Another World Domination

The roaring cheers sent a smile creeping across his face. Is this what they call "power?" No wonder so many people are drawn to it.

He strolled slowly towards the steps, Konan right behind him, a few paces back. Two ANBU followed in their wake, too.

He noticed the shinobi in charge of security parting the crowd, clearing a path for him. To the right of the throng, he spotted two figures dressed to impress - they were decked out in black tuxedos. They seemed to be carrying something, what looked like a rolled-up red carpet?

Did I ever request a red carpet? ...Still, this treatment wasn't half bad.

He descended the steps at a leisurely pace, placing his foot onto the freshly unrolled red carpet.

"Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, Nagato!"

The joyful shouts surrounded him, and he glanced to his left and right. He saw a sea of people reaching out toward him.

Is this what it feels like to be a nation's leader?

As he stepped off the last step, the voices grew louder, more intense.

The security shinobi lining the street struggled to hold back the crowd, forming a human barricade to keep them at bay. It was really unnecessary, since nobody in this era could possibly go toe-to-toe with the power of Pain Rikudo. He was convinced Pain Rikudo was, without a doubt, the strongest shinobi on the planet right now.

Even Naruto with his Sage Mode couldn't beat Pain in the show. Especially now, with this being reality, no plot armor or divine protection from Kishimoto existed anymore.

So, this whole security detail was really just for show.

He took in the faces of the cheering crowd. Most of them looked gaunt, their expressions reflecting a clear lack of nutrition.

He also realized that many of these people looked like a mix of Asian and European ancestry.

You wouldn't necessarily notice it in a 2D form, but in 3D, it was glaringly obvious that they weren't Japanese.

While he and Konan still had hints of Japanese features, they weren't totally the same either.

It drove home the point that this world was a genuine blend of ethnicities, unlike the anime where everyone seemed to be Japanese.

"Nagato, where are we headed?" Konan whispered into his right ear, breaking his train of thought.

He jumped slightly at the unexpected question.

"We're going to oversee the free food distribution and grab some lunch while we're at it. Konan... are you hungry?" he asked quietly.

"Me? No, it's only ten o'clock," she replied, walking behind him. She glanced over at the crowd on the right, and offered a small smile.

On the far left of the road, he noticed someone who looked like a news reporter, along with his cameraman. This just further confirmed that this world was indeed modern.

He looked up at the cloudless blue sky. Right now, it seemed so beautiful.

As a kid, the world looked like this, too. Everything was beautiful, devoid of burdens and responsibilities.

Just two days ago, he was a regular college student in Australia. Now, he was the leader of a nation. Life sure had a funny way of working out.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" a woman's loud voice called, drawing his attention.

He turned to his left, realizing it was the same reporter he had just noticed.

The security shinobi moved to block her from getting closer.

But he raised his hand, signaling that the reporter was permitted to ask questions.

The guards, understanding his signal, stepped aside and allowed the reporter to approach.

She looked absolutely thrilled at being given the chance to ask a question.

She had her dark hair tied back, with a face that was a blend of Asian and European features. She also wore a traditional Japanese Komon, a white variation of a kimono.

"Your Majesty, what are your plans for the nation moving forward?"

He paused, caught off guard by the question. The cheers around them seemed to die down as well.

He took a slow breath, and began to answer. "First and foremost, we need to evacuate those affected by the earthquake. The government will also be providing food and financial aid to those who have suffered because of the disaster."

"Just hours ago, I was informed by Prime Minister Konan that our nation had been abruptly moved to the middle of the Kaiju Ocean." This statement caused a buzz of confusion and surprise.

"We're in the Kaiju Ocean?"

"That's so far away."

"What happened? Was the earthquake not natural?"

"I heard there are lots of enormous sea monsters in the Kaiju Ocean."

Nagato and Konan watched as worry spread through the faces of many, including the security shinobi. They were naturally scared, as a jutsu of this magnitude would be considered incredibly strong.

The people were only just now hearing about this because the information dissemination system in this era was pretty archaic.

As a result, the latest news took forever to travel. Though there were television stations, there weren't many and they rarely sent reporters to remote areas that lacked radio towers.

People living near the border may have heard of it sooner. But the distance between the border and Amegakure, and other major cities, was pretty far on foot.

"Was this phenomenon caused by ninjutsu?" the reporter asked.

"Currently, we don't know whether this was caused by ninjutsu or something else, but we will be investigating it. Furthermore, the people shouldn't worry about the threat of Kaiju attacks. They've been extinct for hundreds of years. That is all." With that, he continued towards the free food distribution.

"Wait… Your Majesty," The reporter, eager to keep asking questions, was immediately blocked by the security shinobi.

Seeing this, she scoffed. She watched the backs of the King and Prime Minister as they walked away.

I wanted to ask so much more. He didn't even answer the core of my question, she thought to herself.

....

He and Konan finally reached the food distribution area, where he saw a long line of people stretching out.

He guessed there were thousands of them. He glanced back and saw a massive amount of food, rice and side dishes. But looking at the crowd ahead of him, he had his doubts as to whether it was enough.

"Konan, is there enough food? Look at all of them, there's so many people." He asked Konan, who was standing beside him.

Konan turned and gave him a strange smile.

The smile made him feel a little uneasy, this woman...

"Of course not, it's impossible for me to provide food for 800,000 people in one night. So instead, those who don't get food will receive 30 Ryo."

So, 30 Ryo, huh? That would buy you like, 15 bowls of beef ramen.

"Konan, you may retain those council members and former Daimyo ministers, who you believe performed well, for the upcoming cabinet," he said as he sipped his cup of tea.

"Alright," Konan seemed surprised by this decision. Retaining the council members was acceptable, but retaining former Daimyo ministers?

She assumed Nagato would have completely wiped the slate clean from the previous government.

"What about the formation of Parliament?" she asked.

"That will be left up to the people. Let them decide how it should work. And I have decided that the Kingdom of Erlania will adopt a two-party system."

A two-party system was a political system where two major political parties consistently dominated the political landscape. At any given moment, one of the two parties usually held power in the legislature and was generally referred to as the majority or ruling party, while the other was the minority or opposition party. That was what he had read in the Origin Document.

The Origin Document was the name for the document Nagato had drafted yesterday.

It was the foundation the Kingdom of Erlania was built upon.

The power of Parliament would not limit the King's absolute authority. As Prime Minister, even she couldn't reject the King's authority.

But, she had heard from Nagato that once Erlania was stable and had reached its peak, the King's power would be reduced.

Of course, that wasn't written in the Origin Document. Only she and Nagato knew about it.

She watched a man in traditional Japanese black clothing approach them. The man looked like he was in his 40s, with a large and distinctive black mustache. It was easy to recognize who this person was.

To be continued....