The Uchiha's Path to the Top, Starting from Konoha

Chapter 114 The Dust Settles

Two days later, in the royal capital, [Rie Yestej].

Despite being the capital, apart from the bustling main street, the rest of the roads were poorly maintained and riddled with potholes. Low, dilapidated buildings surrounded the area, bearing witness to the kingdom's decline like fading shadows in the setting sun.

Uchiha Rai wandered through the streets and alleys, marveling at everything he saw and heard.

The most notorious of these is a criminal gang known as "Eight Fingers".

Drug trafficking department, slave trade department, police department, assassination department, theft department, financial department, gambling department, smuggling department.

Hearing this, it's not hard to imagine that [Eight Fingers] has undergone many years of development, and its industry has reached a level of perfection, scale, and conglomeration.

The ruling class did not take swift and decisive measures to eradicate this evil force that relied on exploiting the lower classes; instead, it allowed it to flourish. It is no surprise that the true leaders of the "Eight Fingers" are the noble groups who control the power of the kingdom.

(Just as the daimyo of the old era parasitized the ninja villages, sucking their blood and eating their flesh, these useless nobles and the evil forces they kept were also feasting on this kingdom.)

(I can't understand the actions of this kingdom's king. If it were the head of state, he would have killed all this trash and filled the pit long ago!)

Uchiha Rai stood on a rooftop, gazing into the distance at the center of the royal capital, where a castle built atop a hill stood—the Royal City of Lorent.

More than twenty giant circular towers are connected by city walls, forming a double line of defense, protecting the ancient building that still shines with gold but cannot hide the marks of time.

"Lord Lei, we have taken over all the armed forces in the indigenous capital. Only the indigenous king and his three princes and princesses remain."

Seeing the Jonin of the clan complete their mission, Uchiha Rai remained calm and began to make arrangements.

"Clean up the garbage in the darkness, so that His Majesty cannot see the filthy ditch."

"As for the royal family, let them die knowing the truth, and await His Majesty's decision."

Having decided the fate of this indigenous royal family, Uchiha Rai headed to the next major city.

These past few days, he's either been killing people or on his way to kill them, which has ignited a fire in his heart. His scarlet Sharingan gleamed with a deep, cold light—he'll just vent it on the so-called "Eight Fingers."

"I hope that the infamous Eight Fingers, who treats human life like dirt, can give me my fill!"

Uchiha Rai's cold whispers echoed in the air above the rooftop.

In the afternoon, upon receiving the message in the Konoha leader's office, Uchiha Muan's gaze lingered for a moment on the dignified and elegant Uzumaki Mito, who was leisurely sipping tea, before turning to the document she handed him—"Report on the Appointment of Garrisons in the Nine Cities of the Otherworld Kingdom."

"The appointment is largely settled and can be announced this afternoon."

The report requested a large number of combat ninjas and a small number of auxiliary management ninjas. Although the number was large, it was not a critical matter for Konoha, which currently ruled the ninja world.

After closing the report, Uchiha Takeoshi stared at Uzumaki Mito with a lifeless gaze. "But isn't the distribution of the Uchiha clan mentioned by Lady Mito in the report a bit excessive?"

"Fifty Uchiha Jonin, two hundred Uchiha Chunin, plus Uchiha ninjas from another continent—this is going to drain the Uchiha clan dry!"

Since Uchiha Muan became the leader of the ninja world, the entire Konoha no longer distinguishes between registered ninjas and clan ninjas. All of them are under the unified management of the Military Affairs Department. The number of combat ninjas has exceeded four thousand, of which four hundred are Jonin!

To put it in perspective, among the four hundred heroes of the other continent, there are more than twenty who are at the Kage level or above.

Moreover, the proportion of Uchiha among the Kage-level characters is so exaggerated that it's almost half.

Uchiha Shikata, the three Uchiha heroes, and two other Uchiha who advanced using Fire Release: Uchiha Hikaru, Uchiha Osamu, and Minamoto Kaori, or you could say Uchiha Kaori, plus Uchiha Takeo, make a total of ten, not including the tailed beasts controlled by the Uchiha.

"With great power comes great responsibility. Isn't that something His Majesty the Führer often says?"

Mito Uzumaki put down her exquisite teacup, glanced at Uchiha Takeo, whose face was hidden by his unwillingness as he drank tea, and said calmly.

"Furthermore, doesn't His Majesty often praise the Uchiha clan for being tempered in blood and fire? Without the tempering of battle, how can they continue to improve?"

"But this is too much."

Like collecting cards or hoarding goods like a hamster, Uchiha Muan was a little reluctant to send all these Uchiha to another continent at once, and complained.

"I also plan to let them have more babies and create another baby boom."

"Give birth again? Do women of the Uchiha clan have no human rights?"

Now it was Mito Uzumaki's turn to glare. "In the past three years, the population of your entire Uchiha clan has doubled, while my Senju clan is still half-dead."

"Who told Tobirama Senju to fight your young and strong men to the death with the Hidden Cloud Village, killing off most of them?"

Uchiha Muan had no interest in sympathizing with the Senju clan's plight. He glanced at them and said, "Lady Mito has no right to criticize the Uchiha. The Uzumaki clan's population growth rate is also top-notch!"

The entire Hidden Leaf Village is now ramping up its baby-making efforts. In the context of the great development of the ninja world and the conquest of other continents, all ninja clans are not short of money or resources, but they are short of manpower.

It's a very simple principle. You can't tell anything now if you don't have children, but in ten or twenty years, the other family will have seven or eight ninjas, while your family will only have one or two.

Among people of equal social class, it goes without saying which faction has a better future when one or two ninjas rise to power, compared to seven or eight.

Excluding those overpowered ninjas, more people means more power, and more power means more resources, more rights and strength, which in turn allows for more children.

If this cycle continues, the strength of the Konoha ninja clans will experience explosive growth, and in the future, each clan may have three thousand ninjas like the Sarutobi clan.

Nowadays, it's quite common for a male ninja to marry two or three wives.

Many people are even asserting that they are looking up to the great leader of the ninja world!

This left Uchiha Takeo both amused and exasperated. Upon returning home, he was subjected to "juicing" punishment by his three wives and two lovers—a happy but also quite "painful" experience.

"The whirlpool is the whirlpool, and the Thousand Hands are the Thousand Hands; how can they be confused?"

Mito Uzumaki was certainly aware of the development of her hometown, and while she was happy, she couldn't help but sigh.

"Tch, who in the entire ninja world doesn't know that the Senju and Uzumaki are from the same family?"

Uchiha Muan's tone carried a hint of disdain, and then his gaze shifted between Uzumaki Minako and Uzumaki Mito as he spoke seemingly casually.

"Of course, the Uchiha clan also hopes to form a closer alliance with the Senju and Uzumaki clans, but I wonder about Lady Mito and Minako..."

"Ahem!"

"No talking nonsense in the office!"

Kaori tapped the table beside him. Her blood-red eyes almost made Uchiha Takeo see his own death reflected in her beautiful pupils.

"Fine, I won't say then."

Uchiha Takeo muttered softly, but quickly put on a smile again, "It's expected that my family will have a new baby this month."

"One for treatment, one for Kaori, one for Hikaru, and even better if they were twins."

"Darling, don't say embarrassing things in the office!"

Kaori Minamoto shyly covered half of her face with the documents, but a faint joy could be seen in her bright, doe-like eyes.

"Then congratulations in advance to Your Majesty."

Mito Uzumaki held her forehead, a hint of barely perceptible disappointment in her voice.

"I'll definitely invite everyone to celebrate then."

Uchiha Muan said with a smile, glancing almost imperceptibly at Uzumaki Minako, as if to say, "You too, you have to give me a lovely baby."

"Since His Majesty the Führer is personally setting an example for Konoha's reproductive efforts, I will share with you the latest statistics from the Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security."

Minako Uzumaki, who was in charge of the Bureau of People's Livelihood, smiled slightly and took out a document to read aloud.

"The month before last, Konoha welcomed the birth of 1,500 newborns. Last month, that number increased to 1,600, and this month, even with a conservative estimate, there will be at least 1,400. Currently, Konoha's total population is rapidly approaching the 800,000 mark."

"With the continuous influx of immigrants meeting Konoha's standards, it is projected that by the end of the first year of the Ninja World, Konoha's total population will reach one million. Once the outer city's third district is completed, we must immediately begin planning the outer city's fourth district, which can accommodate one million people."

"The population growth rate is so rapid?"

Mito Uzumaki knew that Konoha was developing rapidly, changing almost every day, but he didn't expect it to be this exaggerated.

She couldn't help but recall Konoha during the reigns of Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, a world apart from the present.

"Lady Mito, this is just the change brought about by population. Konoha's economic development has undergone earth-shattering changes."

Kaori Minamoto, who is in charge of the Finance Bureau, put down the document that was covering her face, and her fair and clean face showed a hint of pride.

"At present, Konoha's economic output is almost comparable to that of the entire Land of Fire in the past. Whether it is commerce and trade or agricultural production, it has achieved complete self-sufficiency."

"With the increasing number of ninja continuing to explore the land, Konoha's economy is growing exponentially every year. In addition, with Darling's teleportation array, even if Konoha's population expands to two million now, Konoha can still supply itself."

"Konoha's rapid development is a good thing, but with more people, your workload will also increase."

Under Mito Uzumaki's "You're just stating the obvious" gaze, Takeo Uchiha rested his chin on his hand, looking at Kaori Minamoto and Minako Uzumaki, thinking that both of them were going to get pregnant, and the work that followed would be a troublesome matter.

There were still a lot of things to deal with on the other continent, which made him say, "If the Finance Bureau and the People's Livelihood Bureau are short-staffed, we should add more people and double their staffing."

Kaori Minamoto and Minako Uzumaki nodded, and then Minako Uzumaki, thinking of her own situation, spoke up.

"Your Majesty, the Bureau of Public Welfare is currently under considerable workload. Architectural planning tasks are taking up most of the Bureau's working hours."

"Staff members of the Municipal Affairs Bureau have to work overtime every day to cope with the increasing workload. Considering the future development plans for the four outer urban districts, the workload will likely increase further."

Minako Uzumaki paused for a moment, then offered her own perspective.

"While increasing manpower can temporarily alleviate this pressure, I believe a more long-term and effective solution is to separate the task of architectural planning from the Bureau of People's Livelihood and establish a new specialized agency to be specifically responsible for architectural planning, so that everyone can specialize and improve the overall work efficiency and quality."

"I know about this. Minako will be in charge of another construction bureau, and the position of director will be given to the Hyuga Ashizashi clan chief. He has the Byakugan's X-ray vision ability, which allows him to see the overall layout of the buildings."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

Having made his decision, Uchiha Takeoshi looked at Uzumaki Minako, who was nodding, and continued speaking.

"Minako, could you please summarize the current specialized tasks of the Bureau of Public Welfare and see if they need to be further broken down? The same goes for Kaori's side."

"As the population grows, the tasks of each department need to be further subdivided, and talent in various fields needs to be reserved and trained."

Mito Uzumaki looked thoughtful and quickly said, "It looks like the Military Intelligence Department will need to add a few more positions."

"Mrs. Mito, please speak."

Uchiha Muan's eyes flickered, recalling the previous "Report on the Appointment of Garrisons in the Nine Cities of the Otherworld Kingdom," and he vaguely guessed Uzumaki Mito's thoughts.

"Although the continental teleportation array closely connects the ninja world with the other continent, there is still an endless ocean between them, as well as hostile forces on all sides. The ninja troops stationed there should be given the authority to adapt to changing circumstances."

As Mito Uzumaki pondered, she slowly said, "This right to adapt to changing circumstances should include the right to engage the enemy, defend, suppress, and even expand."

"With such broad power, isn't Mrs. Mito afraid that the local garrison will act recklessly?"

Upon hearing this, Kaori Minamoto frowned instinctively. Every day when they ate at home, Uchiha Osamu would talk about official business, many of which involved the wicked deeds of ninjas.

The same rice can feed all sorts of people. There's only one great saint like Naruto Uzumaki in the world. Most people are like Sasuke Uchiha, who has clear likes and dislikes. Others are like Shikamaru Nara, who is honest and dutiful and adheres to his ninja duties, and Mizuki, a ninja who wants to vent his ambition but is incompetent.

Therefore, entrusting power to the leader who commands the ninja army is undoubtedly a test of a person's character, and sometimes, a person's character cannot be tested at all.

The best approach is to prevent people from having the opportunity to test their character.

"Lady Kaori need not worry too much. The staff of the Military Affairs Department should also increase its manpower, and then two staff members should be assigned to each garrison, one to provide advice to the garrison commander and the other to exercise the power of supervision."

Mito Uzumaki's explanation failed to convince Kaori Minamoto, who pressed on, saying, "If the staff and the garrison commander collude to deceive their superiors, the consequences could be even more severe."

Mito Uzumaki remained calm, unmoved by Kaori Minamoto's composed demeanor, and slowly said, "Lady Kaori is right, but don't forget the leader's Sharingan."

"Whenever something defies common sense, and the explanations from the garrison commander and the staff fail to convince the military authorities, then we should bring out His Majesty the Führer or Lady Hikaru. Faced with the Mangekyou Sharingan, even a Kage-level expert would have to fall for it and reveal all the truth."

"What if the one who gets into trouble is also a Mangekyou Sharingan Uchiha?"

The most important matters of state are sacrifice and war.

The daimyo were swept into the dustbin of history because they lacked their own military power. Knowing this, Minamoto Kaori was unwilling to see any major problems occur in her husband's empire.

Her persistent questioning made Mito Uzumaki frown.

Faced with the increasingly aggressive approach of Minamoto Kaori, Uzumaki Minako stepped forward at the opportune moment and said calmly, "If Lady Kaori is saying this, then by not granting the commander of the garrison on the other continent the authority to act according to circumstances, can you ensure that the commander will not harbor any disloyal intentions?"

"Mrs. Minako, you don't need to say that. I'm just stating the facts."

Kaori Minamoto understood the meaning behind Minako Uzumaki's words perfectly, and didn't bother to argue about those rhetorical devices.

"I am now addressing the issue at hand, giving the local ninja leader the authority to adapt to changing circumstances. This will not only allow the ninja to act according to the situation and seize fleeting opportunities, but also enable them to take various measures to deal with dangers."

"An opportunity to gain personal profit, or a flight that abandons the interests of Konoha?"

The two women's eyes met in the air, like two bolts of lightning flashing across the room. Uchiha Takeo, who was right in the center, quickly waved his hand.

"Alright, we all care about Konoha, there's no need to be so confrontational."

"Then please make the decision, Your Majesty."

As soon as Mito Uzumaki finished speaking, the three women's gazes fell on Uchiha Takeo.

The head of state coughed, cleared his throat, and prepared to treat everyone fairly.

"Mrs. Mito and Minako are right, and Kaori is also correct."

Under the three women's slightly disdainful yet somewhat unconvinced gazes, Uchiha Wu'an continued speaking.

"Giving the ninja army leader the authority to adapt to changing circumstances is feasible."

Under the delighted gazes of the two women with swirling vortexes, Uchiha Takeo explained to Minamoto Kaori, "In addition to the supervision of the staff team, we also need to adopt an irregular rotation system for the ninja army leader and the staff team."

"In this way, the possibility of the leader and the staff colluding can be greatly reduced, and the captains of the various squads under the leader of the ninja army will not blindly follow the leader of the ninja army."

"Finally, in the event of an emergency, after the leader of the ninja army exercises his authority to respond to the situation, the Konoha headquarters will send people to question the squad leader, the staff officer, and the leader separately."

"With such strong safeguards in place, there's no chance of anything going wrong."

As Uchiha Takeoshi recounted his story, although Minamoto Kaori still felt it was somewhat inappropriate to hand over power to the ninja army, she acquiesced since the head of the family had said so.

At worst, he could quickly acquire the combat power of the Six Paths level, and even if the ninja army below wanted to rebel, he could suppress them with one hand. This idea was deeply inherited from Uchiha Muan.

Those ninjas, all marked with eight thousand spears, couldn't make a ripple.

"The area where the ninja army is stationed shall be designated as a military region, and the garrison leader shall be designated as the military region commander."

"The Northwest Ninja Army is stationed in the fortress city of [Ye Asenaar] on the northwestern border of the Kingdom of [Li Yestege]. It is under the Defense Council. The military commander is Uchiha Naka. The total number of Konoha personnel is 500 combat ninjas, with two staff officers."

"The Southeast Ninja Army is stationed in the fortress city of [Ye Lantier] on the southeastern border, to defend against the theocracy to the south and the empire to the east. The military region commander is Uchiha Baru. The total number of Konoha's personnel is suspended at 500 combat ninjas, with two staff officers."

"The Central Ninja Army is stationed in the capital of [Rei Yestege], serving as the military headquarters of the ninja world. It is ready to support the [Northwest Ninja Army] and [Southeast Ninja Army] at any time. The military commander is Uchiha Rai. The total number of combat ninjas in Konoha is suspended, with a staff of four."

Under Mito Uzumaki's unwavering gaze, Uchiha Muan unhesitatingly took the lion's share and then divided up the remaining profits.

"The selection of the deputy commander of the military region, the staff officer, and the various team leaders will be left to the Military Affairs Department for discussion. After the discussion, the candidates will be handed over to the Secretariat for filing."

"I understand, Your Majesty."

Mito Uzumaki considered the ninjas of the Senju clan and decided to bring the elderly Senju Hideko back into the world, as well as Senju Momoka, who was famous for her genjutsu and had married into the Uzumaki clan. She also planned to find a Kage-level ninja from the Uzumaki clan and have the three of them stationed in the three major military regions.

The Senju clan cannot be absent from the ninja army.

(This is also a good thing for your darling.)

With the commanders of the three military regions all being from the Uchiha clan, military power became more centralized, which Minamoto Kaori was naturally happy about.

However, those three did not have much interaction with Uchiha Takeo, so she planned to send one of her four personal guards into each of the three military regions to collect daily intelligence.

Harmfulness is not allowed, and defensiveness is indispensable.

Thinking of this, Kaori couldn't help but think of her father, the daimyo of the Land of Fire. Since the reform of the ninja world, the Minamoto clan of the Land of Fire had quite sensibly become officials related to the imperial family.

Although he could no longer act with the same arrogance as before, out of respect for her and with his former resources, he quickly became a powerful and wealthy merchant in the region, living a peaceful and happy life. Continuing to use his Uchiha guards to monitor him was already a waste of resources.

"As for the bandits, monsters, and non-human races within the Kingdom of [Ri Yestege], as well as the intelligence gathering work on the surrounding countries, these will be issued as missions."

"Let the combat ninjas who are not affiliated with the military region handle it. The kingdom also has an adventurer's guild. The adventurers are generally not very strong, but they can serve as guides and basic troops without much problem."

Uchiha Takeoshi's words made Uzumaki Mito nod in understanding, and then she asked, "Once the military personnel are confirmed and arrive, Your Excellency, do you need me and Minister Shifang to take turns going to the other continent to oversee things?"

Mito Uzumaki's question made Takeo Uchiha ponder.

Having the Minister of Military Affairs stationed on another continent has obvious benefits: it gives the ninja army a leader and boosts morale.

The downside is the same: the Minister of Military Affairs sitting in any military region is the greatest suppression of the power and prestige of the military region commander.

"Not for now. The kingdom's strength is not great. Three major military regions are enough to deal with the tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves in the surrounding area. If we send people who are too strong, I am worried that there will be unexpected consequences."

Amidst the three women's questioning gazes, Uchiha Muan revealed information about the Great Toad Sage, startling the three women.

"Even the Sage of Six Paths and his brother couldn't defeat the Dragon Emperor from another continent?!"

"Your Majesty, isn't the conquest of that other continent impossible?!"

Mito Uzumaki, who had planned to continue pouring the Senju clan's meager resources into the project, suddenly had second thoughts.

"Darling, why don't we take control of the kingdom from behind the scenes and stop sending out ninja troops!"

"The profits may be slightly less, but the advantage is safety."

Kaori Minamoto, standing to the side, also clenched her fists nervously. Eighty percent of her husband's family's wealth was on another continent. If they were to suffer a catastrophic disaster, it would probably take decades to recover.

"Look how scared you are."

Uchiha Muan smiled and comforted her, "Everyone, don't worry too much. Under the attack of the Sage of Six Paths, it's impossible for that Dragon Emperor to be unharmed. Even if she has strong vitality, her condition is definitely not as strong as it was in her prime."

Uchiha Wu'an remembered that in the original work, it was this Dragon Emperor who summoned the players. Among them, the player guild known in later generations as the "Eight Desires Kings" brought out a world-class item, which interfered with the underlying rules of magic in the other continent, causing the primordial magic to be interrupted from the dragon race, and even leading to a fierce battle with the dragon race, ending the dragon race's rule over the other continent.

The remaining True Dragon King, though powerful, is unlikely to personally risk his life against the ninja army, which has no surpassers, namely, the Super Kage.

"Faced with the ninja army we have deployed, they will most likely send out their subordinates to test the waters. As long as the Six Paths level doesn't show up, if the other side doesn't want to lose the initiative, they will definitely hide in the shadows."

"Furthermore, there are teleportation arrays within the military region, and the commander also possesses my Flying Thunder God Kunai. If, at a crucial moment, the enemy dares to bully the weak, that will be my time to slay the dragon!"

Uchiha Takeo's calm yet confident words echoed in the office, easing the emotions of the three women.

"However, to prevent the other party from being shameless, I would like to ask Mrs. Mito and Minako, along with the Ashina clan chief, to see if we can develop a seal for danger perception."

"If a ninja encounters an insurmountable danger, the Flying Thunder God kunai he carries will automatically activate, teleporting the wearer to a safe location."

"Is such a sealing technique even possible?"

Upon hearing Uchiha Takeo's account, Uzumaki Mito and Uzumaki Minako exchanged a glance, but did not reply immediately, both falling into deep thought.

After a moment, Mito Uzumaki said, "I can't guarantee that, but we will do our best to do it."

"It's all up to human effort. If you have any questions about spatial techniques, feel free to come to me."

(End of this chapter)