"Advisor... nothing gets served on a platter by itself."
Koji looked toward Katagiri while speaking calmly.
The cold air in the hall felt heavy as snow continued to fall outside the palace windows.
"If the Land of Snow keeps living in fear of the Great Nations forever..."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"...then honestly, this country will achieve nothing."
The room became quiet for a moment.
Katagiri continued staring at Koji with a stern gaze.
The old adviser remained silent until Koji finished speaking.
Then finally—
He spoke.
"Do not use those provocative words in front of me, boy."
His calm voice carried visible pressure behind it.
"I already passed my hot-blooded years a long time ago."
The firelight flickered faintly across his aged face.
"What matters to me now..."
He paused briefly.
"...is the survival and long-standing stability of the Land of Snow."
Koji quietly listened without interrupting.
Then Katagiri slowly looked toward him again.
"And right now..."
His expression hardened slightly.
"...there is a very high chance that if we agree to the Uchiha proposal, both our survival and our standing will be placed at risk."
The atmosphere inside the hall quietly deepened again.
Only the sound of the snowstorm outside continued echoing faintly through the walls.
"Which I can assure you will not happen, Advisor Katagiri."
A calm voice suddenly echoed through the hall.
Katagiri's eyes immediately sharpened.
The old adviser quickly looked around the room, trying to locate where the voice had come from.
But he found nothing.
The nobles nearby also became visibly startled.
Some even instinctively straightened in their seats.
Then slowly—
Katagiri's gaze shifted toward Koji.
A questioning look appeared in his eyes.
Koji, however, remained calm.
Before anyone could speak again—
The voice returned.
"Advisor Koji."
The sound echoed softly through the cold hall once more.
"What the Uchiha are doing now is also for long-term survival."
This time—
Katagiri finally noticed it.
The strange snail is sitting quietly on the table nearby on the koji side.
Its body was nearly the size of a human head.
The nobles immediately stared at it with unease.
Especially after its human-like mouth slowly moved as it spoke.
The atmosphere inside the hall instantly became stranger.
Even the sound of the snowstorm outside suddenly felt distant.
Koji calmly looked toward the communication creature.
Meanwhile, Katagiri narrowed his eyes at it carefully.
Unlike the younger nobles—
He did not react with panic.
Years of experience had already taught him how to control his emotions.
Still—
The appearance of something like this inside the meeting hall without warning was unsettling.
"And you are supposed to be...?"
Katagiri's voice remained calm.
He did not ask about the snail itself.
Instead—
He directly questioned the person speaking through it.
"Uchiha Toyoma."
Koji calmly introduced him to everyone present.
"Representative of the Hawk Faction of the Uchiha Clan."
The moment those words were spoken—
The atmosphere inside the hall subtly shifted again.
Then the voice continued through the strange communication snail.
"Daimyo-sama... Advisor-sama... and respected nobles of the Land of Snow."
The snail's human-like mouth slowly opened and closed as it spoke in Toyoma's voice.
"Greetings."
Several nobles stared at the creature with visible shock and discomfort.
Even now, some still struggled to understand what kind of technique this was.
Meanwhile—
The Daimyo and Katagiri appeared far calmer.
In fact—
There was a faint fascination hidden inside their eyes now.
Because, regardless of how strange the creature looked—
The existence of something capable of long-distance communication like this already held enormous value by itself.
Toyoma's voice echoed calmly through the hall once more.
"Advisor-sama..."
His tone remained respectful.
"You can understand what the Uchiha are doing now in a very simple way."
Snow quietly continued falling outside.
"History has already shown countless times that whenever power struggles begin inside a nation..."
Toyoma paused briefly before continuing.
"...the people who choose the wrong side are usually the ones who suffer the most."
Several nobles silently listened without interrupting.
"And in many cases..."
His voice lowered slightly.
"...their entire families or clans disappear alongside them."
The atmosphere inside the room quietly deepened.
Katagiri's eyes narrowed slightly while listening.
Because, as someone who had survived the Warring States Era—
He understood those words better than most.
Toyoma calmly continued,
"That is why many noble families spread their influence across different regions."
"They establish branch families."
"They build relationships in multiple countries."
"So even if one side collapses..."
The snail's mouth moved slowly again.
"...the rest can still survive."
For the first time—
Several nobles inside the hall exchanged thoughtful looks instead of fearful ones.
Then Toyoma finally brought the discussion toward the real point.
"What the Uchiha are doing now is no different."
His voice remained calm from beginning to end.
"The Land of Fire possesses countless powerful clans, nobles, and political factions."
"And where large amounts of power gather..."
A faint pause followed.
"...conflict naturally follows as well."
The hall remained completely silent now.
"Throughout history, many clans disappeared because they failed to survive those struggles."
"Shinobi clans."
"Noble families."
"Entire bloodlines."
The firelight flickered faintly across the hall walls.
"And the Uchiha simply do not wish for history to repeat itself."
Toyoma's words ended.
For a few moments—
The meeting hall remained completely silent.
Only the sound of the snowstorm outside echoed faintly through the palace walls.
Then finally—
Katagiri opened his mouth.
"Even if what you are saying is truly for survival..."
His old eyes remained fixed on the strange snail sitting across the table.
"...then why choose the Land of Snow?"
The question caused several nobles to quietly look toward the communication creature again.
Honestly—
This was the part they wanted to understand the most.
Out of all nations—
Why their country?
A faint smile appeared in Toyoma's voice after hearing the question.
"The answer is simple."
The snail's mouth slowly moved again.
"The Uchiha name carries too much attention."
His tone remained calm from beginning to end.
"If we openly move toward larger nations or more influential countries, news about us will spread immediately."
Katagiri silently listened.
Meanwhile, Toyoma continued.
"But the Land of Snow is different."
Snow quietly brushed against the palace windows outside.
"Compared to many other nations, your people focus far more on survival and development than political ambition."
The nobles inside the room quietly stiffened slightly after hearing that.
"The harsh environment here..."
Toyoma calmly continued.
"...the freezing weather, lack of resources, and constant struggle to survive—"
"It forced the people of this country to search for different paths."
A subtle pause followed.
"Even your technological research is proof of that."
The atmosphere inside the hall instantly changed.
Several nobles unconsciously straightened.
Even Katagiri's eyes sharpened visibly.
Because the research Toyoma mentioned was not something outsiders were supposed to know much about.
The room suddenly felt colder.
Meanwhile—
Toyoma's calm voice continued through the snail as though he had not noticed their reactions at all.
"You chose adaptation over military expansion."
"You searched for ways to use technology and innovation to strengthen daily life instead."
For the first time—
genuine caution appeared in the eyes of several nobles.
Because the young Uchiha speaking to them now clearly understood far more about the Land of Snow than they originally expected.
Then slowly—
Toyoma turned his attention toward the Daimyo himself.
"Daimyo-sama..."
His voice remained respectful.
"The reason I chose the Land of Snow was never that I believed this nation lacked strength."
A brief silence followed afterwards.
"On the contrary..."
The firelight flickered faintly across the hall.
"...I chose this country because I saw growth potential here."
The nobles quietly listened.
"And with the support of the Uchiha..."
Toyoma's voice lowered slightly.
"...the Land of Snow may eventually achieve far more than you currently imagine."
As Toyoma finished speaking—
The meeting hall gradually fell into silence once again.
Several nobles lowered their eyes in thought.
Even the Daimyo himself leaned back slightly while quietly processing everything he had heard so far.
Meanwhile—
Katagiri remained silent beside him, his aged eyes fixed on the strange communication snail.
The atmosphere inside the room no longer carried only caution, but also.
Curiosity had started appearing as well.
Then finally—
One of the nobles spoke.
"If we allow the Uchiha to build a hidden village here..."
His voice carried visible hesitation.
"...will you make it public?"
The question immediately drew everyone's attention back toward the snail.
For a brief moment—
Only the sound of the snowstorm outside could be heard.
Then Toyoma's calm voice echoed through the hall again.
"If by public you mean training civilians into shinobi..."
The snail's human-like mouth slowly moved.
"...then yes."
Several nobles exchanged glances after hearing that.
Because that alone would already completely change the future structure of the Land of Snow.
But before anyone could speak—
Toyoma calmly continued.
"However, if you mean publicly announcing the existence of the village to the outside world..."
A faint pause followed.
"...then no."
The atmosphere inside the hall deepened again.
"What both the Uchiha and the Land of Snow need right now is time."
His voice remained steady.
"Time to quietly expand our strength, influence, economy, and military capability without attracting unnecessary attention from the Great Nations."
Katagiri quietly narrowed his eyes while listening.
Meanwhile—
Toyoma continued explaining calmly.
"So for many years..."
"...everything connected to the Uchiha inside the Land of Snow will remain secret."
The nobles inside the room slowly became more serious.
Because they now understood the scale of what Toyoma was truly proposing.
This was not temporary cooperation.
It was long-term nation-building.
"We will remain here quietly."
Toyoma's voice echoed steadily through the hall.
"Twelve years."
"Perhaps fifteen."
The firelight flickered softly across the cold walls.
"That amount of time is enough."
A faint confidence could now be heard hidden beneath his calm tone.
"Enough to strengthen the Land of Snow."
"Enough to develop trade routes and businesses."
"And enough to potentially turn this country into one of the wealthiest nations among the smaller lands."
The room quietly fell silent afterwards.
Because for the first time—
The nobles were no longer imagining mere survival.
They were beginning to imagine the possibility.
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P@treon - Hear_tteeth [18 +]
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