As Second Tsuchikage 49

Chapter 49: Let’s All Get Rich Together

Inside the Tsuchikage Building, the senior officials of Iwagakure sat in a tense line, backs straight, expressions solemn. No one spoke. The air was thick with unease. At the head of the room, Mū sat behind the Tsuchikage’s desk, the ceremonial hat resting untouched on the table before him.

Everyone knew that Ishikawa, the late Tsuchikage, had once suggested Mū clean up the internal corruption plaguing the village. Now, with Mū in power, they feared he might actually act on that suggestion. But no one dared to raise the subject or ask for clarification. Their silence was heavy, laced with dread.

Mū, however, had his mind elsewhere. He was still focused on the Tailed Beasts. Internal village affairs had to be resolved first, but once that was done, he intended to begin capturing the Tailed Beasts and training Jinchuuriki. That was also why he had requested sealing techniques from Tobirama.

While Iwagakure had its own sealing jutsu, Mū found them unsatisfactory. Even Killer Bee, in later years, would go on to praise Naruto’s Eight Trigrams Seal as superior to the Iron Armor Seal. So Mū had already decided he would use the Eight Trigrams Seal for the task ahead.

Aside from that, there were other pressing projects. He needed to establish a shinobi academy and set up a comprehensive ninjutsu archive for the village. Just thinking about it all left him exhausted. The position of Tsuchikage was far from easy.

Looking up at the officials seated below, Mū finally broke the silence.

“I’ve already looked into everything. None of you has anything to say for yourselves?”

He placed his pen down with deliberate calmness.

In truth, the Anbu under his command had already investigated each and every one of them. They knew exactly how much had been embezzled, and by whom. This meeting was simply a formality.

At his words, the officials visibly tensed. They exchanged anxious glances, beads of sweat forming on their brows, but still no one dared to speak first. Mū’s reputation as the most oppressive presence in the shinobi world weighed down on them like a boulder.

Then came a cold chuckle from Mū, his displeasure flickering in his eyes.

“If none of you are willing to talk, then I’ll talk for you. Embezzlement, bribery, hoarding profits, you’re all the same.”

His hand slammed the desk with a sharp crack.

“Tsuchikage-sama, we’ve lived such hard lives… we’ve been poor for so long…”

The officials finally cracked under the pressure, just as they were about to confess everything,

But then Mū changed his tone abruptly.

“You all got rich together. Why didn’t you include me?”

His voice held a trace of annoyance.

“…Huh???”

The officials froze, dumbfounded. Then, slowly, their expressions shifted into wide, relieved grins.

So that’s what this was about. He wasn’t upset about the corruption; he was upset they hadn’t cut him in. That made sense. Still, why hadn’t they included him? Well, the answer was simple: they’d been afraid he’d kill them for it!

“Tsuchikage-sama, if only you’d told us sooner! We’ve actually been setting aside money just to pay our respects to you!”

“Yes, yes, yes! We’ll transfer all our shops into your name immediately!”

“You can take whatever you like, Tsuchikage-sama!”

Their voices overlapped as they eagerly flattered him, all smiles now. But Mū waved off their offers.

“No need for the transfers. If there’s anything I want done, just give me the money and I’ll take care of it myself. That way, your money is doing your work.”

He said it casually, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Because in Mū’s eyes, once politics reached a certain level, there was no longer any black or white. Only power and results.

As long as Iwagakure’s economy remained stable and continued to grow, Mū didn’t care how much these officials embezzled. He understood the old saying: water that’s too clear has no fish.

Besides, he had no interest in personally managing businesses, far too risky. What kind of Tsuchikage gets directly involved in commerce? Besides, who said he wouldn’t replace them one by one?

“Yes, yes, yes! Tsuchikage-sama, let’s all be corrupt together!”

“Right, let’s get rich together, let’s make money together.”

The moment they said “let’s” in unison, Mū’s expression darkened.

“Hey! Don’t go lumping me in with you. You’re you, I’m me. What I’m doing is called staying untainted while walking among filth,” he said coldly.

“Yes yes yes! You are staying untainted while walking among filth!” the senior officials quickly echoed, all smiles again.

“I don’t care about your bribery or embezzlement,” Mū added sharply, “but you must not interfere with Iwagakure’s economic development. And you absolutely must not violate the Will of Stone.”

His words carried a heavy warning. He made it clear that while he could overlook small-time corruption, any resistance to his authority would not be tolerated.

“I can turn a blind eye to minor tricks, but do not go against my will. When I set my mind on something, don’t try to get in my way. From an ordinary shinobi to Tsuchikage, I’ve been doing this for years. Whether it was founding the shinobi academy, leading the campaign to hunt down Madara, or commanding in the Shinobi World War...

When I want something done, it gets done. And if I don’t want it done, then no other shinobi will succeed in doing it either. Are there objections? Of course. But they are few. Unless someone wants to lose their jōnin vest...”

His gaze swept over the room, cold and unyielding.

The message was unmistakable: make your money, but obey. As long as they followed his orders, he’d let them profit. But if anyone disobeyed, prison awaited.

“Alright, that’s all. Get back to work.”

Mū lowered his head and returned to his documents. He had other reasons for handling things this way.

He belonged to no clan. He had always stood alone. And when dirty money entered his pocket, it was as good as going into the village treasury. His bribes weren’t for himself; they were for Iwagakure.

He could have reduced all the officials to dust, but he didn’t want to usurp the system they were holding. Besides, the embezzling tricks those officials used were merely tricks. It didn’t hold the real corruption from the corporate world. If they were to get better, it is fine. If not, Mu will replace them one by one eventually.

Everything he did was for the village.

Dressing in his ceremonial robes, he pulled down the Tsuchikage hat and straightened his back.

“It’s about time I inspected the village.”

“Nanahachi Fūma, you’re coming with me.”

From the shadows, the Anbu captain stepped forward.

“Yes!”

Nanahachi Fūma knelt down on one knee.

At present, half of the Fūma clan worked in education, while the other half had taken over the Iwagakure police force.

When Mū arrived at the Iwagakure commercial district, it marked his first public appearance since taking office. Residents and shop owners flooded out to welcome him. The commercial street was quickly overwhelmed with people.

Some clapped while others danced. A few villagers were even moved to tears.

“Always open your mouth before eating, the third floor must be built on top of the second, and never build a house without laying the foundation first.”

Mū declared loudly.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

“That’s so profound! As expected of our wise and mighty Tsuchikage-sama!”

“I’m so moved, I have to take notes!”

“Second Tsuchikage-sama speaks the absolute truth!”

The crowd cheered louder than ever, their admiration boiling over into a frenzy of applause and tears.

“Second Tsuchikage-sama, your words have such depth!”

Beside him, Nanahachi Fūma was scribbling so fast that it looked like his pen might ignite from friction.

At the Academy, Mū didn’t interrupt the students in class. Instead, he moved quietly through the halls and began flipping through the textbooks used in the Iwagakure Shinobi Academy. On the very first page, he found his own “Will of Stone” and a formal portrait of himself, followed by a pre-village history section and a profile of Ishikawa.

Everything seemed normal, until it didn’t.

“Hey, you. Head of the Academy Textbook Department. Come here.”

Mū’s voice was calm, but his expression was clearly restrained.

“When did I ever smash Susanoo with a rock?”

The department head hurried over and took the textbook, flipping to the page in question. Sure enough, there was a story describing Mū casually picking up a stone, throwing it into the sky, and knocking down Madara Uchiha’s Susanoo in a single hit.

Mū stared at the page, deadpan. “If I really had that kind of power, I would’ve flattened the entire shinobi world by myself long ago...”

The department head laughed awkwardly. “We just wanted to make you sound more impressive...”

“Enough,” Mū cut in coldly. “Facts are facts. No need to exaggerate. These kids won’t stay kids forever. When they grow up, they’ll realize how ridiculous this is. You’re only hurting me by doing this.”

“Yes! We’ll revise it immediately and send it to you for approval!” the department head replied at once.

Mū’s expression softened slightly. He reached out and gave the man a light pat on the shoulder.

“Good. That’s what I expect from a seasoned inheritor of the Will of Stone.”