Naruto : I Became the Daimyo of the Land of Grass

"If theres anything, you can talk to Mujie!" Charlie said quickly, sounding a bit apologetic. 

"Sorry! As the lord of the Land of Grass, both the daimyou and kusakage, I have many domestic affairs that require my personal attention. Please forgive our poor hospitality!" Charlie said hurriedly, as if pulled away by some urgent matter.

He left with his senior shinobi, leaving Kodo standing behind with a dark expression, watching them go. As an Iwa jounin, Kodo had a pretty clear idea of what was happening. 

Charlie didn't seem interested in discussing whatever plans they had. It looked like the Kusa shinobis had already figured out Iwagakures true intentions. 

But why refuse to talk? The Kusagakure and Konoha were allies, werent they? 

Even a rookie shinobi wouldn't buy that excuse. Or maybe the Kusa simply didn't like the terms Iwagakure was offering? But they hadnt even heard those terms yet. 

Could it be that the new Kusa lord was genuinely honorable and wanted to follow Konoha's lead?

Just as Kodo and his team fell into a tense silence, a cheerful voice interrupted them.

"The guests have arrived! Sorry, our lord is quite busy, so please forgive our poor hospitality!" Mujie said with a bright smile, seemingly unaware of the Iwa shinobis frustration. 

"But Don't worry, I'm Mujie, senior advisor of the Kusagakure, and I will personally take care of you from here on."

At those words, the Iwa shinobi snapped to attention and glanced at Kodo hesitantly. "Kodo…"

Kodo looked back at Mujie, the Kusa shinobi who had stayed behind. As senior advisor of the Kusagakure, Mujie clearly held a high position. If the Kusagakure was truly turning down Iwagakure, what did that mean? 

After a moments thought, a sheepish grin spread across Kodos round face. "We'll then… thank you, Lord Mujie!"

"No trouble at all! Honestly, theres not much to see in the Land of Grass!" Mujie replied with a chuckle.

"…"

"Well, where to now?" Mujie asked, brow furrowing as he looked at the Iwa shinobi, seeming deep in thought. He clearly understood what their lord meant. 

Yes, the Kusagakure was friendly with Konoha, but what did that have to do with their relationship with Iwagakure? Konoha couldnt stop the Kusa shinobis from making friends. The real issue was that his lord had told him to check if there was anything in Iwagakure worth exploiting.

Just as the Iwa shinobi began to grow impatient, Mujie suddenly brightened. "Oh! let's visit our own school here in the Land of Grass!" he said with a smile. "Its our very own shinobi academy, set up right here in the Land of Grass!"

…

Meanwhile, back in his office, Charlie was deep into reviewing the latest intel on the Iwa group. Looking up toward the gates of the Castle, he smiled and said, "Make sure Mujie stays careful. Also, inform the other departments to fully support Mujie's operation."

"Understood~" came the quick reply.

When the Iwa shinobi first heard about the Village Hidden in the Kusa having its own shinobi academy, they couldnt help but laugh in disbelief. 

"Does that tiny village really have an academy now?" one scoffed.

"Are you kidding? They barely have any shinobi, why waste resources on that?" 

For the Five Great Shinobi Villages, running a shinobi academy was a given, backed by their strength and resources. But the Kusagakure? Known mostly for copying jutsu, opening an academy seemed almost ridiculous to them. 

Still, Kodo was curious. Since they couldnt yet negotiate with the Kusa shinobi lord, they decided to gather some intel first. If they ever needed to pass through the Kusa territory, it was best to be prepared.

When they finally arrived at the Kusagakure Hope Academy, their skepticism was met with a surprise. Clear, loud voices echoed as students read aloud in unison. 

'Was this really their shinobi academy?' The Iwa shinobi stared in confusion. 

The students were simply swaying their heads back and forth, reading aloud, no sign of instructors or formal classes. Mujie, noticed their bewilderment and explained with a sigh, "They're doing lunchtime reading right now. Discipline is pretty strict, so the kids are quite self-motivated."

The Iwa shinobi exchanged puzzled glances. "Whats the point of that?" one asked.

Mujie shrugged, a bit downcast. 

"Honestly, I Don't know. After our lord faced heavy opposition just to get this academy started, he personally arranged all the lessons. 

The kids start with morning reading at dawn, followed by some sport class and various other classes until sunset, then They're dismissed." 

He gestured toward large poster hung on the academy wall, a flicker of frustration on his face.

"They say they want to nurture students who are well-rounded, in virtue, intelligence, physical strength, aesthetics, and hard work!" 

Hearing this, the Iwa shinobi were taken aback. The Kusagakures shinobi academy was nothing like what they had experienced back home at Iwagakure. 

They quietly stared at the rows of words displayed before them. This Kusa Academy was definitely different. 

Next to Kodo, a young shinobi pouted and muttered, "Whats the point of all that? A shinobi should just focus on shinobi skills! 

Why waste time on all this nonsense? Maybe the Kusagakure doesnt have much to teach, and this academy is just some kind of joke!" 

"Shut up!" Kodo snapped, glaring at his subordinate with a twitch of his mouth. 

Then, turning to Mujie, he apologized awkwardly, "Sorry about that! Maruho didn't mean it like that." 

Deep down, Kodo agreed, shinobi training should be the priority. 'But you just cant say that out loud in front of others!'

"No worries! No worries!" Mujie waved it off with a friendly smile directed at the young shinobi. 

"Iwagakure really is a place full of geniuses. This one right here," he said, nodding toward Maruho, "has the potential to be the next Tsuchikage. Talent like that is everywhere! No wonder its called Iwagakure!" 

"Of course! I'm Maruho, a proud genius from the Kamizuru clan of Iwagakure," Maruho said with confidence. "A man destined to become the Tsuchikage!" 

"Cut it out already," Kodo said, clearly exasperated, shooting Maruho a tired look. "Remember, were in the Kusagakure now." 

They had an important mission to focus on, and making a scene wasn't going to help. But Mujie remained completely unfazed, still smiling warmly. "Since no ones interested, let's move on then!" 

With that, Kodo stopped fussing over his subordinate, looked sincerely at Mujie, and said, "Thank you for your help." 

Honestly, at first Kodo had been curious about the Kusagakures shinobi academy, but now, his interest had faded. It made sense, this was a tiny village without even its own unique jutsu. 

What right or confidence did it have to open an academy? Maybe someday this place would grow, but for now, it was not worth paying much attention to. 

Just then, another chant echoed through the air: 

"Never abandon!"

"Never give up!" Kodo muttered under his breath as he glanced back inside. "Fight tenaciously; after the storm comes the rainbow! Prosperity, freedom, loyalty…" 

The words echoed in his mind, but he couldnt help feeling a bit distracted. Before he could say anything more, Mujie called out, "Sir Kodo!"

Snapping back to reality, Kodo forced a smile. "Sorry, I got a bit lost in thought. Whats that inside?"