'It all happened so fast, is all I could think after I met with the fire lord Hiroshi Jiro; as Hibiki and I were quickly escorted to the palace gates and informed that my entire retinue has been gathered to our hotel and we had until sunset tomorrow to leave. even as my vision was filled with the rapid whirling of the world.
When the world stopped spinning, I saw the hotel stables and I noticed Daisuke barking orders organizing our entourage for the journey home; when he noticed me, "my lord, what happened?" Daisuke questioned "I am not too sure, but I do believe that we should talk about this on the road," I respond in a discouraged tone of voice
I might add that we had grown by four freight wagons and three oxen, three of the four were already loaded and moved into position to be yoked to the cattle. I looked into one of three filled wagons all I could see was sand... just sand? while the fourth was over by the Samurai who were loading parcels into the wagon.
I then turned to Tazuna, who was waiting by the sand wagons looking for someone as I spoke, "why did you buy so much sand, does wave not have enough?"
Tazuna took a swig of sake and chuckled "while Wave does have an abundance of beach sand, but we have a major shortage of river sand, a vital component of concrete. which we used almost all we had just to build the great bridge." Tazuna noticed a portly man wearing what looks to be the same type of clothes as a construction supervisor.
"Excuse me, my lord, I need to meet the purveyor of the river sand." he bowed before walking to the supervisor to discuss payment arrangements.
I decided to help Daisuke and the Ashiguru with loading up the fourth wagon "how long will it take to finish loading the baggage train, is there any way I can help load up the baggage train"
Daisuke thought for a moment, "no, I do not believe so unless you want to help the ashiguru load the supplies into the baggage train. we will need about two hours for the wagon the Ashiguru are working on, and eight hours for the sand carts" I smiled a foxlike grin
I stepped forward five steps "Ashiguru, you can take a fifteen-minute break or help load the other wagons," I ordered as I formed the ram seal. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." I called out, as a cloud of smoke erupted from my form.
I summoned sixty shadow clones about five times that of my escort "all right, you guys, I need you to follow Daisuke's orders and load the baggage train."
Daisuke pointed at the lieutenant Ashiguru and ordered "direct the shadow clones, as I need to speak to Lord Naruto and miss Hibiki"
Daisuke led me towards the gate that acted as an entrance into the city, from the caravansary where the horses, wagons, and the material goods are being stored with Hibiki following close behind me.
The gate of the caravansary was more like a long tunnel about twenty-four feet long, where two fully loaded Conestoga wagons can move side by side; still having enough room on either side for people to walk through while pulling a rickshaw.
The tunnel gate led to the city's economic quarter. Daisuke looked around until he spotted a small bar, he started to walk towards the bar after signaling me and Hibiki to follow him.
As I followed along, I slowly moved along, deciding to take in my surroundings. The city walls were built with granite and concrete, while most of the commercial buildings were made of limestone.
The majority of the people milling about were the poorest members of society, or slaves brought in from far-off lands. This is where most of the mineral and agrarian goods are processed, they are then distributed and resold to other nations around the continent.
This is the economic headquarters of the entirety of Fire Country; this acts as the beating heart that pumps the economic blood, through the entire southern hemisphere.
I brought my focus back to Daisuke, when I walked through the bar's doorway. The bar was obviously designed for the working class, as everything from the furniture to the walls themselves screamed well used.
The bartender and his cabinet of intoxicating wares are directly aligned in front of the main entrance. Everything in the building was constructed with oak, and what appeared like multiple miners' lanterns hung from the ceiling to give a comfortable, but dim atmosphere.
"Bartender, bring a bottle of Shochu, we will be in the back." Daisuke's deep voice reverberated throughout the bar, "Honkaku or Korui?" the man behind the counter inquired.
"Have you ever had distilled alcohol, my lord?" Daisuke asked, turning to me with a raised eyebrow. I shook my head, "Your best bottle of Korui." He exclaimed with a small measure of mirth.
He walked towards the booth in the corner furthest from everyone else in the building. When he sat down, his demeanor became very serious, but there was a look in his eyes, something I can't quite describe "The clones you summoned, how do they work? are they limited by distance? can you and the clones communicate in any way?" he asked, stopping shortly before the bartender arrived, bringing the ordered bottle in his hand.
Giving a nod of thanks, he grabbed ahold of the bottle and as the bartender was walking away, he grabbed ahold of his hand. "Could you please give us an hour of privacy." he flinched, but his eyes glazed over and smiled deeply while nodding he walked back over to the counter and acted as if nothing happened "what did you do to him, did you use a Genjutsu on him?" he snorted. "Hardly I just gave him some money, sometimes the simplest solution is the best, but I digress tell me more about this Jutsu."
"I really have no idea, I know the name of the Jutsu, but that's it." I paused to think, "but maybe Hibiki would know more about the shadow clone Jutsu." I started looking at her expectantly waiting for an answer.
she placed a finger on her chin in what appeared to be thought "The shadow clone Jutsu is a clone technique that evenly distributes the user's chakra between the summoned clones and the original." she said, grabbing a hold of her shot glass and downing the whole thing in the blink of an eye.
"The only limiting factor to the Jutsu is the amount of chakra available at the time of summoning." She paused, grabbing the bottle and pouring herself another shot. "The clones have no set limit on how far they can be from the original other than the amount of chakra consumed to keep their form." She started drinking her next shot shortly after
"The shadow clone is only used rarely, as the even fractionation of chakra would kill most other shinobi." She sighed out, pouring another shot out. I gave her an inquisitive eyebrow at her. "Though the shadow clone can transfer learned experiences to the original when dispelled, this though can cause severe mental trauma if used improperly. why do you want to know?" she questioned, directing her gaze at Daisuke and drinking her next shot just as quickly as the last several.
Daisuke finally getting to his first shot replied. "When Gato came and monopolized all of our ports, we had almost no way to acquire the river sand, gravel, and the needed quantities of steel to build the Naruto bridge by trade; as a result, we had to aggressively dredge our rivers and lakes, break down any mountain, boulder or stone, and mine our wetlands for iron." Daisuke took a deep breath to gather his thoughts, as he filled his glass before passing the bottle back to Hibiki.
"This has led to a major drought and famine, because of the dredging of our rivers; section A was almost completely eroded, leaving it as a salt marsh while sections B and C were heavily damaged. the mining of iron from our wetlands has greatly reduced our land's ability to hold freshwater."
"I can understand how a lack of freshwater and how a major drought can deplete our ability to provide food to our people. But how can my shadow clones even help with this?" I asked more than a little curious as almost all the strategies team 7 had for my clones were as cannon fodder.
"With your shadow clones, we would have the needed expendable personnel that could do the most dangerous of the reconstruction efforts." He paused with what looked like a gleam of hope that was in his eye.
"Furthermore, we have a massive debt to noodle and Hot spring country, as even with the aggressive exploitation of our land we still needed more resources…" he said with a heavy sigh, "So our nation wagered our historical relations with the daimyo of Geyser County, you see the nation of Hot Springs made heavy use of our Samurai and most importantly our sailors." He paused grabbing the Korui from Hibiki after she took another shot. "The sailors of wave have an almost perfect mastery of how to sail through the reefs and open waters of the Kaizoku sea, Haran Bay, even the coveted Kasumi straight." Daisuke took a deep breath, almost as if he felt the frigid sea spray and almost constant icy fog.
"We did make up for the resources we were lacking, however, the resources that came from them ended up being too much of a burden on the supply chains of Geyser country and took up much-needed roadways that led tourists from around the continent towards their valuable geyser villages. He released a groan while taking a swig of the bottle before carrying on "Upon realizing this, the government of Hot Spring, demanded we pay two-thirds of the lost revenue of the last two years." Before he could continue, I spoke up.
"Wait, how long did the Naruto Bridge take to build?" I questioned as team 7 and I had only arrived after most of the work was completed.
"About four years, my lord. Four years, I have seen people take their own lives from just a month under the thumb of a throng bandits." Daisuke let his statement hang for a moment of silence. Before suddenly like a flash in the night, he cleared his throat.
"Most importantly, we could design a whole new logistical role in our military around you, a support role that is meant to receive information from our scouts or field officers and react hours, days or potentially weeks before an actual naval invasion can take place."
"Already naval invasions are very dangerous for the aggressor, as there are multiple vectors for defensive operations, but only one vector to attack from, added in you need to have a constant stream of supplies to maintain a beachhead." Daisuke paused only to refill his shot glass.
"Now imagine what we could do if we knew about their invasion a day beforehand, we could prepare traps to slow their ability to land. we could engage in hit and run tactics on their supply convoys after they have made a beachhead. Or the most important preparation, the arming of the able-bodied citizenry and the evacuation of the young, sick, and the old."
"I would love to; anything to help protect my new people!" I exclaimed, barely managing to contain myself to a loud volume but not so obnoxiously loud that I disturbed the other patrons. Suddenly a thought struck me I remembered something that Tsunade-Baachan wanted to do in Konoha but could never fully implement.
"Is there any way we could incorporate some basic Chakra and a Medical-nin specialist training I believe it would improve our attrition rate and preserve our fighting forces." I requested but it sounded more like a question than I intended.
I heard a sudden hollow thunk as Hibiki slammed down her shot glass and began to pour herself more as she spoke "I hate to burst your bubble, but the way ROOT ANBU was run more like a suicide squad. While we have some Medical Ninja in our ranks, they held an elite position and had access to Danzo's secret projects. As such you were not given any." I could hear Hibiki's dull monotone glide in the air like a cold breeze. I let out a sigh as I start to speak "So, it's impossible? Shouldn't I even try?
As my disappointed and slightly despondent words filter across her ears Hibiki pauses in the middle of slamming another shot what is this her eighth or nineth? She cocks her head in slight confusion and spoke slowly "you could always ask the Godaime if she will help you start a medical ninja program. I mean you have Gato industries under your thumb, you can pay for thirty S-Rank missions before your coffers would start to feel the strain. Or you could just offer her at cost medical herbs and supplies with no transportation fees. The Land of Fire is not well known for medically useful herbs those are found mostly in Grass, Rain, Waterfall, and Rice."
Hearing what Hibiki said I could literally feel my spirits brighten enough to rival the sun as I gave her a wide toothy grin that made me look like a human fox. Only to face fault as she filled both mine and Daisuke's cups with the distilled spirit and took the bottle for herself caressing it lovingly almost as if it was her child. Both Daisuke and I sweat dropped for this. clearing his throat Daisuke made a visible effort to pull his attention away from Hibiki's... Peculiarities.
Finally, after tearing himself away from the sight of Hibiki and her alcohol, Daisuke began to speak "I fully support this idea; the potential addition of medical professionals would drastically improve the quality of life for both our Soldiers, Citizens, and Nationals." He paused for a moment, catching his breath. "Further I can see the value in the incorporation of some of the abilities of the Ninja, but I ask that we instill the same dedication for both you and the state of wave." He took a breath while looking mournfully at his only shot of alcohol, before continuing. "Though I would like to hear why you want to make this change to your military, so that I can try to understand what you may potentially wish to do to the nation as a whole."
Hearing this, I realized that this was my chance to truly cement Daisuke as a supporter and ally for my goals. Steeling my determination, I began to speak "We are a small, impoverished nation, we have too few citizens for our military to be overspecializing. We need to continue with reconstruction efforts in an attempt to build and train a blue water navy, in this regard I believe that we will need to completely remake the Samurai and Ninja; into a unified army." I took a stabilizing breath and continued, "where basic chakra manipulation skills are taught to the infantry; things like medical training, basic sealing, and elemental combat training." I took a moment to collect my thoughts mulling over what seemed like distant memories, memories of a poor starving nation ruled by Gato with a blood-stained iron fist. The swirling cauldron that is my mind finally slowed down, giving me a moment to collect my thoughts into a coherent idea.
The scaffolding was being set and a plan was starting to formulate, more accurately a vision that would allow for the country of Wave and its people to rise and prosper from the icy grasp of death. Nodding to myself I will begin the first step in my plans to reform Wave into the power I can see it as "In addition, I believe that the citizens of Wave must have a basic understanding about how to use Chakra and guerrilla warfare. with a two-year required term of service in the military or state affiliated body."
I could see Daisuke twitch with a small pang of worry for the people. Internally I am smirking he will be a good figure to aid in my reformation, his care for the people and the desire to serve the state will help produce a stronger more loyal military. Externally, however, I almost jump with a look of caution and concern. I start speaking in an attempt to assuage his concerns "This does not mean that everyone will become soldiers, but it does mean that the people of wave will have to take part in the reconstruction effort of the nation. Or in case of war every person in wave will contribute to the war effort, I do not want Wave to suffer another Gato."
I could see Daisuke move into deep contemplation; his eyes fixed on me like a hawk eying its prey. After what felt like an hour had passed, when in reality it was probably ten minutes. Daisuke cleared his throat and took a sip of the distilled sake. "I will aid you as best as I can, but I should inform you of the hurdles you will encounter. I only really know of the issues that plague the military. If you want to know more about the divides in the government, you will have to ask Tazuna." As the samurai spoke, he started to look his age as a veteran of the Great Shinobi Wars.
I hummed in acknowledgment asking him to continue "While wave does have a sizable military in relation to our near peer neighbors. Our problems directly relate to this fact, in wave there are two clans of samurai that were given the right to manage and tax portions of the land." Nodding in an effort to show I am still listening; I grab the shot glass and raise it to my lips as I smell the contents, finding the aroma not particularly bad or good I decide to take a small sip, surprisingly I enjoyed the slight burn of the alcohol as it traveled down my throat. "In return they would swear fealty to the Daimyo and raise and support a samurai force to protect his interests. Normally this would not be an issue, but for the fact that the first two Daimyos wanted to encourage competition between them."
I scrunch my eyes up in confusion as I speak "How is a little competition between the two clans a problem? Would that not help them refine their craft?" Daisuke released a frustrated sigh "In most cases you would be correct, it would not be an issue if not for the methods the Daimyos used to stoke the rivalry between the two." I almost let out a groan but just settled for cupping my hands in my face. This already sounds like someone in power intentionally trying to screw over anyone they can, for amusement or more power no one can really say.
"The people of Wave have always been at odds with the sea, always building dikes, dams, and levees to beat the ocean waves back so that we could use the newly reclaimed land for the prosperity of the kingdom and its lord." Daisuke paused with a wistful smile sprawling across his grizzled visage. Almost as if he was there in the old Wave.
"The first Daimyo started a system where the samurai clan that had the most success in battle, would receive extra land to help support a larger fighting force. At the time both clans were neck n neck, but the Tsubame clan was fortunate that the land that was given was much more useful for agricultural growth." finishing my shot, I decide to try and grab the bottle from Hibiki only to receive, what could only be a small hiss coming from the usually stoic Ninja. I could see Daisuke shake his head almost mournfully and then flawlessly continue speaking.
"To the point that they were quickly becoming a raising power in the nation, the Kotsume clan on the other hand had land that was only really useful as human habitation. In the long term they might be able to equal the Tsubame in power, but by then the Tsubame would have grown four times over." shaking my head, this could only lead to jealousy and mistrust between the two clans. which could evolve into hatred for the other clan very much like what is happening in water country
Daisuke took a moment to pause and down his shot of liquor. As he was about to continue speaking, he looked at his shot glass, then at the mostly empty bottle with Hibiki, then at me. I make a small nod, as soon as I give my approval the old samurai excuses himself from the table. Quietly moving over to the bar, he buys two more bottles and then returns. Handing one to Hibiki, he opens our bottle and pours himself and I another shot. "The Daimyos were much less willing to relinquish any more land to an ever-growing Samurai class, with a dwindling number of opportunities for territorial growth the two clans became cemented into rivalry. A rivalry that if left unchecked will lead to an all-out civil war."
I could understand the problem that my predecessors left me with, it was a house that was constructed from the very beginning to be divided. Without a strong unifying figure Wave would not be able to stand against its peers. Even more so now that the land was defiled and exploited by Gato. "So, I understand that in the past these two clans were at odds, but surely they would put aside their differences?' I ask innocently to probe for more information.
Daisuke lets out a small groan "in a perfect world you would be right, but after Gato was killed the people of wave were clamoring for a stronger military. This has led to large numbers of young men and women joining each of the clans to defend the island." of course it would, desperation and fear are the main fuels of any military. Especially since the people were so heavily abused by a foreign actor. "However, with the older and more restrained members of the clan being dead or dishonored, a younger and more abrasive generation has risen to the surface."
As Jiji used to say, 'The new generation will lead us into a bright new world but without the guidance of the old one, we are doomed to repeat their mistakes but with youthful zeal'. I was cut from my muses when Daisuke continued on, "On one side the Tsubame were raised on the tales of their innate superiority over the Kotsume; the Kotsume, however, believe that their rights as a noble samurai clan have been trampled on by the Tsubame. This has led to an increase to the tensions between the two, especially since the merchant clans that still are here have thrown their hats in with the Tsubame."
I let out a soft hum in acknowledgment as I began pondering on the state of affairs. This is interesting if what Daisuke says is true, I can assume that the Sente of Wave is dominated by these merchant clans. Considering that they are actively holding one of the samurai clans in their pockets I can assume that the Senate wanted me to rule as a Daimyo in name alone. At this thought I grab my shot glass and try to down the contents in one go quickly almost succeeding but I make the mistake of breathing in, I start to gag a little drawing a few chuckles out of Daisuke and something that vaguely sounds like a snort. I will need to find a way to undermine the authority that the senate holds over the country in order to have absolute control of the country.
If that route turns out to not be practical, then I need to settle for a powerful voice in the Senate. Breaking myself from my musings I decided to ask Daisuke a question that I had when he was explaining the history of the samurai clans of Wave. "So how did the samurai clans grow I don't think Wave was conquered in any of the Great Shinobi Wars or had to make any land concessions which led to a loss of territory?"
I must have looked confused as Daisuke spoke up "First, wave at that time was likened to a ninja village, Wave was well known throughout the world as the most loyal mercenaries' and Seamen." Noticing Hibiki's interest and my confusion he continued. "What I mean to say is that at one point Wave was very much like any dictatorship one would see in the Hidden Villages. At that time the only way The Land of Wave could survive was to use our skills on the open sea and asymmetrical warfare to help our clients."
"At the time of the first second wars. We were fighting for each of the major nations anything from logistical support to combat roles and everything in between it was only when Wave had exhausted its manpower that Wave started to transition into a more commercial society." Daisuke informed with justified pride and a sense of reverie.
"This was the strategy used to support the plethora of public work projects to bring wave to its current size, the two clans were allowed a percentage of the profits of the contract between Wave and the foreign power. The amount they were allowed was dependent on how well the clan did on the battlefield. The clan could then fund land reclamation that would be their new property." the samurai spoke while sipping on his shot of booze.
Breaking Daisuke out of his memories Hibiki in a facsimile of a tone with hints of wonder and curiosity "Wait, I just remembered your name didn't you fight for the 'Kinkaku and Ginkaku' squad!? Did you ever manage to see the Legendary Tobirama in battle?" Hibiki inquired. I could not help but look over at Daisuke in expectant interest.
in response to both of us, Daisuke actually laughed rancorously in response "No. No, I did not personally see him battle in person for that I thank Isobuu every day with offerings... I was deployed to reinforce the now named land of rice I am lucky that the sea caravan was delayed by three days by a storm. He is not called the god of shinobi for nothing. He turned a mountain valley into a lake that still is a landmark in the land of rice called the valley of plenty."
Daisuke froze shuddering momentarily before continuing "I could feel his chakra three days after he had died... But as to your request, I readily agree the military needs to be modernized. The occupation of Wave has shown me and the old guard in the military that something needs to change if Wave is to survive."
I could not help myself and jumped up in a cheer, almost dancing with joy. I could see Hibiki lift the left eyebrow with a slight cocking of her head in confusion. while Daisuke almost turned crimson in embarrassment and all but exclaimed "my lord please the other patrons of the bar are beginning to stare."
to his embarrassment, I continued my 'happy' dance for a few more seconds before the lieutenant came into the bar but froze upon looking at my glorious sublime dance... after a moment of stunned awe, the poor soldier recomposed himself and began his hesitant approach to me and my two retainers.
"Your clones and the rest of the ashiguru have finished loading everything into the wagons everyone is ready whenever you wish to depart. If you excuse me, I will rejoin the rest of the Ashiguru." The lieutenant spoke almost robotically, I nodded allowing him to leave.
After paying the tab and leaving the bar, I noticed it was late afternoon, almost early dusk. I boarded the carriage to begin my journey to my new home and after about a four-hour journey we decided to rest for the night.