"Your Excellency, please allow this one to..."
A graceful woman leaned against Hidenaga White Zetsu, her voice teasing and seductive.
Hidenaga White Zetsu immediately pushed her away, muttering in annoyance, "I'm tired."
The woman left unhappily.
Facing those still remaining in his chambers, he ordered, "All of you, get out."
"Yes, sir."
At his command, everyone vanished, reappearing just outside the chambers to await his next order.
Hidenaga White Zetsu felt somewhat uneasy.
Was he really going to have to engage in power struggles with these people from now on?
Once he was finally alone, Hidenaga dived back underground and emerged in Hiroki Hyuga's room.
Seeing only half his body rise from the ground, Hiroki Hyuga gave him a dry look. "Your Excellency, this appearance really isn't appropriate."
"Do I really have to be the daimyo forever?" Hidenaga White Zetsu asked.
"Not good enough for you?"
"There are too many people to deal with. I don't even know who that guy used to be..." Hidenaga muttered, troubled.
Usurping the throne or replacing a nation's ruler—
For ordinary people, this would be extremely exciting news.
But White Zetsu wasn't exactly human. He didn't even have independent thoughts.
To him, things like power weren't half as interesting as figuring out why humans got such a kick out of taking a dump.
Hiroki Hyuga also knew—White Zetsu was naturally mischievous and basically a walking meme. The more he talked, the more mistakes he might make, so he suggested:
"You should keep a low profile from now on. If you absolutely refuse to maintain this identity, then we can find someone else to replace him—for example, passing the title onto the daimyo's descendants..."
Hiroki Hyuga had observed inside the palace before. The daimyo and all his children were completely ordinary people.
Initially, this seemed quite surprising to him.
But after careful consideration, it actually made perfect sense.
Few people actually had what it took to become ninjas.
As members of royal nobility, living extravagant and indulgent lives, simply maintaining self-discipline already counted as impressive behavior.
Moreover, becoming a ninja required harsh training. These individuals were born into the highest social class, enjoying the finest resources available. Why would they bother risking their lives like ninjas do just to obtain basic supplies?
Born possessing everything, there was no reason for them to degrade themselves.
As long as the royal nobility continued controlling global resources, ninjas would remain dependent on them, begging for scraps.
Ninjas were mostly uneducated, unaware of how to develop productive capabilities or establish economic foundations.
Possibly the only thing resembling an industrial chain among them was their mission assignment system?
Wasn't the so-called policy of one-village-one-nation simply dividing territories artificially?
Trapping all those extraordinary warriors together, pitting them against one another until hatred consumed them all.
The royal nobles needed only offer a tiny portion of their overflowing wealth, rewarding winners with just a bit of attention.
Granting control over even a small plot of land sends ninjas into ecstasy.
From dragons soaring through the heavens to frogs trapped at the bottom of a well—who designed this scheme? Such superior wisdom!
After sighing in admiration, Hiroki Hyuga cast these thoughts aside.
All of this was none of his concern. He now stood on the same side as the final boss and had no interest in advising the ninja about reforms.
In short, the royal descendants of the Country of Hot Springs, although protected by a large entourage, lacked any real combat abilities themselves.
Though White Zetsu wasn't strong, he could easily deal with ordinary people.
As long as one of them was alone, White Zetsu would have an opportunity to eliminate them.
"You became the Daimyo, he's infiltrating Akatsuki, and I'm staying in Konoha. Looks like we've all got big plans!"
"Hehehe..." Hidenaga White Zetsu gave a creepy chuckle and returned to his quarters.
The next morning, palace attendants carried more than ten ornate palanquins out of the palace.
The fanciest one was for the Daimyo himself. The rest were for his wives, concubines, and kids.
Although Hidenaga White Zetsu absolutely hated bringing along such inconvenient burdens, he reluctantly agreed to maintain the Daimyo's public image.
"My lord..."
Another woman approached, trying to ride in the same palanquin as Hidenaga White Zetsu.
Hidenaga White Zetsu felt slightly exasperated.
Yeah right, Lord of what?!
Human relationships were just way too complicated...
He covered half his face with the folding fan in his hand and shoved her aside without a word.
Without caring about the others' reactions, he lifted the curtain and stepped into his own palanquin.
"Women are such a nuisance! Don't bother me unless necessary!"
The people outside exchanged glances and decided not to provoke the Daimyo's anger.
"Lift the palanquins and let's move out!"
The bearers simultaneously lifted all the palanquins. Mounted guards formed a ring around the central group, while inner court officials walked in an outer perimeter surrounding them.
Additionally, several carriages followed at the rear, fully loaded with daily necessities prepared by the palace attendants for the Daimyo's journey.
And just like that, the massive procession began its slow march forward.
The scene was spectacular, noisy, and extremely slow.
Hyuga Hiroki and the other three trailed behind the main party, walking at the very end.
"Why does it feel like we got the short end of the stick?" Hana Inuzuka couldn't help but complain.
Hyuga Hiroki: "At this pace, are we gonna be stuck here for weeks before reaching the Land of Fire?"
Itachi Uchiha: "..."
Although the Daimyo's travel arrangements were overly extravagant, surprisingly, no reckless small-time bandits dared to cause trouble.
That evening, Hyuga Hiroki and others finally saw what was stored inside those carriages.
The palace attendants actually used the items from the wagons to build dozens of temporary rooms for these privileged individuals. Even cooking utensils and pots were already prepared.
"Do they really enjoy all this? Aren't they bothered by such inconvenience?" Sitting beside the campfire, munching on his own dried rations, Hyuga Hiroki remarked.
"Well, that's just how nobility rolls."
"
Hidekazu Ueno took over the conversation, pointing at the patterns on several palanquins. He explained to Hiroki Hyuga and Hana Inuzuka, the two newcomers:
"Those patterns on the palanquins represent the Country of Hot Springs. Anyone seeing them will recognize these as belonging to Hot Springs' royal family. Normally, proper ninjas won't intentionally harm them. However, if they encounter rogue ninjas or someone deliberately provoking conflict, then things become uncertain..."
A faint smirk tugged at Hiroki Hyuga's lips. "What you say is true, sensei..."
"Therefore, we mustn't let our guard down," Hidekazu Ueno concluded firmly.
Hidekazu Ueno stayed constantly alert, watching for even the smallest movements like a battle-hardened warrior.
Luckily, they made it through the trip without any trouble.
On the fourth day, seeing a massive swarm of people entering the Temporary Palace of the Land of Fire, Hidekazu finally exhaled in relief.
"Our mission is complete."
After that, Hidenaga White Zetsu went into hiding and lived a low-key life.
During the day, he watched traditional court performances in the palace, and at night, he occasionally sneaked out to replenish his chakra (energy) secretly.
Of course, he didn't forget the task Hiroki Hyuga had assigned him. On the very first day back at the Temporary Palace, he wrote a letter to the Daimyo of the Frost Country.
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