Konoha was as bustling as ever.
Although five full units had been dispatched to various locations, it still hadn't had any impact on Konoha.
This was because Uchiha Jin had sent out the core backbone frameworks; once they reached their designated war zones, they would integrate the border troops and recruit samurai, Ronin, and the like to serve as temporary executors. At the very least, stabilizing the local areas for the time being was not an issue.
The vast majority of Konoha's powerhouses and core elites still remained in the capital, Konoha.
In the Hokage Office.
Tsunade's secretarial post was currently occupied by Nara Shikaku, and his role as the Jōnin Squad Leader had instead become a part-time job.
"Hokage-sama, I'm a bit panicked!"
"Although we've managed to temporarily stabilize the issues in the four major war zones by relying on the manpower of Tsunade and Orochimaru-sama..."
"But our Konoha's appetite is too unsightly. We've almost annexed many small nations in the process. Under these circumstances, can the other Four Great Shinobi Villages endure it?"
"If the Other Ninja Villages come attacking, I feel that relying solely on the manpower in the four war zones will definitely be insufficient to hold them off!"
Nara Shikaku had a bit of a headache.
At this moment, he couldn't help but rub his temples, and then he spoke to Uchiha Jin, who was not far away.
Clearly.
Regarding the strategy set by Uchiha Jin, he felt it was still a bit too risky!
If they were just temporarily stabilizing the territory within the Land of Fire, then the Other Ninja Villages wouldn't have much to say. The problem was that Uchiha Jin's appetite was too large, occupying so many small nations all at once... The Other Ninja Villages weren't fools!
Seeing Konoha's appetite being so unsightly, there was a high probability they would declare war on Konoha directly. Even if they likely wouldn't invade the Land of Fire directly because they had to deal with the Akatsuki Organization next, they would certainly go to contest those small nations.
After all, so many small nations could also bring in a massive amount of profit!
And on the other side.
Looking at the worried Nara Shikaku, Uchiha Jin remained calmly seated.
After setting down his teacup, he spoke slowly.
"Rest assured, it's not a big problem!"
"Actually, you're being a bit biased. The Other Ninja Villages won't have the time to deal with our Konoha, at least in the short term."
"Konoha was able to act with lightning speed because we had already planned out all the subsequent steps in secret while we were eliminating those Daimyō and Nobles. That's why we could act immediately after the Five Kage Summit."
"But—what about the Other Ninja Villages?"
"Their nations, like the Land of Fire, are among the Five Great Nations of the Ninja World. They are almost all vast in territory with numerous city clusters. One can imagine how big a piece of fat that is."
"Even with our Konoha's foresight, it took us a full month to barely sort out our internal affairs, establish the rules for distributing this massive cake of interests, and directly set up the tax, administrative, and other frameworks at all levels, as well as the supreme commanders for each war zone..."
"The other Four Great Shinobi Villages have no such preparation, and they aren't monolithic internally either. So how much time will they need to determine their internal distribution of interests?"
"This cake is too big. The internal factions of each ninja Village basically won't let go easily!"
"Even if it's just bickering, they'll have to bicker for a while."
"Under these circumstances, they are unable to launch an offensive against Konoha!"
"After all, compared to going to war with Konoha to snatch the territory of those small nations, as long as they aren't stupid, they will first allocate the big cakes within their own countries. Although the interests of these small nations aren't small, they are still far inferior to the big cake of their own homeland."
"On one hand, the homeland cake is big enough, and on the other, it's also their foundation. Before consolidating their foundation, even if they are angry, they will turn a blind eye to Konoha."
"And by the time they finish sorting out their internal affairs, Konoha's five major war zones will have long since stabilized."
"Even when that time comes, the Four Great Shinobi Villages won't have the energy to attack Konoha. Don't forget there's still the Akatsuki Organization."
"That is—the public enemy of the Ninja World!"
"You should know that based on Konoha's strength, we could actually take down the Akatsuki Organization on our own. Why didn't I, Uchiha Jin, do that?"
"Isn't it precisely to use the Akatsuki Organization to pin down the Other Ninja Villages, thereby buying time for our Konoha's plan?"
"So there's no need to overthink it, just do your job well."
Uchiha Jin explained everything clearly.
Although when Ino–Shika–Chō sought him out before, it was essentially a bit of a diversified investment, they were still the second group of forces to join the Uchiha. Therefore, they naturally shared a portion of the merit of being early supporters.
Water that is too clear has no fish!
Uchiha Jin naturally understood this principle, so he didn't dwell on it too much. He still chose to bring Nara Shikaku and the others directly into his core high-level system. After all, it was very important to show generosity to attract talent.
And... Ino–Shika–Chō were also quite sensible. Because they didn't have the powerful Bloodline Limit of the Uchiha, after seeing that he truly controlled Konoha, they had become very loyal to his Uchiha side. Now, they didn't even associate with the Senju Clan.
So he didn't need to guard against Ino–Shika–Chō; he would let them participate in the truly core policies.
And on the other side.
Hearing these words from Uchiha Jin, Nara Shikaku couldn't help but be stunned on the spot.
As a smart man, after such a hint, he naturally understood instantly.
Indeed!
Although Uchiha Jin's methods seemed like walking a tightrope, upon careful thought, they were actually quite stable. Uchiha Jin had considered almost every danger and even prepared the response methods in advance.
Brilliant, truly brilliant!
Even as a smart man of the Nara Clan, he had to admit Uchiha Jin's methods were sophisticated.
And more importantly, he knew that Uchiha Jin definitely had other hidden methods in his hands that simply hadn't been revealed yet.
An Uchiha Jin who, from an Uchiha Clan that was almost forced into a dead end, had become Konoha's First Hokage in just two short years, and even extended his reach to the Land of Fire and even the surrounding nations—his methods were truly ruthless, even imaginative... Even he, from the Nara Clan, honestly had a bit of trouble keeping up with the train of thought.
However.
In addition to the reasons Uchiha Jin had just mentioned, he could also vaguely perceive another reason.
Kumogakure's Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki were heavily injured; even Ōnoki was slightly injured, and Iwagakure had lost a Tailed Beast.
The Hidden Mist Village in the Land of Water was also not doing well right now; at the very least, they wouldn't have the mind to interfere with things on the Ninja World continent for the next ten years.
As for—Sunagakure?
A bunch that had lost their Village's only Tailed Beast, and whose own strength was at the bottom among the Five Great Ninja Villages, had even less of a chance of targeting Konoha at this critical juncture.
Combining these conditions of the other Four Great Shinobi Villages, it seemed very difficult for them to make up their minds to act against Konoha.
Finally.
Taking a deep look at the 'Hokage-sama' not far away, a hint of exhaustion was revealed in Nara Shikaku's eyes.
There was no other way!
The Hokage-sama he served was too strong. For the first time, he felt his brain wasn't enough, something that had never been encountered in the history of the Nara Clan.
It was too hard for him!
Why did he have to encounter such a Heroic Lord?