Chapter 150 Rejection

A gleam of light flashed in Daimyo's eyes, and he thought to himself that although Ye Shan was young, he was very smart. As expected, those who can make a name for themselves, whether they are ordinary people or ninjas, are all troublesome. So he became more serious in his words.

"In recent years, the Hidden Leaf Village of the Land of Fire has grown stronger with the hard work of His Excellency the Hokage and the great support of all of you. This is something that the entire ninja world has witnessed. As the daimyo, I am very pleased. Thank you all for your hard work."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile: "The development of Konoha Village is inseparable from the help of the Daimyo. In my opinion, the Daimyo is the greatest contributor."

Everyone agreed and spoke a lot of good things, praising Daimyoji as the most wise monarch in history, to the point where he was unprecedented and unrivaled.

The fancy sedan was carried by everyone, but Daimyo was also an ordinary person and was naturally not immune to some flattering words. Although he knew that what everyone said was insincere, he couldn't help but feel very happy.

Everyone exchanged greetings outside the banquet hall for a while, and then at Sarutobi Hiruzen's prompt, they slowly walked into the banquet hall.

Today's banquet is different from previous ones. It adopts the system of separate meals. Many low small tables are placed on the floor, staggered and clearly separated.

There were two small tables at the front, which were the exclusive seats for the Hokage and the Daimyo; below them were six tables for the two Fire Nation ministers and four Konoha high-ranking officials; there were no more rules below that, with ten tables in a row all the way to the entrance of the banquet hall, which were for many ninjas to sit at.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and the daimyo were polite to each other, and finally at Sarutobi Hiruzen's invitation, the daimyo sat down first facing everyone, followed by some high-ranking officials, and finally it was the turn of people like Hayama.

What’s interesting is that the daimyo and other high-ranking officials sat facing the people below. As long as Ye Shan looked up, he could see their smiling faces, and he couldn’t help but mutter in his heart that the nobles were too troublesome.

After everyone was seated, a team of servants brought exquisite and gorgeous dishes and placed them on the table. The Daimyo and Hokage placed nine small plates on the table, the senior officials placed eight, and Yeshan and others only placed seven.

Ye Shan has attended dozens of banquets of all sizes over the years, but this is the first time he has seen a different number of dishes. He couldn't help but become curious and looked at today's dishes carefully.

All seven dishes were in small portions, so small that Yeshan could finish a whole plate in one bite. They were mashed potatoes for dessert, cold kelp shreds, a palm-sized piece of squid, a piece of crystal clear braised pork, a few pieces of grilled tofu, a pan-fried saury, and a bowl of soup of unknown origin. Yeshan's eyes twitched when he saw it.

There was an extra bowl of leeks and a small piece of bear paw on the daimyo's table, but nothing else was different.

The Naruto world is an original version of a country that lives a good life. Not only is the common language Japanese, but some customs and habits are also roughly the same. The dishes at the banquet are probably similar, and they look stingy and cannot be compared with the Celestial Empire.

It's fine that Ye Shan didn't see any of the precious ingredients like venison, tiger whip, and sea cucumber, but isn't it too much for you to give me a piece of mashed potatoes? Is this something that should be served at a banquet?

What Ye Shan didn't know was that before the extraordinary profession of ninja was born in the Naruto world, the environment of the entire world was extremely bad, resulting in low productivity. Today's dishes were luxury goods many years ago, and people without noble status could not eat them at all. The rules of the nobility are to be in line with their ancestors, this is true in clothing, etiquette, and even more so in food, otherwise how can they be called nobility?

The daimyo was very satisfied with the banquet dishes, and felt that Sarutobi Hiruzen had spent a lot of effort to entertain him. He said with a smile on his face: "Your Excellency Hokage is thoughtful. Today's dishes make me hungry just by looking at them."

"Your Excellency the Daimyo has come from afar, so it is not worth mentioning such a small matter. It is all my duty."

Sarutobi Hiruzen replied, looked at the people sitting upright and said, "Everyone, please let the Daimyo say a few words first."

Just a few simple words before the banquet might take several hours. Ye Shan secretly groaned when he heard this. It seemed that it would be difficult to get food today.

The daimyo did not refuse, he raised his small wine glass and said with a smile: "You are all pillars of the Land of Fire. Logically, I, as the daimyo, have nothing to say, but since the Hokage has invited me, I will not decline."

When a group of grown men sit together for dinner, the topics they talk about are nothing more than two: politics and women. Of course, it is a bit frivolous to talk about women in today's occasion, so there is only one topic, that is politics.

As expected, whenever the daimyo opens his mouth, he talks about the overall situation of the ninja world.

"It is now the 46th year of the Konoha calendar. It has been 46 years since the first Hokage established the one country, one village system. It is really sad to see how fast time flies. In the past 46 years, the Land of Fire and Konoha Village have become stronger and stronger under the leadership and governance of the three Hokages. There is no longer the turmoil of the Warring States Period, so I propose that the first glass of wine be toasted to the three Hokage to thank them for their efforts over the years."

Everyone raised their glasses and drank, then continued to look at the daimyo, waiting for his next words.

"But peace has not really come to the Ninja World. The Wind Country, Earth Country, Lightning Country, Water Country and other big countries are still secretly accumulating strength, trying to occupy the land of the Fire Country and trying to defeat Konoha Village. This is also the fundamental reason for the outbreak of the First Ninja World War and the Second Ninja World War. The fact that officials like me can sit in the city to handle official business and appease civilians is the result of the ninjas' sacrifice. Without the sacrifice of our ancestors, there would be no prosperity of the Fire Country today."

"I heard that His Excellency Hokage built the Tower of Heroic Spirits to enshrine the sacrificed ninjas in the tower. This is very good. His Excellency Hokage used this method to tell us not to forget our roots. So I propose that the second glass of wine be toasted to our sacrificed ancestors to thank them for their past contributions."

Ye Shan drank another glass of wine, looking a little impatient, but he had to concentrate and listen to the other party's long and boring words.

"You are all the elites of Konoha Village and also the elites of the Land of Fire. It is you who hold up the great tree of the Land of Fire and allow me, the daimyo, to speak with my head held high in front of other daimyo. So I toast to you with this third glass of wine."

After three cups of wine, the daimyo ended his speech. It was just a few simple words as he said. Otherwise, if he had started from the Warring States Period, he might not have been able to eat until dark.

Ye Shan hadn't slept the whole night and hadn't eaten breakfast, so he was already starving. Seeing everyone holding up their chopsticks, he started eating without hesitation.

The portions were small, and Ye Shan was barely half full after finishing the meal. He thought to himself that he would go for some ramen after the banquet, but unexpectedly, the daimyo mentioned him again.

"In recent years, the ninja world has been in turmoil. There have been frequent incidents of vagrant ninjas causing chaos in the capital of the Land of Fire, causing many people to panic. Today, I would like to request His Excellency the Hokage to send a few elite ninjas to stay in the country to suppress the villains."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart tightened, and he smiled faintly: "Don't worry, Lord Daimyo, I will take care of such a small matter."

This is strange. The daimyo has always been resistant to the idea of ​​ninjas being stationed in the capital, fearing that his little secrets would be discovered by the ninjas. Why would he take the initiative to ask for ninjas to move in today? Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled repeatedly on the surface, but his heart was lifted.

Daimyo smiled and said, "I heard that Baiyun Yeshan is not only very capable but also has a good character. How about letting him do it?"

The atmosphere in the banquet hall became strange. Many people glanced at Ye Shan secretly, muttering in their hearts, mistakenly thinking that it was something the two had discussed beforehand.

Little did he know that Ye Shan was extremely depressed. No matter from which aspect, he had no good character. Wasn't Daimyo just insulting him openly?

As for the idea of ​​going to the capital to stay permanently, Ye Shan resisted without a second thought. What a joke! He was a ninja, not a security guard. He was not even interested in the position of the leader of the Root, let alone protecting the daimyo. He should focus on training now. How could he have the time to protect an ordinary person?

Besides, Ye Shan didn't believe that there would be a ninja who would assassinate a daimyo, especially a daimyo from the Land of Fire. You know, the ninja world has long had a rule that no ninja is allowed to attack a daimyo, even a daimyo from a small country. Any ninja who breaks the rule will be hunted down by the ninja world, and this is no joke.

The daimyo is in charge of the political economy of a country and is the main guarantor of the stability of the people and the supply of materials. Killing the daimyo will cause chaos. Should the ninjas roll up their sleeves to organize production? Isn't this Zhang Fei picking up the embroidery needle - staring at each other.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Hayama, who looked unhappy, with a half-smile and asked, "The daimyo personally asked you to go. What do you think?"

I use my eyes to see...

Ye Shan cursed inwardly that the old fox was always trying to pass the buck, and stood up and said seriously, "May I ask what are the criteria for the daimyo to select ninjas?"

The daimyo thought for a moment and replied, "Of course we need some strong ninjas."

Seeing that the daimyo was just what he wanted, Ye Shan smiled and said, "Dai-myo, you don't know that it is not the most reliable to have strong ninjas as guards."

Daimyo asked in confusion, "Why?"

"Ninjas are roughly divided into three types: combat ninjas, sensory ninjas, and medical ninjas. I, Ye Shan, belong to the combat ninja category. However, it is not enough to fulfill the escort mission just because you are strong. The reason is that combat ninjas cannot sense chakra, cannot predict the enemy, and naturally cannot truly ensure the safety of their employers."

"So it's not that Ye Shan is refusing, but he is really not qualified for the job. Please, Daimyo-sama, Hokage-sama, please choose someone else."

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled and said, "What Hayama said is true. Your Excellency the Daimyo may not know that the Perception Ninja is not only good at reconnaissance, but also has strong combat capabilities. They are very suitable for security missions."

Although he didn't know what the daimyo was up to, Sarutobi Hiruzen still decided to reject his proposal. Even if he sent ninjas to stay in the capital, they could only be ninjas from the Hokage lineage, otherwise he would have to take the blame if anything went wrong.

Although the daimyo does not interfere in the management of the ninja village on a daily basis, he has the power to appoint a new Hokage. After all, the daimyo is nominally the supreme leader of the Land of Fire.

The selection of a new Hokage is roughly divided into two steps: the first is a show of hands at a collective meeting of the ninja village and the country, and the one with the most votes wins. The second is a vote of confidence by the jonin, and the vote rate must not be less than 60%, otherwise it is illegal and needs to be re-nominated. This is also an important means for the big ninja clans to control the resources of the village. After all, there are so many jonin in their clans that they can affect the voting rate.

It has to be said that although autocratic rule is popular in the ninja world, it also has a certain democratic connotation, but this kind of democracy is ultimately only the democracy of the minority.

The Daimyo smiled upon hearing this and asked, "Who do you think would be best to send, Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen certainly wouldn't openly favor anyone, and a banquet wasn't the place to discuss serious matters. "Don't worry, Lord Daimyo. After the Chunin Exams, I will conduct a screening in the village to ensure that the ninjas I send are qualified."

At this point, Daimyo understood that his plan had failed, but he didn't care. After all, it was just a small matter that didn't matter.

The Daimyo's request for Konoha to send ninjas to guard the capital was a helpless move. It was all because of those recruited wandering ninjas who did some crazy things. Otherwise, he would not have begged Sarutobi Hiruzen to send people. Because this was undoubtedly handing his life over to Konoha, even though his life was also like this before...

The daimyo is not a fool. He knows clearly how to punish the ninja village. He also knows that his life is dispensable to Konoha. The one country, one village system is what they care about. Therefore, he has restrained his small actions in recent years. Especially after being caught by Sarutobi Hiruzen for selling military rations, he has been honest and dared not do anything rash.

At this time, the daimyo was extremely envious of the daimyo of the Wind Country. The daimyo of the Wind Country, who was his cousin in terms of blood, was extremely tough towards the Sand Village. He would reduce military spending whenever he wanted, unlike himself who had to pay more every year.

But the daimyo did not think about it. The Land of Wind was a desolate place, and the Sand Village had no choice but to rely on the daimyo. Konoha was different. It had mines, and it received a lot of tasks every year. It had no shortage of money, so it naturally looked down on him, the daimyo.