Sasuke was mid-air, his cloak billowing behind him, eyes locked on Momoshiki. But before he could react, a kunai, swift and merciless, stabbed straight into his left eye. The Rinnegan shattered in a burst of blood.
Charlie screamed. "What the hell?! How the hell does he not see that coming?! He's got a literal god-eye!"
He slammed his fist on the table, face twisted with disbelief as the scene played out on his dusty old laptop. "Damn it, Kishimoto! You nerfed my guy like this? Over a stab?! I swear to god, "
But the rant stopped abruptly.
Charlie clutched at his chest, breath catching, vision blurring. A sharp pain tore through him, lights dimming at the edges. Then, darkness.
Charlie slowly opened his eyes as someone called his name. He was still lying face-down on the desk, papers stuck to his cheek. A familiar, gentle voice reached his ears.
"Lord Charlie... it's morning."
He groaned softly, peeling himself off the table and stretching with a yawn. "...Fuck. That dream again," he mumbled under his breath.
Sitting up, he blinked at the red-haired woman kneeling beside him. "Sorry, Kana... I overslept again."
Charlie was a transmigrator who had ended up as the despised Daimyō of the Land of Grass, also serving as the head of the Kusagakure. In smaller countries like this, it was common for the daimyo to also lead the village because limited populations and weak military forces meant that consolidating power under one leader was essential for stability.
Kana smiled, her crimson hair tied neatly behind her as always. She was calm and elegant, with a presence that made even a cluttered room feel at peace.
"No need to apologize, my Lord," she said kindly. "Rebuilding the Land of Grass is no easy task."
Her eyes held a quiet warmth as she looked at him, the young man who had saved her from a life of wandering and given her a home. To her, Charlie wasn't just the new Daimyō or the acting head of Kusagakure. He was her reason to stay.
"By the way," Kana added, standing with practiced grace, "Lord Mujie said you're awake. He's asked that you join him in the meeting room. He said it's something urgent."
Charlie frowned, glancing at Kana. "Something important? I thought we agreed to stay out of any other matters for now. All our focus should be on rebuilding the Land of Grass."
The Land of Grass lay northeast of the Land of Fire, sharing borders with the Land of Fire, Land of Earth, and Land of Rain. Because it bordered the Land of Rain, a frequent battleground for larger countries, the Land of Grass had suffered greatly and was even wiped out by the end of the First Great Ninja War. After over a decade of hardship, it was only now starting to rebuild.
Kana had arrived during this difficult rebuilding phase. Her red hair marked her as a member of the Uzumaki clan, and she was destined to become the village's medic and mother to the famously wild Karin, a woman with a tragic past. But now, as the daimyo of the Land of Grass, Charlie was determined not to let cruelty take root again.
He immediately appointed her as his assistant, instructing her to keep his unique abilities under wraps. From then on, she stayed close by his side, acting as his secretary and helping him manage all affairs related to the Land of Grass.
Speaking of which, the name suited the place perfectly. The Land of Grass, nestled in the gaps between the great nations, was like a blade of grass, resilient and persistent.
Without their own ninjutsu, they stole and copied techniques from others; without missions of their own, they survived by passing intelligence between the Fire, Earth, and Wind nations. Skilled in diplomacy and espionage, they used information gleaned from other countries to buy themselves time and a chance to survive.
Like a fence-sitter, if Iwagakure looked strong one day, they'd side with the Stone; if Konohagakure seemed dominant the next, they'd quickly claim, "Kusagakure and Konoha have always been close allies, we're practically family!"
They showed no shame in doing this. But it was precisely this sort of political slipperiness that allowed the Land of Grass to stubbornly survive countless shinobi wars, unlike the Land of Waves, which had been completely destroyed, its powerful ninja clan scattered.
Of course, Uzushiogakure had real strength. Their sealing arts were feared throughout the world, and the other nations destroyed them out of fear that their power might rise again.
But the Land of Grass? Their ninja mostly relied on imitation. They copied other nations' jutsu. So what if they tried to rise again? Most nations looked down on borrowed power, and underestimated Kusagakure as a village without roots of its own.
His name was Charlie kusa. Taking "Grass" as his surname was no accident. Aside from clans like the Ryū family and rare exceptions, most shinobi in the Land of Grass had no surnames, only given names.
In the shinobi world, clan names carried weight, status, and legacy. The absence of them in Kusagakure only underscored how far behind it was.
Still, now that a survivor of the Uzumaki clan had taken up residence here, even if only one, it was certain that the Uzumaki name would become part of Kusagakure's future.
"Enough," Charlie yawned, glancing at Kana standing neatly and gracefully beside him. Over time, she had become an excellent assistant. "Let's go check it out."
"Understood!" Kana smiled warmly and nodded. But seeing Charlie's tired expression, she hesitated for a moment, her cheeks flushing slightly as she softly suggested, "Um… Lord, maybe you should… uh… replenish your chakra?"
Chakra replenishment, that was something Charlie himself had mentioned to avoid saying it directly. "It'll make you feel more energetic!"
Not long after, a refreshed Lord arrived at Kusagakure's meeting room, accompanied by Kana. Since this was just a temporary space, it looked quite plain.
Inside, the village's leadership was already gathered, and as soon as Charlie walked in, all eyes turned toward him. Without delay, he took the main seat, folded his hands under his chin, and asked seriously, "What's going on? Why the rush?"
"Lord!"
There were only seven members in Kusagakure's entire upper echelon: Charlie himself, Kana, and five others. Aside from Charlie, Mujie, and Ayaka Ryoshi, the rest were fairly weak. Honestly, if it hadn't been for Karin during the Third Great Ninja War, the Land of Grass would have been overrun by the Taketori clan and wiped out again. Just thinking about that was frightening.
"Sorry to trouble you, Lord," Mujie began.
Mujie was clever and possessed Kusagakure's traditional knack for diplomacy and smooth talking. The village's rebuilding owed a lot to his efforts.
However, when danger arose, he was the type to run without hesitation. Though Kusagakure's ninjutsu were mostly copied from others, the Mujie family specialized in powerful Fire Release techniques, making Mujie one of the top-tier jōnin in the village. Yet, he was also a bit sneaky.
"Konoha has heard about our rebuilding efforts and hopes we'll continue cooperating with them. They want me to launch an attack from the north of the Land of Rain to support Konoha's battle and help end the war quickly."
His words hung in the air, and the room fell silent. Everyone, except Kana who looked a bit surprised, openly showed their refusal.