The Capital of Fire

"Are you okay, Dad?" Fu asked, concerned.

She, along with Kimimaro, Maki, Karin, and Haku, decided to accompany me to the Capital to see one of the most prosperous places and satisfy their curiosity. After two hours of sightseeing, we entered a restaurant, and currently, I have a small mountain of plates accumulated on the table, while my stomach still shows no signs of swelling.

"I'll be fine, just need a little sleep, and I'll be as good as new," I replied as I took out some apples for dessert for everyone.

I had made a great effort to console the turbulent emotions of my women for days, and now I find myself in need of regaining strength. Fortunately, the logic of a One Piece character applies here.

If you're exhausted, eat, and you'll be as good as new after a nap.

Pakura was particularly excited about the looting, Anko had been restless since the death of the Third Hokage was confirmed, and Ameyuri... she didn't need a reason to join the fun, just her words.

After paying the restaurant using some small gold ingots (I admit, maybe I overdid it this time eating), we left and made our way to the Daimyo's castle.

Now, how can we arrange a meeting with the most "powerful" man?

Answer: We don't.

Here, I must note that Shizune was of great help since Tsunade came to treat the Daimyo, his wife, or one of his concubines several times while wandering and needing more money to gamble.

As her apprentice, she was not denied entry, and thanks to her good memory, she had in her head a partial part of the castle's plans involving the most likely places where we could find him.

So, just as ninjas would do, we sneaked into the castle until we found the Daimyo in one of the nine inner gardens the place had.

"Guards!" he shouted, as predictable as I expected.

The funny part? No one responded to his cries, and when he realized that little detail, he seemed to adopt a resigned attitude.

"Who paid you?" he asked us. "I'll pay triple for their heads!"

"Tempting, but we're not here to kill you or harm you in any way," I replied as I and the others sat on cloud chairs that I pulled out of a universal capsule. "Rather, I want to make a very lucrative deal with you."

"And couldn't you have asked for a date?" he responded, sad but relieved to know that we weren't going to end his life.

"Too slow," I shook my head as I threw a cloud couch next to him. "Try it, it's better than baby duck feather-filled cushions. I'll give you this as an apology for the scare, and I can sell you more if you want."

The man sat without fear or ceremony; I respected that.

He realized that if we wanted him dead, it wasn't necessary to go through so many headaches. Perhaps the Daimyo might be small in the series, but he still has the political instinct that allowed him to survive his brothers.

"Do you have a king-size bed version?" he asked me after a few seconds.

"Of course, I can deliver it to you tomorrow if you want—it will take approximately an hour in the machine, and it's easy to transport, so if that allows us to have a pleasant conversation, I won't refuse."

"Alright, then, can I ask which ninja village you are from?"

He clearly noticed the headbands on my thigh and the children, very observant.

"Seimeigakure."

"The same one that annihilated the head of the Yamanaka clan from Konoha?" he raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Wow, I didn't expect that. It seems that information travels fast, although it's also true that we've been on the road for days when we could have arrived earlier.

But I had my hands full.

"And what kind of business do you think I could do with you?" the Daimyo asked while waving the fan in front of his face.

Why the hell do they use that thing like this? I never understood it.

"What do you think about gaining more control over some matters in Konoha?"

"You have my interest," he seemed to try to straighten up, but then realized he was too comfortable and gave up.

"I have information here that could interest you a lot and be useful to you," I said as I pulled out the scrolls that my wonderful Ameyuri "acquired." "With it, your influence in Konoha would double at least passively."

The Daimyo is clearly interested in the way he is looking at the scrolls.

"And what would you want in return for this information?" he questioned, waving the damn fan more quickly. "I can't name you the official ninja village of the Land of Fire; there are many laws to navigate, and there are no precedents."

"That honor is not necessary," I didn't even think about asking for that nonsense. "Actually, I was hoping to be able to establish a business in the capital with this," I said, hitting the cloud furniture I was sitting on. "A little publicity from the Daimyo would work wonders. I would also like you to hear a case and issue a verdict."

"A case?" The Daimyo's expression became more serious because any case that had to be handled personally by him had strong implications.

I gestured to Karin, and she stepped forward to present her situation, as well as delivering another scroll with the necessary details for the Daimyo to read carefully, frowning in the process.

"Yes, I am aware of the situation, and I didn't expect this to be the case you wanted me to hear," the Daimyo nodded. "No problem, it's easy to do. In a week, the verdict will be sent with immediate effect."

"Great!" I applauded satisfied with the successful development of the situation.

We talked for two hours while the kids played in the garden, occasionally using their abilities and leaving the man speechless with the destruction of his precious botanical collection.

"What did you do to my guards?" he asked then. "Don't tell me you killed them; there were good people among them."

I slapped my forehead, just forgot everything.

"Maki, release the guards!" I shouted.

"Yes, Mr. Enel!" Maki stopped playing and stepped on the ground; a large amount of mud began to cover the garden as the Daimyo's unconscious guards floated to the surface. "Those are all of them, alive and asleep."

"There they are; they'll be as good as new in... twenty minutes," at least, their vital signs seemed to indicate that they would regain consciousness by then.

Giving Maki the swamp fruit was a good choice, so she doesn't have to carry the fabric scrolls constantly for her techniques. She can store them in the swamp and pull them out of her body by surprise, as well as having much more fabric at her disposal.

When we left, the Daimyo himself came to bid us farewell at the door, smiling as he held a small square box in his hands. And inside, rested a golden apple.

After a touching and totally invented story, I made sure the man couldn't wait to eat it. Once its effects come into play, I'll have a lackey who can do me some favors using the workforce of his entire nation.

Now comes the important part of our visit to the capital, looking for a location for the store and hiring staff.