Chapter 4

"Ahem, you did the right thing by continuing to fight. We would have definitely lost, or we would have lost at our own hands," Nidaime Kazekage Shamon calmly said to Hitoshi as he woke up in the Sunagakure Hospital.

Hitoshi cocked his head and responded with a slight smile, "Hehe, I thought you would blame me for not giving my best."

"No, starting the war was my idea. Moreover, without you, we would have suffered an even greater defeat," Shamon, who inherited the position of the first Kazekage, replied. While his individual combat strength was not particularly impressive, he excelled in scientific research. Sunagakure lacked a prominent kekkei genkai clan, so Shamon relied on the power of studying Shukaku to acquire Magnet Release. Additionally, he significantly advanced the research on Puppet Master Jutsu.

Shamon's efforts greatly bolstered Sunagakure's strength.

After leaving the battlefield and calming down, Shamon naturally began to understand certain things. Why did Iwagakure's forces appear in battle? Why did members of Konoha's Third Kage's team gather in one location? Why did Sunagakure's supplies suddenly diminish?

All these questions arose when Hitoshi single-handedly defeated a thousand troops on the battlefield and his strength overwhelmed the Iwagakure troops.

"Yes, Sunagakure would have fared even worse without me," Hitoshi replied impolitely, causing Shamon to wear a pained expression.

This kid is quite adept at banter, Shamon thought to himself.

Gazing up at the sky, Hitoshi pondered Sunagakure's strength as portrayed in the original work and inwardly sighed, recognizing its pitiful state.

Don't blame Sunagakure for being overly cautious; life is arduous.

"You should focus on healing your injuries first. Afterward, we still need your contributions," Hitoshi comforted, letting out a faint sigh.

"I understand. Only by assuming that position will one truly realize how much needs to be done," Shamon agreed without hesitation. He knew that Hitoshi required his assistance. Only by being in that position would he comprehend the extent of the responsibilities involved.

...

The setting remained the same—a round table meeting room—with only a few additional individuals.

"Come on, everyone, let's discuss what we should do. The situation is right in front of us," Hitoshi said with a smile, waiting for others to speak.

"I believe we should repair our relationship with the Daimyo. Our current mission is too small to support such a large number of shinobi," an elder hesitated and expressed, noticing no objections from the others. They continued, "Especially now that many frontline shinobi have returned, we cannot sustain them."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama, we share the same opinion," many others spoke in agreement.

The majority believed that repairing the relationship with the Daimyo was necessary.

"Yasuke, please share your thoughts," Hitoshi called upon Yasuke, anticipating the response.

As expected, Hitoshi inwardly sighed.

Yasuke stood up and stated, "Kazekage-sama, in this war, we acquired limited spoils of war in terms of food, supplies, and ryo. We cannot compromise with the Daimyo."

For the next duration, the younger shinobi, represented by Yasuke, along with the sideline shinobi, and the older generation, represented by the Elder's Group, engaged in a debate, each voicing their opinions. The two sides held differing views, with neither able to convince the other.

"Kazekage-sama, the decision is yours to make," they finally turned to Hitoshi, pointing the finger at him.

"Alright, let's put an end to this debate. We are all members of the village, and despite our differing beliefs, we all have the best interests of the village at heart," Hitoshi stood up, wearing a somber expression.

"Let's move forward. I will take some immediate actions and consider the rest later. First, we will establish a hospital, with Elder Chiyo in charge. Secondly, the Research & Development Department will be formed, with Shamon-sama leading it. Thirdly, Yasuke will oversee all sideline shinobi. And fourth, Elder Ebizo will provide full assistance in government affairs, serving as my right-hand."

Hitoshi addressed the gathering, asking, "Do any of you have any comments?"

Although Hitoshi's smiling demeanor didn't exude any sense of authority, no one present desired to refute him. In Suna Shinobi Village, there were only a few influential figures, and they all stood by Hitoshi. How could anyone dare to challenge their stance?

Chiyo, Shamon, and Ebizo were not like Yasuke. They could criticize Yasuke because he was young, but the three individuals possessed years of cunning experience. No one wanted to engage in such manipulations.

...

"It seems quite ruthless. It appears that you truly have no intention of reconciling with the Daimyo."

In the Sunagakure building, Shamon expressed his emotions.

"Reconciliation? How can we reconcile? Let's not even mention the betrayals, the reduction in resources and missions, and the collusion with Konoha and Iwagakure. Those can easily be forgiven. We have money and resources now. We can develop on our own," Hitoshi said with a smile, his tone filled with disdain.

"We possess extraordinary abilities. We can easily obliterate a nation. Why should we pledge allegiance to an ordinary person? To be honest, if I lived in the Sengoku Period, I would undoubtedly choose to establish a shinobi-dominated nation instead of cooperating with ordinary people to create a system of one country, one village. I would isolate shinobi and enforce the law of the jungle," Hitoshi confidently remarked.

"What about the Five Great Nations Agreement?" Shamon asked solemnly.

"Don't worry about it. That agreement is meant to be violated and rendered invalid. As long as we handle things properly and maintain sufficient deterrence, other ninja villages won't concern themselves with us. In fact, they might even be grateful, as we are providing them with a new path," Hitoshi's words resounded like thunder in Shamon's ears.

Shamon was no fool. He had experienced times of war and understood how the system of one country, one village came to be. It was forcefully established by Senju Hashirama.

"If Senju Hashirama hadn't possessed such immense power, the founding heroes of the ninja villages would have chosen to conquer the world," Shamon contemplated.

"Be careful. The things you asked me to study have already shown some promise. I will work on them as soon as possible," Shamon replied. He realized that Hitoshi's approach might not be entirely wrong, as long as their strength was formidable.

"Keep up the good work, Shamon-sama. We are the creators of our time. It is through our diligence that we will prosper," Hitoshi said, gazing up at the sky, attempting to bewitch Shamon.