Opening Up Our Thinking

In the Daimyo's Mansion of the Land of Wind, the daimyo once again roared in impotent fury.

"So you're saying that Sunagakure couldn't even be bothered to hide it and openly made it clear that they did it?"

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind stared at Scarface in disbelief.

He had guessed that those paupers from Sunagakure had robbed him and the nobles of their belongings. After all, he knew perfectly well just how underhanded and despicable they could be.

But the daimyo had never imagined that Sunagakure had no intention of concealing it at all. Every trace they left behind pointed to them.

He refused to believe that a village as large as Sunagakure could not even clean up after itself properly.

"Lord Daimyo, we obtained this information at the cost of several lives. It wasn't that Sunagakure was too lazy to hide it or deliberately made it obvious.

Please do not deny our contribution."

Scarface spoke furiously, the anger in his voice enough to burn everything to ash.

A glint flashed through the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's eyes as he looked at Scarface speechlessly.

With that level of intelligence, he still wanted to help him unify the Land of Wind and seize control of both military and political power?

Give him a break.

That was Sunagakure. Even after being defeated in war, they still had three or four Kage-level fighters, not to mention plenty of Jonin. They followed an elite policy. How many Jonin did he have in total? And he thought that by bringing a few Chunin, he could probe out their true strength?

Was he joking?

"Yes, yes. This intelligence was obtained through the expenditure of considerable manpower and resources. I will compensate you.

If any of your men left behind family members, compile a list and send it to me. The Daimyo's Mansion will support them."

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind waved a hand and said dismissively.

"Yes, thank you, Lord Daimyo. We shall certainly brave fire and water for you without hesitation."

Scarface said excitedly.

He was a staunch supporter of the daimyo. His ancestors had been Samurai devoted to serving the daimyo, and even after becoming ninja, they had never abandoned that belief.

After Scarface left, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind sat in his seat and began to ponder.

"Sunagakure has separated military and political affairs. They must have found money and no longer need to rely on me.

So what should I do?"

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind began racking his brains for a solution. Suddenly, he clenched his fist, his face twisting viciously. "Damn it! Without troops, we're useless. Once those ninja flip the table, there's nothing we can do."

In the Land of Wind's council hall, all of Sunagakure's upper ranks had gathered, from the heads of the major Ninja Clans and several Elders to the village's Jonin. Only Ebizo, Bunpuku, Suke, and the others who were carrying out missions were absent.

Yunqing swept his gaze across the room. Looking at the heads of the major Ninja Clans, the Elders, and the Jonin of Sunagakure standing before him, a surge of heroic pride rose within him.

These were the cards he had accumulated, especially those Jonin.

He had once considered defying fate through war.

Unfortunately, he had failed. He had lost to human hearts, lost to the parasites of the Land of Wind.

Even so, he had still left behind enough cards for Sunagakure to rise again.

He had also changed his approach. If violence would not work, then he would choose soft power.

Yunqing refused to believe that, with high walls, abundant grain stores, and a slow claim to kingship, he could still fail.

This was the successful experience of the great peasant emperor, Zhu Chongba.

That peasant emperor had been the first to fight from south to north and win the realm.

"Colleagues and comrades, our plans have already begun to bear fruit. Green land has appeared outside Sunagakure, and sufficient greenery has emerged along the border with the Land of Rain.

The facts have proven that when we apply our strength to improving our lives, we can change our living environment."

Yunqing delivered his speech with impassioned intensity.

"Everyone, think about it. Would you rather cling to your so-called ninja pride and live a life where death might come at any moment, or would you rather lay down that pride and use your strength to change your living environment—to marry, have children, and grow old together?

The choice is yours."

Yunqing addressed everyone without exerting any pressure. Knowing that it was better to guide than suppress, he decided to discuss the matter first.

The Ninja Clan heads, Elders, and Jonin below all fell into thought. They exchanged glances and quietly sought the opinions of those they usually regarded as wise.

"Lord Kazekage, even if we become wealthy, others will covet us. How are we supposed to protect what we have achieved?"

An Elder stood and asked.

There was no challenge in his tone, only ordinary discussion.

"Form an army and train ninja dedicated solely to combat. They will not need to take missions. Their only duty will be to defend their homes and country. They will obey the orders of their superiors, and the Ninja Village will pay them regularly."

Yunqing had long known someone would raise this issue, so he was prepared.

"But if we follow your method, what would be the point?

Ninja are already professional fighters."

A jonin could not help stepping forward and asking.

The people beside him all nodded in agreement. In their eyes, ninja existed to fight.

"No, that's not the case. To me, ninja are not that simple." Yunqing shook his head, rejecting their view. "First of all, some ninja simply do not like fighting.

"Take Lord Sāmon, for example. What he excelled at most was research. The things he developed were far more valuable than his presence on the battlefield.

"And Lady Chiyo, who was skilled at making poisons and antidotes, could save countless lives.

"Likewise, there are ninja skilled in other fields. Once their talents are developed, they can be far more useful than fighting."

As Yunqing's words fell, everyone present sank into thought. They had never considered this before, but now that they thought about it, it was indeed true.

This was especially so for the elders and Ninja Clan heads. Their positions were higher, and they understood even better just how formidable these "specialties" could be.

Sāmon's strength was not particularly high; he was at the bottom among Kage-level fighters. Yet his research into Magnet Release and Sealing Technique, as well as his dissection of One-Tails Shukaku, had raised Sunagakure's strength by an entire level.

That was why Sāmon had been able to firmly secure his position as the first-generation Kazekage.

"Indeed, just as Lord Kazekage said, my wife and I do not enjoy taking part in battle either. What we prefer is researching puppets."

A handsome red-haired youth stepped forward and voiced his support for Yunqing.

When everyone saw this young man, none of them spoke. He was Chiyo's son and Ebizo's nephew, and his status was extremely distinguished.

More importantly, he was the finest puppet researcher of this generation.

He had simplified a great number of puppets and puppet-operating methods, raising Sunagakure's overall strength.

"I also agree with Lord Kazekage. If our clan's secret technique were used to solidify the earth and turn sand into soil, it would be much more useful than in battle."

A small clan broke the silence next.

"Yes, our family's secret technique can also be used to locate underground water veins."

"Now that everyone mentions it, if we think carefully, our family's secret technique would also be quite useful for other things. We could earn money at home without sending our children onto the battlefield."

"That's right, that's right. My lord is correct. The ninjutsu I developed is the same—it can serve everyone better."

In the time that followed, Sunagakure's ninja, whose minds had been opened to new possibilities, displayed the full extent of their imaginations.

They came up with all sorts of uses for their clans' secret techniques and their own bloodline limits.

They all understood now that the tide of the times had changed, and there was no need to cling to everything from before.

If they could make money, why would they need to risk their lives?

Weren't their girlfriends' soft, fair bodies tempting enough?

Weren't their lives precious?

Why did they have to gamble with their lives?

As for a ninja's dignity, how much was that worth? Forget it.