32. The World-Shaking Scheme

A World-Shaking Scheme

"Elder Chiyo, tell me—if we allowed outsiders to enter the Ninja Academy to study, would it attract a large number of wealthy people?"

Yunqing's eyes gleamed as he tapped his fingers on the table and chuckled.

The moment Yunqing spoke, he scared Chiyo and Pakura, who stood beside her, senseless.

The two froze on the spot, not knowing what to say.

Chiyo's cup fell straight to the floor. It was clear just how badly Yunqing's words had shocked them.

Why were ninjas so formidable? Because they possessed extraordinary power, of course.

And he wanted to make ninjas accessible to the masses?

"Yunqing, do you even know what you're saying? You want noble children to enter the Ninja Academy, want the descendants of foreign merchants to enter Sunagakure's Ninja Academy and learn our ninjutsu.

Isn't that sheer nonsense?"

Chiyo roared in anger.

Before Yunqing took office, Chiyo had always addressed him by name. After he took office, she had only called him Lord Kazekage and never used his name again.

This time, Chiyo was truly furious.

"That's right, Lord Kazekage. You've gone too far this time."

Pakura said with equal displeasure.

She also felt that Yunqing had gone overboard this time.

"No, I don't think it's nonsense at all. On the contrary, I think it's an excellent idea.

Let their own children learn ninjutsu. Let other Ninja Villages learn our ninjutsu. Let them acknowledge our culture.

I think it's quite good."

Ignoring Chiyo's increasingly dark expression, Yunqing continued with a smile.

He looked like a complete fool.

Yunqing's attitude made Pakura increasingly furious, but it instead calmed Chiyo down.

"Yunqing, what exactly are you thinking? You aren't a fool, nor are you someone who acts recklessly."

Chiyo forcibly suppressed her anger and asked as calmly as possible.

She had never imagined that she would receive such a tremendous surprise today—except this "surprise" had nothing but shock.

"To bring true peace to the Ninja World. The Daimyo aren't fools. Constant opposition will only drive us further and further apart from ordinary people.

Since that's the case, we might as well integrate with one another."

Yunqing rose to his feet and walked to the window. Looking down at the increasingly prosperous Sunagakure below, he spoke calmly.

Yet the light in his eyes grew deeper and more unfathomable, impossible to read.

"I don't understand what you mean. What exactly are you trying to say?"

By now, Chiyo had calmed down. Years of discipline allowed her to quickly begin thinking.

But the more she thought, the less she understood Yunqing's words.

What integration? What mutual understanding? What opposition between them and ordinary people?

The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had established the Ninja Village system precisely to avoid standing in opposition to ordinary people, and that had resulted in them being restrained by the Daimyo.

And now, Yunqing's meaning was that they should compromise?

"Sunagakure has accumulated a massive amount of supplies. If we want to sell those supplies, we must rely on commercial methods—methods used by ordinary people.

And in that process, we will naturally become integrated.

If we open up Sunagakure, we can sell land. No matter how much the Ninja Clans and ninjas themselves consume, they can never make us wealthy. The people who truly have money and can consume products in bulk are ordinary people."

Yunqing turned back and spoke meaningfully.

No one understood Sunagakure's current problems better than him—the village chief of Sunagakure and leader of every ninja in the Land of Wind.

The commercial problems that had already arisen, and those still emerging.

"But what does that have to do with opening the Ninja Academy and letting their descendants come here to study?"

Chiyo understood part of it. Recently, she had heard her daughter-in-law complain that the family's toys were not selling very well.

"It has everything to do with it. Traveling merchants face great danger—how could they go without protection?

And since someone has to provide that protection, why can't that power be placed in their own hands?"

Yunqing sneered. His words had already touched upon a portion of human nature.

"To control power, one must infiltrate. Where there is cooperation, there can be provocation. And where there is provocation, there can be war."

Chiyo picked up where Yunqing left off and continued.

"That's right. Since that's the case, we can hand that power over to them."

As for us, we would develop core technologies. As long as we held firmly to those core technologies—the most central things—we would have nothing to worry about from them."

Yunqing's meaning was clear.

"If we only open up the most basic ninjutsu, those Ninja Clans and ninja won't mind."

Chiyo already understood Yunqing's plan.

She simply did not know what the significance of this plan was. However, she would no longer try to stop Yunqing from carrying it out.

"Pakura, help me arrange a meeting with the Right Prime Minister. Invite him to have tea in my office three days from now.

"At the same time, spread the word among the merchants who have come to Sunagakure.

"As long as they buy a house in Sunagakure, their children can study at the Sunagakure Ninja Academy."

After receiving Chiyo's approval, Yunqing immediately gave the order.

Within Sunagakure, only two people could stop Yunqing. One was Chiyo, and the other was Sāmon.

Sāmon supported Yunqing unconditionally. That left only Chiyo.

Ebizo listened to Chiyo, while the council of elders handled administration and consisted entirely of Sāmon's trusted followers. The largest Ninja Clans in Sunagakure had also all received favors from Yunqing.

As long as it did not involve fundamental interests, no one would stand in his way.

Over the next three days, all of Sunagakure boiled with excitement.

The Sunagakure Ninja Academy was holding a major recruitment drive. As long as you owned a house in Sunagakure, you would have Sunagakure residency, and your children could enroll. It did not matter which country you came from.

This announcement directly tore apart the mysterious veil surrounding Ninja Villages.

Ninja began to become a profession, gradually becoming ordinary.

Within the Sunagakure Ye Clan, Pakura sat facing Clan Chief Ye Xiu.

"Pakura, are the rumors outside Lord Kazekage's exact words?"

The elderly Ye Xiu opened his clouded eyes and asked.

"Yes, Clan Chief. What should we do?"

Pakura answered respectfully.

The old man across from her was not only her clan chief, but also her family. Yunqing had also permitted her to report her movements to him.

"I understand. You may leave."

After receiving Pakura's confirmation, a glint flashed through Ye Xiu's clouded eyes. He coughed twice and dismissed her.

After Pakura left, Ye Xiu picked up a document recording the revenue of their newly opened Pakura Clan Sauna.

"The mysterious veil of Ninja Villages is falling away. This is an era of shifting winds and clouds.

"In the future, ninja will no longer need to rely on missions for a living. That is a good thing."

Born during the Sengoku era, Ye Xiu saw further than most.

His thinking was more open-minded than that of most people.

During the Sengoku era, they penned up ordinary people, became great landlords, and went to war with other Ninja Clans. Then they encountered two cheat-code freaks and entered the era of Ninja Villages, isolating themselves from ordinary people and surviving on missions.

The clan gradually split into individual families, while warfare likewise entered a brutal phase.

Small-scale brawls involving dozens or hundreds of people became Ninja World Wars involving tens of thousands.

Now, seeing Yunqing's opening to the outside world, Ye Xiu felt that he had vaguely grasped part of the underlying thread.