The Daimyo was very pleased with the idea of establishing Guardian Ninja. He felt that this ninja truly had his best interests at heart. Bringing high-ranking ninja village officials and members of important ninja families to his side as hostages—why had he never thought of such an idea before?
During the Warring States period, sending family members to allies as hostages to maintain alliances was a common tactic. Recalling it now, the Daimyo couldn't help but feel angry at his past foolishness. If he had adopted such a practice earlier, he wouldn't have been so frustrated for so many years.
Now, the Daimyo eagerly awaited Ibi's next suggestion. He wasn't surprised by the idea of strengthening his own forces, but how to strengthen them was what Ibi needed to answer.
"The military force held by Your Highness the Daimyo is primarily an army of samurai. The samurai army is vast in scale and highly disciplined. Once they launch an offensive on a frontal battlefield, they are like a flood of beasts, unstoppable by ordinary people, even by ninja," Ibi said.
"But that's on a frontal battlefield. You ninja are best at solo operations," the Daimyo said coldly, fanning himself. "Sneaking in at night to take heads, shaking the army, or leading the army into dangerous terrain, making it difficult for the advantages of frontal combat to be utilized—these are your ninja's specialties."
"Yes, and ninja known as Kage in ninja villages can move freely among tens of thousands of troops. Even if they cannot eliminate the entire army alone, they can retreat safely before their strength is exhausted and then look for another opportunity. This formidable solo combat ability is the ninja's greatest advantage," Ibi nodded.
"So, what are you planning?" the Daimyo asked.
"The main reason samurai need to form military formations to fight enemies is that their individual combat ability is inferior to ninja. Therefore, if the individual combat ability of samurai can be greatly enhanced, then instead of tens of thousands, only thousands, or even hundreds, would be enough to encircle and kill jonin and above-level ninja," Ibi said.
"Is that your suggestion? Do you think I couldn't think of that? Samurai training isn't that easy!" the Daimyo said, instantly displeased.
"I naturally understand that the difference between ninja and samurai is the ability to use chakra. To rely solely on taijutsu against enemies, unless one is a samurai general with outstanding talent and many years of training, it is absolutely impossible. For ordinary samurai, they should learn to use chakra to deal with ninja," Ibi said, looking at the Daimyo with a serious expression.
"Since you understand, then by making such a suggestion, do you perhaps have a method to replace chakra?" The Daimyo stared at Ibi, his gaze carrying a hint of authority, as if he would be punished if he couldn't give a good reason. "Currently, among the various nations, only the Land of Iron possesses an organized chakra samurai corps. Other nations find it difficult to cultivate such a corps.
Even if they do, for various reasons, they defect to the Land of Iron. What a bunch of scoundrels!"
Ibi remained silent, but in his heart, he thought that for samurai to achieve anything, they had to be individuals of great resolve. And such individuals, deeply indoctrinated by traditional values, were all staunch upholders of tradition. Given the increasingly changing atmosphere of the current nations, it was no longer a place where these traditional samurai could thrive. Fleeing to the Land of Iron, which also upheld tradition, was perfectly understandable.
However, these words could not be said to the Daimyo. The Daimyo was currently a necessary figure for Ibi to achieve his goals, so he had to humor him. To be honest, Ibi hadn't expected to become such a favored guest of the Daimyo so smoothly, almost a confidant. He merely chose pleasant words to say to the Daimyo and offered some feasible suggestions.
In the eyes of others, Ibi should have been seen as a sycophantic minister, but in the Daimyo's eyes, he was a loyal and capable minister who could share his burdens. Although many people advised the Daimyo to be wary of Ibi, the Daimyo didn't listen. Ibi learned all of this after gathering intelligence.
Although the Daimyo felt he could become a powerful ruler like his father, in Ibi's view, the current Daimyo was truly lacking in ability. While it was indeed infuriating for a monarch to see an armed force like the Konoha Ninja Village that didn't obey orders, a truly powerful ruler would find a way to deal with it, and at the very least, wouldn't let his emotions show so openly. But this Daimyo... If Ibi were to give the Daimyo an evaluation, it would be 'ambitious but untalented.' Although his aspirations were high, his capabilities were only mediocre.
Despite thinking this, Ibi still had to rely on this self-important individual. Facing the Daimyo's pretentious gaze, he lowered his head slightly, concealing the disdain in his eyes, and replied, "Your Highness, I have traveled far and wide and stumbled upon some special secret medicine. Using this secret medicine can strengthen one's physique, enhance their will, make them fearless in battle, and even allow them to continue fighting after sustaining severe injuries."
"Oh?" The Daimyo leaned forward slightly. "Is there really such a special secret medicine?"
"Of course. Using this secret medicine makes one like an immortal, fighting until their physical strength is completely exhausted. Moreover, using this secret medicine can unleash a person's potential, making chakra training very easy," Ibi said. "If this secret medicine is used, I am confident I can cultivate a powerful chakra army for Your Highness, one that won't defect to the Land of Iron like those previous chakra samurai."
The Daimyo was very pleased with Ibi's use of the word "defect." In his heart, those samurai who had achieved success in their training but were unwilling to serve him were all rebellious traitors who disregarded their lord!
"I will let you try. If it yields results, I will bestow generous rewards upon you in the future," the Daimyo mused, nodding slightly to Ibi.
"Thank you for Your Highness's trust! I will go through fire and water without hesitation," Ibi immediately bowed respectfully.
"Haha, we can talk about such matters later. As long as you do well, I will give you as many rewards as you want," the Daimyo burst into laughter. "Also, regarding the Guardian Ninja you proposed, I will make you their captain. How about that?"
"Your Highness, if that is the case, I suggest that in addition to members from Konoha Ninja Village, we also recruit others from within the country and the ninja world," Ibi said. "I am merely of commoner origin. Even with my strength, rashly taking on the role of captain might make it difficult to command other Guardian Ninja. If we can have individuals of similar background or those who can be trusted join the Guardian Ninja, even if the Konoha Ninja Village's Guardian Ninja harbor ulterior motives, they can be restrained."
"You speak well," the Daimyo nodded slightly. "Indeed, one must be careful. Those fellows from Konoha Ninja Village don't have a single one who truly respects their lord. So, the matter of recruiting other Guardian Ninja will be handled by you."
"Yes, Your Highness, how many Guardian Ninja do you require?" Ibi asked.
"Hmm, let me think carefully," the Daimyo's eyes darted around. "Let's make it twelve! Six will be from Konoha Ninja Village, and the remaining five, including you, will be recruited from the ninja world and within the country!"
"Yes!" Ibi was very satisfied. Leaving aside the Guardian Ninja for now, he could also cultivate those samurai. The effects of the secret medicine he spoke of were not false. It was just that this secret medicine was indeed very special, one of the special abilities he gained after "waking up." He could transform the grievances he collected from the battlefield into seeds and distribute them to others, as if leaving his own clones within their bodies. This could strengthen their physique and stimulate their potential. At the same time, it would subtly turn the other party into his puppet, like a true puppet, never stopping their activity until their body was completely worn out.
—The Daimyo will surely like such samurai, haha!
Ibi's heart couldn't help but let out a smug and mocking sound.