Chapter 132 - The Daimyō of the Land of Fire (Part 2)
Land of Fire
Capital City
After two long hours of travel, Kazane and the others finally reached the capital of the Land of Fire before noon.
As soon as they arrived, Hiruzen Sarutobi led the group straight toward the Daimyō's residence.
Along the way, Kazane took in the cityscape—clean streets, thriving shops of every kind, and not a single vagrant in sight, despite how common they were in the shinobi world.
The capital of the Land of Fire truly lived up to its name—it was undoubtedly the most prosperous place in the entire country.
Even Konoha, which Kazane had always believed to be the most developed settlement, paled in comparison.
Sure, Konoha had no beggars either, but the population scale here was entirely different.
Konoha's population totaled around two or three hundred thousand at most. But the capital—being both the safest and most affluent city—easily housed two to three million people.
And yet, it still maintained such a high level of order and luxury. This alone proved just how much wealth and resources were concentrated in the hands of the Daimyō.
This realization caused Kazane's eyes to light up.
The more prosperous the capital, the better... since soon, it'll all belong to us anyway.
It was nearly lunchtime by then. Kazane suggested they eat before meeting the Daimyō. But Hiruzen disagreed.
He argued that doing so would show a lack of respect, and that if they arrived late because of a meal, they might interfere with the Daimyō's own lunch.
After lunch, the Daimyō would surely take his usual nap—meaning they'd have to wait several hours more.
Kazane was about to argue, but seeing how timid and overly cautious Hiruzen looked, he held back his sarcasm.
"Tch. Just a regular civilian, and yet you—a so-called top-tier shinobi—are scared into behaving like this? You dare call yourself the strongest Hokage? Good thing Konoha isn't in your hands anymore. Otherwise, it'd only be a matter of time before the village collapsed."
Fine, if you're not hungry, then I'll just grab something myself.
Kazane bought some street food for himself and Orochimaru. He made a point to eat it loudly right next to Hiruzen.
Luckily, the capital wasn't large in terms of distance, and the Daimyō's residence was situated right in the center. As shinobi, they reached it fairly quickly.
Once they arrived at the entrance, Kazane realized he had underestimated the Daimyō's might.
Standing at the gate were twelve armored samurai, each wearing full battle gear with blades at their sides, exuding a fierce killing aura.
From their presence alone, Kazane could tell—these warriors were at least Chūnin-level in strength.
This surprised him. Twelve Chūnin-level warriors just to guard a gate?
Then the Daimyō's personal bodyguards must be Jōnin—or even Elite Jōnin-level.
And make no mistake—Jōnin were no pushovers. Outside the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Jōnin were the apex of military power.
Even within the villages, Jōnin were a significant force. They wore their vests with pride, and even had voting rights in Hokage elections.
The entire shinobi world had a population in the tens of millions, yet the number of Jōnin didn't exceed two thousand.
Elite Jōnin were even rarer. Each one represented the true core strength of their village.
Even in Konoha, which had over 500 Jōnin, fewer than ten were classified as Elite Jōnin.
Every Elite Jōnin was a named powerhouse in the shinobi world.
And even becoming a regular ninja required formal training. No matter how talented you were, if no one taught you how to refine chakra or use jutsu, your talent meant nothing.
That's why, outside of rogue ninja, Jōnin either led mission squads in the major villages or served as elders and leaders in smaller ones.
At that moment, the captain of the gate guards noticed Hiruzen's formal Hokage robes and immediately stepped forward to greet him.
He also sent another warrior inside to inform the Daimyō of their arrival.
Not long after, the messenger returned and invited Kazane and the others into the Daimyō's residence.
Truthfully, Hiruzen wasn't actually afraid of the Daimyō.
As the former leader of the Land of Fire's highest military force, it had always been the Daimyō who feared him.
That was why, in the future, the Daimyō would form the "Twelve Guardian Ninja"—to counterbalance Hiruzen's influence.
But Hiruzen wanted to use the Daimyō's authority to demonstrate his value to Orochimaru.
Over the past few weeks of working together, Hiruzen had noticed that Orochimaru, deep down, still cared about him as a teacher.
Otherwise, Orochimaru wouldn't have spared them after his victory—nor allowed him to continue serving as a village elder and head of the Education Department.
Still, Hiruzen, a seasoned politician to the core, believed that he needed to prove his worth to Orochimaru to secure his future.
After all, Konoha had changed.
With the entire power structure shuffled, everyone was watching his downfall. Many ambitious shinobi were eyeing his position hungrily.
Hiruzen couldn't afford to stake his future on Orochimaru's goodwill alone.
That's why this meeting with the Daimyō was so important to him—it was his opportunity to show Orochimaru that he still had value.
Soon, a samurai led Kazane and the others to the reception hall.
Outside the reception room stood another squad of armored samurai—and several individuals dressed in bizarre clothing.
Some looked like monks, with shaved heads and plain robes.
Others were dressed more like street performers—flashy, colorful, and flamboyant.
As Kazane studied them, they were also sizing up his group. But when their eyes passed over Hiruzen, their gazes clearly paused.
Hiruzen's Hokage robes and the hat marking his former title still silently declared his identity to the world.
"Lord Hokage, the Daimyō has requested that you and the two elders enter."
The escort stopped in front of the reception hall and respectfully addressed Hiruzen.