"Would you like to become the vice-master of the Thousand Lotus Sect's Hope City branch?"
Taking a few moments to digest the proposal, Akeno was incredibly surprised.
Even though Fang Qin already allowed almost everything Akeno suggested—such as accepting without question the young children he brought into the branch—becoming the vice-master would bring him even more advantages.
With this status, he would gain far greater freedom, real authority to command the branch's disciples, and he would also be able to return to Glory City, the sect's main district, show his status to the instructor who had let him leave, and prove the success of his journey.
With this, he no longer had to fear the punishment that instructor had prepared for him if he failed to show concrete results after a year-long mission.
Bringing his hands together in a respectful salute, Akeno felt delighted."It would be my honor!"
Smiling, Fang Qin and Akeno left together for a long discussion, during which Fang Qin explained to Akeno all the affairs of the branch, its structure, and its inner workings.
"By the way, now that I think about it."Taking a bracelet out of one of his pockets, Fang Qin handed it to Akeno."It belonged to the mayor. It seems to be able to conceal demonic Qi. I believe it could be useful to you."
Holding the bracelet in his hands, Akeno felt its properties—it acted like a second veil of smoke over Reibi's seal.
Even more impressively, thanks to this bracelet, he was confident he could release small amounts of Reibi's dark chakra without anyone noticing.
Looking at Fang Qin, Akeno felt deeply moved by such a precious gift. In his heart, he vowed never to let the sect's branch down.
After breaking through, Fang Qin's realm was still fragile, and the time had come for consolidation.
He planned to spend his time in seclusion until his cultivation stabilized. During that period, he would leave the reins of the branch's management to Akeno.
It was an important decision, but Fang Qin was convinced that if the branch ever faced danger, Akeno would know how to handle it.
After all, it was thanks entirely to him that they had recovered the children and defeated the demonic cultivators and the mayor. Moreover, Fang Qin judged Akeno to be someone with a good heart.
Strength, courage, and heart.
That was the foundation of a good leader. As for management? That could always be learned on the field.
And so, a month passed peacefully.
Akeno stood silently at the city gates beside Instructor Su.
The sun hung high in the sky, and the heat was becoming increasingly oppressive.
"The beginning of summer."
Standing straight under the blazing sun without speaking, Akeno began to doubt the Empire's efficiency.
It had been a month since the mayor's death.
Like all mayors of the Empire's cities, he had registered his aura in special talismans closely monitored by the Empire.
These talismans were used to determine whether the registered person was alive or dead. Upon the mayor's death, his talisman should have shattered, warning the Empire of a possible catastrophe in Hope City.
The death of a mayor was no small matter. At the very least, the Empire should have sent an investigation team—but after a month, there was still nothing.
Hope City was currently at a standstill, waiting for the next mayor the Empire was supposed to send.
As vice-master of the Thousand Lotus Sect branch, it was Akeno's duty to welcome the Empire's delegation.
It should be noted that sometimes, a soldier from the Order of the Radiant Heavens accompanied such delegations to better represent the Emperor.
The Order of the Radiant Heavens was not to be taken lightly. It was the nightmare of all sects and organizations within the Holy Spirit Empire.
The soldiers of this order were fanatics, all at the level of Harmony of Qi and Body.
They served only the Emperor and were absolutely devoted to the laws of the Empire.
Some rumors even claimed that the Emperor himself feared them.
According to those rumors, these soldiers could turn their blades against the Emperor himself if he ever betrayed the Empire and its laws.
It was thanks to this order that corruption had always remained at its lowest in the capital, and that was why Fang Qin was certain the mayor had lied about the demonic cultivators.
The fanatics of the Order of the Radiant Heavens would never allow demonic cultivators to live under their watch.
One should not even consider the possibility of the Order being corrupted—their minds had been destroyed to obtain their power and ensure absolute loyalty to the Empire.
They were war machines, with the Empire's law code replacing their brains.
"They're taking a long time…" Akeno said with boredom.
"You'd think they were never coming," Instructor Su replied.
After working together for a month, Akeno and Instructor Su had grown much closer. With Fang Qin still cultivating in seclusion, the two of them were effectively running the branch.
A month earlier, after the victory over the demonic cultivators, Akeno had once again sent about ten of his clones to investigate the remains of the underground base.
He had even gone there personally to see whether Reibi within him could somehow restore its chakra.
Surprisingly, Reibi seemed to have perfectly reconstituted its chakra in that environment.
If, in the Naruto universe, Reibi had to draw negative emotions directly from people, it seemed that in this world, harmful energies could linger in the air or the environment for quite some time.
It was both a pleasant surprise and a tragic conclusion.
Akeno had been able to restore a substantial reserve of dark chakra, but the mere fact that such energy could be harvested from that base spoke volumes about the suffering that had taken place there.
In any case… with the demonic cultivators gone, Akeno had recovered a large amount of equipment and money left behind.
Weapons, manuals, rare plants, and even forbidden pills—likely created by sacrificing human lives.
Keeping the pills for himself but refusing to use them, Akeno instead used the money to purchase six large buildings in Hope City, each capable of housing around twenty people and featuring inner courtyards.
For now, there was only one person per clan, but Akeno was already thinking about the future.
He planned to soon return to the Naruto world to recruit more ninjas from each clan.
Each clan would then have its own base.
And he fully intended to remain in Hope City for a long time.
Without the mayor, and with his position as vice-master of the Thousand Lotus Sect branch, Hope City was undoubtedly the best place to grow.
Moreover, the money hadn't only been spent on property purchases.
It was astonishing how much money the demonic cultivators had left behind.
After a month, no more children could be seen suffering in the streets of Hope City.
Akeno had made sure to spend the funds wisely so that the Thousand Lotus Sect branch could take care of all these children.
Housing, food, and training—every orphan in Hope City could now join the sect's branch.
The Thousand Lotus Sect no longer had just one building, but three.
Now, all that remained was to hope that the next mayor would be easier to live with than the previous one…
Looking at the sky and the sun setting in the distance, Akeno and Instructor Su exchanged glances and returned to the city.
"It seems they won't be coming today either," Instructor Su said doubtfully.
This was clearly not normal.
"I think we should expect them to never come," Akeno said.
It had been far too long. The Empire should have already sent a team—or at least a message—but there had been nothing for a full month.
It was as if Hope City had been abandoned.
Walking with Instructor Su toward the mayor's tower, where the remaining imperial officials continued to work, Akeno had an idea after waiting so long for the Empire's representatives.
If the Empire had truly abandoned Hope City, then why not take control of the city?
At present, the main power in Hope City belonged to the Thousand Lotus Sect branch.
Without the former mayor—who had dominated everything through his Harmony of Qi and Body cultivation—the Empire's influence in the city had been reduced to the bare minimum.
The strongest person after the former mayor was the captain of the city guard, who had reached the Organ Fortification level.
Even he despised the former mayor and had been brutally beaten several times for attempting to disobey his orders.
His body was now covered in scars of all kinds as proof.
Akeno had no intention of seizing power through force.
That would serve no purpose.
The former mayor had lived a life of luxury only because he stole money that was meant to maintain the city and train its soldiers.
Thus, Akeno did not want to rule Hope City himself—it would only be an endless administrative burden.
What he wanted was simply to ensure control over the next mayor, so as not to be hindered in his future plans.
He needed a mayor who, unlike the previous one, could properly fulfill the role without obstructing the development of the sect and the six clans that would soon officially settle in Hope City.
For that, Akeno intended to meet the captain of the guard, who was perfectly suited for the position.
A large portion of the city guard was corrupt and had obediently followed the former mayor's orders, turning a blind eye to kidnapping incidents.
However, the other half still cared about their duty and supported the guard captain.
Upon arriving at the tower, Akeno, as vice-master of the Thousand Lotus Sect branch of Hope City, was able to easily secure a meeting with the captain.
Entering his office, the captain stood up to greet him.
Captain Yu Fenghan—serious demeanor, visible scars, short black hair, clean-shaven, and a cold gaze.
"Good day, Vice-Master Akeno," Captain Yu greeted."How may I help you?"
Returning the greeting, Akeno tried to appear as friendly as possible toward his potential future ally."Good day, Captain Yu. I was wondering whether you had received any news from the Empire regarding the new mayor?"
"No. Although we still receive funds from the Empire through Glory City, we have received no information from the capital regarding the replacement of the mayor."
Akeno's smile widened, filled with satisfaction.
It seemed the Empire had abandoned the idea of directly administering Hope City, while still recognizing it as part of its territory.
"You should have realized by now—there will be no news from the Empire regarding the mayor's situation. It seems our small city no longer interests them."
Nodding, Yu Fenghan listened seriously and in silence.
"Knowing that, what do you intend to do?" Akeno asked.
Yu Fenghan did not hesitate."I am the captain of the guard. I will continue my role and leave these matters to the bureaucrats."
"Really?" Akeno asked with an amused expression, causing Yu Fenghan to slightly narrow his eyes."With your influence and strength, you could do far more than remain a mere guard captain."
"What do you mean by that?" Yu Fenghan asked cautiously, wary of the intentions of the vice-master of Hope City's strongest force.
Without the Empire's support, Yu Fenghan did not believe Hope City could remain under governmental control for long.
Thus, he had to be very careful with Akeno's intentions.
Letting Yu Fenghan think for a moment, Akeno asked another question.
"What do you think of the former mayor? He was chosen by the Empire and governed this city for years. Would you be happy if the next mayor resembled him?"
Taking his time to respond, Yu Fenghan tried to understand where Akeno was leading him.
"The former mayor ruled by plundering the city's coffers and doing whatever he pleased. He committed numerous crimes against the population and acted atrociously toward the orphans sent here. If another mayor with the same temperament and values were chosen, it would be a new nightmare for Hope City."
"Very good. Very good indeed. We're on the same wavelength," Akeno said with a smile."But fortunately for us, we have a chance to choose the next mayor ourselves."
"How?"
"Through you."
"Me?"
"Exactly. You have strength, supporters, the people's respect, and legal authority," Akeno said, trying to persuade Yu Fenghan.""You could become the next mayor of Hope City. As captain of the guard, you are in the perfect position to take on this role."
"For now, the former mayor's subordinates still manage Hope City's administration. Although the city has grown calmer since his disappearance, you can be certain that once they are sure the Empire will not issue new orders regarding the mayor's position, they will resume their underhanded schemes—even seeking outside forces to maintain their power."
"At that point, protecting the people will become difficult once again."
"So what do you think?"Do you want to become the next mayor of Hope City?"