Naruto: Reborn as Yagura Karatachi

The relationship between the Hidden Villages and their respective daimyōs is, at its core, one of mercenaries and employers.

Only, the mercenaries in this case—the shinobi villages—are far from ordinary.

If a powerful shinobi wanted to establish a shinobi village in a country that didn't already have one, they'd need to go directly to the daimyō's government and recommend themselves.

If the daimyō believed the country could afford to maintain a military force of its own, he'd grant approval.

Once approved, a specific region within the country would be allocated to the village.

Within that region, the shinobi village would hold autonomous control—over personnel decisions, laws, economics, and military affairs. In other words, they governed themselves.

Because of their actual military power, these villages could wield significant influence over foreign affairs—sometimes even representing their daimyō's interests in diplomatic negotiations, whether it be with allies or enemies.

However, when it came to formal alliances or declarations of war, shinobi villages still needed to seek the daimyō's permission. The final say always rested with the daimyo's office.

The daimyō was still the true authority in diplomacy, with full rights to bypass a village like Sunagakure entirely.

Realizing this loophole, Yagura and Elder Genshi acted immediately, reaching out directly to the daimyō's office in the Land of Water.

Over the past few years, through all kinds of flattery and lucrative tributes, the old and young duo from Kirigakure had steadily built a mountain of goodwill with the daimyō.

Now, the daimyō agreed to back Kirigakure's move against Sunagakure—cutting Sand out of the conversation entirely and initiating direct talks between the Lands of Water and Wind.

While Yagura stood at the forefront, drawing attention on the surface, the real work was happening behind the scenes.

In just a few short days, daimyō's heir personally took charge of the diplomatic mission, greased all the necessary wheels with Wind Country ministers, and aggressively pushed through every stage of the negotiation.

And now, a representative of the Land of Wind's daimyō had arrived to deliver the final blow to Rasa.

"Lord Kazekage, after this, you'll need to visit the daimyō's estate in person—to explain your role in the war and to properly thank him for his generosity."

The minister handed Rasa a copy of the newly ratified treaty and read the terms aloud:

First: All war-related debts owed by Sunagakure to Kirigakure will be canceled.

Second: In exchange, the Land of Wind will waive all import tariffs on goods from the Land of Water for the next ten years.

Third: The Land of Wind and Sunagakure may not, under any pretext or legal excuse, suppress the development of foreign enterprises operating within their territory.

And so on.

Except for the first clause, all other terms were part of a bilateral agreement between the two countries and thus completely outside Sunagakure's jurisdiction.

Clause one—the cancellation of the debt—was the only one directly involving the village.

But make no mistake: the Land of Wind wasn't paying off Sunagakure's debts out of generosity.

The money Sunagakure owed was a consequence of its own wartime decisions and military failures. The daimyō had no obligation—nor the benevolence—to shoulder the burden.

And then came the final gut punch.

"Following this debt cancellation," the minister continued, "for the next ten years, the Land of Wind will cease all military funding to Sunagakure."

...

The existence of the shinobi villages relies on the approval of the daimyō. Both in name and economy, they depend on the daimyō's financial support—especially the military budget that allows them to maintain a powerful shinobi force.

The daimyō pays these villages to safeguard the nation during wartime, repel foreign threats, and fight for strategic advantages and territorial expansion.

Compared to Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning, which are tightly aligned, or Konohagakure and the Land of Fire, which trust each other deeply...

Sunagakure and Iwagakure have failed again and again, contributing nothing of value in two—no, three—major wars. Their poor track record has made them increasingly unpopular with their respective daimyōs and ministers.

After Sunagakure's latest defeat in the Third Great Ninja War, the Wind Country's daimyō saw the village as nothing more than a money pit.

Can't win wars, still cost a fortune—why keep funding you? I might as well spend that money expanding my harem!

And so, the village's military funding was slashed again and again.

Too many failures. No more hope.

Taking advantage of the proposal from the Land of Water, and after hearing some persuasive words from his ministers, the daimyō made a final decision—cut Sunagakure off completely. Out of sight, out of mind.

"No, we're not suppressing you. We never intended to. If you succeed, you'll just end up paying more taxes anyway."

The only real sacrifice was a bit of lost tariff revenue. Nothing the daimyō couldn't live with.

The Wind Country's daimyō had already finalized both military and diplomatic decisions. Rasa was simply being notified as a formality.

But from Rasa's standpoint, this treaty looked very different.

Sure, the immediate threat had been defused—they no longer had to repay Kirigakure.

But in the long run?

With the Wind Country officially lifting restrictions on Kirigakure's economic expansion, nearly 20% of Sunagakure's commissioned mission revenue would vanish.

With the daimyō's office withdrawing all military funding for the next decade, one of the village's three main income streams had just been completely severed.

At this rate, even maintaining their 10,000-strong standing army would become impossible!

Rasa's vision went black. He nearly collapsed on the spot.

Thankfully, Yashamaru was there to catch him—saving him from losing face in front of the minister.

Rasa forced himself upright and said,

"Minister, please convey my deepest gratitude to the daimyō for his generous kindness."

Weakness was a sin. And losing the war was the root cause of everything that had followed.

Had Sunagakure not lost the Third Great Ninja War, the daimyō's disdain would never have gone this far.

And yet Rasa still had to be thankful the daimyō hadn't gone so far as to replace the village entirely—or worse, demanded repayment of an unpayable debt.

"Soon, I will visit the daimyō's estate myself to express my thanks in person."

The minister didn't bother exchanging pleasantries with a defeated Kazekage. He rolled his eyes, turned on his heel, and left the Kazekage's office.

...

Only after the minister left did Rasa finally have the mental space to sit down and process what had just happened.

The daimyō's sudden move had left Sunagakure in an even worse and more passive position than before.

And the timing couldn't have been worse.

Rasa refused to believe this was just a coincidence. Someone had orchestrated all of this from behind the scenes.

"Where is the Mizukage?!" he barked. "Send someone—find out what he's up to right now!"

The moment the daimyō's minister arrived, Rasa had put everything else on hold—even a strategic meeting with Hiruzen Sarutobi and Yagura—just to meet him.

It didn't take long for ANBU to report back on Yagura's whereabouts.

In a village like Sunagakure, where intelligence was tightly monitored and feedback flowed quickly, it was impossible to hide for long.

Their report confirmed Rasa's worst suspicion:

"The Mizukage has returned to the guest residence and is currently receiving a diplomatic envoy from the Land of Water."

...

Before the Third Mizukage's era, the relationship between Kirigakure and the Land of Water's daimyō had been one of polite distance.

The daimyō provided steady funding, and the village was expected to do its job—but never interfere in the country's internal family politics.

But under Yagura's rule, that dynamic had changed. Economic ties had grown deeper and deeper.

The more money the daimyō made, the better he began to view Kirigakure.

Now, for the first time in history, he was even cooperating directly with them.

A flamboyantly dressed, wild-haired young man—Oda Nobuna, heir to the daimyō—slapped Yagura hard on the back, laughing uproariously.

"Hahaha! You really pulled it off, kid!"

The Fourth Mizukage's Kirigakure wasn't just a military asset anymore—it was a money-making machine.

Under Yagura's leadership, Kirigakure had become the economic core of the entire Land of Water, driving national growth in all directions.

A shinobi village like this? You couldn't find a better one anywhere in the ninja world!

Oda Nobuna threw an arm around Yagura's shoulder, grinning slyly.

"Hey, tell me honestly—do you have another move up your sleeve?"

A flash of cold intent flickered in Yagura's eyes. "I do."

The daimyō's cooperation had already dealt a major economic blow to Sunagakure. Going forward, the village would have no choice but to bind itself to Kirigakure to survive.

Sunagakure still had some fight left.

But now that Kirigakure had embedded itself within the village, the room for maneuver was massive.

And Yagura fully intended to personally rip out the last remaining fangs and claws from Sunagakure's dying beast.

----------------

Pls Drop some Power Stones

Fanfic is finished on Patreon (265 chapters in total.) 

Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)