Hokage: Unable to persuade Madara, I chose to build my own ninja village.

Chapter 66 Hashirama Senju, did you mistake the Uzumaki clan for Mito Uzumaki and mess with them? (First and second chapters combined!)

"The expenses are really that high?"

The Fire Country Daimyo took the account book from Uchiha Makoto and glanced through it. He frowned, surprised that training ninjas was so expensive.

"Cultivation resources, logistical support, post-war subsidies, compensation funds, weapons and equipment."

Every expenditure has caused the funds to disappear like fire. Now, nearly two-thirds of the funds have been burned, which means that 60 billion taels of the 90 billion taels have already been spent.

The speed at which money was being burned was something he had never heard of before.

"Without exception, these ninjas will loyally protect the daimyo."

Uchiha Makoto added at the opportune moment, "The Akatsuki ninja will indeed protect the Fire Country Daimyo in the future. However, it's still uncertain who the Fire Country Daimyo will be."

The daimyo of the Land of Fire fell silent.

After all, Uchiha Makoto had already made his point so clear. If he were to raise any further complaints or try to find fault, it would be quite undignified of him.

The Fire Country Daimyo didn't even bother to check the accounts. The Konoha ninja were extremely powerful, and Hashirama Senju was unstoppable. At crucial moments, if he couldn't cultivate a ninja army that could serve him, who knows what would happen?

anyway.

Compared to Hashirama Senju, Makoto Uchiha was still incredibly loyal!

Therefore, the Fire Country Daimyo selectively forgot the unpleasant things that had happened before. Since the matter had already occurred, he quickly discussed the aftermath with Uchiha Makoto. This time, Konoha was no longer there to take the blame.

"Your Highness, this is actually a good thing in a way. The market right now is a complete mess, and everyone wants a piece of the action. How can anyone eat when the whole thing is stirred up like this?"

"Why not take this opportunity to regulate the salt market, have everyone produce and ship together, and clear out all the miscellaneous businesses? We can earn more that way."

As Uchiha Makoto said this, he had already come up with a plan. Currently, the great nobles don't make much money in the market, and neither do the daimyo. However, unifying the market would definitely make a lot of money. Everyone knows this, but no one has been able to do it before. Now, Akatsuki Village, bearing the title of the fire country's daimyo, has stepped forward to do what they have always wanted to do. As long as the profit sharing is agreed upon, those people will stop causing trouble.

Akatsuki Village didn't intend to eat alone; eating alone is easy to get stuffed to death. Konoha just hasn't made a move yet; the longer it drags on, the greater the variables become.

Uchiha Makoto plans to take only 35% of the profits this time as payment for achieving market monopoly by force, and the remaining 65% will be divided among the people of the Land of Fire. The Daimyo will probably take 35% of the profits, and the top nobles of the Land of Fire will also get 30%. The goal is to complete the monopoly and integration of the salt market in the shortest possible time, including production sites, raw materials, workers, and sales channels.

The Akatsuki Village really had to rely on the people of the Land of Fire to realize this series of extremely complex things. There was no other way; at this stage, it was fine to have ninjas kill people, but it was far too difficult to actually have them carry out production and management.

Since everyone has contributed, then the benefits should be shared among everyone.

"Let's do as you say."

The daimyo of the Land of Fire nodded. He had never considered letting Akatsuki Village give up halfway. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and once it was gone, it would be gone forever. Even if he had to take some risks, it was worth it.

He would try his best to persuade the nobles to agree to a market monopoly on salt. This process might be extremely complicated, but the daimyo of the Land of Fire was confident in himself. After all, the nobles were not a monolithic entity. There were many contradictions among them.

Akatsuki Village provided military support, primarily responsible for physically eliminating some of the most stubborn nobles.

As long as you can win over one faction and attack the other, it's not particularly difficult to accomplish this task.

Although this goes against ancestral rules, and as a daimyo, he really shouldn't allow ninjas to interfere in the politics and economy of the Land of Fire, when it comes to making money, the ancestors' finances weren't as strained as they are now. If they continue to live beyond their means, those bastards could really deplete the grain tax revenue for ten years to come.

Moreover, Akatsuki has already extended its reach into the economic sphere, and even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire can't think of a good way to deal with it.

We can't let Konoha attack Akatsuki, can we? Akatsuki is short of money precisely because they need to train ninjas to fight Konoha!

The daimyo of the Land of Fire didn't want to go from being stubborn to being caught in a dilemma.

After the two reached an agreement.

Uchiha Makoto declined the Daimyo's offer to stay a few more nights in the capital and left the Land of Fire's capital directly, returning to Akatsuki Village.

A few days after returning to Akatsuki Village.

Makoto Uchiha received some good news: an envoy from the Uzumaki clan had arrived.

So he immediately held a welcoming ceremony five miles outside Akatsuki Village to greet the Uzumaki clan delegation that had arrived as promised.

"Welcome, everyone, to Akatsuki Village."

"You're too kind, Lord Light and Shadow."

Shinji Uzumaki said this.

He is the current patriarch of the Uzumaki clan.

This time, he personally came to Akatsuki Village with the intention of forming an alliance with Akatsuki Village.

As for joining Akatsuki Village and such.

The Uzumaki clan had no such idea. They hadn't even joined Konoha, so how could they possibly join Akatsuki?

of course.

It wasn't that the Uzumaki clan didn't want to join Konoha; it was that the Senju clan had disappointed them. The Uzumaki and Senju clans were clearly closer, practically life-and-death allies, but when it came to something as important as creating a ninja village, at such a crucial moment, the Senju clan simply kicked the Uzumaki clan aside without even informing them beforehand, choosing instead to ally with the Uchiha clan to create the village.

Only after everything was completed did they eagerly come to inform the Uzumaki clan.

"Would you, the Uzumaki clan, like to join Konoha, founded by the Senju and Uchiha clans?"

The original wife has become the mistress and the victim, and she doesn't even get the treatment of a founder. Your Senju clan really treats my Uzumaki clan like Uzumaki Mito!

Therefore, the Uzumaki clan rejected Konoha's invitations the first and second time, intending to test the Senju clan's sincerity. They planned to join Konoha on the third invitation, thus creating a reputation for Konoha's three invitations to the Uzumaki clan, and also to prove the Uzumaki clan's status in Konoha.

Although my Uzumaki clan was not the founder of Konoha, our status was no different from that of the founder, and then that was it.

"I respect the wishes of the Uzumaki clan. The Senju clan and Konoha will always be your friends."

Shinji Uzumaki eagerly awaited Hashirama Senju's reply.

Hashirama Senju's reply almost made him break apart. He completely messed up. Hashirama Senju had no idea what the Uzumaki clan was trying to do. If the sky wanted to rain, or a mother wanted to marry, then so be it.

However, what's done is done.

The Uzumaki clan also has its pride. They can't stand up for themselves without making a name for themselves. If they try to be shameless now, people will say that the Uzumaki clan regrets their actions. How will the Uzumaki clan maintain its standing in Konoha in the future?

After exchanging pleasantries as per protocol, both sides joined forces and headed towards Akatsuki Village. During this time, Shinji Uzumaki took the initiative to get closer to Makoto Uchiha.

To establish such a large Akatsuki village by one person without relying on the power of a clan is an ability that impressed Shinji Uzumaki. Moreover, Makoto Uchiha is still very young and has a promising future.

"Master of Light and Shadow"

"Master of Light and Shadow."

Uchiha Makoto walked ahead, and people frequently bowed and greeted him. The women's faces were filled with gratitude, and their eyes shone with hope. Shinji Uzumaki felt a surge of curiosity. Building a powerful ninja village in a short period of time was extremely difficult, but to gain such prestige among ordinary people on that foundation was practically impossible.

Ninjas can usually only see awe and fear in the eyes of ordinary people.

It can be said that once you enter Akatsuki Village...

Shinji Uzumaki sensed an emotion permeating the Akatsuki village.

Uchiha Makoto naturally answered all his questions.

There's really nothing to hide about it.

The women I just saw were all mothers and sisters of the ninja academy students. In order to increase the cohesion of the village and enhance the sense of identity of the reserve ninjas with the village, Makoto Uchiha brought all the parents and relatives of these students to Akatsuki Village at the same time as recruiting students.

With his parents and relatives all in Makoto Uchiha's hands, he naturally had no fear of these reserve ninjas betraying Akatsuki, nor did he need to worry about them not fighting to the death for him.

However, properly resettling these people is indeed a troublesome matter.

In the war-torn ninja world of the Warring States period, even the high-ranking officials of the Land of Fire couldn't withstand the constant warfare, let alone these lowly laborers. They brought their families to Akatsuki Village, their first instinct being to eat.

However, Uchiha Makoto devised various ways to settle them.

This group of people were mostly illiterate farmers and housewives. They were poor and had little knowledge. In order to settle these people, Makoto Uchiha could only carry out large-scale infrastructure projects in Akatsuki Village. Since the men had a lot of strength and didn't have any serious work, he simply organized them to build roads.

Women who lacked strength went directly to work as textile workers in the textile factory established by Akatsuki Village. Most of them were very familiar with textiles, and they usually made their own clothes for their families. With a little training, they could become qualified textile workers. The school uniforms in the ninja academy were made by these women themselves.

In any case, we absolutely cannot let them idle around in the village. Every single one of them must go to work. They will be provided with two meals a day and paid wages. The more they work, the more they will earn.

Currently, textile factories are not yet large-scale, and fabrics and clothing are light industrial products with very low profit margins. Without economies of scale, they simply don't make money. To this day, Uchiha Makoto has been operating at a loss. For a purely military organization like a ninja village, wasting precious funds and resources on this is simply foolish. Without addressing the issue of scale, it will only become a bottomless pit of poverty alleviation efforts.

However, Makoto Uchiha still did it.

Compared to Konoha, a village with a more profound foundation, Akatsuki was naturally in a weaker position even after the disappearance of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, and had to make up for these disadvantages in other areas.

Uchiha Makoto was well aware that the First Shinobi World War would inevitably be an extremely brutal battle, a veritable meat grinder. The cannon fodder ninjas sent to the front lines would either die on the battlefield or be crippled, forever barring them from the ninja profession.

The future of these people, and their families, is often the most tragic. Once the breadwinner of the family dies, life becomes extremely difficult, and they become marginalized figures in the village.

Uchiha Makoto's current act of losing money to gain publicity is a practical way of demonstrating the ninja village's attitude.

Akatsuki Village can cover for them.

After you gloriously sacrifice yourself for the village, you don't need to worry about anything else. Your family will still have a job that's as secure as a job, allowing them to live with dignity, and they can also receive a pension.

Over time, through constant exposure, the Akatsuki ninja's spirit of fighting for their village to the end will inevitably permeate all aspects of their lives. In particular, these civilian ninjas, although they are weaker, are all fearless. Even low-ranking genin dare to fill their bodies with explosive tags and shout "Everything for the Light and Shadow Lord" in a suicide attack to trade one for one with your village's jonin.

As for being a deserter on the battlefield, hmph.

In short, raising assassins can't be done without spending money.

What's the point of just shouting slogans?

"Is protecting Konoha the same as protecting your own home?"

Such slogans can only fool honest people like Naruto Uzumaki. Moreover, Naruto Uzumaki belongs to the top circle of Konoha. His father is the Fourth Hokage, his mother is the only surviving member of the clan of Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, and his master is the student of the Third Hokage. His connections are completely tied to Konoha, and he can't escape them.

Currently, the relationship between Konoha and the ordinary ninjas within the village is essentially one of cooperation. If your ninja village is large and can provide good missions, I'll stay in your village until I can't take it anymore, and then I'll just quit.

In other words, the major ninja villages received subsidies and compensation afterward. Although the payments were slow and delayed, at least they could actually get the money. Therefore, fewer ninjas ran away. On the other hand, the smaller ninja villages had nothing, so why wouldn't they run away?

After every Fourth Shinobi World War, there are always deserters everywhere. They're just ninjas who couldn't stand the oppression of their villages and ran away. You're only offering a pittance, and you expect me to risk my life for you?

Uchiha Makoto spoke at length, emphasizing the importance of providing stable employment for ninja families. Who wouldn't want a government job?

"I see."

Shinji Uzumaki nodded, half understanding. This veteran ninja, who had come from the Warring States period, naturally couldn't fully comprehend such a concept, and he was completely clueless about the business aspects. However, he could see the village's terrifying war potential.

The crucial moment has arrived.

The ninjas in this village are truly willing to die for their cause; a ninja who lives together out of necessity is not the same as a warrior with conviction.

"Hmm, looks like this is a powerful force, almost as strong as Konoha. I have to latch onto it."

(End of this chapter)