, lifetime contracts weren't necessary for now, but hiring? What was so hard about that?
As expected of Genma—always scheming, always forward-thinking. High foresight meant planning three steps ahead while securing the present.
"With our Akimichi Clan's relationship with them, hiring shinobi from those two clans shouldn't be an issue," Kigetsu said. "But, Lord Hane, if you're planning the next step, the conditions are steep. Just the financial burden of supporting so many shinobi…"
"Financial burden?" Genma cut in. "That's not for you or me to worry about. That's Daimyo Shimizu's problem. Know your place, stick to a shinobi's duty, and don't overstep."
Financial burden? Soon, there'd be no burden at all.
Kawagenkoku was a small region, but after achieving internal unification and quelling conflict, the changes were immediate.
The most obvious sign was the rapid population recovery within the nation's borders.
Peace, even temporary peace, created a powerful siphoning effect. People from surrounding areas flooded in, and the transformation was so dramatic it terrified Daimyo Shimizu Kisuke.
Logically, this was good news—so why was the daimyo worried? Because he was a surrenderist at heart, believing in keeping a low profile and quietly amassing wealth. He had no desire to stand out in the chaotic shinobi world.
Absorbing this population would significantly boost Kawagenkoku's national strength, granting the daimyo and his shinobi forces access to greater resources. But it also made them a prime target—a juicy prize.
Genma, however, didn't care. Growth was always a good thing.
Fatten up—whether it was Kawagenkoku, the Firefly Organization, or the Akimichi Clan, they all needed to bulk up. Without fat, how could they be strong?
And then, amid this flourishing prosperity, Genma suddenly received a summoning signal from White Zetsu.
See? Opportunity knocks. Luck was unpredictable like that.
When you're down, even drinking water clogs your teeth. But when you're up, it flows smoother than a thousand-mile torrent.
It was harvest season, and Genma was ready to reap.
Yet, the events that followed veered far from his expectations. This wasn't a torrent of good fortune—it was a tooth-clogging disaster.
Because when Genma arrived for the "meeting," he didn't just find White Zetsu.
Black Zetsu was there, possessing White Zetsu's body.
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my patreon:
pat reon .com/yuuwand