Naruto: With Favorabiltity System

Chapter 249: Haneda Opens His Heart, the Daimyo's Barefaced Provocation!

Haneda worked for only half an hour before calling it a day and leaving.

Before departing, he didn't forget to offer Shikaku a few words of encouragement, urging him to work hard for Konoha's prosperity.

Kakashi followed suit, dumping some less important tasks onto Shikaku before walking out with Haneda.

Due to Haneda's status as Hokage, walking openly through the streets drew too much attention.

In unspoken agreement, he and Kakashi used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport directly to the Third Training Ground.

The Third Training Ground had long been a place where Haneda and Kakashi, apart from the Hatake clan's private grounds, spent much of their time.

It was here that Haneda often trained with Kakashi, practicing the Flying Thunder God Technique and perfecting his sealing jutsu.

Walking side by side, Kakashi casually asked, "Are you really planning to assassinate the Daimyo and replace him with someone more obedient? So the Daimyo's office can give us more funding?"

"You're thinking too small, Kakashi," Haneda replied as he approached the edge of a cliff and turned back to face him.

"Why not aim to take control of the entire Land of Fire? We're shinobi—the most powerful armed force in the country."

"Why should we rely on the Daimyo's office?"

Haneda paused and gestured toward the Hokage Rock, where sculptors were still working on his likeness.

"What do you think of Konoha right now?" Haneda asked.

Kakashi answered without hesitation, "Though there's some hidden darkness, overall, everyone is doing well. With you here, Konoha will only get better."

"And what about the rest of the Land of Fire?" Haneda pressed.

Kakashi hesitated, lost in thought.

In the Land of Fire, apart from Konoha and the key cities surrounding the Daimyo's residence, the standard of living in most places was only slightly better than in the smaller nations.

In particularly remote regions, such as the mountains or deserts, conditions were often worse than those in small countries.

Kakashi stared at Haneda in disbelief. "Are you thinking of replacing the Daimyo and becoming the leader of both the country and Konoha?!"

"Why not?" Haneda replied with a smile.

"If the Daimyo and those greedy nobles embezzled and exploited a little less, we could establish a second or even a third Konoha!"

Haneda paused for a moment, then opened up about his ambitions:

"This world needs a leader—someone with vision and courage."

"That leader is here now, ready to lead the people to victory!"

Locking eyes with Kakashi, Haneda continued,

"I plan to abolish the one-country-one-village system and establish the Fire Will People's Republic."

"I will unify the powers of the Hokage and the Daimyo, building a new nation!"

"But before that, I need to consolidate power across the entire Land of Fire, ensuring that the country's authority is firmly in my hands."

"And when the time is right, I'll drive out those hereditary nobles and the Daimyo from the political stage!"

"Today's coronation is just the beginning. I need the Daimyo to oppose me. I need his ministers to oppose me. In the events I've planned next, they must be fully aware that it was my doing!"

"I want them to resist me, fear me, and dread me. That way, I can clearly distinguish between friends and enemies!"

With his intelligence, Kakashi could already deduce that Haneda was planning a major operation targeting the Daimyo and the Land of Fire's elites.

This would undoubtedly lead to deaths, both of the guilty and the innocent.

Haneda needed to eliminate his opposition and use the Daimyo as leverage to command the entire shinobi world.

Looking directly into Haneda's eyes, Kakashi said seriously:

"Haneda, no matter what you become in the future, no matter what you plan to do, I will always support you."

...…

In the Land of Bears, Hoshigakure.

A snake slithered through the eerie underground passage, past the Poison Gas Valley, and arrived at the base of the Akatsuki.

Pakura, seeing the snake carrying Haneda's chakra, immediately understood that the plan was in motion.

She retrieved the scroll from the snake's mouth and unrolled it.

The scroll detailed the plan to target the Daimyo's office.

Pakura stored the scroll carefully, greeted Zabuza briefly, and then left with her team.

Her destination was the Daimyo's residence, where she would ignite the sparks of a fire that could consume everything.

...…

The Daimyo's Sanctions Against Konoha

The retaliation came swiftly.

Just three days later, the Daimyo blocked the main route to Konoha under the pretense of hunting bandits.

The Land of Fire's military didn't openly seize merchants' goods but instead harassed trading caravans under the guise of inspections for bandit activity.

At first, Shikaku thought it was a genuine case of bandits infesting the mountains.

After all, banditry was common in the Land of Fire, and Konoha frequently received missions to eliminate them.

But after three or four days of blockades, Shikaku realized something was amiss. He quickly sought out Haneda, who was at home watching over his child.

"Lord Hokage! The Daimyo has blocked the roads, and many merchant caravans can't enter Konoha!"

"Food prices are rising, and we've received numerous complaints!"

Haneda responded calmly, "I'm aware. I've already sent ROOT to deal with the bandits."

"ROOT?"

Shikaku knew very well what kind of methods ROOT employed.

They'd likely deal not only with the bandits but also with the Daimyo's men sent to "hunt" them.

However, Shikaku also knew the Daimyo's targeting of Konoha wouldn't stop there. This was only the beginning.

Recalling Haneda's intention to replace the Daimyo, Shikaku thought Haneda might soon take action and chose not to intervene further.

As time passed, the Daimyo, infuriated by ROOT's actions, escalated his response.

He redirected large amounts of military rations originally intended for the war with Kumogakure to the border with the Land of Rivers under the guise of disaster relief.

He even sent an apology letter, claiming it was not intentional but necessary due to flooding in the area.

Shikaku, of course, saw through the Daimyo's pretense.

The Land of Rivers was in the southwest, while the Land of Lightning was in the northeast.

The military rations had to cross the entire Land of Fire—a blatant move to spite Konoha.

Investigations revealed that the "flood" was merely a few days of heavy rain causing minor river swells. The problem had resolved itself and didn't require such extensive measures.

When Shikaku tried to push Haneda to act sooner, Haneda brushed him off with a simple "I know."

Meanwhile, Kakashi had gone to the frontlines in the war with Kumogakure, where the situation had largely stabilized.

Although many shinobi harbored grievances about the Daimyo's provocations, none dared voice them openly under Haneda's rule.

Not long after, another sanction arrived.

The annual funding that was supposed to be issued in March simply didn't come.

The Daimyo sent yet another apology letter, claiming he couldn't collect enough taxes because his people were suffering too much.

Ironically, the Daimyo had just hosted an extravagant banquet at his palace, inviting nobles and foreign Daimyo to celebrate.

The opulence was said to rival the costs of a military campaign.

Leftovers from the feast were dumped on the ground to feed the palace dogs.

In his office, Shikaku tilted his head back at a 45-degree angle, staring at the ceiling.

The Hokage was clocking in and out like it was a regular desk job, doing almost no work.

Kakashi had dumped all the ANBU and ROOT affairs on him before leaving, carefree.

Tsunade occasionally got drunk, conveniently throwing all her responsibilities onto him.

The only reliable worker was Asuma—but only when Haneda was present in the office.

"Why is my life so hard?" Shikaku muttered, tears streaming down his face.