Chapter 130: My Power as Hokage is Limitless
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Although Yokokawa Yūhiro desperately wanted to just tear up Uchiha Douhuan's invitation, reason told him it was best to obediently attend this banquet.
After the Land of Fire relocated its capital to Konoha, any discerning person could see the immense business opportunities within, let alone an old hand like him who had navigated the seas of commerce for many years.
Therefore, in setting up his businesses in Konoha this time, Yokokawa Yūhiro had mobilized almost all of his available liquid capital. This consequently meant that after his businesses in Konoha were sealed, his ventures in other countries were also significantly affected. In just one short week, Yokokawa Nichika faced the huge problem of a potential capital chain rupture.
This wasn't because Yokokawa Yūhiro lacked crisis awareness, but rather because he had simply never experienced methods like Uchiha Douhuan's before.
With his wealth and status, even the Daimyos of the Five Great Nations had to receive him politely, let alone the rulers of some smaller countries who sometimes had to act according to his expression. Where else would you find someone like Uchiha Douhuan, who turns hostile at the drop of a hat?
Although Yokokawa Yūhiro was extremely displeased, the most urgent matter at hand was figuring out how to overcome the current difficulty.
That evening, Yokokawa Yūhiro brought gifts and arrived at the venue for the banquet – a new high-end restaurant recently opened by Kado.
When Yokokawa Yūhiro arrived, Kado was standing swaggeringly at the restaurant entrance, receiving the arriving guests.
Seeing Kado's triumphant appearance, Yokokawa Yūhiro nearly ground his teeth to dust. It was this bastard who, while his own businesses were being investigated and sealed by the Security Department, took the lead in carving up his assets, resulting in nearly twenty percent loss to his businesses in less than a week.
And now, it was clearly Uchiha Douhuan's banquet, yet Kado was acting as the greeter at the door. He wasn't even bothering to keep up pretenses anymore.
"President Yokokawa, hope you've been well since we last met," Kado noticed Yokokawa Yūhiro's figure, immediately walked over with a smile, and offered greetings.
"Hmph," Yokokawa Yūhiro snorted coldly, ignored Kado, placed his gift on the table by the door, and walked straight into the banquet hall.
Kado, having been slighted, felt the corner of his mouth twitch slightly: "Barbarians from the Land of Lightning really have no manners."
After entering the banquet hall, Yokokawa Yūhiro discovered that almost everyone present was a colleague from their gathering that day. After exchanging a few words, Yokokawa Yūhiro realized he wasn't an isolated case; any merchant who had established businesses in Konoha but hadn't paid the seventy percent tax had their enterprises targeted by the Security Department.
Among them, several, led by Kado, who had submitted investment plans to the Hokage Building for developing the Land of Fire, received the green light for their operations in Konoha. Furthermore, under the escort of the Security Department, they were aggressively encroaching upon the businesses of those in the resistance faction.
Yokokawa Yūhiro wanted to find a few old friends to commiserate with. Just then, Uchiha Douhuan, dressed in the conspicuous Fifth Hokage robes and wearing the Hokage hat, surrounded by a squad of ninjas, walked into the banquet hall, then swaggered to the main seat and sat down.
Seeing this, the others in the hall could only quiet down.
Uchiha Douhuan took off the Hokage hat, placed it on the table, surveyed the people in the hall, and then spoke, "Is everyone here? Then please be seated."
After the guests took their seats, Kado, sitting not far from Uchiha Douhuan, lightly clapped his hands. Soon, a team of waiters pushed small carts forward, serving wine and food.
Uchiha Douhuan picked up the wine poured for him by the waiter, gently swirling the glass. The dark red liquid swirled slowly inside the glass. Uchiha Douhuan didn't speak, and the others in the hall dared not speak for the time being.
After a while, Uchiha Douhuan finally began to speak, "Gentlemen, you are all magnates of the ninja world's commerce. Gathering here today is an honor for our Hidden Leaf Village in the Land of Fire."
"Your Excellency Grand Minister of State, what are you saying! That you could invite us all here together is our honor," Kado beside him quickly interjected. This lackey-like behavior caused Yokokawa Yūhiro and others to frown repeatedly.
"Eh, no need for that." Uchiha Douhuan waved his hand, then looked towards the others at the long table.
"When it comes to doing business, I might not compare to you," Uchiha Douhuan said after gently swirling his wine glass. "However, after becoming Hokage and being entrusted with the heavy responsibility of Grand Minister of State by the late king, I have also learned some things. One of them is that my power as Hokage and Grand Minister of State is limitless."
As Uchiha Douhuan's voice fell, the entire banquet hall instantly fell into an eerie silence.
"For example, if I extend a hand to help a business, the business can survive," Uchiha Douhuan said, glancing at Yokokawa Yūhiro and the others who intended to resist his tax plan. After draining the wine in his glass, he continued unhurriedly, "But if I want to eliminate a business, it's not difficult either. This power is just that significant. Wouldn't you agree, President Yokokawa?"
Yokokawa Yūhiro, having been called out, felt the corner of his mouth twitch slightly. But thinking about how the life and death of his enterprise were still in the other's hands, he could only force a smile and say, "Your Excellency Grand Minister of State speaks the truth."
Uchiha Douhuan smiled, swirling the empty wine glass, saying nothing.
Seeing this, Yokokawa Yūhiro could only rise respectfully, take the wine bottle from a nearby waiter's hand, intending to pour for Uchiha Douhuan.
However, at this moment, Uchiha Douhuan waved his hand and said, "I still have official duties to attend to later, so I won't drink anymore. Kado."
"Present," Kado leaned over with an obsequious smile. "What instructions does Your Excellency Grand Minister of State have?"
"You drink this cup with President Yokokawa on my behalf," Uchiha Douhuan said.
Hearing this, Kado looked up triumphantly at Yokokawa Yūhiro, simultaneously swirling the wine glass in his hand.
Yokokawa Yūhiro nearly ground his teeth to dust. Before coming to the Land of Fire, the two had dealings in business before. Back then, Kado was like a stray dog on the roadside in his eyes. With his wealth, if he wished, he could bankrupt Kado at any time. But now, he had to personally pour wine for Kado, and then drain his own cup.
Only then did Uchiha Douhuan reveal a slight smile, looking meaningfully at Yokokawa Yūhiro and the few other restless major merchants: "Although I haven't read many books and don't understand much about doing business, I know one fundamental truth: only when the country is stable can the enterprises within it have a stable environment for development and make better profits. Therefore, I believe enterprises have an obligation to give back to the nation. Do you gentlemen agree with my statement?"
"Your Excellency Grand Minister of State's words are truly profound!" Kado said, putting down his wine glass and clapping forcefully.
"Yes, yes! Without the country's development, where would we be today!" Several merchants who had previously followed Kado in biting off large chunks from the opposition factions now also stood up, vigorously chiming in their support.
"Do you really think so?" Uchiha Douhuan raised an eyebrow.
"Of course! These are our words from the bottom of our hearts!" Kado exclaimed.
"Very well. Then, since you have already enjoyed the dividends of the nation's development, shouldn't you also do something for the country that allows you to make money?" Uchiha Douhuan's gaze was like an arrow, fixing on Yokokawa Yūhiro and the others. In an instant, they felt as if targeted by a fierce beast. Within seconds, cold sweat drenched their backs.
"If someone feels that after their enterprise has made money, they don't need to repay the nation, then allowing such an enterprise to make money would be a dereliction of duty for me, the Grand Minister of State. Don't you agree?" Uchiha Douhuan's killing intent was released without reservation. This killing intent was something even some ninjas couldn't endure, let alone these merchants accustomed to living in comfort and prestige.
"Your Excellency Grand Minister of State! It was all a misunderstanding before! Our Yokokawa Group is already preparing to establish factories within the Land of Fire! The specific proposal can be delivered to your office immediately!" Yokokawa Yūhiro knelt directly on the ground, forehead covered in sweat, and stammered.
The others followed suit; in an instant, a large swath of people knelt down in the banquet hall.
"That's for the best," Uchiha Douhuan said coldly. "I advise you not to test my patience. In this world, a three-legged toad is hard to find, but there are plenty of people who want to make money. Understand?"
"Understood! Understood!" Those kneeling on the ground nodded hastily.
...
After dealing with this batch of disobedient merchants, Uchiha Douhuan returned to the Hokage office. He sat for a while, finished today's documents, then picked up his sword and went alone to the Naka Shrine.
Uchiha Douhuan deliberately slowed his pace. He knew there must be White Zetsu monitoring him nearby, so he had to give Black Zetsu time to return to the Naka Shrine.
After receiving the news that Uchiha Douhuan was heading towards the Naka Shrine, Black Zetsu was startled and quickly slipped into the shrine beforehand to prepare.
Soon, Uchiha Douhuan stepped into the secret chamber beneath the shrine.
On the surface of the stone tablet preserved by the Uchiha clan for generations, a mass of black substance floated up and coalesced into a humanoid form.
"You've come, descendant," Black Zetsu said in a low voice. "It seems you have completed the evolution of your eyes."
"Apologies for keeping the ancestor waiting," Uchiha Douhuan said, opening his Mangekyou Sharingan, which had evolved into the Eternal Eye. Perhaps due to the special method of advancement, the tomoe shape of Uchiha Douhuan's eyes hadn't changed much. However, the human Sage Art chakra intertwined with the pupil power in his eyes naturally brought Uchiha Douhuan into Sage Mode upon activation of the Mangekyou Sharingan.
The special eye markings around his eyes appeared, and the red parts of his eyes gained a slight golden sheen.
Uchiha Douhuan's aura stunned Black Zetsu for a moment. Uchiha Douhuan's current aura was in no way inferior to Nagato using Uchiha Madara's Rinnegan.
"What's wrong, ancestor? Are you surprised by my success?" Uchiha Douhuan narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Black Zetsu.
"Not at all, descendant. I was merely feeling emotional," Black Zetsu, showcasing the self-cultivation of an old actor at this point, composed himself and said. "After all, in these thousands of years, you are the second clan member capable of evolving the Sharingan to the Eternal Eye level on your own."
"Since your eyes have reached the level of the Eternal Eye, then you are qualified to see clearly the true path to peace," Black Zetsu stepped aside, allowing the stone tablet passed down through generations of the Uchiha clan to be fully revealed before Uchiha Douhuan. "Use your pupil power to decipher the contents on this stone tablet."
Uchiha Douhuan gazed intently at the stone tablet. Before long, the text on the tablet began to slowly change, shifting from the method of advancing the Sharingan using pupil power from a close blood relative, gradually transforming into the contents of the Moon's Eye Plan and the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"The Moon's Eye Plan? Now this is interesting," Uchiha Douhuan said with a half-smile.
"This is the path to peace that the most outstanding geniuses of our clan have pursued since ancient times!" Black Zetsu declared.
"Including Lord Madara?" Uchiha Douhuan asked.
"Of course, including him. He was the one who came closest to success," Black Zetsu replied.
"Creating a new world using the Infinite Tsukuyomi?" Uchiha Douhuan continued along Black Zetsu's line of thought. "Sounds feasible. The current ninja world is filled with hatred. Rather than patching it up, it's better to shatter it and reshape it into a new world. Does the clan truly possess such power? Hahahaha!"
Uchiha Douhuan threw his head back and let out a long laugh, which made Black Zetsu's heart palpitate.
[Indeed, these descendants of Indra, every single one of them is a lunatic!]
"Then, what should I do?" Uchiha Douhuan suddenly turned his head to look at Black Zetsu.
"Uchiha Madara once summoned the Gedo Statue in the past. What you need to do now is gather all nine Tailed Beasts and infuse their chakra into it," Black Zetsu instructed. "Thus, the Infinite Tsukuyomi can be activated."
"Nine Tailed Beasts, huh? That's a bit troublesome. After all, besides the Seven-Tails and the Nine-Tails currently held by the village, the remaining seven Tailed Beasts are within the ninja villages of the Five Great Nations," Uchiha Douhuan pretended to be troubled.
"By the way, Ancestor, since you mentioned guiding Lord Madara, didn't Lord Madara leave any backup plans?" Uchiha Douhuan looked at Black Zetsu and asked.
Black Zetsu glanced at Uchiha Douhuan, pondered for a moment, then finally spoke: "Yes, Madara left some measures in both the Land of Water and the Land of Earth. He once left a pupil power imprint within the Three-Tails, allowing him to influence the Jinchuriki through the Three-Tails."
"The Three-Tails Jinchuriki?" Uchiha Douhuan's gaze darkened. "I remember that's currently the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure, right?"
"Yes," Black Zetsu confirmed. "I can teach you the method to control this pupil power imprint."
"Then, I'll be counting on you, Lord Ancestor," Uchiha Douhuan chuckled.
...
The current Land of Fire had already begun to develop gradually in the direction Uchiha Douhuan envisioned. In a few more years, once the Land of Fire completed its transformation, taking on the entire ninja world single-handedly would be absolutely no problem.
Therefore, what Uchiha Douhuan needed now was time to develop.
To buy time, it was time to throw the enemies into chaos.
And this was also the reason why Uchiha Douhuan came to act with Black Zetsu.
(End of Chapter)
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