The year 55 of Konoha was the heaviest year since the village's founding, and the closest it had ever come to destruction.
It was also in this year that Tsunade, the granddaughter of the First Hokage and princess of the Land of Fire, returned to her loyal Konoha after several years of absence.
And at this critical moment, she took up the position of the Fifth Hokage.
"What did you say? It was Naruto who attacked Konoha?"
In the Hokage's Office, Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, who was sitting in the Hokage's seat, his face filled with disbelief.
"Yes, that's what the old man said himself. Naruto has mastered the power of the Nine-Tails, knows the Flying Thunder God Technique, and also possesses a Jutsu similar to the Tailed Beast Ball but far more powerful. He's extremely dangerous."
Tsunade couldn't help but rub her temples. She had only been Hokage for a few days, and this mountain of problems was already threatening to crush her.
She felt like she had been dragged in by those old geezers to take the fall, but right now, there was no one else in Konoha who could sit in this position.
After all, a Ninja Village cannot go a day without its Kage.
"But why would Naruto do this? He's the son of the Fourth Hokage." Jiraiya still found it hard to believe.
Tsunade couldn't help but glance at Jiraiya, 'He's already nearing fifty, yet he still had a bit of a naive streak.'
"Have you not returned to the village at all these years?"
Jiraiya's face showed a hint of guilt as he nodded.
"Then take a look at these first."
Tsunade pulled out a stack of documents from her drawer and pushed them toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya immediately began reading, but with each page, his expression grew darker. By the time he reached the last page, he slammed the documents on the table.
"That damned Danzo! How dare he bully Minato's child like this?!"
Tsunade looked at Jiraiya as if he were an idiot.
"Do you think Danzo alone could have caused such a huge impact?"
Jiraiya opened his mouth to retort but eventually closed it, feeling a deep sense of sorrow in his heart.
'Oh, old man…'
"Does the Anbu have any information on Naruto's current whereabouts?" Jiraiya asked.
Tsunade shook her head and said, "The key issue now isn't Naruto. We need to deal with the three great villages first."
"Sunagakure has already stationed their troops at Konoha's border..."
---
While Konoha was in chaos, things were going remarkably well for Naruto.
Using the Sharingan to control key figures, Naruto quickly obtained the title of Daimyo from the Land of Waves' former Daimyo. The former Daimyo continued his life as usual, just in a different, undisclosed location.
Gato, too, was still alive. Under the control of the Sharingan, he became one of Naruto's puppets, and his company, Gato Shipping, continued to operate.
As a world-class shipping company, its ability to amass wealth was terrifying, and it was more than enough to support the Land of Waves.
After all, while Naruto was now the Daimyo of a nation, the entire population of the Land of Waves was only a few tens of thousands… smaller than the population of Konoha.
It is for this reason that Naruto directly implemented a centralized system of governance. For small nations, centralization was the most efficient form of rule.
Although there was a shortage of high-level personnel, Naruto had still managed to establish a basic organizational structure.
Naruto was the leader of the Land of Waves, with three executive branches beneath him: the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Financial Affairs Bureau, and the Military Affairs Bureau.
Among them, the Cultural Affairs Bureau was responsible for cultural and public welfare activities within the Land of Waves, including propaganda, education, and medical issues. Its head was Yakushi Nono.
The Military Affairs Bureau was the military force of the Land of Waves, responsible for maintaining order and enforcing policies. Although its members were all Uchiha, it also included Zabuza and Haku as external members. It was led by Izumi but reported directly to Naruto.
The Financial Affairs Bureau was the financial hub of the Land of Waves, responsible for auditing the identities of those entering and leaving the country and managing foreign personnel within the Land of Waves. Due to a lack of suitable financial personnel, Naruto currently oversaw this bureau, while the task of auditing and managing foreign personnel was handled by Gato's subordinates.
After becoming the new Daimyo of the Land of Waves, Naruto announced this to the entire population. However, no one paid much attention. After all, the Daimyo's existence was merely a formality to them, and all they cared about was whether they would have food to eat tomorrow.
"First of all, we need to solve the food problem for the people of the Land of Waves."
In the conference room of the Daimyo's residence, Naruto clasped his hands together, resting his chin on them, and spoke with a serious expression.
"The land in the Land of Waves isn't suitable for growing crops, so the primary food source here is fishing. Fishermen typically catch fish along the coast and then sell them in the city."
"However, because Gato controlled the shipping routes, most of the fishermen's boats were confiscated, so this food source has also become insufficient. But even in the past, relying solely on fishing made it difficult to obtain enough food."
Nono explained the current state of food in the Land of Waves.
"Well, don't worry about the food problem."
Given the current situation, with Gato's company, the Land of Waves wasn't lacking in financial resources. Additionally, as a top-tier shipping company, transportation was relatively convenient.
Under these circumstances, solving the problem of food shortages was relatively straightforward.
"From now on, have Gato's fleet bring back as much easy-to-preserve food as possible on each trip."
"Of course, this is only temporary. We must also develop food that can be grown locally in the Land of Waves."
At this point, Naruto suddenly thought of a highly capable individual… someone with both experience in managing a nation and formidable scientific research skills. In the entire Ninja World, there was likely only one person who fit the bill.
'I should get that snake over here first. It'll save me a lot of trouble.'
He also recalled that the Land of Snow had a high level of industrial development, especially in Chakra-based technology.
The others watched as Naruto suddenly fell into deep thought, and looked at each other. They wanted to remind him but were afraid of interrupting, so they simply waited.
"Sorry, I just thought of something."
Fortunately, Naruto quickly snapped out of it and apologized to the group. He then turned to Nono.
"Nono, have you finalized the locations for the school, the hospital, the seafood processing plants, and the weapon manufacturing facilities?"
Nono nodded and pulled out a map, spreading it on the large table in the conference room. She circled several locations with a pen.
"For the school, there's an empty plot of land near the former Gato's estate. It's the perfect size and secure enough, so we can build it there. The hospital can be constructed right next to it. As for the seafood processing plants, they can be built along these coastal areas. For the weapon manufacturing facility, there's a small iron mine near this hill. We can start there and relocate to a coastal area once the mine is exhausted."
Everyone examined the locations Nono had chosen, and they all agreed that these were the best options currently available in the Land of Waves.
Naruto nodded in satisfaction and said, "Then let's proceed according to the map. Nono, draft a suitable recruitment plan within the next two days. If it's approved, announce it publicly. Anyone who participates in the labor and completes their assigned tasks will receive food in return."
"Of course, more work means more food, less work means less, and no work means nothing. The cost of the food will also be deducted from their wages at the end of each month. Try to provide jobs for all the unemployed refugees in the country. If there aren't enough positions, assign them to road construction, bridge building, or land reclamation. As long as they have work, it's fine."
"Understood." Nono replied. This was well within the responsibilities of the Cultural Affairs Bureau.
"If anyone tries to freeload or cause trouble by stealing food, let Izumi handle it. "
"Yes. " Izumi immediately responded.
"That's all for now. Also, strengthen the screening of people entering and leaving the Land of Waves. The Ninja World will likely be in turmoil for a while."
"Nono, Izumi, stay behind. The rest of you can leave."
"Yes!"