He finished the article in no time.
A smile appeared on Uchiha Makoto's face as he looked at the lively Yilin-style short story in front of him. Sneaking peeks at Yilin back in class hadn't been a waste after all.
This little story's flavor was just so pure.
Authentic to the bone.
Then…
He looked over at Kazuma, who was standing to the side.
"Kazuma, what do you think of this piece?"
"G… great… absolutely great…"
Kazuma's expression turned extremely odd. The article Makoto had written was a vivid, interesting, and meaningful short story. It fully showcased Akatsuki Village's excellent business environment while reflecting the villagers' humane character.
That final line — "If the shinobi world today allowed free migration, then people would flow toward civilization — and without a doubt Akatsuki Village is civilization!" — was a stroke of genius.
If he were a merchant, he would definitely want to move to Akatsuki Village to do business.
But something still felt off to Kazuma.
Because, as far as he knew…
Akatsuki Village didn't seem to have even a single gold shop yet. And who exactly was this "daimyō who does not wish to be named"?
Could it be the daimyō of the Land of Fire?
Possible…
"That's right. I made all of it up."
Sensing the odd look on Kazuma's face, Uchiha Makoto made no attempt to hide the truth. The entire story was fabricated.
"It doesn't exist?"
"So… that's just lying, isn't it?"
Kazuma griped inwardly. The strange look on his face vanished, replaced by a classic not-surprised-at-all expression. For Lord Light Shadow to pull something like this was not surprising.
In every sense, Uchiha Makoto's methods were outrageous — but the results… were excellent.
"Don't be stingy with the funds. Have those publishers, newspapers, scriptwriters, and print shops print this article hard. Within three days, I want every city in the Land of Fire flooded with newspapers carrying my piece!"
Uchiha Makoto knew the importance of public opinion.
Who cares whether the short piece is fabricated?
You must first make an absolute number of people aware of it. You can spend money to pile on traffic and build the account first, then think about content afterward. That's a standard trick of unscrupulous media.
And it really is simple and effective.
It works just as well in the shinobi world.
"Yes, Lord Light Shadow."
Kazuma agreed without hesitation.
When your direct superior, Lord Light Shadow, gives a personal order, there's only one option: obey.
Loyalty.
Very soon…
This catchy, brainwashing little essay spread across the entire Land of Fire at lightning speed, causing an uproar among merchants. These were the land's most authoritative, influential newspapers and periodicals… and a certain unnamed daimyō had personally commented.
How could you not believe it?
The great merchants of the Land of Fire moved at the news.
They flocked to Akatsuki Village to investigate, eager to join civilization.
Uchiha Makoto and Satō Kazuma received them one by one. Akatsuki Village was vigorously promoting an excellent business environment and needed their participation.
In just a few days,
the number of magnates who formally decided to settle in Akatsuki Village surged. News about the village spread rapidly. After all, Akatsuki had been making big moves lately.
Some things simply couldn't be hidden.
Next door in Konoha, the shinobi clans were also gathering all kinds of information about Akatsuki Village.
At this very moment,
Senju Tobirama was in his office arranging the documents needed for today's major meeting.
Everything in Konoha was gradually getting on track.
But because Konoha was larger and had more clans joining than Akatsuki Village, the relocation of clans to Konoha had delayed Tobirama somewhat… so the overall progress was just a little slower than Akatsuki's.
A while back,
Tobirama had returned to Konoha in high spirits with ten billion ryō in funding. The treasury was more flush than ever before, which made him eager to get to work and build Konoha into the most prosperous village in the shinobi world as soon as possible.
To that end, after returning he shut himself away, refused all visitors, and even postponed day-to-day affairs for a time. After intense deliberation, he drafted a comprehensive strategic plan.
Now that all the preparations were complete, Tobirama planned to unveil his Strong Village Plan at today's meeting.
Konoha's full high council convened quickly.
Inside the conference room…
The Konoha leadership sat and listened as Senju Tobirama outlined a series of strategic plans for the village's future.
"I intend to establish a covert tactical assassination special force…"
Brows furrowed across the clans. This proposal sounded familiar — it was essentially the same ANBU scheme the Light Shadow of Akatsuki Village had proposed. Could Lord Tobirama have copied it directly?
Uncertain. Keep listening.
"I plan to establish a ninja academy. Not only must the children of the clans enroll, but civilian children should join as well. The Clone Technique, Substitution Technique, and Transformation Technique will serve as basic instruction…"
The clans looked at one another… Hm. Similar, yes. This time it must be a coincidence.
Tobirama noticed the strange looks but didn't dwell on them. After all, his Strong Village Plan would indeed harm some clan interests. He continued. "I intend to found Konoha's own Will of Fire…"
Silence fell around the room.
Huh?
How is this just like Akatsuki Village again?
You're not even pretending anymore.
While it's true that, for the village's future, it isn't impossible to directly adopt excellent policies from other villages, Akatsuki had only just begun implementing such plans. Lord Tobirama, for you to copy them outright and call it the fruit of your own painstaking thought… isn't that a bit unsightly?
At the very least, wait a while. Let the buzz die down before rolling it out.
"All you do is copy, spewing hot air!"
Uchiha Madara had always been blunt, and because of Uchiha Izuna he'd long harbored resentment toward Senju Tobirama. Others in the room might spare Tobirama's dignity, but Madara would not.
"What did you say!"
Tobirama's hearing was sharp, and Madara's voice was loud. Everyone in the council chamber heard it clearly. He immediately confronted Madara. His elder brother was right here in the room, after all, so he had no reason to fear the inherently evil Uchiha Madara.
"He said, 'Tobirama has a point!'"
Senju Hashirama hurried to smooth things over to keep the conflict from escalating.
"I said you're plagiarizing!"
"Everything you proposed today was already put forward by Uchiha Makoto in Akatsuki Village. It hasn't even been that long, and you can't wait to play the plagiarist dog."
"Utterly stupid and vile."
Senju Tobirama: "I'm a plagiarist dog?"
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