The situation in the Land of Fire changed almost overnight.
With Takahashi Tengwan's personal recommendation, Bai Zeming—one of the most famous directors in the Land of Fire—arrived at Akatsuki Ninja Village carrying lavish gifts. This time, he did not send a representative. He came himself, with a cautious heart and trembling nerves, to pay a formal visit to the supreme Kage.
Bai Zeming sat rigidly in the reception room, his hands clasped together, his back stiff. Although winter was approaching and the temperature had dropped noticeably, large beads of cold sweat continued to form on his forehead and slide down his cheeks.
The terrifying news he had learned the previous night kept replaying in his mind like a nightmare.
The Qinghua Family—an aristocratic clan with hundreds of years of heritage—had been wiped out overnight.
Completely erased.
No survivors.
No resistance.
No chance to even scream.
What kind of joke was this?
Such an ancient noble family… destroyed just like that?
And by Akatsuki Ninja Village, no less.
Then who would be next?
The thought made Bai Zeming inhale sharply, his chest tightening.
"Tengwan-kun…" he finally asked, his voice trembling despite his efforts to remain calm.
"Are you certain I'll be safe?"
He swallowed hard.
"I was… very rude before."
Takahashi Tengwan stood nearby, silent. He looked at Bai Zeming with a gaze mixed with pity and faint amusement.
Now he was scared?
Back then, Bai Zeming had brought money, scripts, and an almost unprecedented degree of creative freedom. He had even been personally invited by the Kage himself. Yet due to hesitation and hidden concerns, Bai Zeming had rejected the offer in an extremely impolite manner.
Still—
Out of friendship.
After all, they had known each other for many years.
Takahashi Tengwan sighed quietly and spoke:
"Relax. Kage-sama is a benevolent ninja. Honestly, I've never seen someone like him."
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
"As long as you don't oppose him, don't touch his interests, and make an effort to stand on his side… you'll benefit for life."
"You don't even understand," Takahashi continued softly, "what kind of man you're dealing with."
Those words came from the heart.
Then, Takahashi Tengwan began recounting Uchiha Makoto's recent actions and plans in detail.
Uchiha Makoto had divided his grand strategy—later known as the Arasaka Company Plan—into three distinct stages.
The first stage was simple: let the people survive.
Winter was coming. Talking about ideals, systems, or long-term development with starving people was meaningless.
Uchiha Makoto despised certain things deeply—among them, people freezing or starving to death.
With ninjas available, rebuilding basic shelters was not difficult. It merely required chakra and manpower.
Food supplies and winter coal for disaster victims were fully covered by the confiscated assets of the Qinghua Family—nobles who had been "tragically" wiped out by the despicable Takigakure ninjas.
Even Uchiha Makoto himself was shocked by the wealth accumulated by the Qinghua Family over generations.
There was a saying: There is a golden house in books.
The Qinghua Family's basement alone held enough gold bars to build several literal golden houses.
"Three meals a day."
"White porridge at night."
"Add some pickles. That's enough."
"And if any local grain merchants dare to raise prices…" Uchiha Makoto said calmly,
"Send them free Exploding Tags at night. Consider it inventory clearance."
Of course, to avoid unnecessary suspicion, Uchiha Makoto did not personally appear on-site. But his orders were carried out flawlessly.
Anyone who dared openly defy the Kage's command lost their head—literally.
Akatsuki ninjas themselves lived frugally during this operation. Their meals were downgraded several levels. They could not eat meat and drink wine in front of disaster victims.
Yet to people who had starved for half their lives—
What did three meals a day mean?
What did a bowl of white porridge at night represent?
The problem of wealth had never been scarcity.
It was distribution.
And this time, it was redistributed with absolute force.
For a time, Uchiha Makoto saved countless lives.
His reputation spread rapidly—from the ninja world into the hearts of ordinary civilians. The Akatsuki ninjas who participated were revered as heavenly soldiers.
"I've never seen a ninja like this."
"Long live Kage-sama!"
Holding bowls of steaming porridge, the people whispered his name with gratitude and awe.
Of course, free meals could not last forever.
That led to the second stage of Uchiha Makoto's plan.
He promoted cash crops, converting rice fields into mulberry fields and other high-value agricultural products.
This was real wealth generation.
In the coming years, the Land of Fire—with its concentration of capital and technology—would become a massive consumption sink. No matter how much was produced, it would all be absorbed.
This was why wealthy merchants so decisively pledged allegiance to Uchiha Makoto.
Miss this golden window, and you'd fall behind forever—crushed and devoured in the bloody battlefield of capital.
Akatsuki ninjas ate meat.
Those who followed them might not get meat, but they would at least drink soup.
And soup was far better than living under the rule of parasitic nobles.
The disaster-stricken people across three counties were reorganized under Arasaka Company. Production and reconstruction resumed at astonishing speed.
Most farmers were illiterate. They didn't understand the contracts they signed.
But they signed anyway.
Because a landlord who gave them three meals a day could not be too cruel.
Their homes had been devastated by floods.
Yet now, vitality filled the land.
From above, the farmers moved like ants—rebuilding familiar but altered homes. Their eyes shone with life. Their bodies moved faster, stronger, fueled by full stomachs.
Everything was improving.
Except—
The unfortunate Qinghua Family.
No one mentioned the confiscation of their assets.
No one dared.
"Everything is for the people of the Land of Fire!"
"It's just convenience!"
With Akatsuki's overwhelming strength, even the Lord of Fire Country dared not object.
This was exactly what Uchiha Makoto wanted.
Peaceful coexistence.
Don't provoke me.
If you do—
I'll slap you before dawn.
The third stage followed naturally.
Uchiha Makoto sought to reshape the image of ninjas in the hearts of civilians—turning fear into reverence.
Once the people trusted him as deeply as they trusted Akatsuki, he could wear the robes of Fire Country's ruler openly.
But for now, patience was required.
The bad reputation of ninjas ran deep.
"…Unbelievable."
"Kage-sama truly is… benevolent."
Bai Zeming listened, deeply shaken.
As a noble-born artist, he had heard many debates about disaster relief.
One conversation haunted him:
"Isn't it inhumane to replace food with livestock fodder?"
"Food that saves one can save three that way."
"But are starving people still people?"
Silence followed.
Uchiha Makoto answered that question with action.
This eased Bai Zeming's fear.
Good people should be easy to deal with—right?
Soon, he was summoned.
Inside the Light Shadow Office, Bai Zeming saw Uchiha Makoto—handsome, calm, and terrifyingly composed.
"Kage-sama… please forgive my ignorance."
Uchiha Makoto smiled faintly.
"Misunderstanding?"
"I've read your script," he continued.
"It will become a masterpiece."
After brief intimidation, Bai Zeming was dismissed.
The outcome was ideal.
"Happy cooperation."
"Happy cooperation."
Konoha.
"Difficult… difficult."
Senju Tobirama sat alone in the Hokage's office, eyes heavy.
Originally, he planned to use Hashirama's assassination attempt to crush Takigakure.
Force.
Fear.
Unequal treaties.
Prestige.
But—
Hashirama refused.
The First Hokage preached peace, even declaring publicly that it was a misunderstanding.
The will of fire suppressed all dissent.
Villagers were silenced.
ANBU enforced order.
Tobirama clenched his fist.
Just then—
An uninvited guest arrived.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)