Konoha's Tatsuya

Land of Fields, Yamanashi Castle.

Inside the Daimyo's Residence, dozens of political elites and noble family members from the Land of Fields were currently gathered in the Council Chamber. These individuals stood about in small groups, murmuring amongst themselves in low voices.

"Hirai-kun, do you happen to know why the Daimyo has suddenly summoned us all today?" a middle-aged man asked softly, turning to the person seated beside him.

The middle-aged man was Ikeda Ren, and the one beside him was Hirai Kou; both were merchants in the Land of Fields. While the Ikeda and Hirai families were naturally far less powerful than Yoshida Jin, they still ranked among the wealthy merchants of the Land of Fields. Especially after the Narita and Taniguchi families were eliminated by Ansei Hall over two years ago, the Ikeda and Hirai families had seized the opportunity to rise to prominence, successively absorbing much of their remaining assets. Of course, the lion's share of the Narita and Taniguchi families' wealth had certainly been taken by Ansei Hall.

"I'm not sure! I also rushed over after receiving a sudden notice," Hirai Kou replied, shaking his head in confusion at Ikeda Ren's question. At this moment, he too was full of questions.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fields was old and senile, and rarely convened meetings gathering all the major powers of the capital. Even on the rare occasions he did, it was usually because he wanted to fleece them for money. For such matters, the Daimyo's steward would typically notify each family in advance, allowing everyone time to prepare and avoid mutual embarrassment from being caught unprepared. But today, this summons was very abrupt.

In the hall, many others besides Ikeda Ren and Hirai Kou were similarly puzzled about the purpose of the Daimyo's sudden summons.

Just as many in the hall were murmuring in discussion, the Daimyo of the Land of Fields entered, flanked by several attendants. Seeing him, everyone quickly rose and bowed. The old man chuckled at the sight, waved dismissively at the crowd, and then walked briskly to his seat. From the expression on the Daimyo's face, it was clear he was in a good mood.

"Everyone," the old man announced loudly to the assembled crowd immediately after taking his seat, "I have gathered you all here today to announce a wonderful piece of news! Our Land of Fields is about to have its very own hidden shinobi village!" As he spoke, his face beamed with excitement and pride.

Looking across the entire shinobi world, which nation's hidden village wasn't funded by the state? Only his Land of Fields could establish a hidden village without spending a single coin, and even receive regular payments from it! Such a fortunate arrangement was unique in the entire shinobi world. This feeling of having hit the jackpot made the Daimyo of the Land of Fields immensely proud.

Buzz!

As soon as the Daimyo finished speaking, an uproar filled the hall. The Land of Fields was actually going to establish a hidden village! They hadn't received even a whisper of this news beforehand. For the political elites and noble families present, this could hardly be considered good news. A hidden village – this was a nation's strongest instrument of force! How should they interact with this unfamiliar military power? And what was its true strength? These were questions everyone desperately wanted answered.

Someone in the hall quickly spoke up, asking, "Lord Daimyo, may we know the name of this hidden village, where it is being built, and who will serve as its Kage?"

The questioner was Furuta Shi, head of the long-established Furuta family in the Land of Fields. As Furuta Shi spoke, his gaze involuntarily shifted to the empty seat beside him. According to past custom, the seat next to Furuta Shi should have been reserved for Yoshida Jin. In the Land of Fields, only Yoshida Jin possessed the power to consistently overshadow the Furuta family. For an event as momentous as the establishment of a hidden village, Yoshida Jin was surprisingly absent! Although the Daimyo was old and senile, he wasn't completely incapable of understanding priorities. It was impossible for the Daimyo's Residence not to consult Yoshida Jin, and Ansei Hall behind him, on such a major matter. This situation was clearly abnormal.

Could it be that... A certain suspicion had already formed in Furuta Shi's mind.

From the main seat, the Daimyo's old face crinkled into a smile like a chrysanthemum. "The name of this hidden village is Yakugakure, the Village Hidden in Medicine! It's being built near Mount Riran. As for the candidate for Ta-kage... well, you'll meet her very soon."

The old man had barely finished speaking when several more people walked in from outside the hall. Seeing the newcomers, looks of realization dawned on many faces in the hall.

So it's them!

The arrivals were indeed Pakura (using the alias Yurika), Guren, Ishikawa, and others. After Ansei Hall became famous following that battle, the mysterious Uchiha rumored to be Madara Uchiha reborn vanished without a trace, leaving Pakura, under the alias Yurika, as Ansei Hall's public face. Seeing Pakura and her group, everyone present naturally understood that the soon-to-be-established Village Hidden in Medicine was backed by Ansei Hall.

Nowadays, Ansei Hall had grown into a veritable behemoth. Neither in economic strength nor military power could any other faction challenge Ansei Hall's position. In the entire Land of Fields, only Ansei Hall possessed the strength to even consider establishing a hidden village.

"Yurika pays her respects, Lord Daimyo," Pakura said, arriving inside the hall and bowing respectfully to the Daimyo on the main seat. Behind her, Guren and the others also bowed respectfully.

"Haha! Excellent, excellent! Please, rise! I now formally announce my approval of Ansei Hall's request to establish the Village Hidden in Medicine, and I hereby appoint Yurika as the village's first Ta-kage!" Seeing Yurika and her group, the Daimyo laughed heartily, made a gesture to help them rise, and immediately got straight to the point. Towards his major financial backers, the Daimyo's attitude was quite accommodating. It couldn't be helped; they simply gave too much!

As soon as he finished speaking, an attendant came forward, holding the official letters of appointment for the Village Hidden in Medicine and the Ta-kage.

"Thank you, Lord Daimyo!" Pakura expressed her gratitude respectfully and accepted the letters of appointment presented by the attendant. Looking at the two documents in her hands, Pakura's eyes grew slightly moist. She was deeply moved! From this day forward, the Village Hidden in Medicine was officially established in the eyes of the world. After more than two years of preparation, they had waited so long for this day! Behind her, Guren, Ishikawa, and the others also had expressions of excitement. Establishing a hidden village – something that had once seemed unattainable – was now a reality.

In the hall, hearing the Daimyo announce the appointment, the assembled political elites and nobles all rose, applauded, and offered congratulations. Regardless of their true feelings, they still had to keep up appearances. With Ansei Hall backing them, everyone had to give face. Seeing this, Pakura continuously bowed in return.

The Village Hidden in Medicine was a shinobi village; in the future, it would certainly need to train many ninja and continuously accept various missions. The number of missions and the payment amounts were crucial for the village's future development. The nobles and officials currently in the hall would be Yakugakure's major patrons in the future; naturally, they had to be treated politely.

Having made the announcement, the Daimyo quickly departed, leaving Pakura and her group in the hall to mingle and exchange pleasantries with the political elites.

That same day, news of the establishment of the Village Hidden in Medicine spread through Yamanashi Castle with incredible speed. Within a mere ten days or so, all the major powers in the shinobi world learned of the founding of the Village Hidden in Medicine.

Because standing behind it was Ansei Hall.