323. Mini Darkness of Shinobi

Danzo's speech not only caused a significant stir within the village but also sent ripples as far as the Land of Rice, thousands of miles away.

Uchiha Shisui, Konoha’s plenipotentiary minister stationed in the Land of Rice, was holding the latest edition of The New Interpretation of the Will of Fire and remarked calmly,

"It seems my teacher is preparing to make a move in the realm of ideology..."

As Danzo’s chief disciple, Shisui was well aware that his teacher’s mind was filled with incredibly advanced and radical ideas.

If these ideas were ever brought to light, they would undoubtedly cause a massive shock to the existing ideological system of the shinobi world.

That was why Danzo had always been suppressing his impulses, waiting for the right moment.


This speech might very well be a signal he had deliberately released.

More explosive revelations could be on the horizon.

"If that's the case, I can't afford to hold my teacher back," Shisui muttered to himself while holding the book.

Over the past few months, Shisui had performed exceptionally well.

To suppress the local noble forces led by the Daimyo of the Land of Rice, he launched a large-scale purge under the pretext of defecting to the Cloud Village.

All the nobles who had previously interacted with the Cloud Village were arrested under his orders.

Those who cooperated had their assets confiscated, while those who resisted...

Well, it didn’t matter.

Within a few days, they would "accidentally" die during Kumo’s failed "rescue" attempts.

Not only did they lose their lives, but their deaths also further confirmed their crimes of colluding with the Cloud Village.

Faced with such a bloody purge, the nobles of the Land of Rice naturally refused to accept their fate and immediately wrote to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

Unfortunately for them, the Daimyo was now protected by Konoha shinobi—why would he care about the nobles of a small country?

Besides, it wasn’t as if the Daimyo of the Land of Rice himself was in danger.

A few minor nobles weren’t worth risking a fallout with Konoha.

So, the nobles turned to the Daimyos of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth for help.

These two Daimyos did not disappoint. They immediately issued strong condemnations of Konoha!

And then... nothing else happened.

After all, Kumo had just reconciled with Konoha, and many of their captured shinobi were still held in Konoha’s custody.

Meanwhile, Iwagakure had a large number of shinobi working in the Land of Fire, building railways—one of their major economic lifelines.

Under such circumstances, how could they possibly afford to break ties with Konoha again?

At most, they could issue verbal condemnations to irritate Konoha.

But going to war? That was out of the question.

Neither the Rock nor the Cloud Village would sacrifice their own interests for the sake of the nobles in the Land of Rice.

Thus, the once arrogant Daimyo of the Land of Rice—who had planned to take advantage of the power transition between Cloud and Konoha—quickly backed down.

He skillfully reverted to his old strategy—playing dumb and submitting completely to Konoha.

Whatever Shisui said, he did, acting even more obediently than he had toward the Cloud Village.

Seeing the Daimyo’s surrender, the other nobles of the Land of Rice dared not resist.

One by one, they quietly handed over most of their wealth to fund Konoha’s military expenses...

Shisui was quite satisfied with this outcome.

He immediately used the funds to build various public infrastructure projects—widening roads, improving water channels, constructing dams, and more.

Additionally, he imposed strict austerity measures on the Daimyo and nobles, forcing them to abandon their indulgent lifestyles, significantly lower taxes, and truly ease the burden on the people.

Shisui’s continuous reforms finally gave this war-torn country a chance to breathe.

The repair of water facilities greatly boosted agricultural production.

The Land of Rice—named for its rich farmlands—was recovering at an astonishing pace under these economic stimuli!

At the same time, Shisui strictly enforced discipline among Konoha shinobi, forbidding them from harming or harassing civilians.

He also cracked down on illegal activities, eliminating numerous bandits and criminals, quickly stabilizing the entire country.

As a result, Shisui gained two drastically different reputations in the Land of Rice.

To the nobles, he was a terrifying, bloodthirsty demon—the true embodiment of the "Little Darkness of the Shinobi!"

Not only did he carry out mass executions, but he also seized their wealth without mercy.

To the common people, however, he was nothing short of a savior—a strict yet just military leader.

He harshly punished the corrupt nobles, reduced taxes, and improved infrastructure.

To them, he was a true protector of the people!

Amidst the widespread praise, Shisui finally experienced something his teacher had often spoken of—the power of the people’s hearts!

The satisfaction of receiving the genuine gratitude of thousands was incomparable to any base desire.

"So this is what my teacher has been pursuing?"

Shisui watched as farmers toiled in the fields and children laughed along the roads.

A pure smile finally appeared on his face.

At that moment, he fully understood what it meant to be the Darkness of the Shinobi.

Just then, a respectful voice interrupted his thoughts. A Root shinobi wearing a mask appeared before him.

"Lord Shisui, we have received news from the Land of Hot Water," the shinobi reported.

Shisui’s smile immediately vanished. "Speak," he ordered.

The Root shinobi lowered his head.

"The resistance forces in the Land of Rice and the rebels from the Hidden Hot Water Village have accepted our invitation. Their leaders will arrive in three days to meet with you."

Shisui raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk forming on his lips.

These two organizations had long been victims of Kumo’s oppressive rule. By bringing them under Konoha’s wing, Shisui could turn them into valuable allies.

Konoha would provide them with weapons, helping them resist and take revenge on the Cloud Village!

After all, his teacher had once said:

"The essence of warfare is to make as many friends as possible—and as few enemies as possible!"

This time, Shisui planned to embrace that philosophy completely.

"Very well, let them come," he said without hesitation.

The Root shinobi nodded quickly and turned to leave—but Shisui stopped him.

"Wait," Shisui said, pulling a storage scroll from his robe and handing it over.

"This is some medicine the Daimyo of the Land of Rice gifted me. I heard your child was born weak. This should help strengthen him. Perhaps one day, he’ll become an even greater shinobi than you."