Suffering Beneath the Peace!
"Right, right! With the Lord Sixth's strength, he could easily rob money; there's no need to steal...∑(°Д°)"
"I think so too. Besides, the Lord Sixth has a history of robbing money; why would he bother with such a paltry sum from the treasury?"
Shinki was quite happy to hear everyone's trust in him, but some people's words weren't so pleasant to hear!
Shinki: "The one who said I robbed you, come to my Office after work! (*Ӧ)σ"
The manager was getting impatient. "We finally got a lead, and the suspect is the Lord Sixth! So, what are we going to do about this case? (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ)"
Shinki patted the manager on the shoulder. "You can ask the village Ninjas to investigate this matter for you."
"Considering the potentially disastrous consequences of this incident, and the high value of the lost property, I've decided to classify it as S-Rank Mission. I, the Hokage, will personally investigate for you! ୧⍢⃝୨"
Upon hearing that Shinki was willing to help, the bank manager was overjoyed. "Thank you, Lord Sixth! ꒦ິ^꒦ິ"
Nearby, the Guard Unit whispered among themselves.
"There don't seem to be any S-rank individuals in the village, right?"
"According to the Lord Hokage, S-rank is probably even higher than A-Rank, which means the mission fee will be even higher."
"I see, the Lord Hokage has started robbing people. (;′⌒`)"
Three days later, Shinki was browsing news reports about the White Night Group.
The task of investigating the White Night Group naturally fell to Naruto Sasuke.
It's not that he's irresponsible, it's just that there are too many things to do in the village these past two days, and he can't get away.
They could actually Shadow Clone off, but leaving Naruto Sasuke, two top-tier fighters, unused would be a waste.
As for the Gemstone that the bank lost, after seeing the relevant photos, Shinki discovered that the Gemstone was a piece of the Crystal Mountain he had created using Crystal Release.
So Shinki used Crystal Release to create an exact replica for the bank, successfully earning a hefty commission.
In this way, the matter becomes less urgent, and Sasuke can be allowed to investigate at their own pace.
That afternoon, Shinki, who was reviewing documents, received a message from Sasuke saying that he had found the location of the White Night Group's recent activities and asked Shinki to go and take a look.
So the Shinki split into two Shadow Clones.
A village located several dozen miles from Konoha.
The Wood Clone used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport behind Naruto and asked, "What did you find out? Why did you call me over in such a hurry?"
Naruto pointed forward. "Look, see for yourself."
The Shinki, Shadow Clone, peered out and found itself facing a hundred-meter-high Cliff, with a River Cliff below...
Shinki asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Tell me in detail. (°ー°)"
Sasuke then stepped forward. "This village is built on Cliff, and water is scarce. The villagers have to walk for hours to fetch water each time. The White Night Group came to this village a few days ago and used the money they stole to build Waterwheel to transport water from the Cliff to the village..."
Sasuke was speaking, the villagers slowly gathered around.
An elderly man with wrinkles and white hair looked at Shinki: "You're here to investigate the White Night Group, aren't you?"
"My lords, you are of such high status that I might not have been qualified to speak to you in the past, but could you please, please, stop investigating the White Night Group today? (｡í _ ì｡)"
As he spoke, the white-haired old man's voice trembled, and his eyes gradually welled up with tears...
He was probably highly respected in the village, and this was the first time he had set aside his dignity to beg for help in such a humble manner.
"Our village is short of water, and it takes four or five hours to carry water. We've been doing this for decades. Crops fail, food is scarce, and all the able-bodied men are exhausted from carrying water..."
"The White Night Group saved us."
"You say they're thieves... their money is ill-gotten, do you think we don't know that? But they helped us... they built the Waterwheel, and now the village has water. If you arrest them, we have no way to survive. The whole village will be waiting to die. We don't want to die, we want to live..."
After saying this, the old man shed cloudy tears.
Upon hearing this, Shinki suddenly felt that the words sounded very familiar.
"I Am Not the God of Thieves," right...?
Beside Shinki, Naruto Sasuke remained silent.
After a few seconds, Shinki looked at the Waterwheel under construction not far away and sighed softly, "Sigh~"
The White Night Group is definitely wrong; they are thieves.
But these villagers wanted to live, and they were right to set aside their dignity and plead for mercy.
"I am the Sixth Hokage of Konoha, Shinki. I will fund the construction of your village's Waterwheel!"
Shinki suddenly shouted loudly.
"I won't say more, but I must investigate the White Night Group!"
After saying that, Shinki left with Naruto Sasuke.
On the road.
Naruto, his thoughts written all over his face, lowered his head and remained silent.
Shinki asked, "What's wrong? Is there something you're upset about?"
Naruto: "I never imagined there were such impoverished places in the Land of Fire. Did you see those children? Their skin is dry and sallow from malnutrition... Even though we were orphans when we were young, we didn't have it this hard... And those old people, the wrinkles on their faces are so deep."
"I thought that with peace in the Shinobi World and no more war, everyone should live happily..."
Upon hearing Naruto's words, Shinki replied, "After Ninja for so many years, you should know that reality is always vastly different from ideals. The suffering we see is merely the tip of the iceberg of the world's suffering."
Naruto: "I don't understand, doesn't the Land of Fire Daimyo see this situation? (||๐_๐)"
Shinki shrugged. "I don't know. I've been Hokage for a year now, and I've only met the Land of Fire Daimyo once. ┐(´-`)┌"
"But if you feel the world is bad right now, you can try to change it."
"Neither the Hokage nor the Daimyo is absolutely correct; both can be overturned."
"Naruto, see the world with your own eyes, and seek your own answers."
Shinki spoke these words in a calm tone, as if recounting what he had for breakfast that day, but to Naruto it was different; he felt something deep within him waver...
The two faced each other. Sasuke glanced at Shinki, then at the silent Naruto. (๑°⌓°๑)
I have a feeling that Shinki's words will have a huge impact on the future world order...
The Shinki may be the catalyst for change, while Naruto may be its leader...
After a moment of silence, Shinki said with a relaxed expression, "Alright, everyone, stop standing there. I've been communicating with the higher-ups in the Land of Fire these past two days, and it's now possible to operate the Thunder Train Tracks within the Land of Fire's borders. ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )"
"Speaking of which, what should our company be called?"
"I've thought of two: a company that makes big money and a company that rakes in huge profits. ❛‿˂̵✧"
Sasuke: "Your two company names are so tacky... Couldn't you come up with something more meaningful? →_→"
On the other side, in a small mountain village.
Shortly after the Shinki group left, members of the White Night Group, wearing masks, emerged from a villager's house.
"This Hokage is more interesting than the legends say."
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