[Ding! Exchange completed with Yuhi Kurenai. Ability acquired: Floral Arrangement.]
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Di Yan nearly choked.
His system was… unconventional.
In simple terms, through intimate contact with female shinobi, he could replicate abilities from them.
But the replication was random.
Like drawing from a deck of cards.
If fortune favored him, he might copy something extraordinary—like the Sharingan itself, even a bloodline limit. With repeated exchanges, he could further refine and evolve such abilities.
That was how he had obtained his Mangekyo Sharingan.
But if luck turned against him—
He ended up with something like this.
Floral arrangement?
He exhaled slowly, glancing at Kurenai, who lay unconscious, her breathing faint but steady.
He suppressed his irritation.
"No rush," he muttered. "There's time."
He draped his robe back over his shoulders and spoke calmly toward the shadows.
"Izumi."
Without a sound, a lithe figure emerged and knelt at his side.
Uchiha Izumi.
One of the few survivors of the Uchiha clan massacre.
Now the most obedient blade in his hand.
"Your Majesty."
Her tone carried no emotion—only devotion.
"Take her," Di Yan said lightly. "Place her under supervision."
"Yes."
She moved to obey, then hesitated.
"Something else?" Di Yan asked.
Izumi lowered her eyes briefly.
"Your Majesty… are you satisfied?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"Why would you ask that?"
She flushed faintly, though her gaze remained fervent.
"Usually it is myself, Mikoto, and Hikari who attend you. This time it was only Yuhi Kurenai. I feared…"
Di Yan laughed quietly and pinched her cheek.
"Later. There is work to be done."
Izumi nodded obediently.
"Before that," Di Yan continued, voice turning cold, "remove a few fingers from the blond boy and the one wearing sunglasses."
Kiba Inuzuka.
Shino Aburame.
"Do not kill them. Not yet. Package the fingers separately. Deliver them to the Inuzuka clan and the Aburame clan."
His expression did not change.
"Include a letter."
He smiled faintly.
"Inform them that the true ruler of the Land of Fire—Emperor Di Yan—asks a simple question."
"Will they continue to pledge loyalty to a Hokage who commands an isolated village?"
"Or will they swear allegiance to the coming empire?"
"Their answer will determine their clan's standing in the new order."
"And the fate of their sons."
Izumi bowed.
"Yes."
Di Yan turned his gaze toward the distant ceiling.
From the moment he awakened in this world, he had seen the flaw.
One nation.
Two powers.
The Daimyo controlled wealth, culture, and nominal authority.
But the military power—the true force—belonged to Konoha.
What kind of system was that?
A ruler in imperial robes—
With a leash around his neck.
It was absurd.
To Di Yan, who believed in unification above all else, this fractured governance was intolerable.
His objective had never changed.
Unify.
First, consolidate the Land of Fire.
Eliminate Konoha's independent authority and centralize military command.
Then, once the Land of Fire became a fully unified war engine—
He would move against the other Great Nations.
The Five Great Nations.
The Five Great Shinobi Villages.
All would fall.
The Emperor's will would become the sole law of the continent.
As for the system—
Replicating abilities from female shinobi was not merely indulgence.
Kurenai's genjutsu talent, though insignificant before the Mangekyo Sharingan, still strengthened his mental capacity.
Repeated replication would gradually enhance his Yin Release—his spiritual power.
Quantity would create qualitative change.
Thus, taking Kurenai was both personal desire and calculated gain.
The title of "concubine" was merely convenient.
Izumi listened without question.
Since the night of the Uchiha massacre—when this man had intervened—
Her loyalty had belonged entirely to him.
She paused, then added quietly,
"Your Majesty. The Inuzuka clan head, Tsume Inuzuka, has a daughter—Hana Inuzuka. She is said to possess talent in medical ninjutsu and clan techniques. Shall we request her presence as well?"
Di Yan's smile deepened.
"Hana Inuzuka… Interesting. Very well. Include her in the message."
"Yes."
"And one more thing."
His tone grew casually cruel.
"That dog of Kiba's."
"Dispose of it."
"Have the kitchen prepare it."
"Tonight, I will have dog meat hot pot."
Izumi did not flinch.
"Understood."
She wrapped Kurenai in a robe and lifted her carefully.
In the next moment—
She vanished into the shadows.