The Land of Bears, the capital.
This city, with a population of only 120,000, had experienced a brief period of turmoil but had now completely restored its production and daily order. In fact, due to the implementation of new policies and the reduction of noble exploitation, it was bursting with unprecedented vitality.
In the coup that Land of Bears and the Hoshigakure's Ninjas privately referred to as [Operation Longsword], the aristocratic class and the Daimyo of the Land of Bears were completely eradicated. A new group led by Shura was emerging in the Land of Bears.
In the vast plains west of Land of Bears' capital, farmers who had rented land from the government were working enthusiastically, either cultivating new fields. Their enthusiasm for farming had reached an all-time high, as they hoped to plant one last batch of winter wheat before winter arrived.
They aimed to harvest early next year, repay their debts for seeds and farming tools, and finally have hope for the future.
Meanwhile, the villagers and Ninjas of Hoshigakure had relocated to an area east of the capital and were busy with construction.
This area had originally been the Daimyo's hunting grounds, off-limits to ordinary citizens, and thus retained a relatively untouched natural environment.
"Using this river as the boundary, the eastern area will be planned as a military zone, administrative zone, and experimental zone, while the western area will be designated as residential and commercial zones." On the top of the residence of the Daimyo of the Land of Bears, Menma explained, pointing to a river on the map as he discussed the capital's construction with Kanon, Gato, and the others.
Among his subordinates, only Kanon, Gato, and Yosei had some administrative capabilities.
Several days had passed since the battle with Obito, the self-proclaimed 'Uchiha Madara'.
The relocation of Hoshigakure had been mostly completed, and construction of a brand-new city was underway.
"Winter is coming soon. Prepare more cold-weather supplies. Once the farming season ends, organize the people to develop this plain, building water conservancy projects and infrastructure." Menma understood the importance of infrastructure and agricultural development.
For now, the Land of Bears' military strength was based on Hoshigakure, with Menma and his group serving as the elite force. In the short term, there was no need to worry about invasions from other nations.
The surrounding small and medium-sized countries, such as the Land of Demons, the Land of Ghosts, and the Land of Birds, had no Ninja Villages of their own.
In the war five years ago, Iwagakure's ten-thousand-strong Ninja Army had besieged the Third Raikage, suffering heavy losses, so Iwagakure currently had no desire for external conflicts.
After the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, Sunagakure had triggered the Third Great Ninja War, and its strength had been greatly diminished.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind had taken the opportunity to further cut funding to Sunagakure. While the likelihood of Sunagakure starting a war was not insignificant, given their current strength, there was little to worry about.
Thus, Menma focused his main efforts on developing the Land of Bears.
"My lord, the surrounding countries have imposed blockades, prohibiting merchant caravans from entering. Our national finances are becoming strained." Gato reported with concern, explaining the recent international situation.
Menma wasn't worried about the so-called blockades, "Merchants chase profit. The Land of Bears lies between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth, serving as a crucial trade route for the two great nations and several other countries in the western part of the Ninja World. As long as we maintain stable and fair commercial tax rates and create a favorable business environment, these merchants will find their own ways to enter."
Much of the technology in the Ninja World remained primitive. Aside from the relatively modern tech level in Ninja Villages, most regions were stuck in feudal or early modern living conditions.
For example, commercial exchanges primarily relied on horse-drawn carriages for land transport, while maritime shipping mostly used wooden vessels.
For profit-driven merchants, there were countless ways to smuggle goods despite the Daimyo's blockade orders.
As for deploying Ninjas to patrol the borders?
Please… hiring ninjas was expensive, and the Daimyo wouldn't want to spend that kind of money.
Besides, merchants could always hire Ninjas for protection themselves.
In short, this was a chaotic world.
Menma assigned Gato and Yosei to oversee urban and economic development.
Kanon was tasked with forming an administrative team to gradually take charge of the nation's governance.
At the same time, Menma dispatched numerous shadow clones to operate across Land of Bears' cities and various departments, ensuring the smooth functioning of the state apparatus during the transitional period.
Thanks to the [Multiple Shadow Clone Technique], Menma's clones spread throughout the grassroots level, disseminating ideas, providing education, and training administrative personnel to build a foundation of governance for the country's new government.
After the meeting, Menma headed to the underground laboratory beneath the Daimyo's residence.
This place was originally the underground treasury and warehouse of the Land of Bears' Daimyo but had since been renovated.
Until the new experimental zone was completed and put into use, this would serve as Menma's temporary research base.
More than a dozen shadow clones in white coats are conducting research on various projects, including research on Hashirama's cells, Iburi Clan's Kekkei Genkai, White Zetsu's cells, Wood Release, various Ninjutsu, and scientific ninja tools.
Fortunately, Menma was an Uzumaki, possessing vast Chakra and vitality, and with Black Nine-Tails continuously supplying him with Chakra, he could create up to two thousand shadow clones to engage in all kinds of activities and research.
Moreover, these two thousand shadow clones are only what he needed to maintain the country's operations and ongoing research… far from the limit of the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, let alone Black Nine-Tails' Chakra capacity.
"Shura-sama!" When Menma entered a medical room, a stunning woman with long violet hair, Natsuhi, rose from beside a hospital bed and bowed respectfully to him.
On the bed lay an emaciated man, which is her husband, Hotarubi.
"Feeling any better?" Menma nodded at Natsuhi before stepping to the bedside and placing his hand on Hotarubi's wrist, channeling Chakra into his body to examine the lingering radiation damage.
"I'm much better now, thank you, Shura-sama." Natsuhi forced a smile.
Both were Jonin of Hoshigakure. After discovering that training with the meteorite would fatally irradiate the body, they had attempted to steal it.
Later, they were persuaded by the Third Hoshikage, Yosei to fake their own deaths and escape, living around Devil's Ravine, secretly monitoring the situation in Hoshigakure.
By the time Yosei found them, Hotarubi's body was already on the verge of collapse. Natsuhi had been caring for her husband, so she hadn't noticed the anomalies in Hoshigakure.
Then, Menma used Mind's Eye of Kagura and Negative Emotions Sensing to question and examine them. After confirming that they knew nothing about the situation in Hoshigakure and were not the ones who leaked the information, he did not make things difficult for them.
It just so happens that Hotarubi's radiation-poisoned condition made him a valuable research subject. For the past few days, he had been receiving treatment and participating in studies in this medical lab.
Now that Natsuhi and Hotarubi were cleared of suspicion, the traitor had to be among the captured Hoshigakure's Ninjas.
Menma looked at the violet-haired Natsuhi, 'If I remember correctly, in the original Anime, the Hoshigakure's traitors were led by that guy… Akahoshi, wasn't it?'