The Land of Tea is a peninsula nation with a vast territory and many mountains—ideal for growing tea.
In the palace of the Land of Tea's Daimyō, within his private martial arts arena, more than a dozen ninja lay defeated on the floor—some groaning, others unconscious. Yet the samurai guards stood indifferent, watching silently from within and outside the arena.
A man from the Uchiha clan had come to meet the Daimyō to discuss terms of surrender and cooperation. The Daimyō had ordered his ninja to test this man's strength, but none of them could survive even three rounds against him.
The Daimyō frowned slightly, his gaze falling on the ninja lying helpless before him.
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The Daimyō had never expected the expensive wandering ninja he had recruited to be so incompetent. Despite their numbers, not one could endure more than three moves from the Uchiha warrior.
These ninja—who once impressed the Daimyō with dazzling ninjutsu—were now humbled at the feet of Uchiha Akagi.
Akagi was said to be a renegade of the Uchiha clan, exiled from Konohagakure, and now seeking permission to establish a hidden village within the Land of Tea.
He was immensely powerful. To the Daimyō—who had long hoped to create a shinobi village under his rule—Akagi seemed like a divine gift.
After a long silence, the Daimyō finally responded in a deep, firm tone:
"As expected of a powerful shinobi clan. The Uchiha are even more legendary in person. The safety of the Land of Tea shall rest in your hands, Lord Akagi."
"Uchiha Akagi will go through fire and water without hesitation!"
"You've traveled far. Please, dine with me."
To dine with a Daimyō was a great honor for any ninja.
Akagi, visibly honored, responded loudly:
"Yes!"
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Although the Daimyō held the title of ruler, in the shinobi system, power ultimately came from the hidden villages. Just as in any world, political power came through military force.
Because of the Land of Tea's mountainous terrain, a town had been built in a valley at the northern border with Konohagakure. During the age of samurai, this town was a key military stronghold—easy to defend, hard to conquer. Thanks to it, the Land of Tea survived many turbulent eras.
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With the rise of the shinobi era, the Land of Tea remained small and lacked its own shinobi village. Its only neighboring nation was Konohagakure. After formally submitting to Konoha, the Land of Tea enjoyed a period of peace.
However, despite this submission, the relationship was strained. In the age of samurai, the two sides had fought many times.
In the current era, Konoha's primary policy is to maintain a balance of power among the hidden villages, and it no longer has the resources to conquer other nations.
Still, the Daimyō of the Land of Tea dared not hire Konoha's ninja directly. If those ninja turned against him, opened the gates to Konohagakure, and allowed them to take control, the Land of Tea would be lost.
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The Uchiha Akagi Team, acting under Naraku's orders, had come to negotiate the establishment of a hidden village. The first stage had already seen initial success.
Inside the Daimyō's palace, servants brought forth exquisite dishes and fine tea wines to entertain Akagi and his party.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, the Daimyō, seeing that Akagi had warmed up, smiled and said:
"Lord Akagi, the Land of Tea needs a shinobi village. We will fully support the creation of our own. The location has long been planned—it will be in Kawazato, in the north."
Akagi was moved. He had studied the Land of Tea thoroughly and understood the importance of Kawazato.
"As you command. We, your humble servants, shall guard the border and bring peace to the Land of Tea."
Akagi then rose with his guards and knelt before the Daimyō.
"Haha! My dear minister, you truly are a warrior bestowed upon the Land of Tea by heaven. The nation will provide 1.5 billion ryō every year to support the founding of Chagakure (Hidden Tea Village). I trust you will not disappoint our expectations..."
Seeing Akagi's humility, formality, and strategic sense, the Daimyō was deeply pleased and more hopeful than ever.
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Though the Land of Tea remained under Konoha's shadow, during the samurai era the two were once equals. With Konoha's overwhelming military strength, most small countries submitted.
But that did not mean the Land of Tea could not establish its own shinobi village.
The nation's capital sat in the center of the country. The mountainous north bordered Konohagakure, where the town of Kawazato lay. In the past, this town was built to defend against Konoha's forces.
"We will never fail His Majesty the Daimyō's expectations, nor will we betray the support of the Land of Tea!"
Akagi said firmly, then added, "However, Your Highness, I must confess—Akagi is an exile from Konohagakure. To avoid unnecessary conflict, I cannot use the Uchiha name openly. I hope Your Highness will understand."
The Uchiha were a prestigious clan of Konohagakure. If a rogue Uchiha publicly flew the clan banner in another nation, it would provoke tension—and perhaps disgrace those still in Konoha.
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Naraku's plan was modeled after Orochimaru, who in the future would build the Hidden Sound Village in secret. If Orochimaru could succeed right under Konoha's watch, Naraku believed the Uchiha could do the same.
"That's not a problem at all," the Daimyō responded. "A name is not important. What matters is that this is Chagakure. What matters is you, Lord Akagi. Do not underestimate your worth."
The Daimyō didn't question their secretive identities. On the contrary, he encouraged them.
Akagi was truly impressed by the Daimyō's open-mindedness.
"I will dedicate my life to Your Highness. I will not rest until death!"
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Naraku had instructed Akagi to remain modest, courteous, and respectful in all dealings. At this banquet, Akagi was genuinely awed by the Daimyō's vision.
And this was exactly what Naraku wanted—to play the role of a loyal subject, gain the Daimyō's trust, and establish a solid base.
The top priority in the Land of Tea was to build that stronghold.
Whether it was relocating clan members, recruiting rogue ninja, or conducting forbidden jutsu research, the Uchiha needed a foreign foundation away from Konohagakure's control.
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Of course, the rise of a new shinobi village in the Land of Tea would eventually draw attention from Konoha. But as long as Uchiha loyalists remained within Konoha, the Land of Tea could be protected through their influence.
This was just the beginning.
The next challenge would be a battle of strategy—against Konoha's Anbu and the Root organization.
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Naraku understood Konoha's internal structure well. No matter how loyal the Uchiha acted, they would eventually be cornered by the Hokage's inner circle.
It wasn't personal—it was about power.
The Hokage needed to centralize authority. Major clans like the Uchiha and Hyūga, and even organizations like Root, were potential threats.
This was understandable.
What was not understandable was how the Third Hokage, while suppressing these powerful groups, allowed one clan to rise above the rest—his own.
The Sarutobi clan, in just one Hokage term, had grown beyond even ancient clans like Uchiha and Hyūga.
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The true issue wasn't a lack of tea—it was the inequality in its distribution.
And the Uchiha's presence in the Land of Tea was just the beginning.
This nation's territory was about one-third the size of Konoha's. On some maps, it even appeared larger than the Land of Water.
It was a country full of potential.
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