Konoha: Offer your heart to the Hokage!

These were collars and chains used by the daimyo to restrain the ninjas.

With the new Hokage taking office, the Daimyo didn't intend to go too far. He planned to use his usual tactics to first offer some incentives and appease the new Hokage. Then, gradually, under the pretext of budget cuts, he would get the Hokage to make concessions.

In short, it boils down to this: "Hokage, you don't want the Daimyo to cut funding and leave the village's ninjas hungry, do you?"

The two sides had a very pleasant conversation, and it was time to sign the aid treaty.

Kazuya then jumped in, saying sarcastically, "Konoha Village is already quite wealthy, yet it still can't be self-sufficient and keeps asking the Daimyo for funding. Is that appropriate?"

"This is all the money of a great lord!"

Kazuya left it at that, keeping some more violent thoughts to himself, such as: "The Hokage system should be abolished, and the Daimyo should send someone to oversee the affairs of Konoha Village. Only in this way can the funds be used to the maximum extent to train ninjas."

This way, you go from raising someone else's child to raising your own child...

Upon hearing this, the daimyo immediately retorted, "Enough, Kazuya! Konoha and the Hokage have worked hard for the Land of Fire, so it is only right for me, as the daimyo, to allocate funds."

Shen Er wore his usual gentle and refined smile, his heart unmoved, quietly observing this back-and-forth, deliberately staged good cop/bad cop drama for his own benefit.

Finally, looking at the long string of numbers on the aid agreement, he spoke in a formulaic manner: "Your Excellency is very kind. Konoha will continue to protect the Land of Fire as always."

Da Ming waved his hand dismissively, feigning magnanimity.

Then, the lord abruptly changed the subject, suddenly posing a question that completely surprised Shen'er: "Shen'er, are you married now?"

"Ok?"

Shen Er was slightly taken aback. Wasn't this a rhetorical question?

"I have been married for almost ten years, and my wife is a member of the Uchiha clan."

"Is that so?" The daimyo's eyes showed a hint of regret, but he was still unwilling to give up. "Actually, I plan to marry my niece Tsunade to you after she comes of age, if you are willing to let your current wife be your concubine."

"In this way, we will be even closer relatives."

The Hokage is equivalent to the Shogun of the Shogunate. Theoretically, he can only have one principal wife, but he can have many concubines.

I'll never rest until I say something truly shocking...

These words were truly unexpected.

Shen Er was completely taken aback that the daimyo would have such an idea, but he quickly saw through her thoughts: she wanted to learn from the first daimyo and bind herself tightly through marriage.

The Zen temple is not actually named after the Senju clan, and the loss of this kinship ties makes the daimyo feel uneasy. If they could re-establish kinship through marriage, Konoha would be easier for the daimyo to control in the future.

In terms of status, Tsunade's background is impeccable; she carries the blood of both the First Hokage and the First Daimyo.

Even as a woman, she is powerful enough to challenge the current daimyo's position. Marrying her to the Third Hokage would be the best arrangement for the daimyo. It would also allow her to become an "elder" and thus surpass the Hokage.

Konoha might restart the conflict between the Uchiha and Senju clans to weaken the influence of the Third Hokage.

Even though he could see right through the daimyo's thoughts, he couldn't help but overthink it...

If he were to marry Tsunade and have the current daimyo dissolve in water, their offspring would possess both Senju and daimyo bloodlines, making them the most noble and rightful heirs to the Land of Fire.

At that time, the ninja village and the entire Land of Fire will fall under his control.

wrong……

It's not impossible to directly support Tsunade to become a female daimyo; there's no need to go through all that trouble and try to make Tsunade and her child daimyo.

He's Tsunade's "adoptive father" and "advisor," and with that relationship, he can live off Tsunade for life.

But this kind of eating is not the same as that kind of eating; if we really ate it, wouldn't we become "○ father"?

Scumbag!

It's all because of Daimyo; I was almost led astray by his cunning.

Shen Er came to his senses and noticed that Senju Momoka beside him had a subtle expression on her face. It seemed that she was really thinking about his marriage to Tsunade as an elder.

What are they all thinking?

Shen Er smiled faintly and politely declined: "Your Excellency, I appreciate your kindness, but my wife and I have a deep affection for each other and I cannot allow myself to marry someone else."

Jiri was his wife from the Zen-in-sensei, how could he possibly divorce her for the sake of a daimyo position? He needs more money!

The daimyo was still unwilling to give up and wanted to use marriage to control him. He took a step back and suggested, "Then it would be fine to let Tsunade be a concubine."

The dignified Tsunade Princess becoming a concubine...

That sounds really impressive.

"It has nothing to do with the distinction between principal wife and concubine. Besides, my grandfather and Tsunade's grandfather were close friends. I watched Tsunade grow up since she was a child. There is a huge age gap between us, which is not proper etiquette."

"Please do not mention this matter again, Your Excellency."

"Alright." The daimyo waved his fan and had no choice but to give up for the time being. "If you ever change your mind, you can tell me anytime."

...

Shen'er's work style is swift and decisive. After staying for one night, he prepared to set off for Konoha the next day.

The daimyo personally saw him off, intending to show his gratitude to Shen'er.

However, even Hashirama's sincerity failed to move Shen'er, let alone a mere daimyo.

Before leaving, Shen Er once again visited the Konoha garrison in the capital.

Before the final work arrangements could begin, Senju Momoka approached him and whispered, "Seriously, do you really have no intention of marrying Tsunade? Not even as a concubine?"

Shen Er's expression was strange. Tsunade is your beloved grandniece. Why are you all trying to push Tsunade towards him?

"No."

Why would you think that?

"I just feel that the relationship between the Senju clan and the Zen temple could be closer. Besides, Tsunade is very clingy to you..."

"..."

Based on their age and relationship, Senju Momoka and Uzumaki Mito, both widows, are more suitable as potential marriage partners for him!

She smiled without saying a word, using her silent smile to dispel Thousand-Handed Peach Blossom's absurd idea.

Next, Uchiha Setsuna came to report to Shen: "Third Hokage, I've gathered intelligence!"

"Huh? What?" Shen Er looked at him in confusion.

Didn't you get dragged to an izakaya (Japanese pub) to drink with prostitutes?

Setsuna spoke with a serious expression: "At the banquet last night, Genka kept trying to win me over, and I pretended to agree. I also found out that the leader of the Guardian Ninjas, Kazuya, said a lot of things that offended Senju Tobirama... uh, the Second Hokage, at the tavern."

It's an open secret that the Uchiha and Senju have a bad relationship, but they still need to maintain unity in front of Shen and when facing a common enemy.

Shen Er's heart stirred slightly: "What exactly did they say?"

"He mocked the Second Hokage's Edo Tensei, saying it was only a half-finished product and not presentable at all."

Okay.

Even the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, feeling even more confident in the feasibility of his plan. Since Kazuya dared to openly belittle the Impure World Reincarnation, it meant that he probably already had an idea for the Earth Release: Reincarnation Technique.

That being the case...

He even looked at Uchiha Setsuna and thought that this kid was a talent.

While his ninja talent may not match that of his peers like Kagami and Kenji, he is very clever and his loyalty is unquestionable. In addition, given his past record of "storming the tower," he is not the traditional type of ninja who would not dare to defy his superiors.

If they dared to challenge for Hokage yesterday, they'll dare to challenge for Daimyo tomorrow!

They are worth nurturing.

An idea came to mind, and she said, "Shana, would you be interested in guarding the capital for me long-term?"

Uchiha Setsuna's face paled, and he hurriedly explained, "Third Hokage! My loyalty to you is as clear as the sun and moon; I was absolutely not bribed by the Genji Fire..."

“No.” Shen Er placed his hands on Shana’s shoulders and reassured her in a steady voice, “I don’t doubt you. On the contrary, I trust you very much.”

“Chiri often tells me that you are an outstanding ninja in the Uchiha clan, and that’s why I need you.”

"There are bad guys among the guardian ninja around the daimyo. I need you to be my eyes and ears. Try to join the guardian ninja and become one of them. Stay in the capital for a long time to collect intelligence and carry out some secret missions when necessary."

"We rely on the ninja cat, the cat grandma clan, to report on our work on a regular basis."

"When the time is right, I will launch Operation 'Clean Shadow Side' based on the information you sent back, and purge all the treacherous officials around the Daimyo, restoring a clean and honest environment to the Land of Fire."

It would have been too exciting if Uchiha Setsuna hadn't been able to overthrow him from the start.

According to Chinese tradition, the Qingying side is the easiest to accept, and then it can be done gradually.

Uchiha Setsuna's body trembled as he felt the trusting warmth emanating from his shoulder.

No... saying it's body temperature is a bit too disrespectful to the Third Hokage.

Can the intense heat emanating from the sun high in the sky be described as body temperature?

Uchiha Setsuna felt the sun pressing down on his shoulders. So hot, so scorching…

With the sun pressing down on my shoulders, the fear of being doubted seemed to vanish with the wind, leaving only tranquility and joy.

Overwhelmed with emotion, he uncontrollably activated his Sharingan, and the two tomoe in his eyes transformed into three tomoe under this stimulation.

With tears in his eyes, Uchiha Setsuna immediately pledged in a trembling voice, "I will offer my heart to the Third Hokage!"

"..."

You think a casual word of encouragement is enough to unlock the Three-Tomoe Mantra? The Uchiha clan is truly unreasonable.

I don't know if I was moved by his trust or excited about staying in the capital to drink and have fun.

“However, I’ll escort you back to Konoha first,” Setsuna said.

Shen Er shook his head and refused: "I have Tao Hua and Hong escorting me, so I'm perfectly safe. However, the intelligence work here in the capital cannot do without you for a moment. I will explain to the police department on your behalf."

"Well... alright, then I'll just stay in the capital."

Chapter 181 Danzo's Destruction of Buddhism: The Fastest Speed ​​in the Ninja World

After planting Uchiha Setsuna as a spy in the capital, Shen'er and his party embarked on their return journey from the south gate of the capital onto the official road.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and evening is fast approaching.

The desolate wilderness was shrouded in darkness, the atmosphere oppressive, making one instinctively wary that a burly man might leap out of the bushes at any moment.

The outline of the capital city behind us slowly shrank into a small black dot at the edge of our field of vision.