One village, one nation.
From the day Konoha was founded, this system had been like a needle lodged in the heart of the Fire Daimyo.
Konoha was the sword of the Land of Fire, but the hilt was held in the Hokage's hand, not the Daimyo's.
When the First Hokage was alive, the Daimyo didn't dare entertain that thought. That man was too strong, strong enough that the entire ninja world could only live under his shadow.
But he died.
The Second Hokage succeeded him. His methods were forceful, and the Daimyo had no opportunity then either.
Then he died too.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was a gentle man. He was not warlike, did not expand, and only wished to preserve what already existed.
But human strength had its limits. In the end, it could not overcome the passage of time.
After Hiruzen, who would be the next Hokage?
The Daimyo's gaze swept across Shin-chan's face.
If Ai's husband became Hokage, then their child would be the Daimyo's heir and Konoha's future at the same time.
At that point, what need would there still be for "one village, one nation"?
The entire ninja world would belong to the Suotome family.
The Daimyo closed his folding fan and lightly tapped it against the table.
The steward immediately bent down and leaned closer.
"Investigate Nohara Shinnosuke's background," the Daimyo said in a low voice. "His parents, family, clan, everything you can find."
"Yes."
"And inform the Ministry of Rites. For tomorrow's itinerary, have them arrange for the princess to travel with the Konoha ninja."
"Your Lordship." The steward hesitated. "That is not in accordance with protocol. Her Highness should not..."
"Protocol can be changed." The Daimyo lifted his wine cup and drank it all in one go.
The steward lowered his head and withdrew.
Meanwhile, Shin-chan had already reached his fifth round of eating.
He pointed at a plate of delicate sashimi. "This fish is raw?"
"Yes."
"You can eat it raw?"
"You eat it with soy sauce and wasabi."
Shin-chan picked up a slice, copied the others by dipping it in wasabi, and placed it in his mouth.
The next second, his expression twisted. It was as if something had exploded inside his nose, sharp and spicy.
"Water, water, water!"
Ai handed over a cup of tea.
Shin-chan gulped it down in one breath and let out a long sigh. "So spicy!"
"That's wasabi," Ai said. "You put too much."
"You should've said so earlier."
Namikaze Minato, sitting beside him, thought Shin-chan would finally calm down for a while, but Shin-chan rubbed his nose and picked up another slice. This time, he dipped only the tiniest bit of wasabi.
"Tasty."
Ai actually didn't like sashimi very much, but it appeared at every banquet, and she had to eat one piece politely each time.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Ai put the sashimi into her mouth.
She still didn't like it.
"Actually, I don't like sashimi," Ai said softly after putting down her chopsticks.
"Then why are you still eating it?"
"Because..."
She didn't know how to explain.
Because it was etiquette. Because everyone had to eat it. Because she couldn't show that she was picky...
Saying those things in front of Shin-chan felt strange to her.
"If you don't like it, then don't eat it." Shin-chan pulled the sashimi plate in front of himself. "I'll eat it for you."
Ai froze again.
"Everyone has food they don't like," Shin-chan said while eating. "I don't like green peppers. Misae doesn't like natto. If you don't like it, don't eat it. Nothing bad will happen."
Ai watched him eat the sashimi slice by slice and remembered the dango shop last time.
Shin-chan had naturally handed her a skewer of dango. Whether she was a princess or not didn't matter at all. What mattered was that she was standing in front of him without any dango in her hand.
The ministers beside them had already gone numb. Even the protocol officer no longer tried to correct his manners.
In the banquet hall, Shin-chan finally patted his belly in satisfaction and burped.
"Is there dessert after the meal?"
The protocol officer's face twitched.
"Yes." The Daimyo smiled and clapped his hands. "Serve dessert."
The maids brought up a plate of exquisite matcha yokan. Each piece was cut into a perfect square, with gold leaf sprinkled on top.
Shin-chan looked at the gold leaf. "Can you eat this?"
"Yes."
Shin-chan picked up a piece, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed, then frowned.
"Does it taste bad?"
"It doesn't taste bad." Shin-chan tried hard to swallow it. "It just doesn't really have any flavor."
"Then what do you want to eat?"
"Chocolate." Shin-chan raised his hand and said.
The Daimyo froze for a moment, then laughed. "Then serve chocolate."
"Yes."
Very soon, the plate in front of Shin-chan was piled with all kinds of chocolate desserts: chocolate sticks, chocolate cream puffs...
Shin-chan picked up a chocolate cream puff and handed it to Ai. "Here."
Ai took it and bit into it. A little chocolate sauce spilled from the corner of her mouth.
She wiped it with the back of her hand, nearly making the protocol officer faint.
But Ai no longer cared. The chocolate was sweet, sweeter than anything she had ever eaten.
"Is it good?" Shin-chan asked.
"It's good." Ai nodded.
The Daimyo sat in the seat of honor and watched this scene, a smile appearing on his face.
After eating his fill, Shin-chan could no longer sit still. He wriggled back and forth on his cushion.
"His Lordship hasn't left the table yet." Namikaze Minato held him down.
"But I'm already full." Shin-chan patted his round belly. "After you're full, you're supposed to go for a walk."
"This is the palace, not Konoha."
"People in the palace don't go for walks?" Shin-chan scratched his head. "No wonder Uncle's belly is so big."
The entire banquet hall went silent.
Namikaze Minato took a deep breath and had already given up struggling.
The Daimyo froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Then let us all go for a walk."
The protocol officer stepped forward. "Your Lordship, there are still officials waiting to be received afterward..."
"Let him wait." The Daimyo waved his hand. "We'll discuss it tomorrow."
The protocol officer's face stiffened completely.
The Daimyo left his seat. When he passed by Shin-chan, he patted his head. "Come. I'll take you to see my garden."
"Are there fish?"
"Yes."
"Can I catch them?"
"...Yes."
Shin-chan cheered, jumped up from his cushion, grabbed Ai by the sleeve, and ran outside. "Let's go, let's go! Let's catch fish!"
"Run slower." Ai almost stepped on the hem of her kimono.
"Fish won't wait for people." Although Shin-chan said that, he still slowed down.
The Daimyo walked behind them, gently waving his folding fan.
"Your Lordship." An old minister walked to his side. "This Konoha genin is truly improper. If Her Highness grows too close to him, I fear..."
"Fear what?"
"I fear it may damage Her Highness's reputation."
The Daimyo turned to look at him. "How long do you think it has been since Ai smiled like this?"
The old minister froze. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Late at night, the Daimyo returned to his study.
The steward entered silently and placed a stack of papers on the desk.
"Your Lordship, we found it."
The Nohara family was not a distinguished family and had no ninja background.
The father, Nohara Hiroshi, was an ordinary chūnin. The mother, Nohara Misae, was a housewife.
No kekkei genkai, no secret clan techniques, no roots that could be traced back through ninja history.
This child truly had no influence from any family faction.
A blank slate.
Clean and clear.
The Daimyo put the papers down and suddenly smiled.
If the father was the Hokage, and the mother was the Daimyo, then this child…